Kitty News

[Dave in Green]

* Highly recruited 4-star recruit Anrio Adams, a 6-3 guard, is leaving the Kansas Jayhawks after his freshman season to transfer to OU. Link.

* OU beat out Temple, Georgetown, Miami (Fla.) and VCU to get a verbal commit from 3-star recruit Tariq Owens, a 6-9 forward from Maryland. Link.

* tOSU has actually signed the Kitties to play a regular season basketball game in Columbus. Link.

[jupitertoo]

* Highly recruited 4-star recruit Anrio Adams, a 6-3 guard, is leaving the Kansas Jayhawks after his freshman season to transfer to OU. Link.

* OU beat out Temple, Georgetown, Miami (Fla.) and VCU to get a verbal commit from 3-star recruit Tariq Owens, a 6-9 forward from Maryland. Link.

* tOSU has actually signed the Kitties to play a regular season basketball game in Columbus. Link.

It's going to be a two team league.

[GoZips]

* Highly recruited 4-star recruit Anrio Adams, a 6-3 guard, is leaving the Kansas Jayhawks after his freshman season to transfer to OU. Link.

* OU beat out Temple, Georgetown, Miami (Fla.) and VCU to get a verbal commit from 3-star recruit Tariq Owens, a 6-9 forward from Maryland. Link.

* tOSU has actually signed the Kitties to play a regular season basketball game in Columbus. Link.

Jim Christian is making his presence felt in the MAC. These are two talented players.

Anrio Adams has some baggage (he is a malcontent), but, was being squeezed out by more talented players. He becomes

eligible in the 2014 season. Good for the Kitties, bad for the rest of us as he gets a year to learn the OU system.

Tariq Owens, another better quality player, is an excellent catch for OU's 2014 class. He will need to put on some weight

to play in the paint even at the MAC level where he will be facing the likes of Isiah six-ten, three hundred pounds, Johnson,

and the loveable Kitty crusher six-eight, two hundred-forty pound, Demetrius Treadwell, not to mention six-eleven, Pat

Forsythe. Three skilled Zips not known for taking prisoners.

Neither of the two above mentioned players will be available to the Kitties when they tangle in Cowlumbus with a talented

Suckeye team very early in the Fall.

[akzipper]

It's going to be a two team league.

Really...I guess you mean Akron and Can't State then. Although I don't see Can't as very tough anymore.

[LZIp]

Really...I guess you mean Akron and Can't State then. Although I don't see Can't as very tough anymore.

lol.

[ZachTheZip]

Jim Christian is a good recruiter, especially when speaking of non-traditional recruits such as transfers and JUCOs. But he's not a good gameday coach and he's not very good at fostering a sense of teamwork, either, partly because of his reliance on those non-traditional recruits. He relies on accumulating raw talent to beat opponents. That's good enough to beat most MAC teams and even to catch some bigger name programs off guard, but it won't do much against an equally talented team that plays well together and has a strong gameplan.

[mbalsinger]

Jim Christian is a good recruiter, especially when speaking of non-traditional recruits such as transfers and JUCOs. But he's not a good gameday coach and he's not very good at fostering a sense of teamwork, either, partly because of his reliance on those non-traditional recruits. He relies on accumulating raw talent to beat opponents. That's good enough to beat most MAC teams and even to catch some bigger name programs off guard, but it won't do much against an equally talented team that plays well together and has a strong gameplan.

I completely agree. Akron throughly defeated OU thrice this year and that was undoubtably because of Jim Christian. OU fans were extremely upset over his coaching last year.

Is there another MAC team that we should be looking forward to being tough competition?

[ZachTheZip]

Is there another MAC team that we should be looking forward to being tough competition?

I'm most concerned about Buffalo. WMU and Toledo in the MAC West could cause trouble.

[jupitertoo]

Jim Christian is a good recruiter, especially when speaking of non-traditional recruits such as transfers and JUCOs. But he's not a good gameday coach and he's not very good at fostering a sense of teamwork, either, partly because of his reliance on those non-traditional recruits. He relies on accumulating raw talent to beat opponents. That's good enough to beat most MAC teams and even to catch some bigger name programs off guard, but it won't do much against an equally talented team that plays well together and has a strong gameplan.

How do you square your analysis of Christian's gameday skills with the fact that he has the highest winning percentage in MAC history and went to the postseason five of his six seasons at Can't? The only thing he really hasn't accomplished is getting a win in the NCAAs, but he's not alone as you know. Given the fact that he came into a situation last year where he had an established team that ran an offense he does not prefer, and did not have a big man, I think he did as well as anyone could have expected. Groce never finished higher than third in the league with the same starting five before getting hot in the postseason. I doubt Groce would have won any more games last year than Christian did - in fact, if there's a gameday coaching weakness, it's on Groce's end, not Christian's. Groce lost a lot of games he shouldn't have in his tenure in Athens.

Ohio will have an interesting team this year; they picked up a LOT of talent in the off-season, had a good recruiting class, had a very solid transfer point guard from the Big XII sitting out and will have an entirely new look and feel in 2013. Next year and beyond, they could be scary good based on whom he's picked up in recent months. As for his alleged preference for JUCOs, I think you'll see that he won't be allowed to go in that direction in Athens.

[zippy5]

As well as anyone would have expected? Post that on bobcatattack and link the thread for us. It'll be fun.

[jupitertoo]

As well as anyone would have expected? Post that on bobcatattack and link the thread for us. It'll be fun.

There has been a lot of discussion of that point among Ohio fans already. Most agree that while great, the Sweet 16 run was not an indication that the team would dominate in the MAC, as they hadn't finished higher than third previously. The team had holes, largely due to Groce's inability to get a high quality post presence. So when they were hot from outside, they were great; when not, well...we saw what happens in the second half of the MAC Championship game. Dambrot had a much more well-rounded team.

[Quickzips]

I'm most concerned about Buffalo. WMU and Toledo in the MAC West could cause trouble.

We are going to learn a lot about Buffalo this year. Either a change in coaching will serve them well and they will take the next step after Reggie took him as far as he could or they will tank without him ala Toledo a few years back.

Western doesn't concern me. Hawkins has taken that program as far as he can which is a top 1-3 team in the MAC West that can only realistically hope to get to the semi's in the MAC most years. Look for them to have to make a decision much like Buffalo and Witherspoon in a couple years.

Toledo has to be the big sleeper in all of this. They were a mess a couple years back, but one good coaching hire seems to have them on the right track. The APR penalties are done with now. They have a full slate of scholarships (that they seem to be using quite well) and they are eligible for the postseason again. More than that they actually seem to be investing the resources necessary to become relevant not just in the MAC, but in OOC as well.

Beyond that Ohio, Can't State, Akron. That is pretty much the Big 3 of the MAC for the foreseeable future. Miami, Central and Ball State are all in rebuilding mode and early on in the process at that. NIU is a perennial doormat with no end in sight. BG has made it well known that they have no interest in fielding a competitive men's team any time soon. Eastern will continue to be hamstrung by their style of play.

[taxpayer]

I agree that ou will continue to challenge the zips. I agree Buffalo will be an interesting watch what with the new coach and the possibility of bringing in some nyc/nj recruits that Reggie couldn't. Cant will always be Cant but I think they might be slipping a little plus Toledo is building something nice with their coach and facility. BSU deserves watching as they seem to have the commitment, money, facility and Whitford as the new boss might surprise in another year or two. He is well respected/known, he will get some nice Chicago recruits.

I still see the Zips as the Big Boy in the MAC; KD needs to keep pushing for a facility to keep the momentum going towards being a Top 25 - 30 program. We also need TB to win and win now to generate cash.

[OU Dude]

for now count me as cautiously optimistic about Christian and the Bobcats going forward. Some good accomplishments last year but the team came up short of expectations, probably enough blame to go around to everyone. I think I saw Ivo Baltic on a milk carton. Time to move forward.

Excited about '14-'15 with Rivals 4 star top 100 Rio Adams transferring from Kansas and Rivals 3 star Tariq Owens verbally committing. Owens was just upgraded to 4 star #86 by Scout for what thats worth, so he seems to be a good get on paper. Will need to beef up if he wants to bang around in the MAC.

2013 will be an interesting transition after Cooper and company. There will be 3 freshmen- 3star DJ Wingfield 6'5", unranked Antonio Campbell 6'8", and unranked Wadley Mompremier 6'9". The Zips had offered Mompremier and at the Bobcat Caravan Christian was really excited about him, so we'll see.

Ohio also has 3 transfers starting in 2013- Bean Willis is a Rivals 4star top 100 recruit who played 2 seasons at Texas Tech before transferring last year. He'll be taking over at PG. unranked Treg Setty is a 6'9" sophomore transfer from Southern Illinois, Groce had offered him out of high school.

The final mystery piece for Ohio is a JC transfer, 6'9" Maurice Ndour. He was born in Senegal, played HS in Japan, JC in in NY, speaks 5 languages, not your typical college kid. Ndour had offers from WVU and UC among others. I think his ability to quickly transition to D1 ball will be critical for the Cats this year. Here's a highlight vid for those interested-

Bottom line- lots of question marks for Ohio next year but I agree with others who say that this is a 2 team league and both Ohio and Akron are at the point where its more about reloading then rebuilding. I'm ready for November.

[Dave in Green]

I think all these 3- and 4-star recruits may indicate that OU is starting to reap the rewards for that Sweet 16 run. Can't enjoyed that recruiting advantage for years after their Elite 8 run, but have recently shown signs of finally running out of momentum. The Zips are also recruiting at a higher level than in previous years. But it's awfully hard to attract multiple 3- and 4-star recruits without having demonstrated the ability to win NCAA tournament games.

[Dr Z]

I think all these 3- and 4-star recruits may indicate that OU is starting to reap the rewards for that Sweet 16 run. Can't enjoyed that recruiting advantage for years after their Elite 8 run, but have recently shown signs of finally running out of momentum. The Zips are also recruiting at a higher level than in previous years. But it's awfully hard to attract multiple 3- and 4-star recruits without having demonstrated the ability to win NCAA tournament games.

Bingo! Bullseye! To the point. I agree.

I have been cheering hard for this next step for long time.

[OU Dude]

consistent winning is starting to pay off for both programs and one of Akron's strengths that I hope Ohio can emulate is Coach stability. Knowing that the coaching staff is committed to the program long term is attractive to a recruit with so much change and turnover these days. JC talks about putting roots down in Athens, I hope he follows KD's lead on that one.

[akzipper]

I agree I hope Christian stays for a long time. Then OU will consistently go 0-2 against the Zips every year...

[Dave in Green]

Coincidental to this discussion, ESPN Insider has just posted a good evaluation of Zips basketball recruiting, which I just started a new thread on in the basketball recruiting forum here.

[jupitertoo]

consistent winning is starting to pay off for both programs and one of Akron's strengths that I hope Ohio can emulate is Coach stability. Knowing that the coaching staff is committed to the program long term is attractive to a recruit with so much change and turnover these days. JC talks about putting roots down in Athens, I hope he follows KD's lead on that one.

Honest question: What is Christian's head to head record against KD? It's got to be pretty close.

[MDZip]

Honest question: What is Christian's head to head record against KD? It's got to be pretty close.

Dambrot and Christian coached against each other for four years from 04-05 to 07-08 when Christian was at Can't and then again last year when Christian was at OU.

Year by Year (Dambrot's record against Christian assuming neither coach missed any of these games):

04-05 0-2

05-06 1-1

06-07 3-0

07-08 0-3

12-13 3-0

so the total is 7-6, so yeah pretty damn close and Dambrot was down by 2 until this year.

[OU Dude]

Coincidental to this discussion, ESPN Insider has just posted a good evaluation of Zips basketball recruiting, which I just started a new thread on in the basketball recruiting forum here.

Article written by OU graduate and former bball player Reggie Rankin. Traitor!

[UAZip0510]

Anrio, we hardly knew ya...

[Dave in Green]

If he was recruited and signed by Kansas, where he backed up Ben McLemore, he's obviously a major basketball talent. If his future lies in junior college, he's obviously not a major academic talent.

[Z.I.P.]

If he was recruited and signed by Kansas, where he backed up Ben McLemore, he's obviously a major basketball talent. If his future lies in junior college, he's obviously not a major academic talent.

With the accent on ACADEMIC!