Jekyl and Hyde

[akronzips71]

How do you know that this was the reason why he did this?

The same way he knew that KC would red shirt this year.

OK, could not help the dig at DIG, but I do appreciate the research you do.

[ZachTheZip]

Melo spent a lot of time in the second half in the locker room or with the trainer. Don't assume that having Evans out there was part of some scheme or statement being made by Dambrot.

[Dave in Green]

@skip-zip, good question. I accidentally left a word out from what I was thinking. I intended to say that there was a good reason why Coach Dambrot would put Nyles into the game at the end.

Coach Dambrot said after the game that the reason he didn't play Kwan more than a minute or Big Dog at all is because he wanted to make sure the Zips won this game, i.e. winning was more important than testing the new players. He stuck with his veteran players with the single exception of Nyles. Despite Nyles' lack of experience with the Zips and in D1 game situations, Coach Dambrot trusted Nyles to run the point in crunch time over his other options. Even the times Nyles couldn't inbound the ball or got trapped in the corner he was smart enough to call a quick timeout rather than trying to force a pass that may have resulted in a turnover. I'm pretty certain that the decision to trust Nyles as the best option to ensure victory related to him having shown that he could make good decisions and protect the ball better by virtue of not having a turnover up to that point. But I couldn't prove it without specifically asking Coach Dambrot.

[Dave in Green]

@ZachTheZip, I didn't notice Melo getting treatment because I was too focused on game play. All I noticed about Melo was that he subbed in and out in the second half at regular intervals. I sure hope he wasn't suffering from leg cramps as he did last season. If Melo was hurting, that would be an additional reason to have Nyles in the game at the end. My opinion remains that Nyles earned that trust by taking good care of the ball prior to his stint in the final few minutes of the game.

[Dave in Green]

@akronzips71, at no time have I ever stated that I knew that KC would be redshirted.