UMBC Game

[Dave in Green]

Sorry I had to miss this game due to a family obligation. Just got home and was shocked to see no thread yet started on the first real game of the season. Zips up by 25 points with 9 minutes left in the game.

[Dave in Green]

Zips run the lead up to 30 points and then coast to a 17-point win, 74-57. Just looking at the raw stats, the most positive sign to me is that the two true freshman PGs in their first D-I college game combined for 6 steals and 7 assists with just 4 turnovers. Noah had a good shooting night while Antino missed a lot. Rounding out the freshmen, Aaron and BJ played minor roles with neither lighting things up. On the sophomore side, Kwan had another solid game with 9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks while backing up Pat, who fouled out.

Jake and Reggie took 10 shots (all 3-pointers) and made 6. Tree got his usual double-double (10 points, 13 rebounds), but continues to struggle at the free throw line (2-6). He's now a frighteningly bad 4-16 for the season. Looking foward to hearing from those who saw the game.

[zippyfan34]

They played much better than Monday. Tree only took 7 shots which was good that he relied on his teammates rather than forcing thing. Antino sprained his ankle in the second half but came back in later with a slight limp. I hope it isn't anything that lingers.

[Dave in Green]

One thing we got sensitized to last season was the poor team assist to turnover ratio. The Zips averaged just 11 assists per game last season to 13 turnovers. In the first game last season against Coastal Carolina, the Zips had 10 assists and 17 turnovers. Against UMBC tonight the Zips had 17 assists and 12 turnovers. So the impression of those who attended Zips practices this year and thought the players showed better team chemistry than last season so far appears to be pretty accurate. My concerns about having two true freshmen at PG are starting to fade a little. The USC game will give us a better idea of how well this season's team can share and protect the ball.

[akronzips71]

I listened to the game.

Based on the broadcast, Kwan had a very very good game.

And so did Robo.

Very good news indeed.

Kwan will be a major part of the team this year, and for a freshman Robo seems very impressive. We have a point guard, and apparently Kwan is a 6'9" guy who can play forward or center and shoot 3's.

One point that was made over and over is that it is extremely difficult to stop a guy that size from shooting three pointers. So if he settles down and becomes a good outside shooter, he will be a force.

And Robo is NOT afraid to shoot. That is a big deal considering where we were last year.

[johnnyzip84]

The tone was much different last night than Monday night, with KD back on the bench and a real game to be played. The young Zips showed a lot of promise.

Kwan showed me that he has taken the role of playing a 4/5 seriously until Big Dog returns. He clearly had a focus on defense and rebounding in both his play and his post-game comments. It's really hard to believe he won't be 20 until August of 2015. The other thing he did well was feed Tree when they were playing a little high-low game. His court vision, a fortunate remnant of his days as a HS guard, is a real plus.

It seems crazy to say this, but Noah has ALREADY established himself as a team leader. His calm, but confidant court demeanor is far beyond his age. Oh and he handles the ball very well and sets up teammates to score. He took a shot or two that reminded us that he's still a true FR. But with Antino also showing much ability (but not the polish as yet) at PG, the Zips are WAY ahead in this position already in 2014-2015 versus the past few seasons. They both even play steady, pesky defense (unlike a certain ex-PG in West GA).

Tree was consistently double and triple teamed, but he made a few nice kick-outs off of these and played his usual high energy game to garner his double-double. The team's passing, lead by the play of the PGs (who played quite a few minutes together), was impressive for a season debut.

Pat played a pretty good game, going to the basket aggressively a few times and gathering a number of boards. He did show his tendency to get tagged with fouls of the questionable variety.

Reggie and Jake were their usual selves, hitting threes when open and helping the team in other areas. Reggie had a few lazy passes, but I attribute that to game rust.

The opponent wasn't that great, but I came away pretty pleased indeed with where the Zips are at this point.

[skip-zip]

I have to say this. It was a relief to get away from the frustration of football.

Here's a few observations.

1) From day one, I loved Kwan's versatility. He showed some of that last night in extended playing time in Big Dog's absence. Although, he did throw up a couple of 3-point bricks in the process.

2) I think we have to live with the fact that Pat is Pat. He continues to be frustrating to watch, and this was against undersized competition.

3) Really refreshing to see some small guards out front who showed poise, got the job done, AND had desire and quickness on defense. When was the last time we had that around here? And this was their first career games. Unbelievable.

4) Reggie really looked sharp shooting the ball.

5) Tree is really going to have to carry the load this year on the boards. We need the big dog more than ever.

6) With all the talk around here about Gladden's abilities, I was shocked to see him play very little last night.

7) I continue to be amazed at Deji's ability to elevate around the rim. I don't think any of our opponents ever see that coming.

8) I hope we find a way for Nyles to continue to contribute, even though he seems to have been somewhat forgotten by us with all the hype with the freshmen coming in. Keith said he didn't practice much lately, or he would have played more. We know now that he's not a 40 minute guy, but I think his experience in the backcourt will be very valuable to us this year. I like the way he's looked in the practices I've seen this fall.

9) I think our players, overall, showed a lot of hustle for an opening game against an inferior opponent, and Keith acknowledged that in his post-game.

[skip-zip]

Tree only took 7 shots which was good that he relied on his teammates rather than forcing thing.

I really think this could be the key to whether we have a good scoring offense this year.

[Balsy]

8) I hope we find a way for Nyles to continue to contribute....We know now that he's not a 40 minute guy, but I think his experience in the backcourt will be very valuable to us this year. I like the way he's looked in the practices I've seen this fall.

Good thoughts Skip. I especially like this one. I thought Evans gave us some speed off the bench.

[1981 grad]

I do not share the optimism of everyone on the board. When Tree was double and triple teamed he had difficulty finding the open man and lost the ball on more than one occasion. I couple of times he was able to drive to the basket and score even with the double and triple team. This will not happen against better competition. Last year he got frustrated with the double and triple team. I hope it does not happen this year.

Our offense seems to be built on one on one down low and perimeter passing. If our wing players are hot it works. If we hit a cold spell we will struggle. Our offense is also very predictable. When the player swings around the double pick their players just cut in from of our player and stole the ball in the second half at least 2 times.

There is not question that our guards are vastly improved over last year. Noah runs the floor well and anticipates well on defense. He had a great drive to the basket and great full length pass as an assist for an easy basket.

I thought Kwan played ok but nothing special. His first 2 wide open shots were 3 pointers that barely drew rim. His 2 made 3 pointers were at the end of the game when we were up big time. He had some nice defense in the second half but I do not believe he is physical enough when we play tough competition. I hope he proves me wrong.

I will be very surprised if we do well when we get a dose of tough competition but I believe it will help us prepare for the MAC.

[Dave in Green]

The enthusiasm from Skip, JZ84 and others is nice to see. The way the Zips are playing as a team so early in the season with inexperienced players, they deserve it. One thing I'd been concerned about was the ability of the true freshmen to play long minutes. I think that Noah is exceeding most everyone's performance expectations, including energy and endurance. He played 31 minutes in the exhibition game, and then 30 minutes against UMBC -- most of anyone on the team including Tree (28 minutes). While both Antino and Nyles can handle backup PG minutes, the key to this season may be having Noah running the point for 30+ minutes per game. So far he appears to be up to the challenge. The back-to-back games in Charleston will be the next test.

BJ (8 minutes) and Aaron (4 minutes) certainly didn't get a lot of PT. In part this may be due to the unexpectedly solid performance from Kwan, who had the third most PT (26 minutes). One thing to consider about BJ is that he's the consummate team player who often defers to his teammates instead of trying to be a star. When he transferred in his senior year of HS, the team he went to had five returning starters. The HS coach recognized BJ's talent, but didn't want to break up his starting five. He met with BJ to discuss, and BJ volunteered that he would have no problem being the sixth man, and the team went on to win the state championship.

I expect BJ to do the same with the Zips. He will slowly and methodically work himself into the role where the Zips most need him. Watch him closely and you'll likely see him doing a lot of things that don't necessarily show up in the stats, similar to Jake. BJ took only one shot last night, but it was a drive to the basket for a layup. The Zips have lots of 3-point shooters and really need someone who can consistently drive the lane and finish at the rim, as Skip previously pointed out.

It's interesting to add up the Zips minutes played by class, noting that Big Dog (sophomore) was the only one who didn't play:

45 = seniors (Tree, Deji, Nyles)

57 = juniors (Pat, Jake, Reggie)

26 = sophomore (Kwan)

55 = freshmen (Noah, Antino, BJ, Aaron)

[akronzips71]

I do not share the optimism of everyone on the board. When Tree was double and triple teamed he had difficulty finding the open man and lost the ball on more than one occasion. I couple of times he was able to drive to the basket and score even with the double and triple team. This will not happen against better competition. Last year he got frustrated with the double and triple team. I hope it does not happen this year.

Our offense seems to be built on one on one down low and perimeter passing. If our wing players are hot it works. If we hit a cold spell we will struggle. Our offense is also very predictable. When the player swings around the double pick their players just cut in from of our player and stole the ball in the second half at least 2 times.

There is not question that our guards are vastly improved over last year. Noah runs the floor well and anticipates well on defense. He had a great drive to the basket and great full length pass as an assist for an easy basket.

I thought Kwan played ok but nothing special. His first 2 wide open shots were 3 pointers that barely drew rim. His 2 made 3 pointers were at the end of the game when we were up big time. He had some nice defense in the second half but I do not believe he is physical enough when we play tough competition. I hope he proves me wrong.

I will be very surprised if we do well when we get a dose of tough competition but I believe it will help us prepare for the MAC.

The difference is that last year the PG's were not a scoring threat. Triple team Tree and someone is going to be wide open for a short jumper. That is the way it will play out this year. Once the opposition starts getting burned on the outside because they triple Tree, they are going to have to stop doing that and defend the other players.

[zipnetter55]

Was at the game-here are my observations:

1. Overall a good opening performance, Pleased to see 2 true point guards-what an upgrade.

2, Our interior defense needs work-too many easy buckets inside-no ball denial at all. Pat is not much of a defender-poor footwork causes him to be a step slow and results in fouls, Hopefully we will improve when Big Dog returns-we better or we will get killed inside by better opposition .

3. One of my complaints about last years team was that we lived or died by the 3 pointers-and it looks like more of the same-very little driving to the hoop and most of the passing seems designed to set up 3 pt, attempts. Would like to see a few more 8-13 ft shots. If we go cold on 3s(see Western Mich. game last yr) we have very little else to help us win.

4. Kwan is very raw- he will be good as a jr. and sr. but I don't see him contributing too much this season

5. Finally, I think our best lineup is with both Jake and Reggie on the floor-Reggie can play off guard especially wiqth a good point guard and I believe both are capable of a lot more than just their current roles as 3 pt. corner shooters

[1981 grad]

Unfortunately, our team does not take many short jumpers. I think this is a problem. He always passes to a player for a three ball. We should be able to get some layups when Tree gets a triple team.

[Dave in Green]

... When Tree was double and triple teamed he had difficulty finding the open man and lost the ball on more than one occasion. I couple of times he was able to drive to the basket and score even with the double and triple team. This will not happen against better competition. Last year he got frustrated with the double and triple team. I hope it does not happen this year. ...

This is a really good point, and something I think a lot of us are concerned about. Last season the Zips had the one-two punch of Tree and Q. It was hoped for that when Tree was double- and triple-teamed that he'd kick the ball out and Q would end up making the defense pay. Unfortunately, that didn't happen often enough. This season Tree is the clear #1 for the Zips, with Jake seen by many as the closest to a #2. The hope is that Tree and the coaching staff learned enough last season to find a solution this season.

Since I missed seeing last night's game, I can only go by the stats. The box score shows that Tree had 2 turnovers and 3 assists. It didn't strike me that 2 turnovers was a terrible number for a team's #1 offensive threat who handles the ball a lot in the paint. So I went back and checked last season's stats and found that Tree on the season averaged 2.5 turnovers and 1.9 assists per game. That means that his performance in those categories against UMBC was a little above average compared with last season.

Digging a little deeper, I decided to compare that against the power forward who beat out Tree for MAC POY, Javon McCrea. Since they both played the same position and both handled the ball a lot in the paint on offense, I thought McCrea's turnover to assist ratio would make a fair comparison. In his junior season, McCrea averaged 2.9 turnovers and 2.0 assists per game, slightly worse on turnovers and slightly better on assists than Tree's junior season. In his senior season, when he won MAC POY, McCrea improved his turnover average to 2.5 per game and his assists to 2.2.

So I'd say if Tree can keep his turnover per game average close to 2 that it would be hard to criticize his performance. Hopefully as the season goes on and he becomes more familiar with all of his teammates, they'll develop the chemistry to make the defense pay when they double- and triple-team him.

[skip-zip]

Unfortunately, our team does not take many short jumpers. I think this is a problem. He always passes to a player for a three ball. We should be able to get some layups when Tree gets a triple team.

You're right. We've been like this for years. Our coach isn't dumb. He know what he has to work with. So ask yourself, how often do we have multiple big guys who can pass, catch, and finish in the post with some extra interior ball movement? The other way to get layups would be those dribble drives from the perimeter. Even a medium range shot off of the dribble.

You're limited to what you have. We've had guys who are effective at carving out room and scoring in the post. We've had post players with some vision who can kick the ball back out to open shooters, and we've taken advantage of that 3-point line with some good shooters over the years. But some of the other skills to do other things have often been lacking, so you don't see much of that.

[BirdZip]

It seems crazy to say this, but Noah has ALREADY established himself as a team leader. His calm, but confidant court demeanor is far beyond his age. Oh and he handles the ball very well and sets up teammates to score. He took a shot or two that reminded us that he's still a true FR. But with Antino also showing much ability (but not the polish as yet) at PG, the Zips are WAY ahead in this position already in 2014-2015 versus the past few seasons. They both even play steady, pesky defense (unlike a certain ex-PG in West GA).

Sounds like the JAR staff needs to do some creative editing and go old school, blasting "Domo Arigato, Mister Robotham" when appropriate?