Akron vs Western Illinois

[akronzips71]

This is comical! Put the feed up on my tv and it bounced back to halftime 3 times hahahahahahahahahahha that's all I can say.

I sent a message to the AD, told him to notify the appropriate departments to stop asking me for money.

Tomorrow I will contact the alumni office direct.

[akronzips71]

Back on topic, Kwan hit 5 yes 5 threes!

A 6'9 guy who blocks shots and hits threes.

I know I am about to get blasted here, but he is turning into everything we ever wanted Zeke to be.

[Dave in Green]

We wanted Zeke to be a 3-point shooter?

[akronzips71]

We wanted Zeke to be a 3-point shooter?

Wouldn't that have been awesome! :NCAAC: :NCAAC: :NCAAC:

[akronzips71]

But what I MEANT, Mr. Dave in Green, is that when we signed Zeke, we were thinking 7 footer can protect the rim and score a zillion points.

Zeke was a wonderful defender, but as a freshman he was not throwing down 15 points a game.Or as a soph. And Tree played a lot of minutes as a frosh, Kwan did not. This is almost too good to be true, KD hit a home run with this guy.

If you look back, I was the one talking him up and wanting to see more of him last year, but of course he was not going to displace Tree and he seemed a little to eager to throw up (missed) threes.

What a difference a new season has made.

[Blue & Gold]

...This is almost too good to be true, KD hit a home run with this guy...

This is an appropriate way to describe Kwan's development. I still can't believe my eyes when i watch him play.

During one of the brief instances when my video feed was actually working last night, I heard Joe Dunn comment that if Kwan keeps developing, the NBA is a real possibility. Steve French agreed. Kwan's still only 19 years old, for crying out loud!

[Blue & Gold]

Looking at the box score, I see BJ Gladden didn't play last night. Anyone know the reason for that? I was hoping he'd get some quality game minutes against the cupcakes; he's still gotta get his D-1 legs underneath him.

[Dave in Green]

BJ had a minor muscle tweak that kept him out. He should be fine by the next game.

[morris buttermaker]

Big win last night. Looking at the remaining OOC schedule, I will be disappointed if they don't win them all--- certainly an uninspiring stretch of opponents. Lots of wins this yr!

[ewbrooman1]

Back on topic, Kwan hit 5 yes 5 threes!

A 6'9 guy who blocks shots and hits threes.

I know I am about to get blasted here, but he is turning into everything we ever wanted Zeke to be.

What I like even better is that he is improving his mid range and inside scoring. Yeah, he was 5 for 7 on 3's last night but he was also 9 for 14 from inside the arc the previous two games.

[Dave in Green]

Kwan and Zeke are two totally different styles of player. Zeke was always a classic low-post, rim-defending center. Kwan was a typical-sized wing who had a big growth spurt and now has a unique mix of physical abilities. Kwan has grown into a modern NBA-type small forward combining the mobility, ball handling and shooting skills of a wing with the height of a typical college power forward or center.

Someone noted earlier that Kwan is really effective in the high post feeding the low post. Where the Zips guards and wings have had trouble getting the ball all the way in to Pat and Big Dog, Kwan has become a reliable relay. Get the ball to Kwan in the high post and he uses his position and height to feed the low post. Kwan has also been showing a deadly mid-range jumper similar to the one Tree was working to optimize. So he's a double threat in the high post to feed the low post or take the mid-range jumper. He has the ability to dribble the ball to create separation and then get off a virtually unblockable fadeaway jumper. He can also dribble drive to the rim. Add that to his 3-point shooting and at 6-9 he becomes a nightmare for opposing teams to cover.

Kwan has made such a big leap between his freshman and sophomore seasons that it's not unrealistic to speculate whether he can keep improving his game to the point that he might have an even better chance of playing professionally than Zeke.

[Dave in Green]

An interesting note about this game is that the Zips blocked 9 shots. In their 8 games so far the Zips are averaging 5.6 blocks per game. In Zeke's senior season when he was at the height of his shot-blocking performance the Zips as a team averaged 5.7 blocks per game and were ranked #11 in the country in that category. The difference is that the Zips have more depth in shot blocking this season with Kwan, Pat and Big Dog combining for an average 4.7 blocks per game compared with Zeke's senior average of 3.7 blocks per game.

[akronzips71]

An interesting note about this game is that the Zips blocked 9 shots. In their 8 games so far the Zips are averaging 5.6 blocks per game. In Zeke's senior season when he was at the height of his shot-blocking performance the Zips as a team averaged 5.7 blocks per game and were ranked #11 in the country in that category. The difference is that the Zips have more depth in shot blocking this season with Kwan, Pat and Big Dog combining for an average 4.7 blocks per game compared with Zeke's senior average of 3.7 blocks per game.

The other thing is we are playing cupcakes. Let's see if that holds up against the better MAC opponents.

[Dave in Green]

The other thing is we are playing cupcakes. Let's see if that holds up against the better MAC opponents.

Half of the games so far have been against high majors.

[Dave in Green]

... Looking at the remaining OOC schedule, I will be disappointed if they don't win them all--- certainly an uninspiring stretch of opponents. ...

It never pays to underestimate good programs. Middle Tennessee and North Dakota State both lost a lot to graduation, but they have been pretty good over the years at reloading. Here's a list of the only teams that have beaten these two teams so far this season:

Texas

Iowa

Cincinnati

Creighton

Belmont

Southern Mississippi

Murray State

[akronzips71]

Half of the games so far have been against high majors.

And let that be a lesson to me:

NEVER argue with DIG.

[BirdZip]

DIG, a list of the only D1 teams that Middle Tennessee and North Dakota State HAVE beaten isn't all that impressive:

Southern

Northern Arizona

Kennesaw State

Hampton

Montana State

Hard to say either way...

[skip-zip]

Kwan was a typical-sized wing who had a big growth spurt and now has a unique mix of physical abilities. Kwan has grown into a modern NBA-type small forward combining the mobility, ball handling and shooting skills of a wing with the height of a typical college power forward or center.

Pretty good, Dave. I like this description.

Here's one thing I'd like to see. About 3 times a game, I'd like to see Kwan get a pass about 15 feet from the basket, facing the basket, and use his ball handling and mobility to take his slower and less agile defender right to the basket, and power slam the ball. Once I see that, I'm totally convinced that he has the determination to be a high-level MAC player.

Some like to lay claim to the fact that they were talking about Kwan last year. I was too. Many of us were doing it. His unique skill set for his size was just hard to ignore. All he needed was some playing time.

Honestly....how many people here were convinced that Big Dog would be the major contributor first....when looking at our two freshmen coming from Cincinnati?

[akronzips71]

The first time I saw Kwan play I posted about it, and I am sure I said several times least season that I wanted him to get more playing time.

That being said, he took a quantum leap in the off season. He is like 10X the player he was last year.

It may have something to do with that growth spurt: It takes time to get used to being 3 or 4 inches taller, and I recall that Zeke seemed a bit uncomfortable in his own skin back in the beginning. He was much more poised and athletic in his two last years.

[1981 grad]

Kwan is one of the few players to take a 12 foot jump shot. I have no clue why McAdams, Kretzer, Evans and others don't try easier shots but only want to shoot a 3. I think Kwan has improved but not sure he is destined for stardom. He needs to get stronger, rebound better and learn to drive to the basket. I wish he would look at video of the Serb. The Serb would fake a jump shot, get his man off his feet and then drive to the basket and score or dish the ball. I think Kwan could be that type of player. Once players have to play him close to stop him from shooting, he has the type of body and length to get to the basket.

[Dave in Green]

Honestly, I thought that Big Dog would be the major contributor first. I never doubted Kwan's offensive capabilities but thought it would take time to develop and that his defense would take even longer to develop. Kwan was a candidate for redshirting last season but just made the cut and got to play. But his play last season supported the concept that he would take time to develop. He played so little last season that he's already exceeded last season's minutes in just the first 8 games this season. Coach Dambrot recently mentioned that Kwan was also a candidate to redshirt this season. It was the loss of Tree that opened the door for Kwan to show his stuff, and he has surprised everyone -- including the coaching staff -- at how fast he's responded to the challenge.

Circumstances can play a big role in how players develop. While Kwan has taken advantage of Tree's departure with rapid development, Big Dog suffered a pre-season injury that slowed his development. He came into preseason in great shape and poised to challenge for the starting center position. But his broken wrist opened the door for the previously maligned Pat, who, like Kwan, has responded to being the only healthy center by elevating his game to a new level.

I guess what I've learned from this is that the Zips are pretty deep in talent, and that players who look lost on the court can quickly blossom and perform beyond expectations when the right opportunities arise. Maybe this shouldn't be a surprise. Players who develop early tend to end up at the big-name programs and schools like UA have to dig deep for players with potential who haven't yet arrived. Some develop quickly, some develop slowly and some never develop at all. We've lamented the number of players who've transferred out of UA in recent years because they didn't develop. Now we're seeing the other side with players developing beyond expectations.

[akronzips71]

So true.

The way Kwan is playing, he could play for ANY D1 school.

Before this season is over, there may be a few high major coaches wishing they had paid a little more attention to him.

I can not think of any team that would not have a place for a 6'9" guy who can hit threes AND block shots.

[akronzips71]

One thing about Kwan -

He takes long shots with what appears wild abandon. He is the one guy on the team who is not only not afraid to shoot, he LOVES to shoot.

Last year the shots really were not dropping, and he looked wild and out of control.

This year, they are dropping, his confidence is high, and KD is not yelling at him LOL.

[Dave in Green]

DIG, a list of the only D1 teams that Middle Tennessee and North Dakota State HAVE beaten isn't all that impressive:

Southern

Northern Arizona

Kennesaw State

Hampton

Montana State

Hard to say either way...

Well, there are Zips fans right here on this forum who say that the teams that the Zips have beaten so far aren't all that impressive, even if a couple of them were high majors. The point is that Middle Tennessee and North Dakota State both have good programs that shouldn't be taken lightly by lumping them in with the cupcakes.

[Blue & Gold]

I'll admit I was one who thought Kwan should have been redshirted last season & then when Tree was indefinitely suspended from the team this year, I definitely thought we were gonna go down in flames. I don't believe I've ever seen a player make a bigger jump from one season to the next. Maybe Jimmy Conyers. In another thread I called Kwan's development breathtaking & said I couldn't believe my eyes. I like how another poster said it's "almost too good to be true." It really is.

Also, does anyone remember a Zips team that played so well together as a team? They're really playing some beautiful team basketball right now that's a joy to watch.

Robotham's the revelation. But I primarily attribute this to Pat Forsythe. The guards get the ball to Pat (who is a bigger scoring threat that Big Zeke was) but if nothing's there he doesn't generally force up a bad shot & passes the ball back out (much more quickly than Tree ever did).