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Can't @ Akron 2-10-15


UAZipster0305

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Nice post-game blog entry from George Thomas.

http://www.ohio.com/blogs/ua-zips/university-of-akron-zips-blog-1.277207/points-to-ponder-with-zips-ua-big-men-announce-presence-to-Can't-state-1.565978

"This is the first game that everything could be seen working for the Zips – offensively and defensively in several ways..."

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I would like to give credit to Pat Forsythe for his hard work; after team practice shooting TWO

HUNDRED made free throws. It paid off as last night Pat was four-for-four. Great job, Pat.

Perhaps I am just getting old; the pep band really annoys me. It is loud and enthusiastic,

which is good. The bad is that they start playing the instant the clock stops. Then they

play so long that several times this season the referees have actually had to wait on them

to stop. Even the start of the Can't game was delayed a couple of seconds as the officials

had to wait for the band to finish.

It is not about the band. The band is suppose to be entertainment during time outs. They

have become a pest that treats the game as if it is a back drop for their performing.

You can not hear announcements because the band is banging away. Some announcements

are actually important. Do not ask me which ones. Personally, I do not mind all the cutesy

contests; except that blindfolded four year olds can not find Zippy on their own. Use older

kids. The same goes for shooting baskets for cash. Eight year olds can not score. Try young

adults. Besides, a fifteen year old knows the value of money (well, some do).

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I don't mind the band until they delay the game. They may be the only thing that gives a stranger any clue that it is a UA home game, given the fans' lack of enthusiasm.

The number of students last night was encouraging until you realized a significant portion of them were members of the other teams there for recognition for being on the Dean's List.

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Then they play so long that several times this season the referees have actually had to wait on them to stop. Even the start of the Can't game was delayed a couple of seconds as the officials had to wait for the band to finish.

It is not about the band. The band is suppose to be entertainment during time outs. They have become a pest that treats the game as if it is a back drop for their performing.

I am not a band guy either (although it isn't bad at all to have them at the games) but the above is not true. When it seems as if everyone is waiting for the band, the officials are waiting for TV to tell them when it's ok to start, not the band to stop. I can pretty much guarantee that if the band was holding the game up, the officials would put an end to it right away.

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Evans defends harder than anyone on the team. I like him just for his effort. Kwan seems to have lost all confidence and it is really showing. I think everyone in the JAR let out a collective gasp when Pat took the three.

Like it often happens with younger players, I believe Kwan has fallen into the trap of focusing too much on scoring. This has lead to him forcing the issue and taking some ill-advised shots. He also seems to be allowing his frustration to get the better of him at times. I even wonder if he's starting to get a reputation with some officials, because the "moving" pick call against him was puzzling to say the least.

I'm not at all against Kwan shooting threes, but they need to be more in the flow of the game while taking game situations into account. A case in point was the three he attempted from the top of the key when the Zips really had a 5 on 4 opportunity with the Can't defender making a desperate lunge at Kwan from behind while he was shooting (probably causing him to rush his shot). With the defender well behind him as he approached the arch, there was clearly a chance for an easier shot or pass closer to the basket.

Kwan has made HUGE strides as a defender and rebounder. I believe if he continues to focus on these and not so much on his shot, the offense will come back to him naturally. The guy is such a gifted player, I think the sky remains the limit for him.

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I am not a band guy either (although it isn't bad at all to have them at the games) but the above is not true. When it seems as if everyone is waiting for the band, the officials are waiting for TV to tell them when it's ok to start, not the band to stop. I can pretty much guarantee that if the band was holding the game up, the officials would put an end to it right away.

Correct. The band is not holding up any game. And I almost always see the band director looking backwards for a sign that the refs have permission from TV to start play again. And anyone who is paying attention knows that the refs blow a whistle just before putting the ball in play.

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The number of students last night was encouraging until you realized a significant portion of them were members of the other teams there for recognition for being on the Dean's List.

Significant? There weren't 450 students being recognized on the floor...1450 students is very significant. A bunch around me left at half-time :mad_flame:

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Kwan is a young 2nd year player and has improved greatly from last year. He had some great passes last night. He played the high post and fed Pat into the low post for some easy baskets.

However, he loves to shoot the 3 ball and takes too many 3 point shots. The fast break that you are talking about, the shot did not even touch the rim. He was 2 of 9 last night and 1 of 6 from the 3 line. Offensively, not good stats.

If he could develop a quick first step, he could be a consistent double digit scorer by getting to the basket. Because of his size he should be picking up some points on the offensive boards. DJ had a nice offensive put back last night. Kwan also has a nice mid range jumper and should use it more instead of shooting the 3 ball.

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Some notes about Kwan, the reason he takes so many 3 point shots is because the staff wants him to take them. On most of our offensive sets his job is to play the high post and look to feed the ball to Pat or Big Dog. He rarely crashes the offensive boards because it is his job to get back on defense to prevent easy baskets in transition by the opponent . A good number of his blocks are made in the transition game. I agree that sometimes his shot selection is a little suspect,but overall he neds to keep shooting and playing defense.

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The band is the reason that we don't go off script when we are trying to keep momentum during a timeout. Instead of having the MC go out and yell at the crowd with Kernkraft 400 blasting out of the speakers, the band plays the instant the whistle is blown and doesn't stop unless the script calls for it.

Go to any other college basketball game and find a band that plays even half as often as Akron's. I bet you won't be able to.

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Don't know if it was from fear of crowd noise or fear of band noise, but I noticed for the first time ever at the JAR a fan seated in the stands wearing ear plugs -- not ear buds, but the kind of ear plugs you wear to shut out noise. I'm sure there must be a good background story in there somewhere ...

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I was waiting to see if Captain Obvious might chime in first before I addressed the lack of crowd noise. Because they haven't been winning or drawing all that well lately, there simply weren't many K.E.N.T. fans there last night. That definitely takes away from the tension in the air.

Also, to clarify my stance with Kwan I never said I didn't want him taking 3 pointers. It's not so much the quantity that I have an issue with - it's more the timing and situational awareness. He's probably my favorite player right now, so I'm just hoping he keeps working on all aspects of his game.

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Wanna send the crowd in a tizzy? Set some highlights to Renegade. I have never seen one song have so much effect on a team's performance AND crowd. Brief history. Sell some cool purple towels for two bucks (over cost) with proceeds going to cancer research. Incorporate Pete in the video a few times.

205908-650-366.jpg

I love being at Steelers games when that is played!

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Something needs to give regarding the AK-Rowdies. They are downright pathetic. I think a change in leadership is needed. The same guys who are currently in charge were in charge when I was in school, and to be honest I wasn't much of a fan.

Are they making a career out of being a student or what?

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Something needs to give regarding the AK-Rowdies. They are downright pathetic. I think a change in leadership is needed. The same guys who are currently in charge were in charge when I was in school, and to be honest I wasn't much of a fan.

Are they making a career out of being a student or what?

+1. I've been saying this forever.

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