2017-2018

[UAZip0510]

Added Hughes back - he said he is undecided.  I'll keep the original post updated.

[Blue & Gold]

 

[Blue & Gold]

President Wilson tweeting players

 

[skip-zip]

8 hours ago, Blue & Gold said:

 

 

Anyone else notice the shirt with the "Z" logo on it that clearly says.....WINNER STAYS ??   Is that a coincidence?  Or, a hint??

[zippy5]

It's just a shirt. They were on spring break so he packed it before any of this. 

[Hilltopper]

They gave the team those shirts in Houston. 

[a-zip]

Biggest issue - scorers.

I said before he came in the gym at UA, Ivey is going to be the best player ever....If he stays, whoever is the coach needs to make him the focus let him be disruptive.  My biggest observation watching the Zips this year........no assassins (and I am not talking about chucking up 3s from 5 feet behind the ark).  Sometimes it seemed like the ball was a hot potato.  Big Dog was a one trick pony and amazing but we didn't have slashers.

 

[akronzips71]

Ivey is freaky athletic.

[Blue & Gold]

7 hours ago, a-zip said:

My biggest observation watching the Zips this year........no assassins 

This was an issue during Dambrot's entire tenure.  I hope the new coach brings the remedy.

[zippy5]

Define "assassin"

[Blue & Gold]

12 minutes ago, zippy5 said:

Define "assassin"

I think Big Dog was an assassin.  I think it's an "I'm the best player on the court so give me the ball & get out of the way," mentality.  But Big Dog was a 6'10" 330-pound assassin so it looked a lot different than a G or W assassin.

[skip-zip]

10 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:

I think Big Dog was an assassin.  I think it's an "I'm the best player on the court so give me the ball & get out of the way," mentality.  But Big Dog was a 6'10" 330-pound assassin so it looked a lot different than a G or W assassin.

 

Nooooo.  He was only listed at 290.  

[LZIp]

I think it's hard to deny Utomi's potential. He is naturally a 3 though, which causes some overlap with Ivey. Ivey can play the 2, but then one of Tino/Noah will be on the bench, which the new coach could very well look into as both are really point guards and not 2 guards. I prefer Tino to Noah, but I see Tino as the perfect 6th man. But then those changes leave us very thin on the front line. If we can keep Poke and Mike and Aa. Jackson finally puts it together and then a freshman like Isaiah Williams comes in and contributes...we could be fine.

[skip-zip]

I wish people wouldn't get so hung up on Position Numbers.  

 

Noah, Antino, Ivey, Utomi along with a "more traditional post player" can easily all play together.  I bet that already happened many times this year.  Heck we started the season with 3 (relatively small) guards all starting together.  Those traditional position numbers are some people's focus way too often.  

Edited March 29, 2017 by skip-zip

[zippy5]

5 minutes ago, skip-zip said:

I wish people wouldn't get so hung up on Position Numbers.  

 

Noah, Antino, Ivey, Utomi and a "more traditional post player" can easily all play together.  I bet that already happened many times this year.  

Sure, if you want to get handled down low

[LZIp]

6 minutes ago, skip-zip said:

I wish people wouldn't get so hung up on Position Numbers.  

 

Noah, Antino, Ivey, Utomi and a "more traditional post player" can easily all play together.  I bet that already happened many times this year.  

That's probably fine on the offensive side of the ball. Doesn't work so much when you are guarding players much bigger than you and you need to rebound.

[skip-zip]

3 minutes ago, zippy5 said:

Sure, if you want to get handled down low

 

Because you think our competitors in the MAC are loaded with multiple low post scoring machines?

[zippy5]

10 minutes ago, skip-zip said:

 

Because you think our competitors in the MAC are loaded with multiple low post scoring machines?

Big Dog got handled down low nightly and he was 6'10" with Kwan on the floor to help out

[skip-zip]

7 minutes ago, zippy5 said:

Big Dog got handled down low nightly and he was 6'10" with Kwan on the floor to help out

 

Exactly my point to those who are hung up on a 1,2,3,4, and 5 on the floor as the only conceivable option.  This is the Guard-Dominated MAC people.  

I'd be 10 times more concerned that we have Guards who can't contain this league's Guards.  

Edited March 29, 2017 by skip-zip

[kreed5120]

4 minutes ago, zippy5 said:

Big Dog got handled down low nightly and he was 6'10" with Kwan on the floor to help out

 

Yes, he got outplayed by a 6'8" center. Our roster is devoid of depth at the moment and we still don't know if Antino or Noah (perhaps both) will seek grad transfer. Assuming both stay and you elect to sit one to move move Ivey to the 2 and Utomi to the 3, whose going to start at PF and C for us next season? Aaron Jackson? We really aren't in a position of luxury. To win we need to have our 5 best players on the court as many minutes as we possibly can.

[clarkwgriswold]

There are plenty of teams running a three guard offense, but Antino, Noah, Ivey and Utomi on the floor is nearly a 4 guard offense.  It could certainly be good offensively and in pressure defense, but I think they'd get killed on the boards and in the post.  I only gets worse if Hughes is gone.

 

The smaller lineup actually plays into some of the things I'd like to see under a new regime- more up tempo and pushing the ball on offense; occasional full court pressure on defense; better switches on defense; and some zone on defense occasionally to mix things up. 

[clarkwgriswold]

5 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

 

Yes, he got outplayed by a 6'8" center. Our roster is devoid of depth at the moment and we still don't know if Antino or Noah (perhaps both) will seek grad transfer. Assuming both stay and you elect to sit one to move move Ivey to the 2 and Utomi to the 3, whose going to start at PF and C for us next season? Aaron Jackson? We really aren't in a position of luxury. To win we need to have our 5 best players on the court as many minutes as we possibly can.

I think we're going to hear a term we've become unfamiliar with- JUCO. 

[LZIp]

5 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

 

Yes, he got outplayed by a 6'8" center. Our roster is devoid of depth at the moment and we still don't know if Antino or Noah (perhaps both) will seek grad transfer. Assuming both stay and you elect to sit one to move move Ivey to the 2 and Utomi to the 3, whose going to start at PF and C for us next season? Aaron Jackson? We really aren't in a position of luxury. To win we need to have our 5 best players on the court as many minutes as we possibly can.

Correction: Hall was a 4 (but numbers don't matter). I seem to remember him getting owned by 6'11" Marin Maric as well. If Big Dog couldn't contain those types of players do you expect somebody much smaller to? Yea Utomi might have to play undersized and be a liability on the defensive end, but that doesn't mean it is preferable. So numbers and matchups DO matter.

[LZIp]

And as for the 3 small guard starting lineup to begin the season, that is not a good excuse because it was horrible. Hence the loss to YSU. KD got away from it and for good reason.

[kreed5120]

3 minutes ago, LZIp said:

Correction: Hall was a 4 (but numbers don't matter). I seem to remember him getting owned by 6'11" Marin Maric as well. If Big Dog couldn't contain those types of players do you expect somebody much smaller to? Yea Utomi might have to play undersized and be a liability on the defensive end, but that doesn't mean it is preferable. So numbers and matchups DO matter.

 

I actually agree it isn't preferable. There was a noticeable dip in our ability to get a rebound when Utomi was in to give Kwan a breather. It was even worse when both Poke and Utomi were on the court together. Maybe as Clark mentioned we get a JUCO player in, but until then Utomi has to be our 4 as we really just have no other options.