Keeping up with Keith (Dambrot)

[Zippy87]

14 minutes ago, akzipper said:

Dayton laying an egg down the stretch. Watching this game makes me sick. Something about mediocre Pittsburgh teams beating teams they shouldn't. Hopefully the Bonnie's can knock out the Dukes. 

 

Why? I'll never understand the bitterness...

[Let'sGoZips94]

12 hours ago, Zippy87 said:

 

Why? I'll never understand the bitterness...

 

I'll never understand why he chose to leave Akron the way he did - ripping fans, the JAR, emptying the cupboards of the program, etc. He had a roller coaster career at Akron, but ultimately peaked 9 years in and declined during his remaining years at the helm of the Zips. Never really sniffed a tourney win, only won 3 MAC tournaments despite 8 or 9 trips, and had a slew of program issues with Diggs, Harney, Treadwell, Abreu, etc. He failed to recruit Larry Nance Jr to boot. It doesn't help that during the peak and decline of the program in his final years as our coach, we witnessed Ohio & Buffalo go on runs in the NCAA Tourney that he never accomplished, and chose to make excuses (see the opening sentence). The shine of the Dambrot era wore off real quick for me. I appreciate where he took Akron from where the program was when he started, but that's about it. 

 

I've actively rooted against Dambrot since he arrived at Duquesne. With all that being said, this year is a little different given everything he has gone through. With the passing of his dad and his wife being diagnosed with cancer, the human in me isn't upset to see him have some success right now. 

Edited March 15 by Let'sGoZips94

[kreed5120]

12 hours ago, Zippy87 said:

 

Why? I'll never understand the bitterness...

I don't either. He went all in to try to win with Big Dog and Kwan. Much the same way Groce has gone all in with Freeman and Ali this year. He came up short, but that team won 27 games and set the Akron win record. That team would have won 29-30 games if they were playing in this pathetic version of the MAC now. Saying the program was in decline was just factually wrong.

 

I'm pretty indifferent to his departure now. I appreciated his time here, but at the same time I wouldn't even know how Duquesne was doing if not for the weekly updates in this thread. Some posters here just remind me of jaded lovers who can't get over their ex.

[1981 grad]

2 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

I'll never understand why he chose to leave Akron the way he did - ripping fans, the JAR, emptying the cupboards of the program, etc. He had a roller coaster career at Akron, but ultimately peaked 9 years in and declined during his remaining years at the helm of the Zips. Never really sniffed a tourney win, only won 3 MAC tournaments despite 8 or 9 trips, and had a slew of program issues with Diggs, Harney, Treadwell, Abreu, etc. He failed to recruit Larry Nance Jr to boot. It doesn't help that during the peak and decline of the program in his final years as our coach, we witnessed Ohio & Buffalo go on runs in the NCAA Tourney that he never accomplished, and chose to make excuses (see the opening sentence). The shine of the Dambrot era wore off real quick for me. I appreciate where he took Akron from where the program was when he started, but that's about it. 

 

I've actively rooted against Dambrot since he arrived at Duquesne. With all that being said, this year is a little different given everything he has gone through. With the passing of his dad and his wife being diagnosed with cancer, the human in me isn't upset to see him have some success right now. 

He did not choose to leave but wanted a commitment from the AD on a contract and the AD kept putting him off and they got into a dispute.  He had turned down the Dukes numerous times but after the dispute he finally told them yes.  We got Groce and the Dukes got KD so it was a win win.  I do not remember him being disrespectful to anyone when he left.  I agree he could have done better in the MAC Tourney but he had some letdowns by some key players.  However, he always got us to Cleveland and always had us on the top of the MAC.  I think he was a great coach for Akron and hope he gets into the tourney with the Dukes.

[kreed5120]

1 hour ago, 1981 grad said:

He did not choose to leave but wanted a commitment from the AD on a contract and the AD kept putting him off and they got into a dispute.  He had turned down the Dukes numerous times but after the dispute he finally told them yes.  We got Groce and the Dukes got KD so it was a win win.  I do not remember him being disrespectful to anyone when he left.  I agree he could have done better in the MAC Tourney but he had some letdowns by some key players.  However, he always got us to Cleveland and always had us on the top of the MAC.  I think he was a great coach for Akron and hope he gets into the tourney with the Dukes.

I never understood people trying to use his MAC finals record against him. It's better to go to the finals and lose then get knocked out in the first or second round.

 

His record in the MAC tournament was 27-10 (73% winning percentages) with 3 tournament appearances. For comparison, Groce is 7-4 (64%) with 1 tournament appearance (excluding this year) while coaching in a weaker MAC than Dambrot did. It seems some think he should have won 85%-90% of the games.

 

Edit: To clarify, I'm pleased with Groce as our coach. I'm just tired of reading this revisionist history.

Edited March 15 by kreed5120

[Zippy87]

3 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

I'll never understand why he chose to leave Akron the way he did - ripping fans, the JAR, emptying the cupboards of the program, etc. He had a roller coaster career at Akron, but ultimately peaked 9 years in and declined during his remaining years at the helm of the Zips. Never really sniffed a tourney win, only won 3 MAC tournaments despite 8 or 9 trips, and had a slew of program issues with Diggs, Harney, Treadwell, Abreu, etc. He failed to recruit Larry Nance Jr to boot. It doesn't help that during the peak and decline of the program in his final years as our coach, we witnessed Ohio & Buffalo go on runs in the NCAA Tourney that he never accomplished, and chose to make excuses (see the opening sentence). The shine of the Dambrot era wore off real quick for me. I appreciate where he took Akron from where the program was when he started, but that's about it. 

 

I've actively rooted against Dambrot since he arrived at Duquesne. With all that being said, this year is a little different given everything he has gone through. With the passing of his dad and his wife being diagnosed with cancer, the human in me isn't upset to see him have some success right now. 

 

1) I have no recollection of KD ever ripping Akron fans. Source on that? He still considers Akron home and roots for us to do well. There was conflict between he and Larry Williams, but he never harbored any negativity toward Akron.

 

2) He didn't "empty the cupboards of the program" - Tavian Dunn-Martin and Michael Hughes were the only ones that followed him, and given they were freshman, I understand why they did it. Antino Jackson transferred, but this came after Groce's hire. He attended Groce's introductory press conference and told the ABJ his recruitment was still open, but eventually decided to go elsewhere. Noah Robotham was the other transfer and he was leaving no matter who was coach as he had an offer from his hometown team, UNLV. So two guys left because of Dambrot.

 

3) It's hard to consistently win as a mid-major program. We made it to seven straight MAC Championships and got there nine times in eleven years. That's an insane run for a MAC school. Do I wish we won more than 3 times? Absolutely. We lost twice by one point (Penno being one of them...ugh) and another in OT. But I don't think that should take away from what was an incredible run. We've only made it back once since he left (although I think they would've gotten there in 2020).

 

4) While I do think it was time for mutual change between the program and KD, I hope fans never lose sight of his impact here. Akron basketball was a mediocre MAC basketball program. We had never won a MAC Championship. We rarely advanced beyond the first round. While we never got that elusive NCAA Tournament win, he built the program into a a consistent winner. If the program wasn't in good shape when he left, Groce would've never come. If you don't believe me, here's Groce shortly after being hired:

 

"We had battles, and I have just great respect for him not only as a coach but as a person," Groce said. "We hired three former Akron Zips people in different capacities during my time at Illinois for the most part strictly based on Keith's recommendation.

"I told him, 'What you've done is a big reason why I'm here.'"

 

We don't have to make this KD vs Groce. We can appreciate what KD did here and wish him well while also being happy about having Groce. 

[Let'sGoZips94]

2 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

I never understood people trying to use his MAC finals record against him. It's better to go to the finals and lose then get knocked out in the first or second round.

 

His record in the MAC tournament was 27-10 (73% winning percentages) with 3 tournament appearances. For comparison, Groce is 7-4 (64%) with 1 tournament appearance (excluding this year) while coaching in a weaker MAC than Dambrot did. It seems some think he should have won 85%-90% of the games.

 

Edit: To clarify, I'm pleased with Groce as our coach. I'm just tired of reading this revisionist history.

 

Revisionist history? He was 3-6 in the MAC Finals and 0-3 in the NCAA Tournament. Ohio won 3 Tourney games in 4 years. Buffalo went to the tourney 4 times in 5 years (2 after Dambrot left) and had 2 wins (along with 2 very close first round losses).

 

The 7 straight Finals appearances and 9 appearances in 11 years - helluva run and very fun - for the most part. The program became very stale, the ceiling under Dambrot had been reached, and I personally just didn't appreciate the excuses of fan support and the JAR at the end of his tenure - @Zippy87 these were in post game interviews and such IIRC. The  dispute may have been with Larry Williams but the only public comments were about the JAR and fans. My memory may be off, but I distinctly recall the tone surrounding his departure being something to the effect of "he can't win in March at Akron with the JAR, lack of consistent fan support, and being in a 1 bid league."

 

Revisionist history would be only acknowledging the participation trophy accomplishments that occurred under Dambrot, and ignoring the frustration and disappointment that grew as the shine of "finals appearances" wore off without anything to show for it in the Big Dance. The embarrassment of the Diggs, Harney, Treadwell, and Abreu situations, along with the ass whooping we received in Detroit from VCU and never having success in the Tourney - those are also part of the Dambrot era at Akron. 

Edited March 15 by Let'sGoZips94

[Zippy87]

8 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Revisionist history? He was 3-6 in the MAC Finals and 0-3 in the NCAA Tournament. Ohio won 3 Tourney games in 4 years. Buffalo went to the tourney 4 times in 5 years (2 after Dambrot left) and had 2 wins (along with 2 very close first round losses).

 

The 7 straight Finals appearances and 9 appearances in 11 years - helluva run and very fun - for the most part. The program became very stale, the ceiling under Dambrot had been reached, and I personally just didn't appreciate the excuses of fan support and the JAR at the end of his tenure - @Zippy87 these were in post game interviews and such IIRC. The  dispute may have been with Larry Williams but the only public comments were about the JAR and fans. My memory may be off, but I distinctly recall the tone surrounding his departure being something to the effect of "he can't win in March at Akron with the JAR, lack of consistent fan support, and being in a 1 bid league."

 

Revisionist history would be only acknowledging the participation trophy accomplishments that occurred under Dambrot, and ignoring the frustration and disappointment that grew as the shine of "finals appearances" wore off without anything to show for it in the Big Dance. The embarrassment of the Diggs, Harney, Treadwell, and Abreu situations, along with the ass whooping we received in Detroit from VCU and never having success in the Tourney - those are also part of the Dambrot era at Akron. 

 

Groce publicly expressed frustration with home attendance this year more than once. Was that OK? These coaches love their kids and see how hard they work every single day. When it doesn't feel like the fan support matches that energy, they get frustrated, and I don't blame either of them for it. 

 

KD did make comments related to the JAR and frustrations with being a one bid league. Is he saying anything that wasn't true? These were his comments after his last game here:

 

“I feel sick for our guys because they had a terrific season and that’s just the reality of this league,” Akron coach Keith Dambrot said. “If you have an average night when it really matters, the regular season kind of goes out the window. I’m a big boy, I can take it, but I really feel bad for all the work our guys put in because we just can’t go to the Big Dance. “They made all the plays in the last eight minutes. We didn’t, and just feel bad for our kids.”

 

Again, no excuses, just loves his players.  

 

I do agree it was probably time for a change. I actually think KD leaving forced the Athletics program to stop taking having a really good coach for granted.  Hopefully they never stop that feeling, because if we win tomorrow, Groce is going to get some calls.

 

Last two points...

 

The VCU game was hard. We didn't have our PG we had all year, half the team had the flu, and they drew the absolute worst matchup. That was a special team.

 

Final point - tonight should be a reminder that getting to the championship game isn't easy. This is a down year for the MAC overall, and we've still had to grind out two wins to get there. Tomorrow wont be easy, either. Of course we want to win them all, but diminishing them if we don't ("participation trophy accomplishments") doesn't make much sense to me either.

 

Anyhow, time to focus on Kent but I wish the Dukes the best, too. Aside from KD, they also have former Zips player/coach Rick McFadden, former Zip Dru Joyce III, and longtime Zips coach Terry Weigand. It'd be great to see them go Dancing (alongside us of course!)

[akzipper]

23 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

I'll never understand why he chose to leave Akron the way he did - ripping fans, the JAR, emptying the cupboards of the program, etc. He had a roller coaster career at Akron, but ultimately peaked 9 years in and declined during his remaining years at the helm of the Zips. Never really sniffed a tourney win, only won 3 MAC tournaments despite 8 or 9 trips, and had a slew of program issues with Diggs, Harney, Treadwell, Abreu, etc. He failed to recruit Larry Nance Jr to boot. It doesn't help that during the peak and decline of the program in his final years as our coach, we witnessed Ohio & Buffalo go on runs in the NCAA Tourney that he never accomplished, and chose to make excuses (see the opening sentence). The shine of the Dambrot era wore off real quick for me. I appreciate where he took Akron from where the program was when he started, but that's about it. 

 

I've actively rooted against Dambrot since he arrived at Duquesne. With all that being said, this year is a little different given everything he has gone through. With the passing of his dad and his wife being diagnosed with cancer, the human in me isn't upset to see him have some success right now. 

 

This is where I am. Regardless of conference, UA is a better basketball program than Duquesne. Yes he played a big part in it. But instead of trying to build something even better and taking us to the next level, he bailed. The only advantage Duquesne has is that their football program is basically non-existent so basketball is the only sport that matters there. They put millions into making the arena less mediocre. Something UA will never do. But it's still nothing special. They are in a bigger market than Akron but nobody in Pittsburgh cares about them. More people in Cleveland care about the Zips and the Dukes are literally right in the heart of downtown.

 

I'll never be okay with the way he left and the fact that his consistently underachieved. The fact that his current team is overachieving just makes this season even more frustrating. They didn't even deserve to be in the A10 tournament. But they pulled off some Kent State style Linsanity run and will most likely make the dance. 

 

As a person I wish him the best with the health of his wife and family. But as a basketball coach? I hope his teams never make the tournament. Go Zips and Go Bonnies. 

[Zip Watcher]

Seems like every time it occurs to me to stop by and post some game observations, the top of the board is littered with nonsense like this from dudes who (I assume) were born way after Huggins left and can't conceive of the heavy lift that KD performed at Akron.  I find it unfortunate and disheartening.

 

Well I hope everyone can bring themselves to enjoy this evening and pull for these kids and coaches who are chasing a dream together and appear to really enjoy the collective effort.  The Watcher clan will be there in full force and pleased to attend yet another MAC Championship Game in seats I started buying during the years when the Zips never even qualified for the MAC Tournament.  Bonus points if you can tell me the name of the starting 2 guard for the Zips the first game they actually made it to the Q.  No cheaters.

 

Shout-out to the diehards that keep the hopeful and supportive spirit of ZN.O alive, especially @Hilltopper, @ZZZips, @Dr Z, @Captain Kangaroo and The Great™ @GP1 .. hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy your St. Patrick's Day!

 

#Porkys7Forever #4PetesSake

 

Go Zips!

[zipsrule]

56 minutes ago, Zip Watcher said:

Seems like every time it occurs to me to stop by and post some game observations, the top of the board is littered with nonsense like this from dudes who (I assume) were born way after Huggins left and can't conceive of the heavy lift that KD performed at Akron.  I find it unfortunate and disheartening.

 

Well I hope everyone can bring themselves to enjoy this evening and pull for these kids and coaches who are chasing a dream together and appear to really enjoy the collective effort.  The Watcher clan will be there in full force and pleased to attend yet another MAC Championship Game in seats I started buying during the years when the Zips never even qualified for the MAC Tournament.  Bonus points if you can tell me the name of the starting 2 guard for the Zips the first game they actually made it to the Q.  No cheaters.

 

Shout-out to the diehards that keep the hopeful and supportive spirit of ZN.O alive, especially @Hilltopper, @ZZZips, @Dr Z, @Captain Kangaroo and The Great™ @GP1 .. hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy your St. Patrick's Day!

 

#Porkys7Forever #4PetesSake

 

Go Zips!

Thanks for the post.  

 

I didn't look it up, but I am going to hazard a guess.  Darryl Peterson?

[Captain Kangaroo]

I go with the immortal Brian Wood. I remember NBA long-timer Antonio Daniels (BGSU) draining a baseline three over Wood's extended arm to send us home.

[Valpo Zip]

Darryl Peterson played the 3. Maybe Nick Dials?

[1981 grad]

I throw in Jamie Bosley as a poor guess.

[kreed5120]

22 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Revisionist history? He was 3-6 in the MAC Finals and 0-3 in the NCAA Tournament. Ohio won 3 Tourney games in 4 years. Buffalo went to the tourney 4 times in 5 years (2 after Dambrot left) and had 2 wins (along with 2 very close first round losses).

 

The 7 straight Finals appearances and 9 appearances in 11 years - helluva run and very fun - for the most part. The program became very stale, the ceiling under Dambrot had been reached, and I personally just didn't appreciate the excuses of fan support and the JAR at the end of his tenure - @Zippy87 these were in post game interviews and such IIRC. The  dispute may have been with Larry Williams but the only public comments were about the JAR and fans. My memory may be off, but I distinctly recall the tone surrounding his departure being something to the effect of "he can't win in March at Akron with the JAR, lack of consistent fan support, and being in a 1 bid league."

 

Revisionist history would be only acknowledging the participation trophy accomplishments that occurred under Dambrot, and ignoring the frustration and disappointment that grew as the shine of "finals appearances" wore off without anything to show for it in the Big Dance. The embarrassment of the Diggs, Harney, Treadwell, and Abreu situations, along with the ass whooping we received in Detroit from VCU and never having success in the Tourney - those are also part of the Dambrot era at Akron. 

Your revisionist history is claiming that the program was in a state of decline when the last 2 seasons the Zips won 26 and 27 games. Also, by ignoring his 27-10 record in the MAC tournament. There are 12 teams in the MAC and they all have relatively the same amount of resources and facilities. How many MAC tournament championships were you expecting?

 

If I went to the football forum and told them I could guarantee them a coach that would win make 9 MAC championships games and win 3 of those 9 over a 13 year period, every single poster on this board would accept that immediately without hesitation.

 

If anything Dambrot was a victim of his own success. He took a bottom of the barrel MAC team and built them into a team that if they didn't win the MAC the season was viewed as a failure.

Edited March 16 by kreed5120

[Zippy87]

3 hours ago, akzipper said:

 

This is where I am. Regardless of conference, UA is a better basketball program than Duquesne. Yes he played a big part in it. But instead of trying to build something even better and taking us to the next level, he bailed. The only advantage Duquesne has is that their football program is basically non-existent so basketball is the only sport that matters there. They put millions into making the arena less mediocre. Something UA will never do. But it's still nothing special. They are in a bigger market than Akron but nobody in Pittsburgh cares about them. More people in Cleveland care about the Zips and the Dukes are literally right in the heart of downtown.

 

I'll never be okay with the way he left and the fact that his consistently underachieved. The fact that his current team is overachieving just makes this season even more frustrating. They didn't even deserve to be in the A10 tournament. But they pulled off some Kent State style Linsanity run and will most likely make the dance. 

 

As a person I wish him the best with the health of his wife and family. But as a basketball coach? I hope his teams never make the tournament. Go Zips and Go Bonnies. 

 

You're diminishing his successes and amplifying his failures. Saying he "consistently underachieved" just isn't rooted in reality. If it's championship every year or failure, Groce has underachieved too, no? And I don't think any of us would say or think that. 

 

Duquesne had a good team. They were missing their top scorer for he first chunk of conference play and took off once he returned. It's no fluke, and saying they didn't even deserve to be in the tournament is wild.

 

Ah well, to each his own.

 

 

[Zip Watcher]

22 hours ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

I go with the immortal Brian Wood. I remember NBA long-timer Antonio Daniels (BGSU) draining a baseline three over Wood's extended arm to send us home.

We have a winner and a true Zips Fan!  Brian Wood, another in a long line of June signees that we pinned our hopes on for an evolution of Zips hoops.  All time leading scorer in Colorado schoolboy history. Remember that?  Talking about June pickups and which could move the needle?  And then there was always the December surprise to deal with.

 

CK knows his Zips better than the Falcons, because it was actually a *different* BG NBA guy, Keith McLeod that hit the jumper to send BG ahead.  It was one of 3 good Hipsher vs. Dakich battles that year, centered mostly around BG working to keep the Bellvue Bomber from getting open.  Byron Thompson had given us the lead before McLeod's jumper, and then Hip did get Faulkner a look at a game winner that just didn't go down.  Two games in the MAC Tournament in 2002 {edit: the 1st round win was in Kalamazoo}.  We thought we had turned the corner.

 

Go Zips!

[Zippy87]

Here's our end result every year since joining the MAC in 1992. 

 

Coleman Crawford

1993 - Did not qualify

1994 - Did not qualify

1995 - Did not qualify

 

Dan Hipsher

1996 - Did not qualify

1997 - Did not qualify

1998 - Lost in quarterfinals

1999 - Lost in quarterfinals 

2000 - Lost in first round

2001 - Lost in first round

2002 - Lost in quarterfinals

2003 - Lost in first round

2004 - Lost in first round

 

Keith Dambrot

2005 - Lost in quarterfinals 

2006 - Lost in semifinal

2007 - Lost in championship

2008 - Lost in championship

2009 - Won championship

2010 - Lost in championship 

2011 - Won championship

2012 - Lost in championship

2013 - Won championship

2014 - Lost in semifinal 

2015 - Lost in semifinal

2016 - Lost in championship

2017 - Lost in championship

 

John Groce

2018 - Lost in quarterfinal

2019 - Lost in quarterfinals

2020 - No tournament

2021 - Lost in semifinal 

2022 - Won championship

2023 - Lost in semifinal

 

 

Edited March 16 by Zippy87

[1981 grad]

I remember we were really bad under Coleman Crawford.  I wondered what happened to him and he never had another head coaching position.  Out of basketball in 2006.

[mrelegazna]

16 hours ago, Zippy87 said:

 

 

KD did make comments related to the JAR and frustrations with being a one bid league. Is he saying anything that wasn't true? These were his comments after his last game here:

 

“I feel sick for our guys because they had a terrific season and that’s just the reality of this league,” Akron coach Keith Dambrot said. “If you have an average night when it really matters, the regular season kind of goes out the window. I’m a big boy, I can take it, but I really feel bad for all the work our guys put in because we just can’t go to the Big Dance. “They made all the plays in the last eight minutes. We didn’t, and just feel bad for our kids.”

 

 

This, this, THIS is why I can't be all Fare Thee Well about Dambrot.  If you bail on the program you built for a lateral move at BEST because you think you have a better shot at an at-large in the Atlantic 10, then clearly you CAN'T take it.  This was such a slap in the face to Akron over an issue Akron can't control. Go VCU.

[Zippy87]

4 minutes ago, mrelegazna said:

This, this, THIS is why I can't be all Fare Thee Well about Dambrot.  If you bail on the program you built for a lateral move at BEST because you think you have a better shot at an at-large in the Atlantic 10, then clearly you CAN'T take it.  This was such a slap in the face to Akron over an issue Akron can't control. Go VCU.

 

"Bail" is such a funny word to use here. He was here 13 seasons. Some of you act like he left at the first opportunity he could. How many mid-major coaches can you name who consistently won and stayed that long? It's also pretty well-documented that he has a personal connection to Duquesne. He turned down several offers over the years before he took that job.

 

It is what it is. I wish that man nothing but the best - we wouldn't be where we're at as a program without him.

[Blue & Gold]

54 minutes ago, 1981 grad said:

I remember we were really bad under Coleman Crawford.  I wondered what happened to him and he never had another head coaching position.  Out of basketball in 2006.

I started following the Zips during Coleman's last season. After Coleman came Dan Hipsher's lackluster tenure followed by KD. So, for me, Zips basketball was pretty irrelevant until KD took over.

[mrelegazna]

15 minutes ago, Zippy87 said:

 

"Bail" is such a funny word to use here. He was here 13 seasons. Some of you act like he left at the first opportunity he could. How many mid-major coaches can you name who consistently won and stayed that long? It's also pretty well-documented that he has a personal connection to Duquesne. He turned down several offers over the years before he took that job.

 

It is what it is. I wish that man nothing but the best - we wouldn't be where we're at as a program without him.

1. That he was here for so long before going to Duquesne makes "bail" a more apt word to use, not less.

2. "How many mid-major coaches...." That's just it.  He didn't leave to go coach Ohio State or Villanova or something.  How many coaches can you name who consistently won and then moved to a program that's on par at best with the one they just left? Or if that's too subjective, any non-P5 + Big East job?

3. The "personal ties with Duquesne" stuff might carry some weight if he wasn't born and raised in Akron and a graduate of Akron. Those are some pretty strong ties!

[Zip JD]

4 hours ago, Blue & Gold said:

I started following the Zips during Coleman's last season. After Coleman came Dan Hipsher's lackluster tenure followed by KD. So, for me, Zips basketball was pretty irrelevant until KD took over.

KD took over a program that was on life support not only due to Hipsher's coaching (or the lack of it) but his terrible demeanor and inability to build any type of winning culture for the Zips.  KD worked non-stop to build the fan base.  He was at community functions and ALWAYS working to get people to games.  The Crawford years followed by Hipsher's tenure left a cavernous hole to dig out of and KD did it.

 

Would we have liked a few more wins in his 9 (repeat 9) MACC games? Sure.  Would we have liked a NCAA tourney win?  Absolutely.  But to say he underachieved is nonsense.  

 

WITH ALL THE REGULAR SEASON TITLES AND GREAT PLAYERS, TOLDEO HAS NOT BEEN TO THE DANCE SINCE 1980 --- THAT IS UNDERACHIEVING.  

[1981 grad]

The Dukes have not made the NCAA tournament in 47 years.  If they win tomorrow, I would call that overachieving.  Good luck to the Dukes.  Maybe they can join Akron in the NCAA tourney.