Jump to content

Keeping up with the Three D's (Dambrot, Dru & Duquesne)


Recommended Posts

  • 4 weeks later...
24 minutes ago, Illini Zip said:

I was just reading an old article. It mentioned that the Zips were nationally ranked during the 2012-2013 season. Does anyone know the highest ranking the Zips have received?

 

It also mentioned that the Zips in 2015-2016 were ranked 34th at one point.

 

I think they were in the 20s and then immediately lost the next game to Buffalo.

 

2012-2013 and 2019-2020 were the two teams I thought would legitimately have a shot at making a tourney run. Unfortunately Abreu got caught trying to accept a shipment of weed, the entire team got the flu and then in 2020 Covid happened. If anyone still doubts that NE Ohio sports are cursed, I don't know what to tell you...

Edited by akzipper
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, akzipper said:

 

I think they were in the 20s and then immediately lost the next game to Buffalo.

 

2012-2013 and 2019-2020 were the two teams I thought would legitimately have a shot at making a tourney run. Unfortunately Abreu got caught trying to accept a shipment of weed, the entire team got the flu and then in 2020 Covid happened. If anyone still doubts that NE Ohio sports are cursed, I don't know what to tell you...

 

I couldn't decide to say thank you or give you a sad face. If the Chicago Cubs can shake the curse of the billy goat and Bartman, there is hope for everyone.

  • Like 1
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

37 minutes ago, Illini Zip said:

 

I couldn't decide to say thank you or give you a sad face. If the Chicago Cubs can shake the curse of the billy goat and Bartman, there is hope for everyone.

 

Akron is 30 minutes from Cleveland. We don't talk about the 2016 World Series without swearing Mother Nature. 

 

To add more details to @akzipper's post, the 2012-13 team was pretty special. That season included a Bracket Buster game vs NDSU that was a blast. The final week of the season was when Abreu was arrested (it might've been just before the last game against PCCC). We went into the tournament with a lot of uncertainty at PG, and ended up beating the absolute crap out of Ohio - by 19 - to win the MAC title. We went 3-0 against Ohio that season, which was led by Jim Christian (now babysitting Pinky on PCCC's bench), and featured the same exact personnel that Groce took to the Sweet Sixteen the year prior. We were a 12 seed and got a great draw in Detroit (our closest Tourney game in 3 appearances - typically they ship us out to Spokane or something like that) vs Shaka Smart's VCU Rams. Nearly our entire team had the flu for the game, and Shaka didn't care - beat us like a dead horse by 46 pts. It was truly embarrassing. 

 

2012-13 and 2019-20 are the seasons of "what could've been." 

 

 

 

Edited by Let'sGoZips94
  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

59 minutes ago, Illini Zip said:

I was just reading an old article. It mentioned that the Zips were nationally ranked during the 2012-2013 season. Does anyone know the highest ranking the Zips have received?

 

It also mentioned that the Zips in 2015-2016 were ranked 34th at one point.

 

I did some digging - we were #24 in the Week 17 Coaches Poll in 2012-13.

 

There are four things that haunt me as a long-time Akron basketball fan:

 

1) Doug Penno and the clock operator. That team deserved better.

 

2) Suspensions of Abreu/Diggs. People rightfully recall Abreu getting suspended right before the Kent game that year, but we also would've had Diggs too had he not f'd up. 

 

Marshall

Treadwell

Abreu

Diggs

Harney

Walsh

Gilliam

Kretzer

McAdams

Ibitayo

Betancourt

 

Damn.

 

3) CJ McCollum wanted to play for Akron but we didn't have a scholarship open and KD didn't want to "push out" a player. Was the same class as Zeke...we would've had Zeke and CJ together for 4 years

 

4) The UCLA game. The phantom Freeman fouls. Would Wynn have hit an open 3 in the corner if Ali kicked it out? We were so damn close.

 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
  • Sad 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, Zippy87 said:

3) CJ McCollum wanted to play for Akron but we didn't have a scholarship open and KD didn't want to "push out" a player. Was the same class as Zeke...we would've had Zeke and CJ together for 4 years

 

One of the biggest "What ifs" in Akron Zips history. Right up there with Tyreek Hill committing to play at UA and then Bowden, rightfully changing his mind and turning him away. 

 

Didn't Larry Nance Jr want to play for Akron too? Could we have had CJ, Nance and Zeke for a few years together? 😪

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, akzipper said:

 

One of the biggest "What ifs" in Akron Zips history. Right up there with Tyreek Hill committing to play at UA and then Bowden, rightfully changing his mind and turning him away. 

 

Didn't Larry Nance Jr want to play for Akron too? Could we have had CJ, Nance and Zeke for a few years together? 😪

 

I must have missed this or forgotten about it. What the...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

50 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

I must have missed this or forgotten about it. What the...

Little Larry did not have any offers and Big Larry supposedly met with KD and asked him for a scholarship for his son but KD had already made commitments to Tree and Harney from Cleveland and did not have a scholarship to offer.  Eventually, Little Larry got an offer from Wyoming.  Little Larry had some type of medical condition that caused him fatigue and after they figured that out his career took off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, 1981 grad said:

Little Larry did not have any offers and Big Larry supposedly met with KD and asked him for a scholarship for his son but KD had already made commitments to Tree and Harney from Cleveland and did not have a scholarship to offer.  Eventually, Little Larry got an offer from Wyoming.  Little Larry had some type of medical condition that caused him fatigue and after they figured that out his career took off.

 

Yep, he was diagnosed with Crohns when he was 16.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, 1981 grad said:

Little Larry did not have any offers and Big Larry supposedly met with KD and asked him for a scholarship for his son but KD had already made commitments to Tree and Harney from Cleveland and did not have a scholarship to offer.  Eventually, Little Larry got an offer from Wyoming.  Little Larry had some type of medical condition that caused him fatigue and after they figured that out his career took off.

 

Yeah, Nance Jr. had Crohn's. I played on his 3 on 3 team at the Akron basketball camp one summer when he was in high school (Pete was there, too, but in the elementary-ish levels), and his family were members at Springside in Montrose when I took tennis lessons there. Ran into Sr. & Pete quite a bit (Jr. was at Wyoming). Easily one of the nicest families you'll ever come across. 

 

I don't know how you're a coach at Akron, have Larry Nance Jr. playing in your backyard, and don't plan your scholarship gameplan around making sure one is available for him - especially when his dad asks for a scholarship for him. Of all the "backyard talent" that escaped Akron, that has to be the most embarrassing. Not to mention Harney was one of the reasons we didn't have one available - what a joke. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
36 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:

Dukes finished a ~respectable 6th in the A-10

 

They really finished the year strong. Started 0-5 in conference play in large part to injuries then went 10-3 the rest of the way. Unfortunately for them they draw Dayton tomorrow, who is the #3 seed despite being the only team in the A10 currently in the Top 25.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...