Akron-Temple Summary

[zip81]

This just in from the ZipsWire....AKRON 67, TEMPLE 65Taking their lead from the Cleveland Browns, the Akron Zips made the conclusion to their 67-65 win over Temple much, much too exciting.“This should have been an 11-12 point victory,” said Akron coach Keith Dambrot. “But that’s part of the learning process.”Akron (4-1) held a 62-49 lead going into the final four minutes of the game, only to see it dissolve as Temple (2-4) launched a 16-5 run leading to the exciting conclusion that turned out on the plus side for the Zips.“It’s a big win for us,” said Dambrot who was coaching in his 100th game for the Zips. “Anytime we win a game, it builds confidence.”Temple started the game with an 11-4 lead. That’s when Dambrot called an early time out. “I just wanted to settle our guys down and let them understand what we had to do defensively.” The strategy apparently worked as Akron then went on a 16-0 run to take control of the game until the drama in the waning minutes.Cedrick Middleton led the Zips with 17 points. Nick Dials had 16 and Jeremiah Wood scored 14. Akron won the battle of the boards with 35 rebounds to the Owls’ 29.Despite the fact that free throws continue to be a problem for the Zips, who hit only 16 of 28 from the line, Dambrot doesn’t appear to be too concerned about his foul-shooting challenged club. “They’re going to make their free throws,” he added.The Zips extended their home wining streak to 12 games and have won 42 of their last 44 games at the JAR.Akron is now 2-0 against Temple, winning the first game in an 80-73 overtime contest in the 2006 NIT.Only 2,309 attended the Monday night game against Temple of the Atlantic 10 conference.Next up for Akron is Wyoming this Saturday with tipoff at 7 p.m. at the JAR, capping off this three-game homestand.“These (Temple and Wyoming) are the types of games we need to play,” said Dambrot. “That’s what I want to do with a complete schedule.”Akron-Temple Box Score

[skip-zip]

Sorry to point out something that was incorrect, but John Chaney did NOT coach in that game against us in the 2006 NIT. His assistant coached that game, and then Chaney resigned at the conclusion of the season. I'm sure the lack of attendance against a good, quality opponent from a good, quality conference will be talked about. It certainly does not give a positive sign for where our attendance figures might be headed as the year progresses. I really felt that we'd see somewhat of a lull in attendance this year after the departure of Dru and Romeo, but I had hoped that I would be wrong.

[zip81]

Sorry to point out something that was incorrect, but John Chaney did NOT coach in that game against us in the 2006 NIT. His assistant coached that game, and then Chaney resigned at the conclusion of the season.

I do believe you are correct sir.I took that from the Temple game notes, which said, "That game was the last in Hall of Fame coach John Chaney's 24 years at Temple. Then top assistant coach Dan Leibovitz, now the head coach at Hartford, directed the team as Chaney was tending to his wife."I'm guilty of not reading the final sentence in the paragraph.Good catch.Change made.I'll have to have you proof all my copy!

[skip-zip]

Zip 81...no problem. Thanks for the quick game recap I appreciate it.

[zip81]

I was a little surprised Dambrot didn't seem too concerned about the foul shooting tonight.He said they should have won by a dozen points. Well they would have if they had hit more from the line.

[Marty McFly]

Some of my thoughts (for what they are worth)Guards played good until it mattered late in the game, and then the lack of a true point guard almost cost us the game…3 point shooting won this game tonight b/c turnovers, free throw shooting and rebounding didn’t. Can’t wait until that night when the 3 pointers don’t save us…Does Nate Linhart ever think that he actually committed a foul? Every time there is a foul called on him, he seems to think that it is a total bogus call. Could come and bite him one night if he gives a cranky ref the wrong look…Jeremiah’s hair - I don’t even know where to begin, other than the old guy in front of me rattingly off this line “If you’re the ref, and you look at this guy with his hair like Mickey Mouse, how can he have any creditibility?” (Although I do think that whoever did laundry actually shrunk his shorts as they only came to mid calf tonight instead of his ankles)…Crowd was somewhat of a disappointment, as were the AK-Rodies (or should we start calling them the Ak-No bodies?). I mean, seriously, how much homework can you have on the first day back after a 4 day layoff???And speaking of lack - What’s with one and a half concessions stands? I say half b/c one side opened up about midway through halftime. The 2 other stands in the main entrance were closed, and the one upstairs must have still been on Thanksgiving break. You mean to tell me that Athletic Dept cant hire some kids at like $6/hr to work 3 hrs a week???I think that we are going to end up falling in love with Steve McNees the same way that we have with Nick Dials. A hard working, guts out, get on the floor type of player. Reason for saying this — The old guys in front of me liking him, and judging by their comments throughout the game, that’s saying something.And in closing, did anyone who was at game notice a certain bench player known for shooting threes upon entering the game pouting throughout much of the second half? Not mentioning names, but his last name begins with a G and ends with a D, and boy did he looked p’d off that his services weren’t going to be needed tonight.On that note, good night!

[72 Roo]

I was surprised at the attendence. This is typical Akron though. Our students, alumni and public don't appreciate the quality of the program KD is building. You have got to be a saint to coach at UA. Thank God we still have several good coaches. Hats off to KD and Caleb Porter as they begin and close their seasons respectively.

[zipsbandman]

Sorry to point out something that was incorrect, but John Chaney did NOT coach in that game against us in the 2006 NIT. His assistant coached that game, and then Chaney resigned at the conclusion of the season. I'm sure the lack of attendance against a good, quality opponent from a good, quality conference will be talked about. It certainly does not give a positive sign for where our attendance figures might be headed as the year progresses. I really felt that we'd see somewhat of a lull in attendance this year after the departure of Dru and Romeo, but I had hoped that I would be wrong.

Our fans are no dummies. They know just like the rest of us that the season is defined by the MAC tournament. The rest of these games are almost exhibition games to prepare for the MAC tournament. I blame it on this garbage of a conference. Oh, and the MAC east football champ needs to win the championship game in order to be bowl eligible. What a joke....

[Captain Kangaroo]

Throwing in 2 more cents:We fared better than I expected. The team seems to be improving game-by-game. McNees looked very good. He only scored 2 pts, but he has shown a nice stroke, and no fear in driving or shooting. He sees the floor very, VERY well. And his AND-1 assists get the crowd as pumped up as any dunk. His dribbling in traffic and breaking the press was pretty good for a Frosh. I'm comfortable with the ball in his hands in press situations. His D was more than adequate too, and he crashes the boards well for a little guy. Gotta do better than 0-2 in clutch FT's though. I predicted we'd need Milum and Linhart to step up in order to win. Didn't happen. Buth gave good efforts, but Milum struggled against the bigger Temple front line. And Linhart struggled period. Seems like the word is out to shut off the base line when he drives. And that he's an Anderson Varejo clone (ie. flopper) on D.Conyers was rock-solid the final 35 minutes...except those two missed FT's. Crashed the boards hard. His near-miss, power throw down off the missed shot was as athletic a power move by a Zip as I've seen since Anthony Buford or maybe Roy Coleman. He played great D. And although Bardo got the rebound credit, it was Conyers who ripped the ball free after that late missed FT. 9 points/9 rebounds. Great job.Ced was solid...except for that 0-2 FT episode. It was interesting to hear Dambrot bring up the Miami '07 ending when referencing Ced's misses. Usually a coach avoids such references. But -- everyone was thinking it, whether Coach mentioned it or not. Ced played great D and was stellar from 3-land. Wood struggled against the bigger front court. He got stuffed a few times, and missed a ton of bunnies. He needed some help underneath. Looked like he was missing Travis a bit...or someone to take the double teams off him. Late-game he started fading away to give himself room, and kicked the ball out too, so he eventually adapted. But, again, those FT's...Dials missed shots...rushed a few off-balance 3's...but you'd have to give him an "A-" overall. Great D, great hustle, clutch shots, solid ball handling....he was the glue that held the Zips together last night.Bardo looked good. He needs some more minutes. The frosh HIT his FT's! And was clutch under the boards. He made the most of the minutes he got.McKnight needs to figure out what he wants to be. Wing man or glass cleaner. Last night we needed him underneath, and he really wasn't all that effective. As the lead frittered away amongst a hail of Shaq-esque free throws, you could hear the Temple players warming up their "JUST-LIKE-FOOT-BALL" chants. But unlike the gridiron Zips, the hoops guys held on. Thank God. I though the "Roo Town Rebound" post game show was great. Joe Dunn's recruiting questions were great, and Coach Boals' answers were really interesting. Funny story that Cventinovic traveled to West Virginia to see McClanahan play football. Also - sounds like Humpty and Nick are going to be crowd favorites over the next few years?McFly was dead-nuts on regarding the concessions. Two people working the lame concession area at halftime. And those two had as much spring in their step as Jason Taylor did last night in that mud bowl. As the guy next to me said "I've never been to a High School basketball game where the concessions were staffed so poorly." And people wonder why the crowds are so small. There's ONE, of several reasons.Nice job by the Marketing crew to get people to the game. If they wouldn't have done their job, I bet there would have been 2,051 people there instead of 2,056. We just won one of the "Big 5" games remaining until the McKnight/Roberts Cavalry arrives in mid-December. Beating a quality team like Temple gives me legit hope for the remaining 4 games, none of which are easy.Until the Cavalry arrives...I'm happy to watch McNees/Dials/Ced. They're not too shabby.

[ZachTheZip]

This team seems to improve game after game. Right now they are playing at about 60% as a team, and still beat Temple. There are injuries, both physical and mental, that need more time to heal. Ced's confidence at the line late in games is non-existant, and it will take some time to rebuild. Linhart still hasn't found his pffense yet, Wood is still slightly injured, and our only true point guard is out with some mystery illness, but we are still 4-1. At the end of the 1st half we saw a glimpse of what this team is capable of, but right now they can't sustain that type of play for 40 minutes. Once they heal and we get the rest of the team is able to play, I see no reason why we can't sweep the conference. Let's just hope that the team can keep improving until then.

[Marty McFly]

Throwing in 2 more cents:McFly was dead-nuts on regarding the concessions. Two people working the lame concession area at halftime. And those two had as much spring in their step as Jason Taylor did last night in that mud bowl. As the guy next to me said "I've never been to a High School basketball game where the concessions were staffed so poorly." And people wonder why the crowds are so small. There's ONE, of several reasons.Is dead-nuts a good or bad thing Capt?

[GP1]

Sorry to point out something that was incorrect, but John Chaney did NOT coach in that game against us in the 2006 NIT. His assistant coached that game, and then Chaney resigned at the conclusion of the season. I'm sure the lack of attendance against a good, quality opponent from a good, quality conference will be talked about. It certainly does not give a positive sign for where our attendance figures might be headed as the year progresses. I really felt that we'd see somewhat of a lull in attendance this year after the departure of Dru and Romeo, but I had hoped that I would be wrong.

Our fans are no dummies. They know just like the rest of us that the season is defined by the MAC tournament. The rest of these games are almost exhibition games to prepare for the MAC tournament. I blame it on this garbage of a conference. Oh, and the MAC east football champ needs to win the championship game in order to be bowl eligible. What a joke....

Thanks for preventing me from making fun of the conference. Like many of you, I still like the MAC. While down about it, I still like it. It reminds me of the following joke:A man hires a prostitute and disrobes in the brothel. Upon noticing the man was not well endowed, the prostitute says, "Who do you think you are going to make happy with that?"Grinning, the man says, "Me."While I think the MAC is becoming a bigger and bigger joke, if it makes us happy to watch, then God bless us all and enjoy the ride. Not everyone likes the same thing. Like what you like.

[hoopla]

Sorry to all, but I have been absent to the forum for the beginning of the season. But from what I have seen so far.....PG - McNees is doing well for a redshirt Fr. Things are either going good for him or they are going bad. Not as consistent as we would hope, but like I said, not bad for a redshirt Fr. The positive with this situation is that he has the opportunity to learn from Dials and grow. SG – Dials and Middleton is the backbones of the team. They have been amazing and what they do on the floor will make or break our season. They play hard and they play together. You see Dials getting excited when Ced makes a shot and the same the other way around. But you also see them getting on each other respectfully. It is a privilege to see these two work the way they do night in and night out with the kind of weight that is being put on their shoulders. I take this combo over any other in the MAC hands down.SF – It is getting better, but we need more. Linhart is falling off of the map a little bit, but I don’t think that it is because of the excellent play of Conyers either. Linhart seems to be unsure out there and is not letting the game come to him. Not to mention that the mental game seems to be affecting his shot bad. He cant throw it into the ocean right now. Conyers, on the other hand, is improving. He needs to hit down shots around 17ft. I think that this position is our weak point. We don’t get much here unless we play small, and we all know that it is not possible to play small all the time. Conyers is showing the most promise so far through the first part of the season. But we need to be better here.PF – Another “weak” spot for us in my mind. Milum plays well at times, but like McNees, it is either good or bad. I think that he has improved in vast amounts compared to previous years. I think that consistency is the key here. He doesn’t have to score points either, just play D, block shots, and get us up with a hustle play and a dunk. McKnight has been very disappointing. I thought that he would be much better. But he is playing scared out there. A deer in headlights so to speak. Settle down big fella. His effort has been fair as of late. But he needs to give us a couple of post moves a game for us to be as successful as we can be. It would help take eyes off Wood a little bit.C – Wood is Wood. If he gets it going he can be great, but if he doesn’t early, then he is just fair. But that isn’t what you do if you are the MAC POY. (not saying he is, just that he isn’t showing he is deserving). He misses many “bunnies” and is full of laziness out there. Bardo gives us good minutes off the bench. He doesn’t seem to be a scoring threat, but he plays his role well and hustles all over the floor. He does battle on the glass as well. Solid contribution from him so far.I think someone else already said it, but this team has improved with every game played. (with the 2nd game in question). They are beginning to play harder and better on D and they are playing better together (assists are going up). I think that this team has a chance to be great and to be as successful as last years team. But we need to keep improving. One thing that I am embarrassed about and disappointed is attendance. The Rowdies are horrific so far and I really don’t want to hear another complaint from them about moving the student section. (Haven’t heard it this year, but it has been thrown out there many times before). And we need to get more people there. This team is very exciting to watch under the leadership of our guards. It is as good of basketball as you will find. Get people in the doors. As the $40,000 sign says on the back of the rec, This is Our Team!!!

[Zip Watcher]

Nice posts & observations ... dont agree with all of them, but hey .. that's why the Nation is here, right?A couple of observations about the SF position on the Zips:Linhart & Conyers were tasked w/ guarding Christian & at times Tyndale. Now Cedric was involved in the defensive rotations on those 2 as well ... but lets look at the production of Temple's 2 key swing men.Coming in, they were combining to average 36 points & 9.8 rebounds.On Monday night they produced: 20 points, 12 rebounds & 8 turnovers. Rebounds up by 2, but significant drop in points w/ lots of TO.First & foremost, the Zips beat opponents w/ defense. The defense keys the offense by starting the transition game. And slowing down the opponents top 2 scorers goes a long way to securing a win.Last night, Jimmy & Nate were instrumental in holding the top 2 Temple scorers 16 points below their average .. most of this was done by holding Tyndale to 3 points .. more than 13 under his average .. I'm certain that he was always guarded by Jimmy or Nate when out there. Tyndale only played 20 minutes .. and when he wasn't out there, our SF's were helping harrass Christmas into a 3-14 shooting night.The Zips don't necessarily need to have 20 points a night from the SF spot. Locking down the opponents top scorers can be just as effective.That being said, Monday was Jimmy's best game as a Zip. 9 & 9 in 20 minutes w/ no turnovers. You can almost see the game slowing down for him. I'd still like to see him get more agressive .. he's showing signs. Had that putback dunk gone down, it'd have been the most athletic dunk I've ever seen @ the JAR (at least I can't remember one better). The crowd reaction was something.Team's getting better .. Calvary is still a few games away .. December is for building chemestry & rotations. Having attended all 6 games thus far, I like the trends I see. Put 'em on Zips Fans!!

[Captain Kangaroo]

Is dead-nuts a good or bad thing Capt?

Krusty the Clown: "Is the Bill of Rights a good thing....or a baaaaad thing?"*long pause*Amber Dempsey: "...Good thing?"Krusty: "RIGHT!"

[hoopla]

ya they do help a little bit on the D end. but there is a couple things i would like to add. middleton, dials, and conyers were the ones on those two most of the night. and the for #13, he didnt score because we got him into foul trouble. he played most of the game with 4 fouls. nearly all of the second half. we cant take credit for his lack of production on the offensive end.

[BirdZip]

C – Wood is Wood. If he gets it going he can be great, but if he doesn’t early, then he is just fair. But that isn’t what you do if you are the MAC POY. (not saying he is, just that he isn’t showing he is deserving). He misses many “bunnies” and is full of laziness out there. Bardo gives us good minutes off the bench. He doesn’t seem to be a scoring threat, but he plays his role well and hustles all over the floor. He does battle on the glass as well. Solid contribution from him so far.

I'm trying to decide if you've actually seen a game yet. Laziness from Wood? He was in a funk against Binghamton, but in the previous games and Temple, he's worked his butt off. No doubt he can (and will) be better, but lazy?

Wood struggled against the bigger front court.

I actually thought he did well. He was much quicker than Temple's big men. He did miss his share of shots, but he had the big men beat several times. I thought they should have gone to him more.In Alaska, after Linhart passed up a three, KD turned to his assistants and commented that he had no confidence. After seeing Nate shoot a few, I think I'd rather that he keep passing.By the way, for those of you who couldn't make it to the game, I managed to snap a picture of Jeremiah Wood so everyone could see his latest hairstyle...

[ziptrumpet87]

I thought J-Wood looked more like this guy...

[zipboy]

Wood was up against a guy 5 inches taller than him. When he has to sit out, we have not inside scoring presence. I am hoping McKnight emerges into that guy.

[RACER]

the problems is wood is 4 playing the 5 because we do not have a true center.if bardo can develope this year we will have a decent size front court.i say play bardo at the 5 wood at the 4 now.linhart is giving us nothing right now.conyers also needs to see more pt.