The game.

[Marty McFly]

And what's up with 12k attendance......pathetic. What positives can a zip fan take away from this game?

out of the 12k it seemed like 11k were Can't fans. It was pretty much a Can't home game

I beg to differ, I would say it was 60-40 akron fans...their fans were just noticeably louder because their fans cheer, not just the student section. plus the akron fans all left towards the end, but when everyone was there it was at least 55-45 akron, maybe more, imo.

Zippy 5 - I am assuming that you were at the Q, as was I. Your assessment of 60/40 is about as far off as a J Wood free throw. It was prob 75/20% in favor of Can't.

[w00t]

Having talent solves everything

Tim O'Shea would like a word with you.

[ziplock]

There is certainly some diversity of opinion here. There are many valid points made, some not so. But PLEASE REMEMBER what obstacles we overcame this season--injuries, surgeries, etc. Please REMEMBER how frustrating the Hipsher years were and how many "ONE AND DONE" years we experienced at the MAC tourney and how mediocrity became the norm. Coach has done an incredible job in just a few years and the future looks hopeful if not bright. But also REMEMBER that the snub last year is a reminder to all. It is a function (somewhat toward our scheduling but more specifically) of the disrespect for the MAC--I will be very curious to see where Can't is seeded in the tournament. Ultimately we must build the program that defies the snubs--irrespective of the direction from whence it comes.I must say that I am indeed proud of the team's accomplishments this year--picked what, to be 4th in the East? KD will bring players in that will compete--Christian and Can't will bring in JUCO's and some guys with questionable character--I like what we have and how Keith has tried to build this program from the shambles and the disappointment it had become.Insofar as the crowd at the game, as I sat in a hotel room in Philadelphia (watching with a Can't grad, no less?&*%!!), I thought that the crowd was decidedly a Can't State crowd. But this was partly because I thought that their crowd was into the game and we had little to cheer about. In essence, their performance took us out of the game--and once the outcome was obvious---they kept showing the Can't crowd repeatedly.Go Zips!!

[zip81]

A few tournament "How come quickies..."-How come the Q was three-quarters full with Can't fans?-How come fans criticize a team that made the championship game when they were picked to come in fourth in the MAC East and suffered many key injuries, and despite all of that, were in the thick of it?-How come the Zips couldn't make easy inside shots, 3's where they had good looks, and foul shots?-How come tickets in the nose bleed section costs $30!!!?-How come Jim Christian hasn't moved on to a BCS Conference yet?-How come people still don't have confidence in Keith Dambrot?

[skip-zip]

I'm pleased that we got as far as we did this year, considering that we were picked to finish 4th in our division. But, the way we played last night was awful,, and almost embarrassing. I sure hope it's not an indication that KD can't win big games. Especially with our letdown last year still fresh in our minds.I'm sorry, but the "Can't is a coach and losing a couple of players away from their program taking a dive" argument is really lame. So is the "JUCO players do not help you build a long term program" argument. A change in philosophy is likely going to be necessary if we are ever going to reach Can't's level in this conference.

[Valpo Zip]

As far as the crowd ratio, it definitely was not 75-25 in favour of Can't. They did have more fans than us but only slightly. I would say 50% can't, 40% akron, and 10% neutrals who eventually cheered for Can't by the end of the game.However, being at the Q, you would look around and feel overwhelmed by the piss yellow you see every where and that is because of a small technicality that our Athletic/marketing department hasn't figured out yet. As a marketing department, you want your product to be distinguishable, so you design it in a way to stand out of the crowds. More than 90% of the shirts/gear worn by the flushes were piss yellow which is so easy to distinguish. You look in the stands you see a lot of yellow. While for us, it is a mess.around 50% of our gear are blue and the rest of them are from the whole rainbow. Rowdies and oldies shirts are blue, oldies hats are gold. Some people were wearing gold shirts, some were wearing white shirts with akron stuff on them. I have also seen girls wearing pink Akron gear and the guy who was on the halftime (video game thing) was wearing a BLACK akron shirt.So while Can't is yellow, Miami is red, BG is orange, Ohio is green, we do not seem to have an identity. I am hoping for a day when our teamshop will be selling only blue stuff so we can be more recognized.

[Zip_ME87]

My 2 cents...The MACC game was typical of the Zips' season. Have a great game or 2, then lay an egg. It sucks, but that's the way it's been all season. If you think we're upset with how the seniors played last night, ask them how they feel about their play. They're the guys leaving UA without a MAC Championship and without going to the big dance. It bothers me more that Dials, Middleton, and Wood won't get to play in an NCAA Tournament game than that my team didn't make it. (I felt the same last year for Dru and Romeo...guys who worked hard for the opportunity and fell short.)I agree with Zip81 "- How come fans criticize a team that made the championship game when they were picked to come in fourth in the MAC East and suffered many key injuries, and despite all of that, were in the thick of it?"I also agree with others that KD needs to re-think his issues concerning JUCO players. IMO, no one should have a policy that they won't pick up JUCO players...you need to look at the individual. I have known a number of people in my life who made mistakes, then got their act together and became very successful. KD himself had an issue that someone eventually overlooked and gave him the chance to redeem himself.

[Zip_ME87]

As far as the crowd ratio, it definitely was not 75-25 in favour of Can't. They did have more fans than us but only slightly. I would say 50% can't, 40% akron, and 10% neutrals who eventually cheered for Can't by the end of the game.However, being at the Q, you would look around and feel overwhelmed by the piss yellow you see every where and that is because of a small technicality that our Athletic/marketing department hasn't figured out yet. As a marketing department, you want your product to be distinguishable, so you design it in a way to stand out of the crowds. More than 90% of the shirts/gear worn by the flushes were piss yellow which is so easy to distinguish. You look in the stands you see a lot of yellow. While for us, it is a mess.around 50% of our gear are blue and the rest of them are from the whole rainbow. Rowdies and oldies shirts are blue, oldies hats are gold. Some people were wearing gold shirts, some were wearing white shirts with akron stuff on them. I have also seen girls wearing pink Akron gear and the guy who was on the halftime (video game thing) was wearing a BLACK akron shirt.So while Can't is yellow, Miami is red, BG is orange, Ohio is green, we do not seem to have an identity. I am hoping for a day when our teamshop will be selling only blue stuff so we can be more recognized.

Right on...that piss (golden showers) yellow is exactly why it looked like K.S.U.cks had more fans.

[roodog97]

As far as the crowd ratio, it definitely was not 75-25 in favour of Can't. They did have more fans than us but only slightly. I would say 50% can't, 40% akron, and 10% neutrals who eventually cheered for Can't by the end of the game.However, being at the Q, you would look around and feel overwhelmed by the piss yellow you see every where and that is because of a small technicality that our Athletic/marketing department hasn't figured out yet.As a marketing department, you want your product to be distinguishable, so you design it in a way to stand out of the crowds. More than 90% of the shirts/gear worn by the flushes were piss yellow which is so easy to distinguish. You look in the stands you see a lot of yellow. While for us, it is a mess.around 50% of our gear are blue and the rest of them are from the whole rainbow. Rowdies and oldies shirts are blue, oldies hats are gold. Some people were wearing gold shirts, some were wearing white shirts with akron stuff on them. I have also seen girls wearing pink Akron gear and the guy who was on the halftime (video game thing) was wearing a BLACK akron shirt.So while Can't is yellow, Miami is red, BG is orange, Ohio is green, we do not seem to have an identity. I am hoping for a day when our teamshop will be selling only blue stuff so we can be more recognized.Right on...that piss (golden showers) yellow is exactly why it looked like K.S.U.cks had more fans.

I couldn't agree more, our marketing department has to come up with shirts/gear that make our fans stand out and look more singular.

[Captain Kangaroo]

The way I see it, there are three totally separate subjects:1 -- Last night's game2 -- The 2008 Zips season3 -- The Program's directionRegarding last night's game -- It sucked. Whomever wrote that the seniors didn't show up was pretty much dead-nuts on. Dials was horrible. Ced couldn't hit a shot to save his life. Wood negated whatever yeoman's work he did defensively with missed bunnies and o-fers from the line. To be fair, it wasn't just the seniors...every Zips player blew bunnies. But the seniors set the tone. After every missed bunny...and every o-fer from the line...you could see visible change in the body language of all Zips players.I agree with Dambrot -- We shot 33 foul shots. We had numerous wide open 3's and point blank lay ups. We SHOULD have been tied at the half. But we played horribly. So we were down by 10.On Can't State fans -- I sat by some K.e.n.t. fans that were great college basketball fans. I sat infront of a K.e.n.t. fan that was a first class, crumedgeon a-hole, so I can't make any generalizations. I can say I'm jealous of the K.e.n.t. fans who've cut down the nets for the 5th time in ten or eleven years...while I have 1 NIT appearance. And I do wish that once...just once...KD would acknowledge that from a Zips fan's point of view, that it gets old.You know when Charlie Brown went trick-or-treating and kids would read off what the got after hitting each house?Peppermint Patty: "I got a candy bar."Linus: "I got a popcorn ball."Charlie Brown: "I got a rock."K.e.n.t. fans get to storm the floor and dance...we got a rock.K.e.n.t. beat us 3-0 this year. And they ARE the better team. They are faster and more physical. They're deeper. They merited an at-large bid, while the Zips could make no such argument. In that sense, losing last night wasn't nearly as tough to swallow as last season's finale. BUT -- last night K.e.n.t. didn't play exceptionally fast or physical...we got the ball where we wanted essentially whenever we wanted...and we flat-out couldn't convert. That comes off as a big time choke to anyone tuned in to ESPN2. They say a boxer automatically becomes 30% better after he beats the champ. K.e.n.t. was 30% better than the Zips last night because they've beaten the champ. Somehow KD is going to need to figure out how to get that extra 30%...to get over the hump and become a champion.Next topic -- The 2007-2008 Season?In my opinion we overachieved in 2008. 23 wins is a very good year. Aside from the Ced-Wood injury stretch where we lost to WMU, CMU and NIU, we had as good a season as you could have hoped for, given our roster. Obviously, once the dust settled last night, it was good enough to best 10 of the 11 other MAC programs. That's not too shabby. Does it excuse a 19-point blow out against our #1 rival in a nationally televised game held on a neutral court? No. But that's not the topic.I look forward...a little...to seeing how we fare in our upcoming post season. I'm guessing, whatever the tourney, we play OSU in Columbus. Or CSU in Cleveland. And I bet we do well. A small consolation prize, for sure. But considering what we've been through this year, it sure will beat 2006-7's bitter end. The Future? Any talk of K.e.n.t. falling off the face of the earth is ludicrous. After a decade of 20-win seasons...I think it is a safe bet to say they'll be in the mix for the forseeable future. Will the Zips be terrible next season? Great ghost of Brian Wood, are you nuts??!!Did anyone see how both McKnights and Roberts carried us in the WMU game? If that doesn't give you hope for 2008-9, I don't know what will. Bardo is a solid big man who's only going to get better. And I'm really looking forward to Steve Sweich's debut. Humpty looks like lightning in a bottle. He's an awesome ball handler, with ice water in his veins. Between he and Stewart, we will take a quantum leap forward in our point guard play next season. Note -- Dials did his best this season and I respect that. But next year we will have REAL point guards...the likes of which we really haven't seen since Rashon Brown. Can McNees turn into a solid #2 guard? I think so.Next year's team will look totally different than the 2008 edition. And there will be some tinkering up-front to find out the best mix, but by season's end we'll be competing for a final four spot in the MAC tourney again. And that's not too shabby for a "rebuilding year."Off to enjoy my Sunday. F K.e.n.t.

[Zips Supporter]

I was not trying to criticize the direction of the program as far as winning and coaching. I was just criticizing the recruiting and development. I was not putting down the character of the players because we do have class unlike (you know who). But look at our roster, are you telling me that there is not a single guy on there has contributed nothing? Conyers, Bardo, Goddard, Milum, McNees (he only had like 3 good games this year). There is nothing wrong with getting JUCO's, it worked for Cincinnati in the late 90's, Syracuse 5 years ago. I agree with khobortly, we don't win when it counts, plain and simple. You can blame it on whoever you want, but I would still blame it on the performance of the players. Basketball is a game of momentum like someone had said, so the players dictate the game. Can't had more depth this year and outplayed us all three games. But I just got tired of the cameras being on Can't fans every 5 minutes and listening to Michael Reghi after the game about the class of the Can't program. I don't think he remembered the elementary school behavior and instigation of Haminn Quaintance at the game at Can't. Instead of shaking hands with the players at the end, he was running up and down the court holding up his jersey and taunting the Akron crowd.

[ZachTheZip]

You want to talk about momentum? That falls on KD's coaching style.How many times has he pulled a player from the game after they do something to change the momentum? Darryl Roberts had a great sequence where he drew back-to-back fouls and got an and1. What does KD do? He puts him on the bench for McNeese.KD doesn't play the hot hand, he benches them before they get a chance to turn a game around. Sometimes one player can get hot and change the momentum of a game, but KD benches them as soon as it seems likely. It's happened all season, ever since McNeese went crazy on Miami.It's hard to build momentum when you're constantly swapping out players that are actually contributing in favor of guys that give you extended periods of nothing.

[OZoner]

For what it's worth, I was really impressed by what Akron was able to do this year. You lost two core players and had Wood go down in the middle of the conference schedule. You still came within a game of the division title and made it to the finals. You blew out the West Division champs on a neutral floor.These are all very impressive things, and few people outside this board thought the Zips were capable of that. Yes, last night was bad, but that other team is just playing too well right now.Seriously, there's a lot to be proud of this season for you guys.

[ZipAlumn]

I'll assume you're speaking with too much emotion after a disappointing game. You're obviously a youngster because you don't seem to appreciate where this program was even just five years ago.There is nothing wrong with the guys KD recruits. They play hard, don't get into trouble, and graduate...and we've made it to the MACC two years in a row. Can't's team is based on winning now because they use JUCO's. With their coach leaving and a few players graduating (losing eligibility is more like it), Can't's program could be in the john.gif in a year or two. Our program on the other hand has long-term stability with KD and will continue to grow. Also, take a look at some of the mid-major programs that actually win games in the NCAA tournament...they have a strong team concept and nucleus of upperclassman starters. That's what our program is being built for. I'd really be disappointed if KD utilized Can't's program structure and won the MACC every couple years just to get flamed out of the NCAA tournament in the first round everytime.Yes, I thought this could be the year, but I think the program will continue to improve. Our MACC's and NCAA tournament wins are in the cards, but not for this year.

I'm with him. Disappointing loss to be sure, but I refuse to criticize the program, the coach, or the players and still firmly believe that our basketball program is moving forward. This team will lose four quality athletes and individuals, and next year will be a rebuilding year, but I think the foundations are solid and I can't wait to see the fresh faces next year. Ced, Nick, Jeremiah, and Quade... you will be missed!!!

Completely disagree. The game can be summed up in three words. Our seniors sucked. Correction SUCKED.For once I cannot pin this on Dambrot. By my count we missed 9 point-blank one-footers, In addition Wood was awful from the line. Middleton and Dials missed countless WIDE-OPEN threes. Dials couldn't even in- bound the damn ball. We have another golden oppourtunity to go dancing and we lay an egg. It all started back in February of 1998 when Can't beat us at home in the JAR. Eleven seasons later we still cannot beat them when it counts.So when the JAR is empty come next November we can once again look back and see that when it really matters, we don't win....and our worthless alumni won't be back.Twenty-two seasons and counting for me. I won't be disappointed if the NIT doesn't come calling....

ENOUGH OF THIS CRAP .......... Sometimes you get beat by a better team, sometimes you lose when you shouldn't, sometimes you open your mouth and bitch when you don't know what you're talking about. Twenty two wins is a good season no matter what. You don't like our schedule, go back and look at the teams we played. How many of our out of conference teams had a winning record, how many are going to the dance. If we are in such bad shape how come all those teams in the MAC that are supposedly better than us weren't able to beat the ZIps when they had a chance. If Dambrot is such a terrible coach why does he have such a good record especially in light of the past. Why doesn't he go the JUCO route to get players with "iffy" reputations. If next year's team is going to be so bad why did we give all that playing time this year to the two McKnights, Roberts, McNeese, and Bardo. If our seniors were so bad how come we had such a great year, and we did.We lost three times to Can't because they were a better team, just like last year we beat them three times because we were a better team. Deal with it and quit bitching ........

[HOLLYWOODZIPPY]

I have to disagree. I wouldn't say they are a "better" team. The last two games against them our terrible shooting made their defense look stellar. Anybody know how many shots we missed within 5 feet last night? And I'm not even going to mention free throws which (to let you in the know) are uncontested. When you shoot 39% from the field and miss as many layups and gimmes as we did you aren't going to beat many teams. In my humble opinion our guys were too concerned with Ham'n'cheese inside to take it strong. From where I was sitting it looked like whenever we got close to the basket we were fading away or shooting offbalance to try and avoid having our junk handed back to us. We did somehow manage to get him in foul trouble, but it was too late to take advantage of it.

[bUAkronG]

Here's a point that no one has made about the JUCO stuff. Someone said you get players that will win you the game regardless of academics and their actions outside of basketball. While I know you want to win and all there's something you need to remember about that.We are a midmajor school. How many of these kids are actually going to play basketball professionally for the rest of their lives? Maybe 1 out of 10 I'd say. You really want to have a winning record and then once they are done playing here, what comes next for them? They have a MAC Championship victory to back them up at their minimum wage job at McD's. Congratulations to them. No. Education should be important and I'm glad Dambrot stresses it(did anyone read the tournament diary?) Although Dambrot knows how important to do well on the court he also knows how important to do well in the classroom.These kids aren't Greg Oden, who I heard didn't attend a single class after their loss in the title game last year. They are just a bunch of kids who are passionate about basketball enough to continue their play through college. Beyond that, who knows. But at least they'll have a college degree to back them up if all else fails(see: Romeo Travis returning this year to earn a degree.)

[HOLLYWOODZIPPY]

Here's a point that no one has made about the JUCO stuff. Someone said you get players that will win you the game regardless of academics and their actions outside of basketball. While I know you want to win and all there's something you need to remember about that.We are a midmajor school. How many of these kids are actually going to play basketball professionally for the rest of their lives? Maybe 1 out of 10 I'd say. You really want to have a winning record and then once they are done playing here, what comes next for them? They have a MAC Championship victory to back them up at their minimum wage job at McD's. Congratulations to them. No. Education should be important and I'm glad Dambrot stresses it(did anyone read the tournament diary?) Although Dambrot knows how important to do well on the court he also knows how important to do well in the classroom.These kids aren't Greg Oden, who I heard didn't attend a single class after their loss in the title game last year. They are just a bunch of kids who are passionate about basketball enough to continue their play through college. Beyond that, who knows. But at least they'll have a college degree to back them up if all else fails(see: Romeo Travis returning this year to earn a degree.)

Excellent point, but I'd like to add one more thing. In college sports there is a thing called a retention factor. Each team is given points by the NCAA when a player leaves early or is kicked off the team. Too many points=loss of scholarships. If guys flunk out or are kicked off the team, you get points. If a guy forfeits his scholarship and leaves, no points. I think around 5 points you start losing scholarships, etc. I'm not positive about the details though. Like you said, at this level, people aren't going pro left and right, so if you are losing players it's probably not good, (i.e. academic reasons, conduct reasons etc.) BTW if a player on MY team got a DUI.........well let's just say I'd take points for that one.

[GoZips]

Wow! A lot of excellent observations. While I disagree with some, I think they are all valid and well thought out.Just once I would like for KD to step up and admit that he did not have his team prepared when the Zips stumble. Last night was awful. The heck with blaming themissed shots. There were several basics not being performed properly. A lot of it came from the coaching or lack there of. J Wood (and I love him) was abused by Cant all night and the Zips kept pounding the ball inside to him. Cant would immediately foul him. Once Wood gets in a funkabout his free throw shooting he goes down hill. Hey, AK-Howdies, yes, you dummies, did I not tell you the secret to get Wood knocking in free throws? Why didn'tyou do what you were taught? Your job is to help the team, not just do goofy stuff. When Wood gets the ball at the free throw line you are to yell LOUDLY ..."HEELS".There is a purpose to this. It is to remind Jeremiah to extend when he shoots. His success percentage goes way up when he hears that command.Since we all knew all season that Cant hacks, chops and abuses our perimeter players which forces them into bad play, why not counter with a three and some times four forward line up? Want to pound the ball inside? Fine. Give Wood some baseline help instead of three guards stranded out beyond the arc. Cant had a lot morehelp down low than did the Zips. How about a line up consisting of both McKnights, Wood, Linhart and Darryl Roberts? The heck with the ineffective three guardline up. It failed all three times Akron played Cant because Cant knew how to defend it.And, I totally agree with the observation about why on Earth did KD pull Roberts just when the kid was taking over the offense? Roberts played his heart out.Middleton and Dials are worn out. Roberts is the future. For those of you who are big Steve McNees fans, you are not going to like this, but, Steve will only everbe a part time player unless he learns how to stop going into that awful dribble, dribble, dribble, turnover mode. Steve is a sweet shooter and can give decentminutes so long as he does not try to do it all himself. I cringe every time he handles the ball.I hope that Ronnie Steward can be ready to play come the Fall or he'll be backing up Hitchens. I have seen both Hitchens and Sullivan play this year. Unless thereis a huge step up by any of the other guards, they will be your starting guards for the next four years. And, personally, I think that is a great thing.It is the front line play that concerns me. Chris (C-Mac) McKnight is solid at the four. Brett should compete with the two freshmen guards for scoring honors.The Zips badly need a five (post player) man. It sure isn't Bardo or Swiech. At least not at this point. Swiech couldn't guard me and I'm sixty-four years old.Bardo couldn't score on me and I'm six foot tall and still sixty-four years old. Can Nik Cvetinovic grow an inch or two and give the Zips that badly neededinside presence? As much as I dislike Hambone he beat us up awful. Thank God he is gone.Andrew Parrish with all his six foot eight and great bulk is so immature that he'll be looking at a red shirt next year. Those of you who have read what I write know thatfor the past three years I have been correct on every red shirt. I can not say with total certainty, but, its likely that Brett McClanahan will be red shirted to preventa clog at the small forward position. Just a guess at this point.Linhart has to take command of the leadership. This is a must. However, I loved a comment Humpty made in the post game interview that he is the team leader.Can a freshman be the Zips team leader? You bet. Jimmal Ball did it. btw, congratulations to Chillicothe. I watched the game and a replay. Looks to me thatthe Zips and not the Suckeyes got the real Mr. Basketball. Congrats to Jeff Boals for making the drive down to Columbus to attend the championship game.That is not only classy, its the right thing to do.

[johnnyzip84]

Wow! A lot of excellent observations. While I disagree with some, I think they are all valid and well thought out.Just once I would like for KD to step up and admit that he did not have his team prepared when the Zips stumble. Last night was awful. The heck with blaming themissed shots. There were several basics not being performed properly. A lot of it came from the coaching or lack there of. J Wood (and I love him) was abused by Cant all night and the Zips kept pounding the ball inside to him. Cant would immediately foul him. Once Wood gets in a funkabout his free throw shooting he goes down hill. Hey, AK-Howdies, yes, you dummies, did I not tell you the secret to get Wood knocking in free throws? Why didn'tyou do what you were taught? Your job is to help the team, not just do goofy stuff. When Wood gets the ball at the free throw line you are to yell LOUDLY ..."HEELS".There is a purpose to this. It is to remind Jeremiah to extend when he shoots. His success percentage goes way up when he hears that command.Since we all knew all season that Cant hacks, chops and abuses our perimeter players which forces them into bad play, why not counter with a three and some times four forward line up? Want to pound the ball inside? Fine. Give Wood some baseline help instead of three guards stranded out beyond the arc. Cant had a lot morehelp down low than did the Zips. How about a line up consisting of both McKnights, Wood, Linhart and Darryl Roberts? The heck with the ineffective three guardline up. It failed all three times Akron played Cant because Cant knew how to defend it.And, I totally agree with the observation about why on Earth did KD pull Roberts just when the kid was taking over the offense? Roberts played his heart out.Middleton and Dials are worn out. Roberts is the future. For those of you who are big Steve McNees fans, you are not going to like this, but, Steve will only everbe a part time player unless he learns how to stop going into that awful dribble, dribble, dribble, turnover mode. Steve is a sweet shooter and can give decentminutes so long as he does not try to do it all himself. I cringe every time he handles the ball.I hope that Ronnie Steward can be ready to play come the Fall or he'll be backing up Hitchens. I have seen both Hitchens and Sullivan play this year. Unless thereis a huge step up by any of the other guards, they will be your starting guards for the next four years. And, personally, I think that is a great thing.It is the front line play that concerns me. Chris (C-Mac) McKnight is solid at the four. Brett should compete with the two freshmen guards for scoring honors.The Zips badly need a five (post player) man. It sure isn't Bardo or Swiech. At least not at this point. Swiech couldn't guard me and I'm sixty-four years old.Bardo couldn't score on me and I'm six foot tall and still sixty-four years old. Can Nik Cvetinovic grow an inch or two and give the Zips that badly neededinside presence? As much as I dislike Hambone he beat us up awful. Thank God he is gone.Andrew Parrish with all his six foot eight and great bulk is so immature that he'll be looking at a red shirt next year. Those of you who have read what I write know thatfor the past three years I have been correct on every red shirt. I can not say with total certainty, but, its likely that Brett McClanahan will be red shirted to preventa clog at the small forward position. Just a guess at this point.Linhart has to take command of the leadership. This is a must. However, I loved a comment Humpty made in the post game interview that he is the team leader.Can a freshman be the Zips team leader? You bet. Jimmal Ball did it. btw, congratulations to Chillicothe. I watched the game and a replay. Looks to me thatthe Zips and not the Suckeyes got the real Mr. Basketball. Congrats to Jeff Boals for making the drive down to Columbus to attend the championship game.That is not only classy, its the right thing to do.

I happen to think that McNees, while being a very marginal (OK, perhaps totally unacceptable) point guard, will be an EXCEPTIONAL 2 guard by the time he is done at UA. He will be allowed to focus on his strengths next year and that will make all of the difference. I love the fact that we are loaded at guard for the near future. It's the Drake/Butler/MVC/Mid-Major recipe for success.....spread it out, distribute, hit the three. I see us winning 20 again next year.

[Blue & Gold]

You want to talk about momentum? That falls on KD's coaching style.How many times has he pulled a player from the game after they do something to change the momentum? Darryl Roberts had a great sequence where he drew back-to-back fouls and got an and1. What does KD do? He puts him on the bench for McNeese.KD doesn't play the hot hand, he benches them before they get a chance to turn a game around. Sometimes one player can get hot and change the momentum of a game, but KD benches them as soon as it seems likely. It's happened all season, ever since McNeese went crazy on Miami.It's hard to build momentum when you're constantly swapping out players that are actually contributing in favor of guys that give you extended periods of nothing.

It's interesting that you post this, because I've been perplexed by this coaching strategy all year. I even started a thread about 1 or 2 months ago entitled something like, "KD's coaching strategy" and asked for someone to explain to me why KD seems to, instead of feeding the hot man (which is a b-ball 101 maxim), he actually tends to pull the hot man from the game and sit him down on the bench. I honestly am dumbfounded by this. Just when a player makes a good play, and his eyes start lighting up, KD yanks him. I love KD, I think he's a great recruiter, but I don't get this at all.

[RACER]

hopefully this win will shut up the zips fans who say kd can't coach,and we have no talent.we beat a acc theam on there own court.hopefully this get people off kd back.i could mention names, but they know who they are.hopefully they will realiize how lucky arkon is to have this guy,but i doubt.the fisrt game we lose in the nit ,and they will all come back.the regular bitchin,and complaining about kd and the team will resurface.the same old" we don't have any athletic kids", "kd gets outcoatched everygame",and "kd cant win the big game when it matters".kd deserves better ,but probably wont get it.

[Captain Kangaroo]

hopefully this win will shut up the zips fans who say kd can't coach,and we have no talent

I would guess about 2 of the 5,000 Zips fans you would survey say KD can't coach and that we have no talent. You make it sound like there's some lynch mob forming.Everyone loves Dambrot. Everyone loves the Zips. If some people hate losing to K.e.n.t. by 20...I would hope that Dambrot is happy people care, or that they flat-out hurt when the Zips lose.As Dambrot is fond of saying -- "Each game is a mutually exclusive event." Our game against Western Michigan was one of the best games I've ever seen the Zips play. Conversely, the K.e.n.t. game was a train wreck, where we couldn't "finish" on the most fundemental offensive plays. To say one game was great and the next sucked is wholly accurate. And to spin disappointment in the K.e.n.t. game into a "fire the coach" rant is just plain stupid.Go Zips!

[Valpo Zip]

hopefully this win will shut up the zips fans who say kd can't coach,and we have no talent.we beat a acc theam on there own court.hopefully this get people off kd back.i could mention names, but they know who they are.hopefully they will realiize how lucky arkon is to have this guy,but i doubt.the fisrt game we lose in the nit ,and they will all come back.the regular bitchin,and complaining about kd and the team will resurface.the same old" we don't have any athletic kids", "kd gets outcoatched everygame",and "kd cant win the big game when it matters".kd deserves better ,but probably wont get it.

Look at you Mr. "I am a better fan than you."This post is totally uncalled for. Criticism is one of the main ingredients needed to point the problems and improve the program. Here is one for you: our players should work on their free throws. We realize how lucky we are to have KD and we love him more than you can think. But that is still a discussion forum where people talk their minds out (including criticizm sometimes). Unless we live in China or Sudan where people are only allowed to praise the system.

[RACER]

nobody said you cant post negative on here.if you read the post there is alott more than i person on here saying he cant coach,and we have no talent.when we win a game they seem to not post until we lose one.then it's the same old same old.i just dont understand why some post only negative things when we lose.when we win those same people go off the board.i just dont think alott of zip fans not all really appreciate what kd has done for this program in three years.they just like to complain when we lose.