2008-2009 Season

[sgm405]

Here's the potential players to formulate the team's roster:FORWARDS/CENTERSNate LinhartChris McKnightBrett McKnightJimmy ConyersMike BardoSteve SwiechTim CarrollNikola CvetinovicAndrew ParrishGUARDSSteve McNeesDarryl RobertsRonnie StewardRydell BrooksAnthony HitchensAlex SullivanBrett McLanahanThat's 16 players expected in camp by my count. At first glance, I see a lot of youth and inexperience as well as question marks all around in the frontcourt. Here's my suggestions (although I'm sure nobody is listening):1) Take a look at some JUCO players. I know, I know...Dambrot has always refused to do this. But look at what Al Fisher and Haminn Quaintance have done for Can't - they'd be nowhere near what they are now without those two. We've had some success (Derrick Tarver) and some failure (Johnny Hollingsworth) in getting these guys...and while they have the downside of not being developed through our program, they do come in hungry game-ready most of the time. If we are serious about taking the next step, we need to look at ALL potential recruits, not just high school seniors. 2) Toughen up the schedule. This one has been debated for some time, but all you need to look at was Can't this year compared to Akron last year. Most experts had Can't State in the tourney if they simply won their first round game - their 26th win. With 26 wins and a controversial loss in the conference final, the Zips didn't even make the NIT. The difference? Can't had a strong non-conference schedule, while Akron played almost nobody. If you want to be considered one of the top schools in the country, you have to play some of the top schools in the country, even if it's on the road. You think hostile crowds bothered Can't as much after playing on the road at North Carolina? A better, stronger schedule = respect and great experience for your players.

[GoZips]

FORWARDS/CENTERS*Nate Linhart ----- only real senior; excellent yet streaky player; needs to provide leadership*Chris McKnight ---- can play nearly any position; will start at power forward or center; Romeo Travis cloneBrett McKnight ----- proven factor; at this point likely power forward or wing man; could possibly post up; starterJimmy Conyers ---- lost in the dust; needs to really apply himselfMike Bardo --------- spot player; must improve offensive skillsSteve Swiech ------- unproven; size could really help the Zips inside; suppose to be an excellent scorer; weak on defenseTim Carroll --------- walk on; great kid; can give minutes at the small forwardNikola Cvetinovic --- suppose to be a stud; wide body; six-seven; one of two players coach's tag as able to start right nowAndrew Parrish ---- huge wide body at six-eight; great defense, weak offense; real weakness is maturity; could be that enforcer Zips so badly need* returning starterGUARDSSteve McNees ----- good short minute man; strengths include shooting touch, free throws; slow; only fair on defenseDarryl Roberts ---- has demonstrated excellent all round skills; still learning Zips defense; potential starterRonnie Steward ---- injured reserve; no college level playing time or even practice; a year behind; was great in high schoolRydell Brooks ------ spot playerAnthony Hitchens --- if his high school performance is any indicator "Humpty" will quickly grab the starting point guard spotAlex Sullivan ------- prolific scorer; more combo guard than pure shooter; probable starting "two" guard by conference playBrett McClanahan ---- nominated as a McDonald's All American; probably can play point, deuce and small forward; shooterSYNOPSISThe Zips have some returning talent to go along with a great many fresh faces. While they might not win twenty games before MACtournament time, they could do so by the end of the conference tournament. A first round bye is not out of the question. The real fun begins after this team has a year to "season". Zeke Marshall would make the Zips that elite mid-major we all desire.

[Zips Supporter]

It's true Akron's SOS last year was 190, but still 26 wins and they won their half of the conference of the regular season. That's why it was a snub and biggest one probably. The only people who didn't think so were some of the ESPN analysts on college basketball with the exception of Dickie V. Most of those guys don't like to give credit where it is due and the only mid-major conference they have respect for is the Missouri Valley who has 2 at-large bids every year along with the tournament winner. Drake got a 5 seed I do believe in the tournament, that surprised me. But anyway, we won't ever be in the Tourney until we win the tournament. Remember in 2003 when Miami was 18-11 with a strength of schedule of 43 and came in 2nd in the MAC tourney and didn't get an at-large. We have to be like a Butler, Drake, George Mason, Xavier, or Davidson, and win 25 plus games to get one probably. The '99 Miami team though did get an at-large with a 25-7 record, of course Szczerbiak and company.

[sgm405]

It's true Akron's SOS last year was 190, but still 26 wins and they won their half of the conference of the regular season. That's why it was a snub and biggest one probably. The only people who didn't think so were some of the ESPN analysts on college basketball with the exception of Dickie V. Most of those guys don't like to give credit where it is due and the only mid-major conference they have respect for is the Missouri Valley who has 2 at-large bids every year along with the tournament winner. Drake got a 5 seed I do believe in the tournament, that surprised me. But anyway, we won't ever be in the Tourney until we win the tournament. Remember in 2003 when Miami was 18-11 with a strength of schedule of 43 and came in 2nd in the MAC tourney and didn't get an at-large. We have to be like a Butler, Drake, George Mason, Xavier, or Davidson, and win 25 plus games to get one probably. The '99 Miami team though did get an at-large with a 25-7 record, of course Szczerbiak and company.

Don't get me wrong, major changes aren't needed...but adding a top 25 opponent or two would be huge in the end IMO.

[Quickzips]

I'm still down in the dumps over last night, but what are you gonna do. I know we have an NIT game now, but really, after the snub we got last year, it's hard to care about that game, so for the most part I'm moving on.Next year is going to be interesting. Like a couple people have said already, this isn't going to be the Zips we are used to seeing play. I'm very excited to have some speed at the point guard position with guys like Humpty and Steward. I personally think having a point who can consistently push the ball up the court is a huge bonus for any team. That said, those guys have all of zero games of college basketball experience. They are going to need time to develop.I really think we need to groom McNees into that 6th man position. I don't think he's ever really going to be a guy you can rely on for 30 minutes or so as a starter, but he can play that microwave role off the bench if utilized properly.The two guard is going to be another interesting factor. We've been a bit spoiled with Dials and Middleton the last few years, but with those guys gone, someone will have to step up. Again, we run into a problem with experience. Roberts seems like the most likely candidate from the get go, but even he has limited experience. By all indications Sullivan and McClanahan seem like great talents, but they are going to need some time to develop.The one place where I think we're going to be ok at is the one place that earlier this year we were all so concerned about and that is the SF. You've already got Nate there who can contribute on either side of the floor every night. Then you've got Brett McKnight who seems to have earned a lot of trust from KD and will only get better as he, you guessed it, has time to develop. Conyers seems like the odd man out here, which is a shame considering the high expectations many of us had for him.I'd expect Chris McKnight to start at PF and see the majority of the minutes. He really started to come around the 2nd half of the season and is really the best frontcourt option we have right now. This is kind of going to be "his team" over the next couple of years and he'll need to establish that early on in the season. I like the depth we have here Parrish and Cvetinovic, but again, these are guys that will need time to develop (do we see a theme here?). You've also got Brett and Sweich who I think could play some 4 if needed.The Center spot is where I'm most worried. Bardo at his best is never going to be much more than a 15 minute a night guy, which is fine if we had someone who could cover the other 25. Sweich, with all the talent he supposedly has is still an unproven commodity. Can he cover those other 25 minutes or so or will we have to play small a lot? Again, it's going to depend on how Steve develops.Next year is really the year that I won't have any problem with a poor OOC schedule. This is not the type of team that you take on the road vs. top 25 opponents a lot. They are going to be a young team that could be very fragile mentally. I don't have any problem staying at home and scheduling a bunch of cupcakes next year. Too tough of an OOC schedule could negatively impact this team for a long time.One thing that is going to help this team out, is that a lot of the main competitors are losing key players particularly in the frontcourt (Reitz, T.Pollitz, Quantance, Williams). The MAC is probably going to look very different next year. Should be interesting.

[skip-zip]

sgm...your point #2 at the top of this thread is right on the money.

[Zip Watcher]

I like Quickzips' post above .. and have many of the same thoughts. I'll come back to 2008-09 when 07-08 is over.Go Zips!

[Captain Kangaroo]

Bardo at his best is never going to be much more than a 15 minute a night guy.

Who do people sell this kid so short? Big men ALWAYS take time to develop (no references to freaks like Greg Oden, please).He's acquitted himself very well in his freshman season. He's a solid rebounder and can hit free throws. He also blocks his share of shots. By the time he's a senior, he'll be playing 25mpg at minimum. He ain't Klaus Zollner.

[ZachTheZip]

Looking at the differences in the numbers between this year and last year:This year we played 5 teams in the NCAA tourney, last year it was 4.This year our RPI is .5529 (Ranked #76), last year it was .5687 (Ranked #66)This year our SOS was .5082 (Ranked #135), last year it was .4894 (Ranked #177)I'm seeing a 40-spot improvement in the SOS department. This year our SOS was above the NCAA average, although not by much. Next year we don't play NC Central, NC A&T, or Binghamton. Replace those with a few solid mid-majors and we will have a pretty nice SOS, if you look at the numbers.This year our opponents' combined record (teams count for every time you play them, like the RPI does) is 515-491, and last year it was 462-508Our RPI could have been identical to last years with just one win over Can't State or Dayton, even with more losses on the record. What we need to do is play more teams that will compete well in their conferences, but not neccissarily teams that compete in the top conferences. Remember that the RPI is 50% based on your opponents' record, so play (and beat) teams that win more than they lose and you have an instant recipe for a high SOS.

[GJGood]

Looking at the differences in the numbers between this year and last year:This year we played 5 teams in the NCAA tourney, last year it was 4.This year our RPI is .5529 (Ranked #76), last year it was .5687 (Ranked #66)This year our SOS was .5082 (Ranked #135), last year it was .4894 (Ranked #177)I'm seeing a 40-spot improvement in the SOS department. This year our SOS was above the NCAA average, although not by much. Next year we don't play NC Central, NC A&T, or Binghamton. Replace those with a few solid mid-majors and we will have a pretty nice SOS, if you look at the numbers.This year our opponents' combined record (teams count for every time you play them, like the RPI does) is 515-491, and last year it was 462-508I agree with what you are saying. I have been told that I am looking at the scheduling issue backwards in the past.Our RPI could have been identical to last years with just one win over Can't State or Dayton, even with more losses on the record. What we need to do is play more teams that will compete well in their conferences, but not neccissarily teams that compete in the top conferences. Remember that the RPI is 50% based on your opponents' record, so play (and beat) teams that win more than they lose and you have an instant recipe for a high SOS.

I agree with what you are saying. So many people talk about toughening the schedule by putting marquee names on the schedule. While I'd like to see us get some BCS conference type schools on our schedule, I think it is equally important to get the weak schools off of our schedule even if it means only playing a mediocre team. The SOS numbers could have been much better this year if Binghamton, UNC Central and NC A&T were replaced with even middle of the road teams.Since Akron has to travel to VCU next year anyway I'd like to see them also schedule a game (or preferably a home-and-home) with Richmond also. That way it could be a two game road trip against good programs that are of equal caliber to many decent MAC schools. Just a thought.

[gozips19]

Akron can't add any more players for next year so the juco rout is out and will be for some time. I am not too concerned about this team. I liken it to when the team had to play small when Wood went down. C. McNight can play the 5 if needed but they will need to pressure the ball more. With the increase in guards and speed they should be able to do that. As long as Bardo/Sweitch can give 20-25 mins of solid d they will be fine. B. Mcnight is a nightmare to match up against as is his brother. Roberts really reminds me of Ced and McNess will play much better with the ball out of his hands (similar to Dials earlier in his career). The point will be in much better shape with Stewart. I'd look for Parrish and Sully to redshirt and Nikola and McClanahan to add to the rotation showing sparks from time to time. The future looks good to me, this will be the fastest, most athletic team K.D. has had and will be able to play that pressure D that he likes. 19 wins and a lot of noise in the tourney would be a safe bet.

[Quickzips]

Akron can't add any more players for next year so the juco rout is out and will be for some time. I am not too concerned about this team. I liken it to when the team had to play small when Wood went down. C. McNight can play the 5 if needed but they will need to pressure the ball more. With the increase in guards and speed they should be able to do that. As long as Bardo/Sweitch can give 20-25 mins of solid d they will be fine. B. Mcnight is a nightmare to match up against as is his brother. Roberts really reminds me of Ced and McNess will play much better with the ball out of his hands (similar to Dials earlier in his career). The point will be in much better shape with Stewart. I'd look for Parrish and Sully to redshirt and Nikola and McClanahan to add to the rotation showing sparks from time to time. The future looks good to me, this will be the fastest, most athletic team K.D. has had and will be able to play that pressure D that he likes. 19 wins and a lot of noise in the tourney would be a safe bet.

I need to throw my .02 in on the JUCO ideas I see being tossed around. I don't like it. The only reason it is even an issue right now is b/c Can't just won the whole thing with a bunch of JUCO's. Last year when we beat them 3 times and knocked them out in the semi's noone was crying for us to start recruiting JUCO's, but b/c the shoe was on the other foot this year there is a faction of zipsnation that wants us to change recruiting strategies. The fact of the matter is it is a dangerous short term strategy for building a team that is difficult to sustain. Can't has done it for a few years in a row now, and you have to at least give some props to them for being able to, but for every Can't out there having success with JUCO's there is an Ohio who ends up with a bunch of overrated streetballers who never develop. I'll take KD recruiting quality high schoolers who can get it done on and off the court every day of the week over going for broke on a bunch of JUCO's. All indications seem to be that the strategy is starting to pay off long term with better recruits coming in each year. You can take your JUCO's and go watch Can't or OU if you want, I'm a Zips fan and I like how KD is recruiting.

[Valpo Zip]

Akron can't add any more players for next year so the juco rout is out and will be for some time. I am not too concerned about this team. I liken it to when the team had to play small when Wood went down. C. McNight can play the 5 if needed but they will need to pressure the ball more. With the increase in guards and speed they should be able to do that. As long as Bardo/Sweitch can give 20-25 mins of solid d they will be fine. B. Mcnight is a nightmare to match up against as is his brother. Roberts really reminds me of Ced and McNess will play much better with the ball out of his hands (similar to Dials earlier in his career). The point will be in much better shape with Stewart. I'd look for Parrish and Sully to redshirt and Nikola and McClanahan to add to the rotation showing sparks from time to time. The future looks good to me, this will be the fastest, most athletic team K.D. has had and will be able to play that pressure D that he likes. 19 wins and a lot of noise in the tourney would be a safe bet.

I need to throw my .02 in on the JUCO ideas I see being tossed around. I don't like it. The only reason it is even an issue right now is b/c Can't just won the whole thing with a bunch of JUCO's. Last year when we beat them 3 times and knocked them out in the semi's noone was crying for us to start recruiting JUCO's, but b/c the shoe was on the other foot this year there is a faction of zipsnation that wants us to change recruiting strategies. The fact of the matter is it is a dangerous short term strategy for building a team that is difficult to sustain. Can't has done it for a few years in a row now, and you have to at least give some props to them for being able to, but for every Can't out there having success with JUCO's there is an Ohio who ends up with a bunch of overrated streetballers who never develop. I'll take KD recruiting quality high schoolers who can get it done on and off the court every day of the week over going for broke on a bunch of JUCO's. All indications seem to be that the strategy is starting to pay off long term with better recruits coming in each year. You can take your JUCO's and go watch Can't or OU if you want, I'm a Zips fan and I like how KD is recruiting.

The reason why this is being talked about this year has nothing to do with us beating Can't or them beating us. It is simply due to the fact that we have graduated 5 starters in the last 2 years and our next year team is made up of freshmen and sophomore. Therefore, i do not see a shame in getting JUCO help if talent is there.

[a-zip]

One thing that is nice is that a good number of our younger players have been red shirted. What a luxury that we have been able to be so successful while these guys develop and mature;Steward - 2nd year freshman next yearSwiech - 2nd year freshman next yearMcNees- 3rd year sophomoreBardo - 3rd year sophomore

[GoZips88]

One thing that is nice is that a good number of our younger players have been red shirted. What a luxury that we have been able to be so successful while these guys develop and mature;Steward - 2nd year freshman next yearSwiech - 2nd year freshman next yearMcNees- 3rd year sophomoreBardo - 3rd year sophomore

Assuming we can keep this up, I'd prefer to reload this way than the JUCO "two-and-done" route. I'm glad KD is willing to be patient and not give in to the temptation to go after the "quick fix." If I remember correctly, OU got some good guard play out of their JUCO guys this year but in the end the talented Bubbacats struggled (TOS is probably the biggest reason why). Now they've got a couple of guys who will be gone after next year and they may have to quickly fill the pipeline again. As someone else pointed out, for every coach who successfully blends JUCOs, there are probably a bunch others who have a hard time getting it to work.

[Lee Adams]

Here's the potential players to formulate the team's roster:FORWARDS/CENTERSNate LinhartChris McKnightBrett McKnightJimmy ConyersMike BardoSteve SwiechTim CarrollNikola CvetinovicAndrew ParrishGUARDSSteve McNeesDarryl RobertsRonnie StewardRydell BrooksAnthony HitchensAlex SullivanBrett McLanahanThat's 16 players expected in camp by my count. At first glance, I see a lot of youth and inexperience as well as question marks all around in the frontcourt. Here's my suggestions (although I'm sure nobody is listening):1) Take a look at some JUCO players. I know, I know...Dambrot has always refused to do this. But look at what Al Fisher and Haminn Quaintance have done for Can't - they'd be nowhere near what they are now without those two. We've had some success (Derrick Tarver) and some failure (Johnny Hollingsworth) in getting these guys...and while they have the downside of not being developed through our program, they do come in hungry game-ready most of the time. If we are serious about taking the next step, we need to look at ALL potential recruits, not just high school seniors. 2) Toughen up the schedule. This one has been debated for some time, but all you need to look at was Can't this year compared to Akron last year. Most experts had Can't State in the tourney if they simply won their first round game - their 26th win. With 26 wins and a controversial loss in the conference final, the Zips didn't even make the NIT. The difference? Can't had a strong non-conference schedule, while Akron played almost nobody. If you want to be considered one of the top schools in the country, you have to play some of the top schools in the country, even if it's on the road. You think hostile crowds bothered Can't as much after playing on the road at North Carolina? A better, stronger schedule = respect and great experience for your players.

AMEN!

[skip-zip]

I don't think that the JUCO issue is as much about people feeling strongly that we should, or should not have JUCOs on this team. The real issue for me is that our staff appears to completely rule out the idea.Same with the scheduling...We appear to have a philosophy of not playing road games without return trips against high ranked teams. Again, it's the idea that it seems that we are completely ruling out an option that can be helpful to the program. Remember, the last time we went to the NCAA tournament, one of the key factors was our coaching staff finding a guy named Marcel Boyce, a JC transfer. And he also became a conference MVP.

[a-zip]

One thing that is nice is that a good number of our younger players have been red shirted. What a luxury that we have been able to be so successful while these guys develop and mature;Steward - 2nd year freshman next yearSwiech - 2nd year freshman next yearMcNees- 3rd year sophomoreBardo - 3rd year sophomore

Assuming we can keep this up, I'd prefer to reload this way than the JUCO "two-and-done" route. I'm glad KD is willing to be patient and not give in to the temptation to go after the "quick fix." If I remember correctly, OU got some good guard play out of their JUCO guys this year but in the end the talented Bubbacats struggled (TOS is probably the biggest reason why). Now they've got a couple of guys who will be gone after next year and they may have to quickly fill the pipeline again. As someone else pointed out, for every coach who successfully blends JUCOs, there are probably a bunch others who have a hard time getting it to work.

I hope KD is rewarded for his courage (UA, don't let him leave ).....his vision and tonights win along with some quality recruits could be the start of something special. Combine that with continued soccer success (new stadium ), new FB stadium - we might have something.