Zips Hoops Awards Banquet

[Captain Kangaroo]

I called UA a few minutes ago and there is still time to reserve a seat at the Basketball Awards Banquet being held tomorrow (Friday) night at 6pm. If there's just one of you, you can even pay at the door.$15.00 for a buffet dinner and chat with the players and coaches is a pretty sweet deal.

[Zip Watcher]

Indeed.And don't forget to extend your evening a bit by heading over to the rec for a little AAU ball.See why HERE.Go Zips. B)

[GoZips]

The Men's Basketball Awards and Recognition Picnic must be considered an overwhelming success.The dress was suppose to be casual (I wore jeans and a Fear da Roo Tee), but, many folks over dressed like they were attending a wake. KD said to make the next oneCASUAL. The four dollar beers at the open bar seemed to go well. My fussy date just loves gin and tonics made with enough Rose's lime juice to make them into a sour. Thebartender accommodated her request quite well. Bravo.Plenty of pre buffet chat and mingling.Jeremy Sallee's lady stole the show. She is one beautiful young lady. And, mind you, sweet as a cherry. Congrats Jeremy.Plenty of kudos to go around for the players. The Rowdies presented the five seniors wth framed versions of the individual signs that were often displayed all season.Nice touch and well executed.The five seniors spoke. Ced choked on heartfelt tears that brought the room to a standing ovation.J Wood strongly hinted that he WILL be playing at the next level. I hope so.To me, the best part was not basking in the after glow of a 24-11 season which included a takedown of an arrogant ACC team on their home court in the NIT. No, thebest part was the glimpse into the future. No incoherent babble of some grand palace to play in. Rather a look at next season's OOC schedule, partially completed,whetted my appetite for more Zips basketball.A series with Mississippi State was announced. Monies being provided to "buy" two or three home games ala last season when the Zips "bought" games with Wyoming,NC Central and NC A&T. The big hit being a teaser about playing a HUGE name opponent in the Fall at Quicken Loans Arena. While I know who that opponent is Iwill let others reveal who they are. Just suffice to say that they are only a nice bus ride away for when we go play at their house.

[zip37]

The fellowship was GREAT, the beer was grossly overpriced, the wine my wife had tasted like it had beenfiltered thru the Korean People's Army's socks, the food on a sacle of 1-10 was a -1, but I still enjoyed the nite, especially Ced!With ball ammunition lock and load, and of course

[ZachTheZip]

To me, the best part was not basking in the after glow of a 24-11 season which included a takedown of an arrogant ACC team on their home court in the NIT. No, thebest part was the glimpse into the future. No incoherent babble of some grand palace to play in. Rather a look at next season's OOC schedule, partially completed,whetted my appetite for more Zips basketball.A series with Mississippi State was announced. Monies being provided to "buy" two or three home games ala last season when the Zips "bought" games with Wyoming,NC Central and NC A&T. The big hit being a teaser about playing a HUGE name opponent in the Fall at Quicken Loans Arena. While I know who that opponent is Iwill let others reveal who they are. Just suffice to say that they are only a nice bus ride away for when we go play at their house.

So, we finally btoke the ban on playing BCS teams? Or is the home-and-home policy still in effect, and we somehow finally managed to get those arrogant teams to come to the JAR? It could be a great sign if we can get teams like that to start coming here more often.Also, there are only two HUGE teams only a busride away that I can see coming to the Q that would be extremely exciting: OSU and Pitt. Or maybe Indiana as a stretch.

[ziptrumpet87]

To me, the best part was not basking in the after glow of a 24-11 season which included a takedown of an arrogant ACC team on their home court in the NIT. No, thebest part was the glimpse into the future. No incoherent babble of some grand palace to play in. Rather a look at next season's OOC schedule, partially completed,whetted my appetite for more Zips basketball.A series with Mississippi State was announced. Monies being provided to "buy" two or three home games ala last season when the Zips "bought" games with Wyoming,NC Central and NC A&T. The big hit being a teaser about playing a HUGE name opponent in the Fall at Quicken Loans Arena. While I know who that opponent is Iwill let others reveal who they are. Just suffice to say that they are only a nice bus ride away for when we go play at their house.

So, we finally btoke the ban on playing BCS teams? Or is the home-and-home policy still in effect, and we somehow finally managed to get those arrogant teams to come to the JAR? It could be a great sign if we can get teams like that to start coming here more often.Also, there are only two HUGE teams only a busride away that I can see coming to the Q that would be extremely exciting: OSU and Pitt. Or maybe Indiana as a stretch.

Xavier would also be a possibility...

[ZachTheZip]

To me, the best part was not basking in the after glow of a 24-11 season which included a takedown of an arrogant ACC team on their home court in the NIT. No, thebest part was the glimpse into the future. No incoherent babble of some grand palace to play in. Rather a look at next season's OOC schedule, partially completed,whetted my appetite for more Zips basketball.A series with Mississippi State was announced. Monies being provided to "buy" two or three home games ala last season when the Zips "bought" games with Wyoming,NC Central and NC A&T. The big hit being a teaser about playing a HUGE name opponent in the Fall at Quicken Loans Arena. While I know who that opponent is Iwill let others reveal who they are. Just suffice to say that they are only a nice bus ride away for when we go play at their house.

So, we finally btoke the ban on playing BCS teams? Or is the home-and-home policy still in effect, and we somehow finally managed to get those arrogant teams to come to the JAR? It could be a great sign if we can get teams like that to start coming here more often.Also, there are only two HUGE teams only a busride away that I can see coming to the Q that would be extremely exciting: OSU and Pitt. Or maybe Indiana as a stretch.

Xavier would also be a possibility...

Could be, but I just don't see us having to resort to playing the game at the Q for that.

[zippy5]

To me, the best part was not basking in the after glow of a 24-11 season which included a takedown of an arrogant ACC team on their home court in the NIT. No, thebest part was the glimpse into the future. No incoherent babble of some grand palace to play in. Rather a look at next season's OOC schedule, partially completed,whetted my appetite for more Zips basketball.A series with Mississippi State was announced. Monies being provided to "buy" two or three home games ala last season when the Zips "bought" games with Wyoming,NC Central and NC A&T. The big hit being a teaser about playing a HUGE name opponent in the Fall at Quicken Loans Arena. While I know who that opponent is Iwill let others reveal who they are. Just suffice to say that they are only a nice bus ride away for when we go play at their house.

C'mon man, that's not cool, don't tease us like that!pretty please tell me?

[hoopla]

I am guessing that the people who put the banquet on are the ones commenting on the success of the thing. Food.... meatballs out of a spaghettio can, cheap as can be cake, and awful pizza that wasnt even deliverd cut up. very displeased with the night. wasnt worth the price of admision

[GoZips88]

I am guessing that the people who put the banquet on are the ones commenting on the success of the thing. Food.... meatballs out of a spaghettio can, cheap as can be cake, and awful pizza that wasnt even deliverd cut up. very displeased with the night. wasnt worth the price of admision

Let UA know about it. Where there is smoke there is probably some fire ... sounds like the food was not up to par. If you're going to do something like this, do it right. It doesn't have to be over-the-top but don't make it obviously cheap and half thought out. If we strive to be the best on the court, do what you can to do the same off the court for things like an awards banquet.

[Zip_ME87]

I had a GREAT time at the banquet. I ate, but I wasn't there for the food. KD told everyone that some year we'll get this thing right, it is about sharing time with each other, celebrating our program and good times together. (He'd like everyone to show up in shorts and T shirts.) That's exactly what I was there for...to let my team know how much I appreciate them and to let them know I'm confident they will continue to build on their successes.It was great opportunity to talk to the seniors and let them know how much I appreciated them and to wish them the best in their futures. As for the opponent at the Q, KD seemed to think they would be able to announce that very soon.

[Blue & Gold]

When KD spoke at the Canton Hall of Fame Luncheon Club he mentioned an imminent announcement concerning Zips' basketball and Nike/LeBron. At the banquet was there any talk of this at all?

[ZachTheZip]

When KD spoke at the Canton Hall of Fame Luncheon Club he mentioned an imminent announcement concerning Zips' basketball and Nike/LeBron. At the banquet was there any talk of this at all?

I don't think there was. I think the LeBron thing is that all our athletic teams will now have Nike LeBron gear in the near future.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Just to add a few notes and confirmations regarding the banquet:Yes, the food was pretty embarrassing. Cold wings, cold meat balls, tragic pizza, nice salad...but no salad dressing. Even considering the low, low $15.00 price of admission, it was really bad. I'll bring a roast beef sandwich in my pocket next year just in case the caterer somehow inexplicably gets their contract renewed.The event itself was very nice. Frenchy did an OUTSTANDING job as emcee. Very entertaining. Ced pretty much stole the show with his heartfelt overview of how he was recruited. He got a scholarship when Allen Hanson backed-out late. Ced didn't know anything about UA before stepping on campus shortly prior to his scholarship offer...but it was a free ride to play hoops, so he took a flier. 4 years and 1,000 points later, there he was on the podium saying his goodbyes. Very moving speech.My son couldn't make the event, but Ced was his favorite player, so after the event ended I asked Ced if he'd say "hi" to my son on the cell phone. He talked to him for probably 3-4 minutes. Just a 1st class guy.I don't want to short change the other guys. They all made nice speeches and all seemed to be extremely happy with what they'd accomplished at UA. It was good to see guys graduating, and taking pride in Akron. It wasn't all that long ago that players were begging for the season to end, and couldn't wait to get the hell out of Summit County.The fact that the Zips are the only team in the MAC with 2 post-season wins in the last 5 years was mentioned. I never thought about that, but it is pretty impressive.There will be a "marquee" game at The Q this upcoming season. And, the Zips will be playing in a Mississippi Stae-sponsored Tourney this winter. Mississippi State will be an interesting opponent. They made it to the 2nd round of the NCAA's this year, losing by 3 to Memphis. But, the seem to have a lot of turnover in their program. And, despite going 12-4 in the SEC, they lost to Miami OH and Southern Illinois last year. They lost to the Zips three years ago, so it is safe to say we should be competitive.KD mentioned his high expectations for next year. He seems pretty confident we'll be in the mix for a championship despite the heavy graduation losses.Jimmy Conyers was present, alto he spent most of the night wrestling with is young daughter (she must not have liked the wings either). Dambrot praised Conyers as the "best defender on our team." I saw no indicators that Conyers was transferring.Chris Mc Knight, Ronnie Steward and Rydell Brooks didn't attend. Steward is fully recovered from his injuries, and the coach spoke of how well Ronnie performed in the recent vertical leap evaluations.KD and Mack spoke of getting the Zips season ticket sales up from 1,000 to 2,000. I think that'll be tough, because there aren't 2,000 quality seats in the JAR. If Mack can devise a plan to pull that off, he's "The Man."The 2008-9 schedule, per KD, "will be the 2nd toughest in team history." Behind the Clemson/Cal/Louisville/Mississippi State schedule of 4 years ago. It will be very interesting to see who's the competition at The Q.The Rowdies gave the seniors some of their game-night signs (i.e. Ced got a framed "C-Note" sign). That was a nice touch!Overall Banquet Experience -- Bad food. Otherwise, great night.!

[HOLLYWOODZIPPY]

When KD spoke at the Canton Hall of Fame Luncheon Club he mentioned an imminent announcement concerning Zips' basketball and Nike/LeBron. At the banquet was there any talk of this at all?

I don't think there was. I think the LeBron thing is that all our athletic teams will now have Nike LeBron gear in the near future.

Hope not, addidas stuff blows nike away IMO. I think only basketball was doing that anyway, which would make the most sense. Don't take it the wrong way, I am thrilled that Akron is being considered by LeBron's people to become associated with Nike/LeBron. I respect him for sticking local and supporting Akron the way he does. I just think that addidas clothes and especially shoes are more comfortable and last longer and suit other sports like baseball, tennis, and especially soccer better than nike/lebron or even just nike for that matter.

[GP1]

nice salad...but no salad dressing.

Isn't this like saying, "nice bathroom stall...but no door"?

[BirdZip]

nice salad...but no salad dressing.

Isn't this like saying, "nice bathroom stall...but no door"?

If you put it that way, it sounds like the salad was likely served in a Rubber Bowl...