stacy little

[Guest women's bb former fan]

stacy little quit the team today, just wanted to let you guys know, the close to best player on the team quit, now they wont win a game. You'll probably notice at todays game that she wont be there

[Z.I.P.]

So if you're a "former fan", I take it you weren't part of the capacity throng of 98 who turned out for the EMU game. I'm afraid to look at the box for the UT game today. :blink:

[Captain Kangaroo]

stacy little quit the team today, just wanted to let you guys know, the close to best player on the team quit, now they wont win a game. You'll probably notice at todays game that she wont be there

You know your program is at rock bottom when the "close-to-the-best" player on the team is averaging a whopping 3.6 points per game.

I'd jokingly say that "she'll be sorely missed"...but I see the women mustered a nice 40 points tonight versus Toledo...so I guess Stacey accounted for almost 10% of their scoring? It's actually a HUGE hit? :blink:

Can we take bets on whether or not the women win a game this year?

[2005PANTHER]

I'm going to say if they didn't win any when they had their close to best player there they won't win any if she isn't there.

[zipsbandman]

I'm sorry to say, but Kelly Kennedy MUST GO. It's obvious this squad is not improving and will not improve. I don't really follow women's bball, but this team is embarasing the school. I really don't care if they are not competing for championships, but at least be respectable. If this were the men's team or the football team, there would be a lot of angry fans on this board.

[Big Zip]

Did I read somewhere this is the 20th consecutive loss for this team?

I don't know much about Kennedy, but it sounded like she was a good pick up when she came here. But -- if you are losing 20 in a row in your third year -- maybe you were a bad hire or you made a bad career decision.

[Guest HoopsManiac]

When you start losing players that are this talented, from your area, and from the school where you also went to high school and apparently still have good relations there to get recruits.....that says something to me. Now you've lost a positive recruiting situation in Regina High School who consistently puts out Division I players each season. It is absolutely unbelieveable that you can be 0-13 in your 3rd year with players that are more than talented enough to be at least .500. I didin't say that they were playing up to their talent level but that is one of the problems. Now you've put your players in situation where they've forgotten how to win. I place that directly on the head coach. Rock bottom......not quite.....Roxanne Allen did that for us but it sure as $&%@ seems like they're going in that direction again. Mr. Thomas....please do something about this for the sake of those who still enjoy women's college basketball. Currently, I'm not sure I can even call what I'm seeing at the JAR...oops Rhodes Arenal college ball.

0-13......you've gotta be frickin' kidding me

[zipboy]

The reality is that Akron is not going to buy Kennedy out of her contract. Heck they did it a year too late for Owens and Hipsher. Dan is still on the payroll. What does Kennedy make about 80K per year? She would have 2 years left on her contract? She plays her contract out regardless.

[Z.I.P.]

The university went out of its way -- to say the least -- in hiring Kelly Kebe(Kennedy). Kelly was one of the most highly regarded assistants in the nation, having helped revive or build programs at TCU and Iowa State, which became nationally ranked during her stay. The salary Akron had to give Kelly to hire her is $102k annually -- at or near the top of the MAC. Akron outbid Fresno State for Kebe's services, and yet FSU has already woken up their formerly moribund program. To get anyone to replace her, they will have to maintain or even increase the pay.

When this year began, I was confident that the powers would stand by the coach even if this were a rough year. However, in my mind a "rough year" meant around 6-8 wins. I'm sure the AD would much rather look for further tools to help the program before making a change after just the third year. That said, something has to be done -- perhaps bringing in new assistants including someone with a higher profile will jump start the team. In any case, the one thing they can't do is lessen the academic or ethical standards, and I'm sure that isn't in the playbook. Rather than be embarassed, why not get behind the team and show them they have our support?

[Big Zip]

Interesting article in the Beacon about the women's team. Interesting note I don't question peoples inside knoweldge about the situation or the team often, but Z.I.P her salary is stated in the article at $94 grand not the $102 you state. I don't recall the battle for her services you talk about either. Can you enlighten me?

Akron women still looking for victory

Rebuilding program hurt by losses, little attendance

By Darnell Mayberry

Beacon Journal staff writer

They have a 21-game losing streak dating to almost a year ago.

A home loss to Ohio University on Tuesday ensured a losing record just 14 games into the season, giving them only six seasons with a winning mark in the program's 31-year history.

It's the University of Akron, a women's basketball program that is looking for success and fan support but struggling with instability and the lack of enough athletic talent to compete.

Tonight at 7, the Zips (0-14, 0-3) travel to Mid-American Conference rival Can't State (8-6, 1-2), a team that has beaten them in 10 consecutive games and 24 of the last 25 meetings. In some ways, the neighboring Golden flushes are the model Akron aspires to be.

``I envision at some point we'll be at that level,'' Akron athletic director Mike Thomas said. ``Hopefully that'll happen real soon.''

For now, stockpiled numbers in the loss column are the only figures that surpass low attendance, as games are played in front of vacant blue lower-bowl seats and deserted brown bleachers in Rhodes Arena. Talented Division I recruits have become harder to snag than a season-ticket holder as Thomas and third-year coach Kelly Kennedy labor through a building phase, just like athletic directors and coaches before them.

Coach No. 4

In 2001, Kennedy became the team's fourth coach in the last 11 years after replacing five-year coach Roxanne Allen. Allen went 1-27 in her last season but did lead the Zips to their only postseason appearance (the Women's NIT in 1998-99) and their only two postseason league tournament wins ('98-99, and '00-01) since the team joined the Mid-American Conference in 1992-93.

Kennedy finished 2-26 in her first season and 7-21 a year ago.

``It's important to feel like we're making progress,'' said Thomas, who is also chairman of the MAC women's basketball committee, ``and I don't think you can always gauge progress by wins and losses.

``When you bring in new staffs and anytime you go through a coaching change, you experience different things based on where that program is at that point.''

Before coming to Akron, Kennedy, who missed the first four games of the season after giving birth to her first child, experienced success as a college assistant coach. She reached the NCAA Tournament with the University of Oregon and helped Iowa State to two Sweet 16 appearances.

Perhaps Kennedy's most valuable experience in preparing her for the challenge at Akron might have been her three-year stint as an assistant at Texas Christian University, where in her last season, the Horned Frogs notched their first winning season in Division I.

``It took getting a few players to say yes,'' said Kennedy of the Horned Frogs' ascension. ``We got some kids to take a chance and say yes that they wanted to help build that program. That's what it's going to take here at Akron.

``The biggest thing right now is believing that we can win. I think the hardest thing to overcome is that stigma. There were perceptions that had to be overcome, particularly in this area and nationally about what Akron is about.''

The challenge is creating an identity without the benefit of posting winning records. The Zips entered 2004-05 with a 265-512 all-time record and are currently one of three winless teams in Division I. This year, in the 14 losses, the average margin of defeat has been 17.4 points. In 10 games, the margin has been greater than 11 points.

Five-year plan

Thomas and Kennedy agreed there is no timetable for reversing the win-loss mark, but did say they believe it takes five years to turn a program around. Kennedy is in the third year of a five-year contract that pays $94,000 a year.

Kennedy said it has taken longer than expected to scrub negative attitudes and bring in solid recruits. She thinks the program made its first big stride with this year's recruiting class.

The Zips signed four players, including two local products (Ashley Veal of Wadsworth and Rachel Green of Northwest). Strong recruiting often is the backbone of building.

``You try to change attitudes to start off with,'' said Can't State coach Bob Lindsay, who is in his 16th year and is the winningest coach in MAC history.

``A lot of times, the only way to change attitudes is with recruiting classes, and I'm sure that's what Kelly's trying to do. She's trying to recruit players who will fit best in her system. Once she does that, it will probably reflect her win and loss record.''

One positive sign for the Zips was that none of the incoming recruits seemed affected by the Zips' futility.

``They want to get it going and make a big name for themselves,'' said Green, a 6-foot-1 forward. ``I've been to games, I've seen them. They're working their butts off. It's just not going their way right now.

``We don't second-guess ourselves about our decision, because we know that we made a good decision and that we will try our hardest to make a difference.''

Kennedy takes pride in not having run off players who were in the program when she arrived.

``There are some programs in the country that may turn things around faster because they just come in and clean house,'' Kennedy said. ``But we didn't do that.

``There's kids here who have been given an opportunity in the past and we're committed to (them) because they're working hard and doing what they're supposed to do. I think we're doing it the right way.''

Off-court success

Akron's administration and coaching staff boast about the players' success off the court with respectable graduation rates and community involvement. Of this year's five seniors, four are on track to graduate within five years. Seven players made the dean's list for academics in the fall, and the team's average cumulative grade-point is 3.26.

``People tend to be less patient if you are not having success on the floor, but you're doing all the wrong things off the floor,'' Thomas said. ``I think it's a good sign that we are doing all the right things off the floor, knowing that if we continue to work hard in a number of areas including recruiting... eventually things will turn and we'll be successful in all areas.''

Attendance is another concern. In each of the last 10 seasons, the Zips have failed to average at least 500 fans per home game. By comparison, Can't State has announced averages of at least 1,000 per year in seven of the last 10 seasons.

``I think part of that goes back to tradition and history,'' Thomas said. ``Once you start winning and having success, people will start showing up at your games. Once we begin to experience more success on the court, I don't think there's any doubt those numbers should go up.''

Looking at the program from a league-wide administrative point of view, Akron is ``average or a shade below'' other MAC teams in spending, according to Thomas. The total budget for the 2004-05 season is slightly more than $800,000, including about $300,000 in athletic scholarships.

``We definitely have the support we need to be successful,'' Kennedy said. ``You can always look at it and say I need more of this or more of that. The biggest thing is always recruiting. But as far as what we have to work with, it's very sufficient.''

Which means Kennedy can devote her efforts to breathing life into a team that has labored mostly in a 31-year funk.

She must do it amid sparse crowds, mounting losses and the stigma that accompanies it.

``As a coach, everybody judges you on your wins and losses,'' Kennedy said. ``But I've taken the perspective of we're going to do the best we can and we're going to keep learning and getting better.

``I think you have to keep it in perspective that this is a building process and that there are a lot of positive things that are happening here. We're not dwelling on our record, we're dwelling on our opportunities to get better.''

[Guest ***GUEST_zipsfan38]

The most interesting point in the article is that the women's bball program is in a 31-year funk. History and tradition have a lot to do with getting the recruits and having success in a program. Could it be that it might take the Zips longer then 3 years to turn things around? 31 years of losing would say so.

[Guest Guest]

Too personal, unregistered Helen K. Should be deleted, mods.

[Big Zip]

Quite funny -- I do know the team is 0-14 and on a 21 game losing streak. What else do I need to know? I merely asked a question about the coach -- I wasn't aware she was being recruited by so many other schools. If my hope for my alma mater is to win some games and have a successful program is too much -- just let me know.

[zipboy]

I wonder how much having a baby set the team back this year. I go to 1 or 2 games a year, and it now seems like I listen to a game or two per week since they are on 1350 now. I am interested to hear what you more serious fans think but my take is year 1 was about getting her program in. They won 1 or 2 games. Year 2 Zips won 6-7 games, and from what I remember, they were fairly competitive at the end of the year generally within 8-12 points most nights. I saw the game against Can't last year, and Akron played well for about 34 minutes. They clearly were outclassed but played hard, kept it close until the end, and looked solid. The final was not indicative of the game.

This year took 2 steps back. But they are playing better now than at the beginning. Kennedy made a good point in the article, this is the first year that they actually got some local kids who others wanted. I look for next year for Akron to jump back to 7-8 wins and the real test will be in year 5, can we show steady improvement to a 500 type season.

[zipboy]

One other question, why did Stacy Little quit? Was it lack of playing time, frustration with losing, etc? Tommy G said that she was at the OU game, not sure whether to watch Simone Redd or cheer her former team on. But I would think that if I had a bad falling out with the coach, I would not show myself around the team for a while. Just curious, thanks.

[Akron Hooper]

There is no excuse for this much losing. The powers that be should clean house and start new all over again.