By Sports Network; The Sports Network
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/12/15/1465989/akron-4-3-at-21-minnesota-9-1.html
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/12/15/1465989/akron-4-3-at-21-minnesota-9-1.html
Akron (4-3) at (21) Minnesota (9-1)
- Thread starter Jon
- Start date
Gopher Warrior
Banned
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2009
- Messages
- 3,915
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 36
Thoughts on Akron
twitter: bigjaybee
Akron comes in with a 4-3 record, including a 48-point victory over Millikin. They do have victories over Paul Carter’s UIC squad (Paul was 1-11 from the field that afternoon) and Detroit (former Gopher target Ray McCallum with 8 pts, 10 ast, & 6 reb in that game.. Ray is averaging almost 15 pts, 4 ast, and 5 reb per game for the 6-5 Detroit Titans, by the way). After 5 straight seasons of 20 or more victories, Akron is significantly down this year after 7 letter winners are gone and arguably their best returning player, senior Brett McKnight, is out indefinitely and likely has seen the last of his time on the basketball court. The Zips were picked to finish third in the Mid-American Conference’s East Division by the MAC media (the MAC’s divisions are ‘East’ and ‘West’ – what a novel concept)…
Here is another game that screams ‘easy victory’ for Minnesota. Unfortunately, what have appeared to be wire to wire blowouts haven’t turned out that way for Minnesota this year. Hopefully that changes tonight (well, I’d be OK if it stayed close in the first half… I’ll be stopping by the Williams Arena Club at halftime, but they no longer provide beer, so I’ll need the anticipation of a close game to keep me excited during the intermission)…
Since Akron just isn’t very good, let’s look into their nickname before talking about the players. I am not sure if a ‘Zip’ is really anything. Originally the nickname was the Zippers… Akron, for whatever reason, takes pride in being considered the rubber capital of the world by some. There was the old rubber shoe/rain-boot called the Zipper and this is the origin of the name. However, with the growing popularity of zippers on pants (replacing the more traditional button-fly), by 1950 the name was shortened up to the Zips.
Shortly thereafter, a girl-kangaroo mascot named Zippy was created. So… what is a Zip? I’d say it’s not really ‘a thing’. It’s a toast to being reputable in the world of... rubber. Akron does call their women’s teams the Lady Zips, which would be redundant if an Akron Zip was a female kangaroo. Or would it? I have heard that all females are not ‘ladies’.
The Team
After an 8-day break for finals, the refreshed Zips played Temple this past weekend and got ripped 82-47 by a very good team. Don’t expect to see a lot of bench minutes – the top 5 for Akron average more than 29 minutes per game, although freshman Alex Abreu (17.1 mpg) may see extended minutes tonight.
Brett McKnight, brother of Chris who exhausted his eligibility last season, has found himself in trouble often since his brother’s departure. At this point in time and after multiple suspensions, the likelihood of Brett playing again for Akron appears remote. At 6’6”, 245 and 10 ppg and 5 rpg, the senior is missed – on the court.
This team has not shot the ball well and their offensive rebounding percentage against D1 teams of less than 24% is disgraceful. Minnesota should be able to control the glass with authority tonight. This one should be smooth sailing for the Maroon and Gold. Akron will try to take care of the ball and hope for the best. Wear your zippers to the game tonight, it's going to be messy outside. Gophers by 18.
The Players
#4 Steve McNees
McNees is a fifth-year 6’2”, slim guard with bad tattoos and a shameful hairdo. He’s experienced and only shoots the three, but not very often – the Gophers can’t let him have a big senior performance... his career high is 20 points and he’s only a 36% 3FG guy for his career, but is one of the few that could cause headaches for Minnesota. Capable of running the point or playing off. (6.9 ppg, 2.9 apg, 2.7 rpg)
#13 Nikola Cvetinovic (SEH-tin-o-VICH)
Nik is a 6’8” junior from Serbia who leads the team with 2 technical fouls. In addition, he’s been Akron’s leading scorer at 13.4 ppg, to go along with 5.1 rpg. Getting him into foul trouble early is very possible. When the Zips have the ball, he’ll play on the inside and has the ability to get to the line.
#5 Brett McClanahan
6’4” junior guard that likes to shoot, the majority time from beyond the arc. Luckily, he’s not especially good at shooting. Despite his height, he leads the team in rebounding. (12.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 34.8 3FG%)
#44 Zeke Marshall
Marshall is a lean 7-footer in his sophomore year. He’s actually a quality defender and an above average shot blocker, but certainly is prone to foul. Had high-major interest while in high school and still has good upside – needs to get a lot stronger, though. You’ll likely see him swat the heck out of a couple of Gopher-shots this evening. Marshall is the guy I am most interested in watching tonight. (11.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.9 bpg)
#11 Alex Abreu
This tiny (5’9”-) freshman is getting more and more time, including three starts. Has played with the Puerto Rican U19 National team. (5.1 ppg, 2.9 ast)
#12 Darryl Roberts
5’11” skilled senior guard. Nice stroke on his shot and an excellent free throw shooter. Can drop it in from deep, but doesn’t get off a lot of shots. Don’t give him open looks. (9.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.1 apg)
Besides Marshall and Cvetinovic, you’ll see some size from senior forward Mike Bardo (6’10”, 240) and perhaps freshman Dakotah Euton (6’8”, 230), but neither can do much.
twitter: bigjaybee
Akron comes in with a 4-3 record, including a 48-point victory over Millikin. They do have victories over Paul Carter’s UIC squad (Paul was 1-11 from the field that afternoon) and Detroit (former Gopher target Ray McCallum with 8 pts, 10 ast, & 6 reb in that game.. Ray is averaging almost 15 pts, 4 ast, and 5 reb per game for the 6-5 Detroit Titans, by the way). After 5 straight seasons of 20 or more victories, Akron is significantly down this year after 7 letter winners are gone and arguably their best returning player, senior Brett McKnight, is out indefinitely and likely has seen the last of his time on the basketball court. The Zips were picked to finish third in the Mid-American Conference’s East Division by the MAC media (the MAC’s divisions are ‘East’ and ‘West’ – what a novel concept)…
Here is another game that screams ‘easy victory’ for Minnesota. Unfortunately, what have appeared to be wire to wire blowouts haven’t turned out that way for Minnesota this year. Hopefully that changes tonight (well, I’d be OK if it stayed close in the first half… I’ll be stopping by the Williams Arena Club at halftime, but they no longer provide beer, so I’ll need the anticipation of a close game to keep me excited during the intermission)…
Since Akron just isn’t very good, let’s look into their nickname before talking about the players. I am not sure if a ‘Zip’ is really anything. Originally the nickname was the Zippers… Akron, for whatever reason, takes pride in being considered the rubber capital of the world by some. There was the old rubber shoe/rain-boot called the Zipper and this is the origin of the name. However, with the growing popularity of zippers on pants (replacing the more traditional button-fly), by 1950 the name was shortened up to the Zips.
Shortly thereafter, a girl-kangaroo mascot named Zippy was created. So… what is a Zip? I’d say it’s not really ‘a thing’. It’s a toast to being reputable in the world of... rubber. Akron does call their women’s teams the Lady Zips, which would be redundant if an Akron Zip was a female kangaroo. Or would it? I have heard that all females are not ‘ladies’.
The Team
After an 8-day break for finals, the refreshed Zips played Temple this past weekend and got ripped 82-47 by a very good team. Don’t expect to see a lot of bench minutes – the top 5 for Akron average more than 29 minutes per game, although freshman Alex Abreu (17.1 mpg) may see extended minutes tonight.
Brett McKnight, brother of Chris who exhausted his eligibility last season, has found himself in trouble often since his brother’s departure. At this point in time and after multiple suspensions, the likelihood of Brett playing again for Akron appears remote. At 6’6”, 245 and 10 ppg and 5 rpg, the senior is missed – on the court.
This team has not shot the ball well and their offensive rebounding percentage against D1 teams of less than 24% is disgraceful. Minnesota should be able to control the glass with authority tonight. This one should be smooth sailing for the Maroon and Gold. Akron will try to take care of the ball and hope for the best. Wear your zippers to the game tonight, it's going to be messy outside. Gophers by 18.
The Players
#4 Steve McNees
McNees is a fifth-year 6’2”, slim guard with bad tattoos and a shameful hairdo. He’s experienced and only shoots the three, but not very often – the Gophers can’t let him have a big senior performance... his career high is 20 points and he’s only a 36% 3FG guy for his career, but is one of the few that could cause headaches for Minnesota. Capable of running the point or playing off. (6.9 ppg, 2.9 apg, 2.7 rpg)
#13 Nikola Cvetinovic (SEH-tin-o-VICH)
Nik is a 6’8” junior from Serbia who leads the team with 2 technical fouls. In addition, he’s been Akron’s leading scorer at 13.4 ppg, to go along with 5.1 rpg. Getting him into foul trouble early is very possible. When the Zips have the ball, he’ll play on the inside and has the ability to get to the line.
#5 Brett McClanahan
6’4” junior guard that likes to shoot, the majority time from beyond the arc. Luckily, he’s not especially good at shooting. Despite his height, he leads the team in rebounding. (12.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 34.8 3FG%)
#44 Zeke Marshall
Marshall is a lean 7-footer in his sophomore year. He’s actually a quality defender and an above average shot blocker, but certainly is prone to foul. Had high-major interest while in high school and still has good upside – needs to get a lot stronger, though. You’ll likely see him swat the heck out of a couple of Gopher-shots this evening. Marshall is the guy I am most interested in watching tonight. (11.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.9 bpg)
#11 Alex Abreu
This tiny (5’9”-) freshman is getting more and more time, including three starts. Has played with the Puerto Rican U19 National team. (5.1 ppg, 2.9 ast)
#12 Darryl Roberts
5’11” skilled senior guard. Nice stroke on his shot and an excellent free throw shooter. Can drop it in from deep, but doesn’t get off a lot of shots. Don’t give him open looks. (9.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.1 apg)
Besides Marshall and Cvetinovic, you’ll see some size from senior forward Mike Bardo (6’10”, 240) and perhaps freshman Dakotah Euton (6’8”, 230), but neither can do much.