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“With his tremendous athleticism, he will be our most explosive perimeter player from the day he steps on campus,” Dambrot said. “Offensively, his ability to get a good shot at any time definitely addresses a need for our team. On the defensive end, his potential is almost limitless.” - Keith Dambrot, August 2004

Prior to last season, “stories” started circulating around the campus of the University of Akron about one of the Akron Zips’ new recruits. It seemed like everyone who followed the team heard a “story” about how much potential the guy had, how athletic he was, and how much he would do for the team. Anytime we’d hear this, we’d smile.

We heard “stories” about him embarrassing other guys at the Rec, his skills and ability simply on a whole other level than anyone else there. And while we knew it was just pick-up basketball, we quietly allowed ourselves to get excited thinking about him doing the same in an Akron uniform. He was a diamond in the rough recruit who was still known to take over games. Akron coach Keith Dambrot, usually reserved when discussing unproven players, held very little back in praising his talent. Hearing all of this, you just knew we had a special player committed to the program.

Days before the 2005-2006 season, he was declared ineligible. I have to wait another year to see him play?  Everyone was frustrated, but still excited to have him be a part of the program. As he watched game after game in street clothes, the “stories” continued…the hype grew more and more.

Finally on November 11th, 2006, he - Jimmy Conyers - made his Akron Zips debut:

5 minutes, 4 points, 1 foul.

Not exactly front-page material.  It was OK though…you knew he was much better than that. The stories you heard - “Jimmy Conyers stories” - that spread through campus, the praise he’d received from just about anyone who watched him play…you knew he would get better. It would only be a matter of time until he broke through and forced himself into the starting lineup. Just wait…he’ll step up any game now…

Along the way, he has had some good games this season - match-ups against Binghamton, Nevada, YSU, and St. Francis to name a few - but we still keep waiting for that breakout game. And for many of us, our thought process is a bit different now.  We’re not sure of what we know about the guy. Maybe he’s not what we thought…maybe he’s just a good role player…

A lot of that comes from what we’ve seen this season. Conyers has played in 27 games, averaging just 2.5 PPG, 1.6 RPG, and 0.6 APG. He often seems uncomfortable within the offense and hesitant to be aggressive towards the basket, failing to use the athleticism and explosiveness we’ve all heard so much about. He hasn’t been bad…but he hasn’t been that good either. And to be fair to Conyers, he is still in his first year of play and hasn’t gotten regular playing time - it is definitely far too early to fully judge him as a player.
As Adam Ferrise reports, Linhart isn’t expected to be back this year, so Akron will need someone to step up into the role Linhart played and at least provide solid defense, rebounding, and a bit of scoring from time to time. It could be John Rybak, who has looked bad all year but played decently against Duquesne. Or it could be Jimmy Conyers, who started (but didn’t do much) in the win over the Dukes.

I firmly believe Akron has enough talent to win the MAC with the team as is, and with what the same production that Rybak and Conyers have provided so far this season - they are that good of a team. I’m not sure if it will happen, or how he’ll respond to a starting role with more playing time, but wouldn’t it be something if Conyers finally started stepped up his game now instead of say, next year? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if he played with more confidence and aggressiveness, took advantage of defensive mismatches, and provided the Zips with the spark they need to put them over the top and win the Mid American Conference Tournament? Wouldn’t it be great to see even a portion of the player we all wished and many of us still believe he can be?

I know one thing that is for sure - it would certainly make for the best “Jimmy Conyers story” yet.

Looking at tonight’s game, the initial thought is that this game means nothing to the Akron Zips.  Any chance for an at-large bid is gone, it’s a non-conference game, and it’s against a below .500 team.  However, I think this team could be a valuable one to the Zips in pushing towards the remainder of the regular season and into the MAC Tournament.  Here’s why:

1. Style of play - Duquesne obviously plays a different style of basketball.  They push the ball and shoot quickly on offense, they hack anyone who comes inside, and constantly sub five man units in and out of the game.  If the Zips do make the NCAA Tournament, they’ll likely see different styles of play (should they advance).  This will test their skills in adapting to a different style of basketball.  It should also give them a lot of free throw practice, and will most likely extend the bench.
2. Jimmy, Quade, and Chris - Speaking of the bench, Akron has been going with only seven guys for the most part in recent games.  Quade has been getting playing time, but his production has disappeared in February.  They really need him to step back up and play within the flow of the game.  At times he seems to force the issue, going for blocks and leaving his man to get an easy offensive board. Jimmy Conyers and Chris McKnight haven’t seen the floor as much.  With Linhart’s status unknown (some say he broke two fingers, some say he broke one, etc.) one of these two (or both…hey, I’m greedy!) need to step up and at least provide solid defense and rebounding.  I predicted at the beginning of the year that Conyers would be starting by year’s end.  If Linhart is out for any extended period of time and Jimmy can establish himself as anything close to the player many of us expected him to be, it would be HUGE for the Zips down the stretch.  Tonight, we should see more of these three - let’s get them some minutes and avoid overworking the main six.  And heck, play Goddard.  Does he really give you any less than John Rybak?
3. Momentum - Often times, it’s all about who’s hottest going into the MAC Tournament.  This game begins a tough three game road trip…it wouldn’t be good to start it off with a loss, regardless of th game’s meaning in the standings or in the polls.

Akron comes in a 9.5 point favorite.  I’ll predict a 98-90 Akron win.

This Monday Akron travels to Duquesne to wrap up their non-conference schedule and after reading much about the Dukes, I’ll say this - while I’m obviously cheering for Akron, I wish this was a game both teams could win. That’s how amazing this team’s story has been this season.

You probably remember the shootings at Duquesne earlier this year. That makes their situation unique in itself. But the Dukes also play a very different brand of basketball under new coach Ron Everhart, who should be a Coach of the Year candidate for having the creative to find success even with what this team’s gone through. I’ll quote Joe Lunardi to explain:

• “Down to 10 players and virtually no post presence by mid-January, Everhart instituted a new “10-for-40″ racehorse style. The Dukes substitute every few minutes in five-man units (one of which includes two walk-ons) and shoot as quickly in each possession as possible. If the opponent attempts anything other than an outside shot, the Dukes are instructed to foul.”

Obviously, this makes for a very interesting game. I’ll post my full game preview tomorrow, so make sure to check back.

I was so confident that the game tonight would be a blowout, I didn’t even list my usual “Three Keys to the Game.” I overlooked Bowling Green, and unfortunately, I think some Zips players did as well. Even so, Akron survives a scare at home against the Falcons, holding on to win in a shootout 93-87.

• Romeo Travis played his finest game as an Akron Zip, scoring 37 points and grabbed 11 rebounds (8 offensive) and carrying the Zips on his back to the win. It was the Romeo Travis we all hoped we’d see more of throughout his career - aggressive, smart, active around the glass - a complete player. Let’s hope we see more of this type of play from Romeo the rest of the way.
• Dru Joyce had a solid game, scoring 13 points and becoming the all-time leader in assists at the University of Akron. During the post-game, Dru was too choked up to even talk…you can definitely tell this night meant a great deal to both him and Travis.
• Kudos to the fans - 5,211 filled the JAR and provided an electric atmosphere. If the same game was played in Bowling Green, I’m not sure Akron wins. If only we could’ve had a crowd like that for Nevada.
• Thumbs down to the Marketing Department on the Lebron James “Wall Cling”…I mean, I guess it could cling to a wall…but it probably fits better on the front of one of my school notebooks. I think everyone was expecting a little more, but hey - you can’t complain too much about anything that’s free, right?
• Kudos to the in-game promotions…the Giant Eagle “Let’s Make a Deal” has great prizes (did you see everyone jump up for the gas card?) and the pizza giveaways are always cool.  My favorite part might be seeing the poor cheerleaders swarmed by little kids as they try to make it through the crowd with the over-sized “Crunch” bars.
• Kudos to the AK-Rowdies - loud, energetic, and two sides both pretty much full. Presenting the framed signs to Dru and Romeo was also a very nice gesture. My only complaint tonight - the “You Can’t Do That” is a biiiiiit overused at this point. However, when the Bowling Green player fouled out, the “left, right, left right” thing was great.
• Absolutely horrendous free throw shooting tonight - 32 of 54 (59%)…this shouldn’t have even been a game. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - if Akron shoots like that in the MAC Tournament, they won’t be earning a ticket to The Dance.
• Has anyone seen Quade Milum? In the seven games Akron has played in February, Milum has averaged just 3.4 points per game and 1.7 rebounds per game. They’ll need him to start stepping up and contributing more as they make their push towards the MAC Tourney.

The Zips win tonight moved them back into a first place tie in the MAC East with Kent, and because Ohio U. lost, Akron also clinched a first round bye at the MAC Tournament. Next Up: At Duquesne on Monday.

Attempting to recover from a tough overtime loss to Miami (OH) on Wednesday, the Zips will look to rebound against Bowling Green and begin their stretch run towards the MAC Tournament in a big way. Of course it’s not just any night, it’s Senior Night, one last chance for Akron fans to see Dru Joyce and Romeo Travis playing at James A. Rhodes Arena.

The duo has sparked debate all over in the past few days, as those who have followed their careers try to figure out just what each of their legacies should be. An excellent discussion took place here on this very topic. My thoughts?

When Dru Joyce came to Akron I thought it was more of a favor to Dru from his former high school coach than anything else. As for Romeo, I expected to see a player who, by the time he was a senior, would dominate the league and have a slight possibility of making a career out of basketball after college. Well…I was wrong about both. Joyce has turned into the best point guard in the MAC, a steadying hand of leadership…the heart of the team. Travis hasn’t lived up to my (or other’s) expectations, but did have a solid career as a Zip. He’s been a very good player, although I’d hesitate to call him great.

One thing that is for sure is that both have played a major role in turning the Akron Zips into one of the premier mid-major schools in the nation, a team primed to get better and better as time goes on. And for that, they deserve a wonderful standing ovation from Zips fans later tonight.

You hate to look past a team, but Akron should make easy work of Bowling Green. With the home court advantage, the crowd expected to be full, and the emotions of Senior Night (Oh, and the fact that Akron is a far better team than BG) this one should be over by halftime. The early lines have had the Zips as an 18 point favorite. My prediction: Akron 85, Bowling Green 52.

A few other notes…

• As I first reported on ZipsNation and as Mike Rasor discusses in his blog, the first 3,000 fans in attendance tonight will receive a Lebron James wall cling. At first I loved the idea, as it will surely help attendance. Then I thought about how Joyce and Travis have been forced to live in James’ shadow for the past four years as “Lebron’s former teammates”, and wondered if this wasn’t an unintentional slap in the face to the Senior duo. And I’m still not sure what I think. I do wish it didn’t take until February 24th for the Marketing Department to come up with a unique giveaway like this.
• Dru Joyce is just 2 assists away from being the Zips all-time leader. Romeo Travis is just 13 points away from moving into 13th on the Zips’ all-time leading scorer list, just ahead of Darryl Peterson. If either happens tomorrow, they deserve yet another strong standing ovation.
• Two other MAC games to keep an eye on: Ohio will host Kent State at 3 PM and Miami (OH) will entertain Buffalo at 2:30 PM. It’d be nice to see the Bobcats and the Bulls help the Zips out a bit, that’s for sure.

A few random items of interest:

• If you haven’t purchased your ticket for the Akron-Kent State regular season finale, you need to act fast. I have a feeling it will be sold out days before actual game day, and it would be nice to see a lot of Zips fans in attendance. You can buy a ticket a number of different ways:

• Go to the Student Union Friday (today) anytime between 10 AM and 1 PM and buy one from the AK-Rowdies.

• Call the Akron Ticket Office at 1-888-99-AKRON or 330-972-6920, or head there in person and get your ticket.

• Purchase them from Ticketmaster Online (Just search Kent State-Akron).

• ESPN.com’s Todd McShay ranked every player attending the combine at their respective positions. Quarterback Luke Getsy is listed 17th out of 22 and is graded at a 30. By comparison, Jamarcus Russell is a 98, Troy Smith is a 78, and Chris Leak is 51. I’m guessing Getsy heads to NFL Training Camp as an UDFA. Andy Alleman fared much better in the rankings, being listed as the 5th best guard available out of 14 players. His rating is listed as 63, while the top guard - Ben Grubbs of Auburn - comes in at 90.

• Not to sound like an advertisement but for anyone in the Akron area wanting Zips gear, check out Wal-Mart on Graham Road in Cuyahoga Falls. Very cheap “Fear the Roo” shirts and sweatshirts, and just in time for the stretch run!

• We’ll have a game preview for Bowling Green up tomorrow, so make sure to check back!

Last year at Toledo…home against Nevada…at Ohio…at Toledo…now at Miami. Every time the Zips have needed that big, breakthrough, take-it-to-the-next-level win in the last calendar year, they have failed.

Now don’t get me wrong here…after coming out flat, the Zips fought back when many teams would’ve simply given in, and did so in a hostile environment. But they lost…again. That big win…that win to put them over the top and define them as a top level program…it remains elusive. Let’s hope it comes in March.

To do a quick review, let’s look at how I did in my keys to the game:

1. Taking care of the basketball - 10 turnovers tonight, compared to 15 for Miami. Could’ve been worse I guess.
2. Perimeter shooting - I said they needed to shoot better than last time to win, and boy did they come up short here - 21 of 53 (39%) as a team from the field and 4 of 17 (23%) from three point range. Dials/Joyce/Middleton combined to shoot 9 of 33 (27%) from the field…ouch.
3. Free throw shooting - Dru Joyce at the line for two shots…down one point…he nails both and the Zips play defense, right? Wrong. Poor free throw shooting comes back to haunt the Zips once again, missing some key ones down the stretch and shooting 66% for the game. If there is to be an Achilles heel that will be the eventual downfall of this team, free throw shooting will be it.

The MAC East now looks like this:

Akron 10-3

Kent 10-3

Miami 9-4

Ohio 8-5

Akron will host Bowling Green Saturday, then finish the year on the road for the final three games against Duquesne, Buffalo, and Kent State. Forget the AP and Coaches Polls now…we need this team to rebound and focus on taking care of the MAC.

My prediction? March 4th - 12-3 Akron vs. 12-3 Kent State, MAC East Title on the line.

And another chance for the Zips to win that big, breakthrough, take-it-to-the-next-level game.

I put off writing this game preview for awhile. It wasn’t because I was busy - I had the day off, a good thing after a Fat Tuesday celebration in downtown Akron - no, instead it was because I continue to go back and forth on what I think about this one. So I’ll take you through my thought process.

A part of me thinks the Zips win the big game tonight. I consider that when they’re playing to their ability, they are the best team in the Mid American Conference. I think about how close they were to beating the Rockets at Toledo - an arguably better team in a far more hostile environment. I remember that the Zips just destroyed two good teams in a row in Ohio and Austin Peay, and that they’ve been playing with a sense of urgency. And I don’t forget that Akron has already beat Miami once, a close home win back in mid-January. I think about all of this…and I think the Zips will win.

But then I think about how well Miami has played this year, and how good they matched up earlier in the year with the Zips. I think about their style of play, and how unsuccessful Akron has been playing at Miami in recent history. I consider that the Zips have struggled away from home this year with losses against lesser teams such as Arkansas-Little Rock, Illinois-Chicago, and Ohio University. I remember that Miami is extremely well coached, and that their playing for their MAC East lives tonight. I think about how much this game scares me each and every year…and I think Miami will win this game.

Vegas seems to be unsure as well, with the Zips being only a two point favorite. So what is my pick? First, let’s look at my keys to the game:

1. Taking care of the basketball - Akron only turned it over 7 times, but Miami scored 15 points off of them, many of which came towards the end of the game in allowing Miami to make it a close finish. One of the things Akron has really struggled with in the past has been dealing with full court pressure defense. You can see where I’m going with this…the Zips need to take care of the basketball.
2. Perimeter shooting - the last time these two teams met, Akron shot a dismal 4 of 19 from three point land. The Zips’ trio of Dials/Joyce/Middleton combined to shoot just 8 of 27 from the field. This needs to be better tonight to win.
3. Free throw shooting - I know, I know…this is a key to any game. But in close games, the Zips - a poor free throw shooting team - scare the heck out of me. In their last meeting with Miami they shot pretty well (8 of 10). This will undoubtedly be a close game, and struggling at the free throw line tonight as they have many times this season could cost them another victory.

CBS Sportsline’s Tony Mejia predicts a 76-70 Akron victory. I don’t see the game being that high-scoring. I’ll go 59-56, Zips win.

In other MAC action tonight, Kent State is a 13 point favorite at home against Buffalo, while Ohio University travels to Bowling Green as a 2.5 point favorite. The Bobcats really need to have a bounce-back win after their horrendous last week of play.

I got a great email from Steve Swiech today. You could tell how excited he is to play for Akron next year. He mentioned that he has attended several games at the JAR this year and plans to be there this Saturday for the final home game of the regular season. He had this to say about post-season play:

“I know that the Zips are going dancing this year, and if me, Brett, and Ronnie, have
anything to say about it, the next 5 years.”

He mentioned how much he loves the team and the upperclassmen have been very “helpful and welcoming”. It’s great to hear that enthusiasm!! It is important for the players to realize that there is a strong following to Zips athletics and it is growing exponentially. Steve, we can’t wait to see you fill up the key and yank down some boards!

–Jason Roberts

I’m usually not one to pin too much blame on basketball officials. It’s an extremely difficult job at any level of play. But at the same time, anyone who has been around the game of basketball for any length of time could see the incredibly biased calls coming from the officials all night long tonight. When looking back at this game I’m reminded of the scene in the movie “Naked Gun” in which Frank Drevin is is disguised as an umpire in an attempt to thwart a plan to assassinate the Queen. He made unbelievably bad calls, was always unsure of what to call, and seemed like he had officiated a game before. Of course, Frank Drevin had an excuse. The officials tonight did not. And to the men in stripes: if you happen to come across this blog, I offer you this…seriously folks, it was that bad.
The sad part is that the extreme incompetence overshadowed the best story of the night: the Zips outplaying a potential NCAA Tournament team with a strong, faithful crowd there to witness it. On to my random thoughts on the game…

• My first key to the game was home court advantage. And while the officials obviously felt as if Akron was the road team, it was the crowd who kept behind the Zips as frustration built up, helping them knock down the Governors every time they tried to make a run.
• My second key was perimeter defense, and boy oh boy did the Zips step up here. Austin Peay shot a dismal 19-54 (35%) from the field and 5-24 from behind the arc (21%). This - to me - was the main reason the Zips won the basketball game.
• My third and final key was at least two of the trio of Romeo Travis, Jeremiah Wood, and Quade Milum needed to step up and have big games. They did me one better, with all three stepping up at different times throughout. Travis had 21 points and 11 rebounds (and could’ve scored even more if he would’ve had more success finishing), Wood has 14 points, 10 boards, and Milum - while only scoring 4 points - made sure they were big ones, with both coming off of massive alley-oop plays that got the JAR rockin’. As a team the Zips out-rebounded Austin Peay 44-29 and absolutely dominated the paint.
• Cedrick Middleton (11/5) and Nick Dials (11/6) had solid games for Akron. And oh, by the way, the second number listed after their names is their rebounding totals. Dru Joyce struggled, scoring only 5 points, shooting 1-6 from the field, and committing 4 fouls.
• Solid game defensively for Nate Linhart, although I still say his new chant should be M.V.R.P. - Most Valuable Role Player.
• I’m not sure why John Rybak continues to get meaningful minutes as of late.
• Reason #58747 that I think gambling is funny: The Zips were 15.5 point favorites…They were up by 15 with about 20 seconds with Romeo Travis at the line. Romeo connected on both, helping the Zips cover. Two meaningless free throws probably made somebody’s day and ruined somebody elses.

Final scores from MAC games today:

• Miami (OH) 70, Indiana State 58. Illinois-Chicago 84, Central Michigan 62. Wisconsin-Green Bay 82, Northern Illinois 76. Eastern Michigan 65, Manhattan 51. Illinois State 70, Ball State 57. Kent State 68, George Mason 62. Bowling Green 90, Morehead State 72, Western Michigan 89, Valparaiso 80. Old Dominion 73, Toledo 70, and Detroit 92, Buffalo 84. New Mexico State 77, Ohio 72.

The MAC finishes at 6-6 in Bracketbuster competition…not bad, but not great either.