Category Archives: MAC

You’ll be missed, Charlie Coles

June 7, 2013 – 3:05 pm

I only have a minute because I’m on the road this weekend for a wedding, but I’m very saddened to learn of the death of former Miami University basketball coach Charlie Coles.

Charlie had a minute for everybody.

Charlie Coles stories provided laughs for days and years.

He wasn’t well, which led to his retirement just over a year ago. It positively stinks that he didn’t get more time to enjoy his retirement, but I’m absolutely certain that he never got cheated while he was here.

This is a guy who died on the court once — really — before medics brought him back. That was 25 years ago.

He kept coaching, kept cracking jokes, kept telling the truth. Kept entertaining everybody he encountered.

I knew when I wrote this in the winter of 2012 that it was an obituary of sorts at least terms of his coaching career, and that it didn’t do Charlie justice. I just read it myself a few minutes ago and I laughed. I’d have started to cry, but I pictured Charlie laughing.

And making faces like he did after that famous Kentucky game.

And getting all red-faced like he did with officials.

Read (and heed) the beer-buying offer at the end of the story. That was Charlie. He meant it.

I’ll toast one him this weekend. Charlie Coles was truly one of a kind.

By Zac | Also posted in NCAA Basketball | Tagged |


Toledo lands QB transfer from Alabama

May 29, 2013 – 12:30 pm

Toledo played two quarterbacks in 2011 and for parts of last season, too. One, Austin Dantin, has exhausted his eligibility. Terrence Owens, who emerged as the starter last year, will be a senior this season.

The Rockets have added three quarterbacks since February: Freshman Logan Woodside of Kentucky, freshman Michael Julian of South Carolina and now Alabama transfer Phillip Ely, a native of Florida.

Think this mid-week TV exposure thing is working for the Mid-American Conference?

Toledo won nine games in Matt Campbell’s first season as head coach last year. The Rockets turnaround started under Tim Beckman, who rode two years of success to the job at Illinois following the 2011 season. Toledo hasn’t been able to get past Northern Illinois to win the MAC West but the Rockets have played in three straight bowl games following a five-year drought.

Another good season could be on the horizon, though the Rockets open the season at Florida and at Missouri. If they can survive that SEC double with their starters healthy and intact, they’ll be right in the mix in the MAC West again, likely with Northern Illinois and Ball State.

According to this AL.com article, former Toledo coach Nick Saban helped Ely find a new home.

Multiple reports last month said the MAC is working on extending its mid-week TV deal with ESPN, a deal that would be good for both sides and is crucial to the MAC’s continued growth and sustaining last year’s success. SportsTime Ohio remains the league’s Saturday TV partner.

By Zac | Also posted in Alabama, Missouri, NCAA Football, Toledo Rockets | Tagged , , , , |


Never boring Kent State baseball wins another wild one

May 17, 2013 – 2:55 pm

AKRON – Standing in the Canal Park dugout as the game wore on and the scoreboard re-started the inning count, Kent State coach Scott Stricklin had a little deja vu.

Maybe the most famous game in Kent State’s famous run to the College World Series last summer was the first, a 21-inning win over Kentucky in the regionals. And here, Thursday night, with not as much on the line but still in an important spot, Stricklin thought back.

It’s a different year and a totally different set of circumstances, but the Flashes finally beat Akron, 5-4, in 17 innings Thursday night to keep their hopes alive of winning the Mid-American Conference regular-season title. The winning run was produced when Derek Toadvine advanced from first to third on a Sawyer Polen bunt in the top of the 17th, then scored on an Evan Campbell top fly.

All are familiar names from last year’s run.

“It was after that 21 inning game that we really took it to a new level last year,” Stricklin said.

So the challenge is there again. Kent State will have to win next week’s MAC tournament in Avon, Ohio to get back to the NCAA tournament; either the Flashes or Buffalo will be the No. 1 seed.

Kent State took a 4-0 lead in the first three innings Thursday night; the Zips got all their runs in one big inning. Three times in extra innings Thursday Akron left a runner stranded on third base.

The night’s other big winner was Akron Children’s Hospital; the seventh annual Diamond Classic for Kids drew a crowd of more than 2,200 and raised almost $21,000 for the hospital.

“Get something to eat and get some sleep,” Stricklin told his team after the game — and about 12 hours before they were due back on the bus for the second game of the series. In college baseball, the show goes on quickly.

A boring program Kent State is not. It is one that’s used to playing its best at this time of year, and we’ll see starting today (game two of the series started at 3 p.m.) if the Flashes can ride the momentum they gained from winning in 17 innings.

Toadvine’s baserunning heroics can be seen in the video below

By Zac | Also posted in Akron Zips, Kent State Golden Flashes | Tagged , , , |


‘One tough dude,’ Cribbs signs with Oakland

May 15, 2013 – 6:36 pm

We knew the Browns and Joshua Cribbs were going to part ways, and after several false alarms it has happened.

Cribbs has a new team, the Oakland Raiders. He signed a one-year deal on Wednesday after a prolonged and strange free agency courtship that included plenty of suitors — and plenty of concern about the knee Cribbs had scoped after the Pro Bowl.

As recently as this week, Jets general manager John Idzik said publicly that his team’s medical staff believed the knee “wasn’t there yet.”

The Browns weren’t one of the suitors for Cribbs. Even though they never gave a straight answer as to why, it’s understandable. The Browns are new again at the coaching and administrative levels, and Cribbs was fazed out of the offense last year, became eligible for unrestricted free agency in March and turns 30 in June.

He’s not the same player he once was, but for a long time he was darn good.

Cribbs’ eight kickoff returns for touchdowns are tied with Leon Washington for the most in NFL history. He was also good covering kicks, and there was never any question about his work ethic or his desire to win. He never shied away from sharing his feelings in public, and his desire for a new contract in 2009 caused a stink, in part because the team stunk then.

He ended up getting his desired extension at a salary that wasn’t as big as advertised. The team got its money’s worth.

The best three players of the “new” Browns era are, in some order, Phil Dawson, Joe Thomas and Cribbs. Dawson and Cribbs both left via free agency for Northern California this offseason.

Signing a one-year deal with the Raiders means Cribbs needed a job. The Raiders figure they’ll get their money’s worth, too, and see what’s still in the tank. Even if Cribbs never gets to play in a playoff game, his journey from skinny Kent State quarterback to undrafted utility man and top-level return man has been a remarkable one.

Someday, he’ll go into the Browns’ Ring of Honor (or whatever the people who are running the team at the time call it). That his exit now is nothing more than a simple line in the daily NFL transactions says a lot about the fleeting, unforgiving nature of the NFL.

To say the least, it’s a tough business. Here, Cribbs will be remembered as one tough dude.

By Zac | Also posted in Cleveland Browns, Kent State Golden Flashes, New York Jets, NFL | Tagged , , |


Fence can’t hold Ohio centerfielder on game-winning grab

May 9, 2013 – 10:40 pm

This is how Ohio University won its first-round Mid-American Conference softball tournament game on Thursday.

Somebody put up a temporary fence at Akron’s Firestone Stadium, but it wasn’t strong enough to hold Alyssa Wolfe.

(Twitter h/t to @AndrewGaug)

 

By Zac | Also posted in Ohio Bobcats | Tagged , , |


Ohio coaches do first-pitch honors

May 9, 2013 – 9:08 pm

CLEVELAND — It was his turn first, and Ohio University basketball coach Jim Christian fired a strike.

Next up was Ohio football coach Frank Solich, and his pitch floated into the first-base batter’s box.

Solich still got a nice ovation from the Progressive Field crowd before Thursday’s game between the Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics, but he admitted he’d hoped for better.

“I was practicing this week,” Solich said. “I called our director of football operations Jason Grooms and made him go out and throw a few with me.”

Solich grew up in Cleveland and graduated from Holy Name High School in Parma Heights. He said having the chance to throw out the first pitch in his hometown was “a thrill. It’s always nice to be back in Cleveland. I’ve had a lot of fun.”

Christian said he didn’t make any practice tosses this week.

“But when you get out there, you want to throw a strike,” Christian said. “All eyes are on you.”

The Ohio coaches served as co-guests of honor before the Indians won their 10th game in 11 tries on Thursday. Both wore new Indians hats with their traditional green garb. They were in town for the Ohio Athletics Bobcat Caravan event Thursday night at the Barley House in Cleveland.

By Zac | Also posted in Cleveland Indians, NCAA Basketball, NCAA Football, Ohio Bobcats | Tagged , , , |


Pike “overwhelmed” by support at special Toledo practice

April 7, 2013 – 10:35 pm

Unofficially, around $8,000 was raised Friday night for Ashlee Barrett’s fight against leukemia.

Officially, Barrett’s fiancee spent the whole night smiling.

A starting defensive end last season, Ben Pike gave up his final year of football eligibility at Toledo so he could support Barrett in her battle — their wedding is scheduled for June — and on Friday night, Toledo brought its spring football practice to Pike’s hometown of Mentor.

A crowd estimated at 500 included Pike’s longtime and friends and family, from his high school football coaches to elementary school teachers, came out to watch the Rockets — and mostly to support Pike and Barrett.

“Overwhelmed is a good way to put it,” Pike said after the practice. “It’s just great to see everybody. I can’t say thanks enough to everybody who put this together and helped.”

Barrett, a former Toledo women’s basketball player, underwent a stem cell transplant on Thursday. Pike said early indications are that all went well and “with the right luck and blessings, she’ll be on the road to recovery.”

Pike is student teaching this spring in Toledo. He’ll graduate next month, and he’s been looking into teaching jobs in and around St. Louis, Barrett’s hometown.

Their wedding is on for June, Pike said, “come hell or high water.” His hope is that she’ll gradually be feeling better over the next few weeks, and he’ll be in St. Louis full time shortly after graduation.

Late in Friday night’s practice, Pike addressed the crowd. He shared hugs with nearly every Toledo player on the field at the conclusion of practice.

“I can’t thank these guys enough,” Pike said. “The support from everybody has been absolutely incredible.”

By Zac | Also posted in NCAA Football |


Cooper, Marshall named mid-major All-Americans

March 25, 2013 – 11:52 pm

Ohio University’s D.J. Cooper and Akron’s Zeke Marshall are among the 25 players named to the Lou Henson All-America team Monday, recognizing the nation’s top mid-major players.

Both wrapped up outstanding college careers last week. Cooper became the only player in NCAA Div. I basketball history to record 2,000 points, 900 assists, 600 rebounds and 300 steals in his career. In 2012-13, he led Ohio at 14.1 points per game and ranked seventh nationally at 7.1 assists per game.

Cooper winning MAC Player of the Year this season based on his career achievements than what he did in 2012-13, but he was still outstanding. Marshall saved far and away his best season for last.

Marshall became just the fourth player in the last 30 seasons in Div. I college basketball to average at least 13.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots per game while shooting at least 65.0 percent in a season. Marshall averaged 3.7 blocks per game as a senior and leaves as the Mid-American Conference’s all-time leader with 368 career blocks.

Cooper’s 934 career assists are the 12th-most all-time; he also ranks 19th on the all-time NCAA Division I steals list.

Cooper and Marshall are finalists for the Lou Henson Award, given to the nation’s top mid-major player, but Creighton’s Doug McDermott will likely win it.

By Zac | Also posted in Akron Zips, NCAA Basketball, Ohio Bobcats | Tagged , |


What I think the committee is thinking

March 17, 2013 – 1:00 pm

Posted 1:01 p.m. Updated 4:09 p.m.

I am a committee of one. I know stuff.

If you’ve ever been to this blog, you probably were familiar with that concept.

Today, though, most eyes are on the NCAA tournament selection committee and the final results of that group’s work. Sixty-eight teams are going to be seeded, bracketed and sent to eight sites for games starting on Thursday.

Here’s my best guess at what we’ll see a little after 6 o’clock tonight. Again, this is my guess at what the committee will do, not what I think it should do.

My guess at the No. 1 seeds

Midwest – Louisville (No. 1 overall)
East – Miami
South – Indiana
West – Gonzaga

My guess at the No. 2 seeds

Midwest – Duke
East – Florida
South – Georgetown
West – Kansas

I’m beginning to like the No. 2 seeds better than I like the No. 1 seeds.

I think Ohio State is a 3 seed, Cincinnati is an 11 seed and Akron could be a 12, but probably is a 13. The absence of Alex Abreu certainly affects that and keeps the Zips from being seeded higher.

I think Wisconsin, Saint Louis and Michigan are No. 4 seeds; I think Michigan State and New Mexico are No. 3 seeds. I have other thoughts, too, but there are games to watch.

I don’t think the committee cares much about the currently ongoing Big Ten championship game.

My thoughts on the bubble, on which Ole Miss no longer lives…

Iowa – Out

Boise State – In

Kentucky – Out

Middle Tennessee – In

Saint Mary’s – In

Southern Miss – Out

LaSalle – Out

Temple – In

Tennessee – In

Cal – In

Louisiana Tech – Out

UMass – Out

Villanova – Out

Virginia – Out

I think the toughest, closest calls there are with LaSalle, Tennessee and Villanova. I wouldn’t be surprised either way.

By Zac | Also posted in Akron Zips, Atlantic 10 Conference, Big East Conference, Big Ten Conference, Cincinnati Bearcats, NCAA Basketball | Tagged , , , |


Walk-on will start on Kent State’s Senior Night

March 5, 2013 – 12:32 pm

It’s Senior Night at Kent State, and that means a special addition to the home team’s starting lineup.

Senior walk-on Brian Frank will join classmates and regular starters Randal Holt and Chris Evans in the starting five tonight. It’s temporary and symbolic, but Kent State coach Rob Senderoff said it’s a promotion that Frank has earned.

“As long as I’m the coach, the seniors will start on Senior Night,” Senderoff said. “Last year all four usually started, anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal. When you look at Brian, yes he’s a walk-on but he’s been with this program for four years and he’s put in the work.

“He’s really seen zero individual recognition for what he’s done, and that’s going to change tonight. This kid has worked his butt off to help make this team better.”

Frank went to high school in Florida and played his freshman year at the College of Wooster before transferring to Kent State, where his father, Robert Frank, was serving as the school’s provost. Robert Frank is now the president of the University of New Mexico.

On his player profile on the Kent State website, Brian Frank jokes that he came to Ohio because “Florida’s winters weren’t cold enough for me.” When Frank gets into games — it’s only happened five times this year — the Kent State student section chants his name, encouraging him to shoot. He’s yet to score this season.

Tonight brings his chance to change that.

“Brian deserves his chance to hear his name announced with the starters,” Senderoff said. “I hope he makes the most of it.”

By Zac | Also posted in Kent State Golden Flashes, NCAA Basketball | Tagged , , , |