Events Calendar
In This Section
Flashes move up to No. 1 in MAC
Golden Flashes unable to rally against Eagles
Flashes hold off Eagles' late run
Defense stands tall among KSU recruits
Flashes aim for 400th win tonight
Golden Flashes rally again to claim victory
Area high school football recruiting report
Flashes take sole control of first place in MAC
Celebration short, Flashes move on
Big dunk gives Golden Flashes a thrilling finish
Most Read Stories
Man robbed at Tallmadge Avenue eatery
Another winter punch heading toward Ohio
Four teens restrain man, take items from his Akron home
Complaints against officer keep coming
Police: Ohio girl dies after fall into snow bank
Region makes way for latest batch of snow; cancellations rise
Cuyahoga Falls residents come home to find burning couch on balcony
Blogs:
First Bell - On Education:
No City of Akron basketball tonight
Pets:
Pet telethon re-airs
The Heldenfiles:
Chipmunks "Squeakquel" on DVD/BD March 30
Akron Zips:
Late surge gives Zips ugly road win
Tribe Matters:
Blogmail response on Hafner
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth's contract terminated
Balanced Ledger:
QB in Browns future: another mock draft
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – February 9
Cleveland Cavaliers:
NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
Varsity Letters:
Garfield at Buchtel basketball
All Da King's Men:
Palin At The Tea Party Convention
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Republican Pre-Conditions
Akron Law Café:
Law, Love and Chocolate
Car Chase:
Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
OFCCP Report
Akron Gamer:
Makers of 'Castle Crashers' unveil 'BattleBlock Theater'
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
Kent State at 7-6; growing pains, Fisher's struggles could end record
By Jonas Fortune
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Saturday, Dec 27, 2008
KENT: On the path to 10 consecutive seasons of 20 wins or more there were many trials and tribulations — many burdens to overcome for the Kent State basketball program.
The Golden Flashes have always found a way to overcome these obstacles.
Two seasons ago, it appeared as if the Flashes' record-setting run would come to an end as they struggled to a 7-6 nonconference record. They pulled together in Mid-American Conference play to finish the season 21-11.
Kent State (5-6) is in a very similar position as this season unfolds. With 11 games already
played, and the Mid-American Conference schedule quickly approaching, the Flashes have shown that they have plenty of issues that need to be addressed.
''We are not playing very well right now,'' KSU coach Geno Ford said after his team was embarrassed Tuesday night in a 67-41 loss to Cleveland State at the Wolstein Center.
The Flashes have had plenty of growing pains early this season as Ford, in his first season as head coach, tries to break in six new players as well as develop a few holdovers, who received little to no playing time last season.
It hasn't boded well for Ford's rotations.
''We take someone out for a mistake, or a couple of mistakes, and we put their backup in and that guy instantly goes in and we'll call a play and he'll forget where to go,'' Ford said. ''Now it results in a no shot. And then he'll forget to block out and we'll take him out and throw the third-string guy in and he makes a bad play. Then we just recycle it.''
The Flashes are also trying to figure out how to work into the rotation the prolific scoring abilities of junior Tyree Evans, who missed the early part of the season due to an NCAA eligibility issue.
In Evans' two games, he has scored 21 and 12 points, respectively.
The addition of Evans could not have come at a better time.
Senior guard Al Fisher, the defending MAC Player of the Year, has seemingly regressed after pouring in a career-high 35 points in the second game of the season against St. Louis.
''Al's struggled six straight games,'' Ford said. ''He's just really in a funk right now, and we are having a hard time figuring out ways to get him going and that needs to happen for our basketball team.''
With the exception of the Cleveland State game (two points) and Kansas game (five), Fisher has still contributed double-digit points every game. Yet he has not shown the ability to finish at the basket like he is capable of or make 3-pointers like he has in the past, Ford said.
Fisher is still a 42 percent field-goal shooter for the season, but in the past six games he has made only 30 percent of his shots.
''When you're struggling, there is only one way: You just have to fight your way out of it,'' Ford said. ''We are confident he will.''
Part of his decline in performance could be explained by the extra defensive attention paid to Fisher.
He plays every game with the ''bull's-eye,'' Ford said.
The Flashes will host Shawnee State at the M.A.C. Center on Tuesday night and play Hampton (next Saturday) and Temple (Jan. 5) on the road before opening their conference schedule at Ohio on Jan. 11.
''We've got a lot of issues right now,'' Ford said. ''The only positive is we have good kids and they want to win. We don't have chemistry problems. They are not in there pointing fingers. If you grabbed them individually they would own up to their mistakes.''
Jonas Fortune can be reached at jfortune@thebeaconjournal.com.
KENT: On the path to 10 consecutive seasons of 20 wins or more there were many trials and tribulations — many burdens to overcome for the Kent State basketball program.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
