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Coach Dambrot puts team through paces during 11-day recess
By Tom Gaffney
Beacon Journal sports writer
POSTED: 06:14 a.m. EST, Dec 24, 2008
Coach Keith Dambrot is determined to make the most of this lengthy break for his University of Akron basketball team.
The Zips (6-4) are in the midst of 11 days off between a 73-69 loss at Virginia Commonwealth on Dec. 17 and a home game on Sunday against St. Francis (N.Y.) College.
It is the second-longest break in Dambrot's five years as the Zips coach. The only one longer was from Dec. 11-23 in 2004.
''I don't like it, but we don't have a choice. That's the way the schedule worked out,'' Dambrot said. ''It does give us a chance to work on some stuff.
''We will work on developing our low-block game, which hasn't been very good. We will keep working defensively and maybe put in some new things. We have this time . . . we have to use it.''
After the VCU loss, the Zips practiced for three days and were given time off for Christmas. The players are scheduled to return for a Christmas night practice, the first of three workouts before the meeting with St. Francis.
Dambrot said he hopes his players use the break between games and the break before classes start Jan. 12 to work on shooting, which has not been a strong point this season.
''We have to start shooting the ball in. It's ridiculous,'' Dambrot said. ''If you miss in practice, you are going to miss in the game. You can't do that. Our guys are not making shots.''
The Zips are shooting 42.3 percent from the floor and 33.5 percent from behind the 3-point arc, which places them in the middle of the pack in the Mid-American Conference.
Those numbers are not horrible, but what worries Dambrot is that his team's patient offense is producing good shooting options that too often have gone awry.
So it's not necessarily bad shooting that concerns Dambrot, as much as inconsistent shooting. Only hard work will change that, Dambrot said.
''You have to put the reps in, in order to have confidence enough to make shots in games,'' he said. ''Now, we have a lot of time. It's no longer, 'Come on in on your free time.' It's 'We don't have school. You will come in on your free time if you want to play.' ''
One player who is not scoring (3.1 points per game) but is contributing in other ways is forward Jimmy Conyers.
Conyers, a senior academically but a junior athletically, averaged only 2.6 points and 1.7 rebounds in his first two seasons, playing only an average of 9.1 minutes per game.
This season, he has been a factor on defense and grabbing loose balls. He also has averaged 5.7 points in the past three games.
''Conyers has really helped us,'' Dambrot said. ''That's a tribute to him because he was in the so-called doghouse last year. He is starting to play well, even offensively. He is playing his role.''
Dambrot also likes the performance of another role player and nonscorer, 6-foot-10 sophomore center Mike Bardo. Bardo is averaging only 1.9 points and 2.9 rebounds, but he has held his own against opposing centers.
''You don't see much on the stat sheet on Bardo, but the guy plays good defense,'' Dambrot said. ''I wish he could score a little more, but he does some good things for us.''
The defensive value of Conyers and Bardo was highlighted in the VCU loss. Both were in foul trouble and played only 14 minutes each. That allowed Rams' star Eric Maynor room to drive past the UA guards on his way to 30 points and VCU center Kirill Pishchalnikov to work inside on his way to a game-high 12 rebounds.
After the game against St. Francis on Sunday, the Zips have one more game in the calendar year, playing at North Carolina-Greensboro on Dec. 31.
Tom Gaffney can be reached at tgaffney@thebeaconjournal.com.
Coach Keith Dambrot is determined to make the most of this lengthy break for his University of Akron basketball team.
The Zips (6-4) are in the midst of 11 days off between a 73-69 loss at Virginia Commonwealth on Dec. 17 and a home game on Sunday against St. Francis (N.Y.) College.
It is the second-longest break in Dambrot's five years as the Zips coach. The only one longer was from Dec. 11-23 in 2004.
''I don't like it, but we don't have a choice. That's the way the schedule worked out,'' Dambrot said. ''It does give us a chance to work on some stuff.
''We will work on developing our low-block game, which hasn't been very good. We will keep working defensively and maybe put in some new things. We have this time . . . we have to use it.''
After the VCU loss, the Zips practiced for three days and were given time off for Christmas. The players are scheduled to return for a Christmas night practice, the first of three workouts before the meeting with St. Francis.
Dambrot said he hopes his players use the break between games and the break before classes start Jan. 12 to work on shooting, which has not been a strong point this season.
''We have to start shooting the ball in. It's ridiculous,'' Dambrot said. ''If you miss in practice, you are going to miss in the game. You can't do that. Our guys are not making shots.''
The Zips are shooting 42.3 percent from the floor and 33.5 percent from behind the 3-point arc, which places them in the middle of the pack in the Mid-American Conference.
Those numbers are not horrible, but what worries Dambrot is that his team's patient offense is producing good shooting options that too often have gone awry.
So it's not necessarily bad shooting that concerns Dambrot, as much as inconsistent shooting. Only hard work will change that, Dambrot said.
''You have to put the reps in, in order to have confidence enough to make shots in games,'' he said. ''Now, we have a lot of time. It's no longer, 'Come on in on your free time.' It's 'We don't have school. You will come in on your free time if you want to play.' ''
One player who is not scoring (3.1 points per game) but is contributing in other ways is forward Jimmy Conyers.
Conyers, a senior academically but a junior athletically, averaged only 2.6 points and 1.7 rebounds in his first two seasons, playing only an average of 9.1 minutes per game.
This season, he has been a factor on defense and grabbing loose balls. He also has averaged 5.7 points in the past three games.
''Conyers has really helped us,'' Dambrot said. ''That's a tribute to him because he was in the so-called doghouse last year. He is starting to play well, even offensively. He is playing his role.''
Dambrot also likes the performance of another role player and nonscorer, 6-foot-10 sophomore center Mike Bardo. Bardo is averaging only 1.9 points and 2.9 rebounds, but he has held his own against opposing centers.
''You don't see much on the stat sheet on Bardo, but the guy plays good defense,'' Dambrot said. ''I wish he could score a little more, but he does some good things for us.''
The defensive value of Conyers and Bardo was highlighted in the VCU loss. Both were in foul trouble and played only 14 minutes each. That allowed Rams' star Eric Maynor room to drive past the UA guards on his way to 30 points and VCU center Kirill Pishchalnikov to work inside on his way to a game-high 12 rebounds.
After the game against St. Francis on Sunday, the Zips have one more game in the calendar year, playing at North Carolina-Greensboro on Dec. 31.
Tom Gaffney can be reached at tgaffney@thebeaconjournal.com.
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