In the book, The NFL in the 1970s: Pro Football's Most Important Decade, Joe Zagorski writes, "The term "player's coach" came about as an alternative to the abrupt nature of tough coaches in Lombardi's image." Zagorski states, "Coaches like Denver's John Ralston, Houston's O.A. “Bum” Phillips, or Cleveland's Sam Rutigliano were labeled as “player coaches” for their easygoing, relaxed and motivational natures. He explains, "None of these men ever won a Super Bowl, but their players remained intensely loyal to them, and were more than willing to play while injured as a viable trade-off to secure success for their coach."

I have always thought the term player’s coach was positive because it means the coach understands the players and what they have to go through. A player's coach is also one who pushes when necessary but knows to ease up when necessary.

Jackie Sherrill, who coached at Texas A&M and Mississippi State, believes Nick Saban is a player's coach. But his description of a player's coach is much different than Zagorski's. In the article, "Former SEC coach: Nick Saban won't ever surpass Bear Byant," Sherrill states,

“Nick Saban is really outstanding in many ways. One, he is a player’s coach. But a player’s coach isn’t someone that puts their arm around you and gets to know you. What is a player’s coach? It’s a coach that makes you do things you don’t want to do, and makes you accomplish things you don’t think you can accomplish.”

“I can tell you the players don’t like Nick Saban every day and he may not like them at times, but that’s not an issue with Nick,” said Sherrill. “If you look at what he’s done as a football coach, I put him back in the old-school coaches because of whom he played for and coached under.

“The difference in the old coaches and the new coaches are that the old coaches knew the players, not the athlete. The new coaches only want to know the athlete – how fast, how big, what are their stats,” he continued. “The programs that want to get to know the players and spend time developing relationships with their families – they are the ones that are the most successful. The coaches who do not take time to develop these relationships are the ones having the most problems today with players off the field.”

In some respect, Coach Haynes is a player's coach. After he was introduced as Kent State's new head coach back in 2012, Haynes said, “I’m all about building men; I’m all about building relationships.”

I believe Haynes understands the players and what they have to go through because he was a player himself at Kent State from 1987 to 1991. But unlike Saban, I'm not certain Haynes pushes his players hard enough to get the results he needs to succeed. But considering all the tragedies and injuries the program has had in the last three years, it would be difficult for any coach, including Saban, to overcome these circumstances.

But regardless if he is a true player's coach, hopefully this season Coach Haynes and the players will finally get the success they deserve.

Go Flashes!!!

The M.A.C. Center court has gone through a complete redesign. The design features a larger center court Golden Flash logo, two lightning bolts that span the width of the floor and several other branding elements familiar to Kent State athletics. Click below to view time-lapse video.

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http://www.kentstatesports.com/news...ics-complete-m-a-c-center-court-redesign.aspx

There was once a time when Reebok was a giant of the college apparel industry. That brand is now extinct, and another one is on its way to joining them.

Now in its fourth year, FootballScoop’s Who Wears What study is an exercise that tracks changes in the college apparel industry, changes that often seem microscopic on a year-to-year basis but, over the course of time, will monitor the shifting sands of the industry.

For instance, last year’s news highlighted the Under Armour’s passing of Adidas. Evidence of that? We wrote that Adidas was “stuck with” James Harden. Now? That arrangement seems quite different.

In 2017, we have seen the near complete removal of Russell Athletic from the landscape. The Bowling Green, Ky.,-based brand was already hanging on by a thread in FBS, and that thread has been cut down to a single piece of twine. Ohio jumped ship. Georgia Tech announced plans to do at its next available opportunity. Even hometown team Western Kentucky left the brand, soon leaving Southern Miss as Russell’s only brand ambassador in FBS. And with that, it figures the Golden Eagles will soon jump ship as well.

Elsewhere, Nike remains the king of the major college football landscape. Adidas and Under Armour have carved out their respective territories, but it remains Nike’s countryside. The Swoosh owns 67.7 percent of the Power 5 contracts, claims primacy in every Power 5 league — 18 of the 24 available schools in the SEC and Big 12 wear Nike — and outfits 14 of the last 15 national champions, including all 12 teams to ever reach the College Football Playoff.

(Click web address below for full article)

http://footballscoop.com/news/nike-adidas-armour-wears-fbs-2017-edition/

I recently had a chance to catch up with Louisiana DB Tywan Francis and he let me know that Kent State is among his top three schools and he's planning on taking an official visit this fall.

Here's what he had to say:

Kent State: “Their receiver coach reached out to me and asked me how I've been and how I've been doing. They want to make sure I'm grinding and getting better off the field and staying on top of my grades and stuff like that too. That's a long trip and they came down to see me in the spring but they want me to come back up that. I will but it will probably for an official visit.”

You can read the rest of the story and watch his junior film here.

The 2017 season came to an end on Saturday as No. 1 Kent State (37-18) fell 7-2 to No. 5 Ohio (30-26) in Mid-American Conference Tournament semifinal action.

The 2017 MAC regular season champions end the season's campaign at 37-18.

http://kentstatesports.com/news/2017/5/27/baseball-ends-season-in-7-2-semifinal-defeat.aspx

Moving on. No. 1 Kent State downs No. 8 Toledo, 6-3, thanks to early offense and a solid pitching performance on the mound. The Flashes will face the Ohio Bobcats again tomorrow.

Four errors and 13 runners left on base by the Golden Flashes (36-17) resulted in a 5-3 loss to the Ohio Bobcats (29-26) late Thursday night in the second day of Mid-American Conference Tournament action.

No. 1 Kent State will now play No. 8 Toledo on Friday at 4:30 p.m.

http://kentstatesports.com/news/201...-harm-flashes-in-5-3-mac-tournament-loss.aspx

Eli Kraus of No. 1 Kent State tossed a three-hit, complete game shutout as the Golden Flashes defeat No. 8 Toledo, 7-0!!

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The MAC had another good year with 11 MAC students picked in the 2017 NFL Draft. The 11 draft selections ties a MAC modern era (seven rounds) record for the most students drafted in an NFL Draft (2005 NFL Draft). But unfortunately, Kent State did not have any players picked in this year's draft. What is interesting to note is former head coach Doug Martin recruited six players who were drafted in the NFL but since his forced resignation in 2010, the Flashes have not had one NFL draftee who wasn't recruited by him.

As of this writing, only defensive back Najee Murray has signed a contract as an undrafted free agent. Murray signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns shortly after the conclusion of the 2017 NFL Draft on Saturday.

Hopefully, Nate Holley will also get an opportunity to sign as an undrafted free agent since he was not among the 253 players drafted.

http://www.wtol.com/story/35271957/nate-holley-from-the-courthouse-to-the-draft

Kent State University head coach Rob Senderoff has announced the addition of Jonathan Nwankwo to the 2017 men's basketball recruiting class.

We're pleased to add Jonathan Nwankwo to the program," said Senderoff. "Obviously, he has tremendous size and strength. The one thing we really needed to add was a big, physical presence inside, and that's what Jonathan is."

Nwankwo was born in Lagos Nigeria and has spent six years living in the United State. He attended high school first in The Bronx, New York before attending Victory Prep in Bradenton, Florida. The 6-9 forward first attended college at VCU, where he redshirted before transferring to junior college power, College of Southern Idaho. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.

http://kentstatesports.com/news/2017/5/11/nwankwo-joins-mens-basketball-recruiting-class.aspx

Michael Carrigan and Kavious Price, both freshmen members of the Kent State football team, placed 6th and 7th respectively in the 100 meters at the Campbell/Wright Invitational.



https://www.tfrrs.org/results/49722_3176951.html

http://kentstatesports.com/documents/2017/5/6/results_05_06.pdf

http://kentstatesports.com/news/201...d-closes-weekend-at-campbell-wright-open.aspx

Although I believe there is still some merit to Rivals star ratings, it's always nice when players prove the ratings wrong.

https://n.rivals.com/news/top-10-two-stars-or-lower-in-nfl-draft

The difference between high school and college defense is like night and day. That is why you can't always just look at a high school recruit's scoring average when assessing talent at the college level. Below are video's to help prove my point. In the first video, Pickerington North's Matt Lanier hits a game winning three-pointer to lift the Panthers past Newark 59-58 to give them the district title (click web address below).

https://www.whiznews.com/2017/03/newark-upset-pick-north-district-title-game/

In the second video, Gonzaga doesn't allow West Virginia to get a shot off in its last possession allowing Gonzaga to advance to the Elite Eight with a 61-58 win.

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In the Pickerington North/Newark video, the Wildcats' defense allows Lanier to get an easy 3-pt shot off to win the game. But in the Gonzaga/West Virginia game, Gonzaga's defense comes all the way out to defend the Mountaineers and prevents them from getting a shot off to tie the game. Had a defender been closer to Lanier, he would not have been able to get his shot off since Lanier started his shot from his chest rather than from his head. The defender's raised arms would have prevented Pickerington North from getting off a winning shot just like Gonzaga prevented West Virginia from shooting the game tying-basket.

Players like Lanier may be good shooters in high school but unless they are able to move the ball from their chest and face to a more elevated peak when beginning their shot, they will not be able to play at the next level because their shooting technique will be ineffective against a much stronger defense that you see in college.

Despite being touted as a potential Cinderella team, Conference USA's champion, Middle Tennessee, failed to make it past the second round of the NCAA tournament. Many people saw Middle Tennessee as a potential Cinderella story since the Blue Raiders returned a bulk of their players from last year's team that defeated #2 seed Michigan State in the NCAA tournament. Every year the tournament sees upsets, but Middle Tennessee's shocking win over the Spartans gave the Blue Raiders the distinction of being one of the eight #15 seeded teams to win a first round game. After defeating #5 seed Minnesota, the #12 seed Blue Raiders were primed to advance in this year's tournament. However, last night's loss to Butler in the second round ended Middle Tennessee's dream of a Cinderella story. But as much as we love a Cinderella story, not all stories have a fairy tale ending. And in the case of Middle Tennessee, sometimes the slipper just doesn't fit.

So what constitutes a true Cinderella Story? Cinderella stories involve a major upset that happens when an underdog rises up out of nowhere to defy expectations and defeat a team that is largely projected to win. And It seems every year we see major upsets in the first round but because March Madness is a two-week tournament, a team is typically not considered a Cinderella story unless it breaks into the Sweet 16. Over the years there have been various rankings of the NCAA tournament's best Cinderellas and Sports Illustrated has provided a ranking of 16 of the best-ever including the 2002 Kent State Elite Eight team (click web address below for rankings).

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/08/11/best-cinderella-ncaa-tournament-march-madness

Now that Sports Illustrated has identified the best-ever Cinderellas, what really makes an NCAA tournament Cinderella? What's in a Cinderella's statistical DNA? In the article, "March Madness: Three Traits that a Cinderella must have," the author suggests the three traits of a Cinderella are offensive efficiency, turnover margin, and experience. After examining Kent State's 2001-2002 team, it's clear that the Flashes excelled in all three areas. Led by Kent State's all-time leading scorer, Trevor Huffman, the Flashes averaged 75.9 points a game. Both Huffman and Antonio Gates averaged 16.0 points a game, followed by Andrew Mitchell with 15.2, Demetric Shaw with 7.2, Eric Thomas with 5.0, and Nate Gerwig with 4.8.

In the article, "A Run To Remember: The 2002 Kent State Golden Flashes," Brad Ward writes, "The senior-laden Flashes club saw everything fall into place." He states, "They became incredibly efficient offensively, lead by the dominating inside presence of JUCO power forward transfer Antonio Gates and the steady perimeter scoring of guards Trevor Hoffman and Andrew Mitchell." With respect to Kent State's defense, Ward writes, "More importantly they became an aggressive and extraordinarily effective defensive team, smothering opponent after opponent with Demetric Shaw leading the way."

As a testimony to its achievements, the 2001-2002 team was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Missouri last year and and will have an exhibit on display until next November based on its postseason, as a part of the “Ten Most Memorable Runs In NCAA Tournament History.”

Although this year's team made it to the NCAA tournament, few if any fans really believed it would make a deep run like the Flashes did in 2002. Despite averaging 77 points per game, only senior Jimmy Hall was a consistent scorer all season leading the team with 683 points and 19.0 points per game. Returning only two starters and four lettermen from last year's squad, the Flashes lacked the experience of the Elite Eight team and did not possess its favorable turnover margin.

Hopefully, the Flashes will once again become another Cinderella just like the 2001-2002 team. But until Kent State assembles an experienced squad with offensive efficiency and turnover margin, the Flashes' chances of a Sweet 16 run will be relatively low no matter how badly we wish to see one.

http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball...rch-madness-three-traits-cinderella-must-have

80
Kent State 22-14

97
UCLA 30-4

http://kentstatesports.com/news/201...n-flashes-in-ncaa-tournament-first-round.aspx

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Below are the picks the experts on CBS and ESPN's Selection Sunday specials are making for the Final Four.

Charles Barkley Villanova (1) Louisville (2) North Carolina (1) Arizona (2) Winner Arizona (2)
Gary Parrish Duke (2) Kansas (1) UCLA (3) Gonzaga (1) Winner UCLA (3)
Clark Kellogg Villanova (1) Louisville (2) UCLA (3) Gonzaga (1) Winner Villanova (1)
Seth Davis Duke (2) Kansas (1) UCLA (3) Gonzaga (1) Winner Duke (2)
Jay Bilas Duke (2) Louisville (2) North Carolina (1) Arizona (2) Winner North Carolina (1)
Jay Williams Duke (2) Kansas (1) North Carolina (1) Arizona (2) Winner Duke (2)
Seth Greenberg Duke (2) Kansas (1) UCLA (3) Arizona (2) Winner UCLA (3)
Rece Davis Duke (2) Oregon (3) North Carolina (1) Gonzaga (1) Winner North Carolina (1)

The UCLA Bruins are favored by 17 over the Flashes.

http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-basketball/odds/las-vegas/

3-UCLA vs 14-Kent State

Ideally a coach would like to have players who are both athletic and skilled at shooting. However, coaches in the mid-majors usually have to choose between athletic or shooter in recruiting because players who are blessed with both athletic and shooting skills are usually recruited by the power conferences.

Having been a shooter myself, I have always favored shooters over athletic players because very few of them can develop a jump shot after they have been used to playing at the rim in high school. Of course there are always exceptions like Michael Jordan, who had great athletic ability as a young player and then later was able to develop a deadly jump shot. But unlike Jordan, many athletic players often end up being a flash in the pan (no pun intended) because the skills that made them stars in high school weren't enough to make them stars at the next level since everyone else has those same athletic skills in college. That is why I would prefer to have a player like Wally Szczerbiak, who played for Miami from 1995-1999 and later in the NBA, than a player like Mike Scott or Kyrem Massey. Scott, who played for Kent State from 2004-2008, and Massey, who played for Kent State from 1997-2001, could both jump out of the gym but weren't the shooter that Szczerbiak was for Miami.

However, after watching the current Kent State team play over the last few weeks, I'm beginning to re-think my position on athletic players. As long as they understand to play to their strengths and away from their weaknesses, I can see how effective they can perform as a team. But, once discipline and focus breaks down, it's easy to see how quickly athletic skills are no longer effective against superior shooting. That said, I tend to agree with Elton Alexander (see below), who believes Akron will win tonight in the title game if the Zips shoot well but will lose if their shooting is off given the Flashes' tenaciousness on both ends of the court.

Go Flashes!!!

Play smart and within yourself and you will bring home the championship.

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