[Quickzips]

Update to include the Henry verbal to VCU. Also a new video of George Fant that you should really check out. Kid has a VERY nice game. Not sure if there is room for another PF on the roster, but the kid really seems to have it all. Post moves, athleticism, size, shot blocking, finishes above the rim. Would definitly be a nice add.

I'm with Blue and Gold on being disappointed by the Henry news. He was definitly in my top three on the old wish list.

I'm really starting to wonder with all the news on potential transfers if this thread isn't going to be a moot point very soon here.

[Quickzips]

Updated to include transfer of Chauncey Gilliam.

By my calculations the Zips will still have one scholarship to give for next season.

[ZachTheZip]

Updated to include transfer of Chauncey Gilliam.

By my calculations the Zips will still have one scholarship to give for next season.

Are you sure? Gilliam will be on scholarship next year while he sits, unless the UMBC coach refuses to release him.

[Zip Watcher]

One more still available for 2011-12, right?

[Quickzips]

Updated to include transfer of Chauncey Gilliam.

By my calculations the Zips will still have one scholarship to give for next season.

Are you sure? Gilliam will be on scholarship next year while he sits, unless the UMBC coach refuses to release him.

With Humpty transfering out Gilliam will take over his scholarship. With four graduating seniors (McNees, Roberts, McKnight, Bardo) that means we will still have four scholarships to give next season. Three of those have already been taken (Ennis, Justice, Harney), leaving us with one left. It is entirely possible I am wrong on this, but that is how I figure it anyways.

[Districtballer]

Update to include the Henry verbal to VCU. Also a new video of George Fant that you should really check out. Kid has a VERY nice game. Not sure if there is room for another PF on the roster, but the kid really seems to have it all. Post moves, athleticism, size, shot blocking, finishes above the rim. Would definitly be a nice add.

I'm with Blue and Gold on being disappointed by the Henry news. He was definitly in my top three on the old wish list.

I'm really starting to wonder with all the news on potential transfers if this thread isn't going to be a moot point very soon here.

Hey Zips fans!

We're pretty psyched about nabbing Henry and by all accounts he's a great person as well as a basketball player. His grandfather favored VCU throughout his recruitment despite offers from West Virginia, Xavier, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, and Dayton (per Henry). He unfortunately passed away the week before Henry made his commitment to VCU. He was one of VCU's top 3 targets for the 2011 class and is thought of as a Big East caliber guard by our staff. Coach Dambrot was recruiting him very heavily last summer as the Akron staff was at every one of his games over the summer circuit. He backed off when the big boys started calling in the fall however. Henry actually visited VCU during the Bracketbuster matchup with Akron in February and witnessed the game between our two squads which was somewhat ironic since both programs were recruiting him. Whether the outcome pushed him one way or the other I don't know, but we're glad to have him. He'll be coming to the JAR the season after this upcoming one for the return bracketbuster game. He was our highest-rated ESPN recruit (92) since ESPN started recruiting grades but was downgraded to a 90 after the commitment.

Dambrot obviously has a good eye for talent and knows how to pursue under the radar guys with big talent...it's just a matter of time before he lands one like he did with Zeke. I have more respect now for Dambrot because of what I've seen with Shaka who is recruiting his TAIL off and bringing in high-character, high-talent guys. Our last 3 recruits have been ESPN 90+ recruits, and the last 7 over the class of 2010 (5) and class of 2011 (2) are all Rivals 3 star recruits. Dambrot's starting his own coaching tree methinks. I tip my cap to you guys for that. You've got a good one there.

[Dave in Green]

Hey Zips fans!

We're pretty psyched about nabbing Henry and by all accounts he's a great person as well as a basketball player. His grandfather favored VCU throughout his recruitment despite offers from West Virginia, Xavier, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, and Dayton (per Henry). He unfortunately passed away the week before Henry made his commitment to VCU. He was one of VCU's top 3 targets for the 2011 class and is thought of as a Big East caliber guard by our staff. Coach Dambrot was recruiting him very heavily last summer as the Akron staff was at every one of his games over the summer circuit. He backed off when the big boys started calling in the fall however. Henry actually visited VCU during the Bracketbuster matchup with Akron in February and witnessed the game between our two squads which was somewhat ironic since both programs were recruiting him. Whether the outcome pushed him one way or the other I don't know, but we're glad to have him. He'll be coming to the JAR the season after this upcoming one for the return bracketbuster game. He was our highest-rated ESPN recruit (92) since ESPN started recruiting grades but was downgraded to a 90 after the commitment.

Dambrot obviously has a good eye for talent and knows how to pursue under the radar guys with big talent...it's just a matter of time before he lands one like he did with Zeke. I have more respect now for Dambrot because of what I've seen with Shaka who is recruiting his TAIL off and bringing in high-character, high-talent guys. Our last 3 recruits have been ESPN 90+ recruits, and the last 7 over the class of 2010 (5) and class of 2011 (2) are all Rivals 3 star recruits. Dambrot's starting his own coaching tree methinks. I tip my cap to you guys for that. You've got a good one there.

Absolutely love the part about ESPN downgrading yet another player because he went to a "little" program instead of a "big" program. This only reconfirms that those amateur sports talent evaluators have no self-confidence in their own evaluations, and with good reason.

As always, your comments are interesting, informative, and welcome here. With all due respect to the VCU program, I'd just like to see the "student" (Shaka) not getting so far ahead of the "teacher" (KD) in the volume of quality recruits to their respective programs.

[Districtballer]

Hey Zips fans!

We're pretty psyched about nabbing Henry and by all accounts he's a great person as well as a basketball player. His grandfather favored VCU throughout his recruitment despite offers from West Virginia, Xavier, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, and Dayton (per Henry). He unfortunately passed away the week before Henry made his commitment to VCU. He was one of VCU's top 3 targets for the 2011 class and is thought of as a Big East caliber guard by our staff. Coach Dambrot was recruiting him very heavily last summer as the Akron staff was at every one of his games over the summer circuit. He backed off when the big boys started calling in the fall however. Henry actually visited VCU during the Bracketbuster matchup with Akron in February and witnessed the game between our two squads which was somewhat ironic since both programs were recruiting him. Whether the outcome pushed him one way or the other I don't know, but we're glad to have him. He'll be coming to the JAR the season after this upcoming one for the return bracketbuster game. He was our highest-rated ESPN recruit (92) since ESPN started recruiting grades but was downgraded to a 90 after the commitment.

Dambrot obviously has a good eye for talent and knows how to pursue under the radar guys with big talent...it's just a matter of time before he lands one like he did with Zeke. I have more respect now for Dambrot because of what I've seen with Shaka who is recruiting his TAIL off and bringing in high-character, high-talent guys. Our last 3 recruits have been ESPN 90+ recruits, and the last 7 over the class of 2010 (5) and class of 2011 (2) are all Rivals 3 star recruits. Dambrot's starting his own coaching tree methinks. I tip my cap to you guys for that. You've got a good one there.

Absolutely love the part about ESPN downgrading yet another player because he went to a "little" program instead of a "big" program. This only reconfirms that those amateur sports talent evaluators have no self-confidence in their own evaluations, and with good reason.

As always, your comments are interesting, informative, and welcome here. With all due respect to the VCU program, I'd just like to see the "student" (Shaka) not getting so far ahead of the "teacher" (KD) in the volume of quality recruits to their respective programs.

Haha I can understand your position on that. Honestly, I'm not so worried as much anymore about the bias recruiting services show towards mid-major recruits, as they get to prove their worth on the court anyway. At the end of the day, we get the player, they can keep their arbitrary numbers. If Henry ends up being an NBA player, who cares what ESPN graded him? We have had the privilege of having 2 NBA first-rounders in the draft back to back in these past 2 years. Eric Maynor went to the Utah Jazz with the 20th pick last year and Larry Sanders is a projected mid-first round pick this year leaving early after 3 years at VCU. Maynor was a Scout two-star, and so was Larry (who also was a 78 ESPN grade). Does anyone care now? Nope. Recruits don't ask what Scout/ESPN/Rivals grades your players had when you sent them to the NBA, they just go "Wow, VCU has put out 2 NBA first-rounders the last 2 years, I can get to the NBA from there."

Dambrot got a highly-rated kid in Marshall, but when he got in the floor he had to grow like every big man out there. You don't dominate the game on virtue of a star rating. Dambrot will bring out the beast in him I'm sure and we'll have our hands full up there the season after next. Who knows? If he goes to the NBA, you may have a lot of scouting services downgrading rankings when they sign with Akron! Let's hope so; it means programs like us are doing it right!

[Quickzips]

Update to include Cleveland Central Catholic PF Anton Grady.

[Quickzips]

Updated to include Canton Timken PG Jehvon Clarke.

[Quickzips]

Take Westerville South PG Traevon Jackson off the list. Jackson committed to the Wisconsin Badgers over the weekend.

[Z.I.P.]

Has anyone seen Darius Carter of Firestone HS? JJHuddle is talking about him, as if he's the top ranked Power Forward in the state for 2011. Is the position that weak, or is he being overlooked?

--edit-- Now I see it says "No particular order". I saw him listed at top of list.

[ZachTheZip]

So if I see this right, we still have two spots open. Akron graduates Bardo, McKnight, McNeese, and Roberts. Already in is Blake Justice and a greyshirting Nick Harney. Chauncey Gilliam will begin playing in 2011, but his scholarship counts for 2010. Unclear if Storm Sanders will be greyshirting or if he's a 2010 walk-on.

Likely the two final spots will be filled by a SG and either a PF or C. Jakarr Sampson is the big catch that we should be focusing on (his ESPN rating went up from 92 to 97 after the King James Classic).

[Buckzip]

So if I see this right, we still have two spots open. Akron graduates Bardo, McKnight, McNeese, and Roberts. Already in is Blake Justice and a greyshirting Nick Harney. Chauncey Gilliam will begin playing in 2011, but his scholarship counts for 2010. Unclear if Storm Sanders will be greyshirting or if he's a 2010 walk-on.

Likely the two final spots will be filled by a SG and either a PF or C. Jakarr Sampson is the big catch that we should be focusing on (his ESPN rating went up from 92 to 97 after the King James Classic).

That should be changed to the King Jacka$$ classic

[Quickzips]

So if I see this right, we still have two spots open. Akron graduates Bardo, McKnight, McNeese, and Roberts. Already in is Blake Justice and a greyshirting Nick Harney. Chauncey Gilliam will begin playing in 2011, but his scholarship counts for 2010. Unclear if Storm Sanders will be greyshirting or if he's a 2010 walk-on.

Likely the two final spots will be filled by a SG and either a PF or C. Jakarr Sampson is the big catch that we should be focusing on (his ESPN rating went up from 92 to 97 after the King James Classic).

By my calculations you are indeed correct. Of course, as we saw this year, nothing is ever for certain in number of scholarships open. Still have not heard anything heads or tails on Storm Sanders.

As far as what we should be focusing on with the remaining spots we REALLY need another PG (if Ennis isn't coming in and the rumors on Storm are false, then our only PG on the roster next year would be Abreu) and another C to start grooming behind Zeke would be nice. Of course if you can land a stud like Sampson you take him regardless of position, but I don't realistically think we are in the running for Sampson at all at this point. I know people will point to Zeke and say, "highly touted guy, came to Akron anyways," but Zeke is the exception, not the rule. Everything you read on Sampson points to him being more interested in the bigger programs.