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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/18/2019 in all areas

  1. The NIT will tell you that they like to limit travel and create regional matchups when possible. They never publicly say that the bigger arena or more perceived ticket sales get preference but it is clear that they do. ... as far as the Akron-OSU game a few years ago goes there were nearly as many akron fans there as OSU fans. The NIT missed a chance at a boisterous crowd in Akron and opted for a less than half full arena in Columbus.
    4 points
  2. Zips were offered, said no thanks. According to French on WNIR this morning. I think Kent accepted because the opponent (ULM) footed the entire bill. Most of the time these tournaments are "pay-to-play" whether home or away. I'm hearing ULM forked over around $40K for the home game and Kent's travel expenses.
    3 points
  3. Scrolling through Dr Z's photos, one thing that sticks out is the youth of this staff compared to Bowden's. Some of these guys are 30...40 years younger than some of those in the Bowden/Amato crew. There's a different form of engagement with the players during the drills, and a different level of energy. When I watch a practice I try to look at things from the Coach's perspective and see who really stands out. In one drill there were 20 guys running through cones, then tackling a dummy. Maybe 15 of them looked identical. A few showed techniques and speed that stood out, and a couple guys...probably won't be bucking for a starting position this fall. Guys like Alvin Davis, Josh Ward, Boogie and Bubba can be fun to watch, even in drills, because their technique stands out. If you are looking for a great stock to buy low, with huge upside, get in early on Freshman fullback Abe Alce (ALL-cee). With Deltron Sands and Keyondre White sitting out, Abe got a lot of reps. He's big, fast (for his size) and consistently shows soft hands when pulling in those almost-out-of-reach swing passes. I expect he's going to be a big part of our offense this upcoming season. Saturday was the first time the kickers were showcased under rush conditions. Cory Smigel is a tiny kid with a big leg. His ball gets in the air quickly, and in the difficult-to-gauge environment of the indoor practice facility, showed good accuracy from 40 yards-in. Sophomore Jonah Wieland (Hudson) also had a couple nice kicks, but had one blocked. Keyondre White and Andy Jean-Baptiste didn't play. Likewise, no Reggie Corner was seen in the secondary. Redshirt Freshman Jaylen Hooks (Warren Harding) got some reps at cornerback. Another redshirt Freshman, Rich Hall, got some reps in the secondary. Physically, Hall looks like he can step in and play immediately. In scrimmage situations, Kato gets the "first team" reps. As of March 16th, Robbie Kelly seems to be the leading candidate for the #2 QB position. @Dr Z mentioned Kelvon Blackmon as a player who tried-out as a walk on and was given a roster spot. Another is 5' 6" 165 lb Brandon Lee. Brandon played WR last week, this week he was in the backfield. He's REALLY tiny, and REALLY fast. It will be interesting to see if he can find his way on to the playing field this upcoming season. Liking what I've seen from Bubba Arslanian at LB thus far. He's a strong kid with a nose for the ball. He runs all his drills with great technique, and at high speed. Yet another guy that will be fun to chronicle once the tackling begins (all drills and scrimmage situations thus far are non-contact). It was nice to see so many high school kids attending the practice. The Ignatius HC and Maple Heights HC were there. Probably also several HC's that I didn't recognize.
    3 points
  4. Just because we don't make it our lives' missions to be the Eeyores of ZipsNation and P!$$ and moan to the point that we're virtually unreadable does not mean we're fine with the status of the MAC.
    3 points
  5. Well that answers that. This might be a blessing in disguise. I am very thankful Utomi decided to stick around post-Dambrot. However, based on who we have been offering, I don't think Utomi was the right fit for Groce's offense and I think we have the potential now to open the offense even more. A lot of board members' projected depth charts had question marks at the backup PG position - go get one.
    2 points
  6. I wish Utomi the best of luck wherever he ends up. I'm sure when he committed to Akron in 2015 he wasn't expecting a coaching change and a complete team rebuild. I hope wherever he ends he has an opportunity to make it to the big dance.
    2 points
  7. This should come as no surprise. Toledo, despite their record and second place finish in the MAC, is given an NIT berth but will have to go on the road. Does the NIT ever put the MAC in position to play at home in the first round? ... the eyes are always on the NCAA tourney and how the MAC never seems to get two in but if you look at where the NIT seeds MAC teams or omits them I think that committee is probably even worse
    2 points
  8. A couple of things I noticed from yesterday's practice. Practice is so up tempo and organized. I am amazed at how smooth and quick everything seems to run with coach Arth being in his first year. Coach Arth is very hands on. I see him running defensive routes while teaching receivers how to get out of their breaks, I see him teaching defensive players hand technique. He distributes his time all over the practice field. You can actually see how much he enjoys the teaching process. I’m starting to believe the "we are going to keep local kids local." It was junior day yesterday, I have never seen so many high school kids and coaches at a practice. They gave everyone a presentation on a big screen after practice. Coach Arth is not going to get out worked. I was told Kelvon Blackmon is new (walk on) to the roster. I saw Wofley and Alce make nice one hand catches on swing pass out of the backfield. I can't see why both won't play a part in any offense that the Zips run. For those that like the 3-4 defense, I can see the versatility that some on this roster have to offer in the scheme. Lots of different players rushing the QB from different angles. It seems like this scheme has the ability to pressure a QB with athletic ability and confusion. A sidelined Keyondre White and Deltron Sands gave Devanier Floyd a chance to run the ball, he sure was shifty in the open field. If I’m a QB, one of the first things I do when I get to line, is find #1 on defense, he still has the uncanny ability to get his hands on the ball. I thought Kato and Rob looked good many times today. Some quick decisions were being made in the seven on seven drills. I'm sorry to say I will be out of town for the spring game, I am depending on some good ZipNation reports to catch me up. I think ZipsNation will enjoy watching these guys. The buzz around practice is that the players are very excited about the staff, and have enjoyed #OurWay thus far.
    2 points
  9. Here are some photos from this morning.
    1 point
  10. You might want to look at how many players have transferred out of Duquesne since KD got there. Nature of the beast in a transition period. KD left on his own, was the highest paid coach in the MAC, and might as well have had a lifetime contract. Enough with acting like it was Williams' fault.
    1 point
  11. We Homers gather on Thursday nights to provide fellowship and support through a 12 step program. Remember, admitting it is half the battle.
    1 point
  12. What Captain said about the new staff is so true. I had a chance to interact with several of the coaches (and players) when they volunteered as timers at the MAC Swimming and Diving Championships last month and they are great - young, enthusiastic, seem to be already liked and respected by the players who were there. Great attitudes, great senses of humor....
    1 point
  13. Always been a big fan of Utomi, but I can admit he didn't step up the way I thought he would this year. Still hurts. I hope we get some good news, and soon. Tough to feel good about our program when we are losing likely our best player.
    1 point
  14. As I pondered next year's lineup, I often saw him ideally as a 6th man, instant offense kind of guy. Not diminishing his loss by any stretch. He will be missed. Kudos to him for sticking it out when others left and his dedication in hitting the weightroom. Good luck to him.
    1 point
  15. Walker is 32 points away from becoming Kent's all-time leading scorer. I'm guessing that played a big part in why they're continuing their season.
    1 point
  16. This has degenerated to silliness.
    1 point
  17. West Virginia's main conference (Big 12) does not sponsor men's soccer... The SEC also does not have men's soccer, hence Kentucky previously being in the MAC as well. Would have taken you 5 seconds to look up.
    1 point
  18. Do you really think that a 17,000 student university belongs in a conference with schools whose largest enrollment is 4,000? None of them even has an athletic facility that seats over 3,000. I get that the MAC is an issue but do we really want the entire athletic program to just throw in the towel?
    1 point
  19. I see people are still trying to argue with dre. Gonna start ignoring you people too
    1 point
  20. You can't pick and choose your conference by sport. Where your basketball program is where your olympic sports need to be. The lone exception is if your conference doesn't sponsor a sport then it can join another conference for that sport as an affiiliate. C-USA basketball has gone way downhill since Memphis got poached. Hell pretty much the only way to watch any the games is via facebook watch. They have next to no national tv games. Even calling it a lateral move would be generous.
    1 point
  21. Arizona State -St. Johns winner vs. Buffalo in Tulsa, OK, approx. 4:00pm Friday TNT Toledo at Xavier in the NIT, 7;00pm Wednesday ESPN3 Central Michigan at DePaul in the CBI, 8:00pm Wednesday PCCC at Louisiana-Monroe in the CiT, 8:00pm Thursday
    1 point
  22. Oh how dare anyone speak out and bring attention to the blatant disparity we have been a victim of for decades.
    1 point
  23. Maybe we need to drop to a lower conference we can dominate.
    1 point
  24. FINALLY someone who understands
    1 point
  25. Toledo Net ranking #62 does not get in 25-7 Arizona State #63 22-10 in St. Johns Net #73 21-12 IN MAC Conf is bullshit. Total bullshit.
    1 point
  26. Sounds like a good (bad) way to lose good track coaches.
    1 point
  27. Congrats on finally admitting you're a Dambrot fan and not a Zips fan.
    1 point
  28. Well it's a good thing your Dukes of Duquesne are in the A10. You don't have to deal with the MAC.
    1 point
  29. They got an at-large because VCU failed to win their conference tournament. The same would have been true for the MAC had Buffalo lost to CMU or BG. Both conferences had 1 at-large caliber team. If you don't believe me, just look at Buffalo's seed compared to VCU, dumbass.
    1 point
  30. Family Guy AND Old School references in one thread? Dude, you're on fire.
    1 point
  31. I'm rooting for John Groce to succeed because I love UA and I love Zips basketball. I didn't think he was the right choice when they hired him. I don't think he's a bad coach, I just don't think he's a good coach. My fear is that we'll see a whole bunch of years of +/- 3 games of .500 ball. A bunch of 5th through 9th seeds in the MAC tournament. Maybe a good year where we get hot and win the MAC and maybe win a game in the Dance. Maybe. I don't know... I don't know if we'll have time. Next year is a very important year for John Groce to prove me and some others wrong. He will have a full and healthy roster of mostly his guys. He also has some serious leg work in recruiting because following 2019-20, we lose 7 guys (barring offseason transfers out).
    1 point
  32. I think the Toledo Rockets are on a downward spiral to Hell much more than this thread is.
    1 point
  33. Positives... Legitimate growth from several players, including Cheese and Riak Defense wins championships, and we were one of the best defensive teams in the country. I fully expect that to be our mantra moving forward, with the ultimate success coming once we improve offensively. Lots of close losses, which challenged us in a year we can afford to be challenged. Hopefully those close games plant the seed to flip those results going forward. Effort. This team never gave up, and I hope that's also a staple going forward. Fundamentals. You can see them for the first time in a long, long while. Help defense, rotating, ball movement, crashing the boards (at times), movement off the ball, foul shots, etc. We stomped teams like OU, Kent, Miami, BG. We learned the term "teamism". Everyone but Ivey returns next year. That's HUGE. We got back to The Q and got a bunch of "rookies" experience in that cavernous arena. We gave Buffalo 2 of the toughest games they had all season. Close performances against Clemson, Illinois State, and Nevada. Winning record in year 2, despite a lot of roster turnover in the off-season. Negatives... Shot-making. Mental lapses at times, especially from our leaders like LCJ, Ivey, and Utomi. Making baskets. Scoring. Putting the ball in the hoop. Putting points on the board. Scoring more than the opponent. Shooting. Finishing buckets. In my opinion, this season became the true foundation for the Akron program under Groce. I'm still wondering who he is expecting to leave based on us still offering scholarships for the 2019 class, but the bulk of this roster will be back, and I'm excited. X. Williams should be a huge addition, along with a few of the freshman and the JUCO guard coming in. Buffalo graduates the most successful class class in MAC regular season history, which includes Massinburg, Caruthers, Harris, Perkins, and McRae. The MAC will be ripe for the taking. Can't State is stuck with their average clown, OU will have a new coach, Miami has a bunch of question marks, BG might return back to earth, Balls graduates a lot, EMU graduates a lot. I don't understand the shockingly quick sky-is-falling mentality on this board. Dambrot left; he's now in the A10, losing in the first round over there. We haven't made the Tourney since 2013, and now have a coach with historic post-season success in the MAC. Have faith, and watch the details of the game. The foundation for success is there. Go Zips!
    1 point
  34. Hey now ... what about me?
    1 point
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