Leaderboard

Jacob Thomas, one of our student managers, wins the Internet today. He posted this on his IG.

I think one or two from this board would be fine because I'm sure a lot of our opinions would be repetitive

Yeah, I’m on a different page than many of you. I hate seeing the top talent from our conference get lured away. I want to win the MAC at its strongest.

This could’ve been prevented if Zipsnation members were on the fan council.

Zips add Tahj Staneskie. Zips entering the portal with a possibility of returning; Bowen Hardman, Sharron Young, Eric Mahaffey, Ognjen Stankovic. (Still on the chart in green) Those not likely to return; Connor Groce and Rich Brisco.

I understand most spring games are going by the wayside, but this whole thing has seemed like an absolute **** show. Kent State is doing it right and now this is supposed to be the answer? Just a few years ago they opened up the suites and had free food for everyone. How far things have fallen. I’m incredibly disappointed as I can only get up there twice a year and the spring game is one of those times. This is exactly how not to resonate with your fanbase.

The NBA has been doing it for about a decade now. Personally, I'm hoping for the Goodyear Wingfoot for 2 reasons. First, because it's an iconic Akron brand. Secondly, I think it would compliment the jersey well without being a eyesore.

I once took a whiz on a picture of Rick Pitino at the bottom of a urinal in a college bar in Lexington KY.

He played well overall. Along with the 13/7 he also had 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. His +/- of 25 led the team.

Zips Nation Insider podcast posted on IG that they'll have an interview with Coach Ford, releasing tomorrow at 6 PM on their YouTube Channel.

They wanted to get it in before the Spring Game...oh...wait.

Or our athletic department just got around to organizing it

Oggie aka the Big Stank started playing more and more hero ball when he got his runs. There were more than a couple bad 1-on-3 takes or no look passes out of bounds that had Groce just staring at him in disbelief. Bad defense and not running the offense means take a seat kid. I would have liked him to stay b/c he does have a lot of upside but the portal will tell us a lot about his true value.

Idea: teams/players should have to sign two-year contracts. If this included the redshirt year this would still give the athlete an opportunity to transfer two times in his/her career if they would so choose. Sound fair?

Ask yourself this people- If you were able to put your resume out there to see if another employer would pay you more to do the same exact job, and it wouldn't impact your current position, would you do it? That's what these kids are doing.

Ignacio Alem distinguished himself on the left wing. He was consistently dangerous on the dribble. Freshman Leo Morana also impressed with some incisive passing through the midfield. I believe he had at least one assist, depending on how you score it. But the frosh I really have my eye on is Londen Sears. Here is a mountain of raw talent! Fairly good with his right, superb with his left. He played all four years of high school, the old-fashioned way. "... a two-time All-America honoree, he was named as the Ohio Player of the Year in each of his final two campaigns...led his squad to a state title as a senior after advancing to the title game as a sophomore." If Sears plays all four years of eligibility, he will very likely have an MLS career. I will lay that bet right now! His size/speed ratio is fantastic. He is quite rough around the edges and really needs some intensive and focused development. Akron is a great place to receive that sort of attention, the program that turns red chips into blues every damn year. But what is his position? Not sure at this point.

Josh Jones, assistant coach at North Dakota State is joining Dustin's staff. Hes been at NDSU 6 years and overall has been coaching in college since 2014.

I don't know how it's going to happen yet, but I have a feeling the Akron Zips will win the MAC again next season.

I don't know about you, but I am sick and tired of the trite, sanctimonious messages athletes post when they go into the portal. They talk about God guiding them. They talk about the everlasting bonds of fellowship they have with their teammates. They thank their coaches for developing them into the men they are today. Then they leave. After great thought and consultation I'm offering this simple sample announcement: "I'm in the portal. I may come back. The most money determines what I'll do." This hits at the truth. Saves a lot of time. And eliminates hypocrisy. Please use for all future announcements as my gift to portal entrees. No charge.

The Lady Zips have now won 9 in a row and sit in 1st place with a 15-3 record in MAC play.

By God, that's Todd May's music!

His stats at previous stops were way better than any stats Sharron has put up to this point. I like Sharron and hope he can stay but there's no reason to think he's better than an incoming player who has better stats just because we like him. By the way, the Southland and Horizon League were the two conferences directly behind the MAC in conference NET Rankings last year, so it's not like he was playing at a drastically lower level for the past 3 seasons.

No argument there. The hope is if the MAC does expand to a 22 game conference schedule those would be the games eliminated. Whether it plays out that way who knows.

Here is a nice article about Malcom if you are interested. Says he has interviewed with seven teams and is projected to go anywhere from fourth round to seventh... https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/sports/2026/04/03/malcolm-dewalt-nfl-draft/89389791007/ Hope the kid makes it...

https://youtu.be/pbAkDyhEwgE?si=J0upTKHdpxgfI0Vg

Same here. I will lose much sleep.

I'm visiting Duke this weekend yet I am not on the level to play there.

I can hear it now- "I'd like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the good folks at Piggly Wiggly...."

Re: Big Stank. I have been holding off my thoughts on our former coach. Trying to let a little time heal the wounds. Coach didn't play him and he was clearly better than a few that got more minutes. Probably why he is transferring. 6'9" ball handler with offensive skills. Yes he was raw but he could of helped us.

I think Oggie's shortcomings on defense cost him time. Groce also always emphasizes how the guys practice and I suspect this did not bode well for a kid in a new country and new system. The Zips system is much more up tempo and physical when what he was likely seeing in Europe. Also, Groce's rotations tend to shrink as the season wears on and he ended up as the 10th or 11th guy in a 9 man rotation.

Speaking of

It won't happen, but I wish they would quit playing Final Four games in NFL stadiums.

I agree, I don't hold a grudge or ill will towards him for not doing it. Just assumed it would be something he would do given the length of his tenure.

This didn't age well...

This was a thorough thrashing and mostly one-sided affair.

I sure hope I don't jinx them but our women's softball team is 9-3 in conference & is leading KSUcks 10-0 after 3 💪💪

I just gift money to the collective instead in those circumstances. There is no COGS attached to my donation and I don't have extra clothing that I won't wear taking up space. Seems like a win/win. Either way your support is appreciated.

Me and Sean Penn. Union Station DC. I did not say a word to him. 🤣

Akron reportedly has reached out to USC transfer and former Robert Morris player Amarion Dickerson https://x.com/i/status/2041620452099928369

Travis Steele was named the 2026 John McLendon National Coach of the Year and his best two players with eligibility remaining are in the portal. The Akron players who are in the portal were going to enter regardless of who the coach was. It is unsettling to see your best remaining guys go portaling, but we need to let this all play out. I never judge an offeseason until it's actually complete.

New item - FTRC!! https://www.feartheroocollective.com/product-page/fear-the-roo-distressed-logo-t-shirt

This is an excellent point. Outside of a few posters that attended practices and had in depth discussion with coaches nobody was really even talking about Eric at this time last year. Now some are trying to make it sound like his departure isn't something we can recover from. There are redshirts or incoming freshman who are on the roster now that will be contributors next season. Most of Akron's success has come from player development. We will likely need to go into the portal and find a few impact players, but it's not like we need to go out there and sign an entirely new 13 player roster. With a new coach that would have been likely.

To be fair, maybe the blogger named that urinal Nemer was using "Europe."

That has nothing to do with his relationship with the Akron fans, students, and alumni who supported him for nine years, though.

Unfortunately it is going to happen every year from today, through eternity. Enrique Freeman will be known as the last great MAC player to have played his senior season at the same school where he began his Freshman season.

We only have 3 guys (one of them is Connor Groce) in the Portal at the moment. Portal doesn't open officially until tomorrow, so technically nobody can sign anywhere yet.

Nice to see Xavier Castaneda is still balling, playing pro ball in Andorra and also a member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina National squad. Always one of my favorite Zips, he could really control a game.