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Ding ding ding ding! Hit the nail on the head. KD found 2 big guys that contributed well - Zeke & Big Dog. He also had a system he could sell to them (by the way, we never made it to the NCAA Tourney with Big Dog). Groce has a system predicated around getting out and running, as well as off the ball movement in the half-court. It's not an easy sell to big guys whom are used to camping underneath the hoop and backing down their defenders. I think your timetable for the turnaround is completely unrealistic if you're only giving him two years. This program was left in worse condition than I think many of us realized when KD bolted. This roster is looking better and better with each off-season, though, and that's a positive. I know you have a Big Man fetish, but guard-dominated basketball wins not only in the MAC, but at the NCAA Tourney level as well. When's the last time we talked about a mid-major making a run with a big man leading the way? The majority, if not all of the "Cinderella" runs by mid-majors are led by guards. I'm looking at this roster, and thinking "Man, this has all the ingredients to be good." Xeyrius Williams & Sayles are your athletic front-court guys (assuming Sayles doesn't transfer). Riak is your big man. Then your backcourt & forwards (small forwards, traditionally) are all in the 6'2"-6'7" range, which is quite tall and not something we're used to (minus LCJ). This team is going to get out and run teams out of the gym, if they can execute the game plan properly and make their shots (that's the biggest factor). There are a few pieces I'm interested to see how they fit (Ali & Roscoe are the big 2), but otherwise I'm very intrigued. And can we quit railing on these 1-2 year transfers? Pro sports teams sign vets to 1 year contracts all the time to bring experience into the clubhouse/locker room. If they can play, even better. We have to stop the bleeding and rebuild the culture, though, and I have nothing against a couple 1-2 year players. Groce is at least even with the curve when it comes to the ever-changing & moving landscape of college basketball.

Looks like we/UMass BB will be playing a game at Akron. From our AD. Ryan Bamford‏Verified account @UMassADBamford FollowingFollowing @UMassADBamford Ryan Bamford Retweeted Curry Hicks Sage I’ll save you the suspense...at Akron, at Harvard and home vs Maine are other three for 13 total. Non-conf schedule with dates coming by week’s end. extra detail: #FightMassachusetts‏ @FightMA247 2h2 hours ago #FightMassachusetts Retweeted Ryan Bamford H+H with Akron was another set that came in conjunction with a football series. The gridiron games start this year as well with #UMass hosting. #Minutemen hoop should host Akron next season or the year after to complete that H+H

St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island, and St. Joe's are all bigger basketball brands than Akron, but none of them are big enough that I'd say we'd have no chance of beating out for a recruit. In fact, to improve in the college basketball landscape these are the type of programs we need to beat out in recruiting battles to move up.

If the value of a specific school's degree had any role in the mindset of 17 and 18 year old basketball recruits, the Ivy League would leapfrog the ACC, SEC and Big 10.

Scouting Jets UDFA Kyron Brown

I see Zeke is no longer a 7 footer!!! https://www.thenighthawks.ca/player2fiba?playerid=1174497

We were in those games in large part because Riak was the leader and anchor of a top 25 defense. He's also as I understand it set to be a senior with Reece and Sayles both being juniors. You're right that bigs take some time to develop that's why we need at least one this class that way they have a year to develop behind Reece and Sayles.

Welcome AkronAlumnus! Glad you are now on our board. I don't know who will be next season's starting five, but I do know Williams will be one of them. A member of the basketball staff told me in the spring that Williams was the best player on the team last season even though he could not play. he was described as head and shoulders better than anyone else. It's taking time, perhaps too much for some, but this team, and program, is coming together and will be better next season. Keep the posts coming.

Greetings, I am new to the site, I was wondering who you guys think will be in the starting lineup next season in addition, where do you think players like Toles and Williams will fit in since we have little to no in-game footage to truly evaluate their talent?

says 4 ⭐️ RB out of Michigan

No academic powerhouses so I guess we have a chance huh?

6 shutout innings yesterday

He has another son (step) that plays football, but unfortunately has not been able to link up with the football staff @akron. He is currently at New Mexico Military Institute and will start there next season playing safety. He too earned Arizona AIA, Class 5A All-Conference honors as a defensive back during senior season...recorded 33 tackles with three passes defended, one interception for 84 yards and one fumble recovery while helping team to 10-3 and Class 5A semifinal playoffs...also a state track qualifier as a junior in the 4x100 meter relay. After this year he would love the opportunity to play at Akron. http://www.hudl.com/v/2BFhtL

In the good old days, when they made tires in Akron, one good thing about the rubber workers occasional strikes was that it gave all the mayors of West Virginia towns an opportunity to go home and visit. Incredibly few D1 basketball programs can brag about the academic excellence of their institutions or their players with a straight face. (Really old story warning) As coach of one of the final four teams in the big dance, Al Mcquire was asked why he started Bill Neary instead of Bernard Toone. Al said, "Well, Bill is a straight A student in accounting and with him in the lineup it raises the accum of the starting 5 up to a D - ." Students at Marquette told me one either had to be a really good student or a really good basketball p[layer to be adnitted.

It’s the MAC. Going into the year 2020. You no longer need to play two 7 footers to win basketball games it’s not 1989. Size is still important but why not go after 6’6 - 6’9 athletic forwards who can rebound, space the floor, run and not clog up the lane. No team in the MAC is going to have 2 dominant bigs. We have guard play. If we can defend and protect the rim we’ll be fine.

Trimble has to sit a year. Tribble is immediately eligible. Confusing, I know! Lol

Hmmm. I would be very interested in seeing Northern Iowa join the MAC.

Speaking of the roster, I've updated the chart (except for assumed walk-ons) based on everything we know and it seems like we have 4 open scholly's. The program now announcing walk ons that get put on scholarship (see Muldowney and Boogie - though I/we already guessed that was going to happen) makes this a little easier and more accurate. I hope there are some transfers with immediate eligibility in the pipeline to supplement holes on this year's team. Note - Wooldridge is on here for now as he is still listed on the roster. 94zipgrad may know something we don't, though. I finally got around to updating the colors on it as well 😀 Zips Football Scholarship Chart.xlsx

It's not their fault. I've said for a long time, the farther south I go, the smarter I get.

new offer! Kenneth Lofton Jr! aka Kenny Lofton's son!!! unconfirmed! 6-6 PF 225# Port Arthur TX Port Arthur Memorial HS 2 Star recruit Gonna wear #7

I remember that tournament game against OSU where he was getting beat up and eventually got hurt. Still makes me mad.

According to this we're going to be in the Global Sports Classic. It's a 5 team field, however, only 3 teams have been selected thus far (Akron, Louisville, and NC Central). https://www.bloggingthebracket.com/2018/10/24/18020280/2019-20-college-basketball-early-season-tournaments-events-mte-neutral-site-showcases-thanksgiving

Another early commit with P5 offers 💪😎 Nine verbal commitments and counting...

Not conceding a damn thing. Just being rational enough to realize that no team duplicates the two of the best players in its history on a regular basis. KD recruited 2 of them in 16 years, yet we're to expect Groce to get them every year? The staff has a duty to turn over every rock and try to get every talented player that can help the team but the reality is that quality big men don't grow on trees.

We've offered another big Andre Screen, 6-11, 240, C, St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School, Alexandria, VA. (Did I mention him already? I'm too rushed to look.) Also has offers from St. Bonaventure, Mount St. Mary's, Howard, Bucknell, Lehigh, George Mason, LaSalle, Rhode Island, St. Joe's, Fairfield, Boston U., James Madison, Towson, and Columbia.

Agree with you here..Cheese or LCJ. Cheese finished the season strong and if LCJ can put it together on a more consistent basis, he could be that guy as well. Xeryius would be my sleeper to throw in.

I think a big problem with the Zips is the city of Akron is drawn into the Cleveland television market, and force-fed a continuous stream of Browns/Indians?Cavs propoganda (come spend money on us). Akron is the largest city in the US without it's own television news. In this multimedia generation Akron has become a suburb. I've never been to Ft. Worth or St. Paul, but I wonder if they have the same identity crisis. Or Bowling Green for that matter. A few miles away, we also have the marketing machine of the NFL and the Pittsburgh Steelers at play. I never figured out why there are so many Steelers fans in Canton. When I started working there, I realized if you live south or east of Canton, the Steelers are your home team. Add to that the marketing machine and the legacy of Ohio State being the state's official college team does not help. When you're shamed at your own D1 school for not being a Buckeye Honk, you understand why the students look down on their own university. The Zips have an identity crisis. I don't know how to get past that.

Having not seen any of our newcomers play, I'm with you. Cheese is aggressive and has a knack for putting the ball in the bucket. LCJ is streaky, but when he's on he's one of the more difficult-to-guard players in the MAC. If Banks can regain confidence in his 3-point shot he's going to be a strong #3. Being a local product, I'm looking forward to watching LePear Toles. He's a very good all-around player. He just occasionally lacks self-confidence. But once he grows accustomed to the speed of the D-1 game, I think he's going to be a real asset. He can handle the ball & in high school was known for his 3-point stroke.

https://gozips.com/news/2019/6/28/mens-soccer-zips-in-the-pros-june-2019.aspx I have been too busy to keep up with Marcel and others. Glad to see that Marcel has played in 7 games Zip_ME87....I love the Teal and Joao photo

"Bigs" do tend to take more time to develop typically, so maybe grabbing a player with 2-4 years of experience already is the better move? Here's what I do know. We were in nearly every single game last year with only one guy above 6'9" (Sayles was hurt most of the season). Our losses came from not being able to score/make jump shots at a consistent rate. If there's a concerted effort to fix that, I'll be very happy and will worry about the "bigs" later on.

He's played in it multiple seasons. I think he may still be playing. If you can't tell, I am still recovering from my frustration from the "Harney years."

Sayles athletic front court guy? His first year he showed some flashes of being good but rarely showed any athleticism and last year he was very passive when he played before he got injured. I really hope his third year will be better and injury free but he is a big question mark. One person on this board has him as transferring which makes no sense this late in the process. I like your optimism and I hope that you are right but essentially this is the 3rd year under Groce with a substantially new roster. I would still like to know who will be our 13 scholarship players.

Oh good lord I forgot we have a Tribble and a Trimble

Welcome Alumnus!! I see Toles playing either shooting guard or wing depending on the line-up and opponent. Likely coming off the bench. And Williams is a natural wing. A very tall wing, who I expect to start and play some Stretch 4 as well. If I had to roll the ball out on the court right now I am starting LCJ, Banks, Cheese, Williams and Riak. Mostly because of their experience with the system and defensive rotations. But I think this is going to be a very competitive off-season and the maturation of these young guys is going to keep the line-up in play all season long. I see Reece, Tribble and Dawson especially pushing for playing time early on.

Groce doesn't want to play a game with a big man slowing things down. That's okay

I'm as lost as anybody, but K-lac was capable of fouling out of the game by the first TV time out. I do agree with your larger point however.

Yeah. I understand the game is changing and "Small Ball" and what not. But I'm also scratching my head a bit.

Sayles and McIntyre are still with the team. McIntyre is a walk on. Walters is also back as a walk on.

committed to Princeton

And another @LZIp called this one earlier in the week!

Top 4 candidates for steal of the Steelers draft according to Curt Popejoy. Everyone knows about the big names from the Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 NFL draft. But who will be the steal from this class? Here are our four top candidates. LB Ulysees Gilbert III If we were ranking these guys, Gilbert might be our top choice. Despite being a sixth-round pick, Gilbert is in a position on the Steelers to have a rookie impact on special teams as well as a sub-package linebacker. His speed and athleticism make him a candidate to play inside and outside and with the Steelers depth at linebacker, we could see him on the field early.

His donations are one thing, but the meteoric rise of LeafFilter looks good for Akron as a whole. It has great company reviews when it comes to its employees. Him in the public eye with the football team and University as a whole is a positive for a school with quite a few black eyes in recent years.

Matt Kaulig is a phenomenal ambassador for the program.

I'd go home-and-home with YSU if that's what it took to get the rivalry going. A 48 mile road trip every other year? Hit the restaurants and/or casino on the way back. Sign me up.

Looks like last year's offense- lots of effort but too little movement! Sorry, couldn't help myself. GO ZIPS!

It would reduce expenses some, but the revenue loss would probably meet or exceed the expense savings. Akron is going to have to continue paying ~$4.3 million for Infocision per year for the next 20 years regardless of if they stay FBS, drop down to FCS, or disband football altogether. Dropping out of FBS means we're likely to be booted out of the MAC. That means we'd see an increase, not decrease in travel costs as the MAC is a pretty compact conference. We'd lose out on ~$800k in annual tv revenue. We'd miss out on ~$1.5 million per year from the college football playoff G5 distribution. P5 schools pay G5 schools ~$1.3-$1.5 for buy games. Many P5 don't schedule FCS opponents and the ones that do only pay $300k-$600k so that's another loss or reduction to a revenue source. You can also add in reduced advertising and ticket sales. I'm sure there are other things as well that I'm not accounting for. Excluding the cost of Infocision, which is a sunk cost, the football program is most likely breaking even given all the revenue sources that I mentioned above. Men's basketball and men's soccer are probably both slight money losers as well, but mostly pay for themselves. Literally every other sport plus administrative overhead costs is where the athletic program is bleeding money.

Just landed another one Nathaniel Williams, OT/DT, 6'5, 301, Newark Catholic HS, Newark, OH huld video Watching his video, he seems to move really well for an OL.