RoyalBlu

Word on the street - not a personal observation - is the big African is the real deal, OFFENSIVELY, which would certainly add a new element to Groce's offense since I can't remember him ever having a solid offensive post player at OU or Akron - though he did have one at Illinois. Have also heard some ??? things about a couple of other players but won't share those until I see for myself (or hear directly from coaches).

Freeman's numbers should tic up a bit both scoring and rebounding but not at the expense of his incredible defense ... scoring is relative. This team will score. It may not 'shoot' like some people hope, but I have no doubt this team will 'score'. ... Seed? A pumpkin seed for Cinderella.???

Also note ... Zips only play UB once, Feb 1 at home!!! (UB only plays Akron once and OU once)????

Only one rivalry game (BG-Toledo) to end the regular season. No OU-Miami, No Akron-Kent, No Western-Central???? All of those were great TV games no matter what. (Especially Akron-Kent). Why screw that up???

A non D1 game I would suspect ... vs. a 'closed' scrimmage or home exhibition.

All these FB coaches (Arth included) are micro-managing people to the nth degree. To sound like all of this was above him and out of his control is ridiculous. Simply put, the players quite likely came to him (and Bowden) first and said their scholarship $$$ had not come through yet. What do I do? The coaches quite likely then sent the players to their neighborhood 'fixer.' ... I mean really. This is SEC/Ohio State football 101.

Comme ci, Comme ca. This can be looked at two ways, considering his base salary: 1) At Kent, you get what you pay for, considering, I believe, most base salaries in the MAC are over $300,000. ... Or, 2) RS is hitting above his weight considering his overall record, MAC overall record and vs. Akron record combined. The guy still hasn't had a losing record overall or in MAC or a losing season overall, or in the MAC even w/losing slate to Akron... and does have 1 NCAA appearance. His non-con schedules aren't overly daunting, but still competitive and (sans the last few Groce years) arguably better than the KD years. Definitely say true Zips fans would take Groce over RS, and Ohio fans would take Boals over RS, but judging from the cries on the UB board, and Toledo board and BG board about their coaches, one would suspect RS would get strong (but not unanimous) consideration as a replacement at those stops, much less the rest of the league. Like I said, Comme ci, comme sa. In the end Kent is getting what it pays for, RS is overall hitting above its weight ... but he still struggles to compare/compete with the Zips.

Just don't think it's a good look for the league, even as pragmatically, I understand it: Kid wants to transfer but still stay close to home. The MAC is fertile ground for that. Top NIU player jumps to Ball State due to a coaching change ... understandable; Front line Ball State player, a grad transfer, goes to Akron ... would hope there is honor among thieves so to speak and this was above board (all parties on both sides aware from start to finish) so while it doesn't look good, it goes down smooth ... Latest has backup KSU center (in line to start) going to Bowling Green where incumbent C remains and recent post transfer has arrived??? No coaching change on either side, no grad transfer, but AAU/HS coach at BG is now the conduit. Even if it is Kent, still doesn't sit/smell right. And remember this is the first few weeks after this rule was announced. What happens going forward after a year or two. Far Flung power conferences can do this with little bad feelings, but in a league tightly bunched like the MAC - most teams 200-miles or less from each other - I think this has the potential for some very bad outcomes both on the court and off ...

Inside that winning percentage are NCAA Tournament stops/wins at Kent State, Arkansas and South Florida. Without looking it up, I'm guessing Heath and Groce have the most NCAA Tournament wins for a current coach in the MAC, by far. (And Groce's overall winning percentage prior to the last 2 years was not that great, either). Look for EMU to be a solid MAC team, not reliant on being the only team in the league playing zone to steal an extra win or two. Actually, the MAC is starting to become as diverse as it was when Heath was first down the road. Back then (2002) with him, Charlie at Miami, Joplin at Toledo, McCallum at Ball, Drake at CMU, 'Spoon at Buffalo MAC was arguably the most diverse conference in the country. And that was arguably when the league was at its best for overall talent. Just sayin.

Kid was a solid MM recruit out of high school w/pure PG skills but as numbers show at the Big East level just barely a double-digit scorer. A 'pass-first' or 'program' PG is often the terms used but should be a bit better than that in the MAC. This indicates Groce is looking to have some high-scoring wings and perhaps a big number 4-man to go with him.

Don't laugh ... Hawkins actually makes a lot of sense. His teams (when healthy) were actually pretty solid MAC teams. Like most everyone else, his teams were hit hard by transfers over the last 10 years. He's a solid coach.

Mexico!!! ... Hmmm. Now what can you do after practice/game in Mexico???

Anybody else notice Marshall is on the Verbal Commits transfer board. ... Curious. He seemed like a nice piece going forward, especially with getting the extra year.

This link says he was recruited as a stretch 4 ... and his game transitioned to a stretch 5 w/back-to-the-basket skills. ... If true, then he should have been a VALUABLE backup at the least at PF and C. But he wasn't. Something does not compute. Didn't see enough on the court to make a judgement either way. Where he winds up will likely say a lot about what kind of player he really is.