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I'm not sure if the women’s team still does this, but they used to schedule one or two games during the school day and fill the arena with kids. It was a great way to boost attendance. That’s exactly what the men’s team should do during the December lull, when students are off campus and we’re stuck with the inevitable Hiram/Walsh/University of Phoenix-type matchup. Most regular fans have little interest in those games, so there’s no reason to let average attendance take a hit. We also need to leverage concessions to help drive attendance. At every level, teams are creating unique food offerings that fans attend specifically to try. These items often go viral and create a sense of FOMO. We should get creative with options like ice cream bowls, loaded fries, or other items served in 3-peat crowns. We also have a great business school, so let’s tap into marketing students’ creativity to help develop and promote these ideas. Concessions should vary from game-to-game as well. For example, the MAC home opener could become an annual “MAC Night,” featuring mac and cheese flights. This could also serve as a contest for local restaurants to participate and showcase their offerings, and potentially leading to additional NIL. Whenever games are flexed to Friday night, we can brand it as “Fryday Night” and offer a fun, over-the-top fried menu with items like Oreos, Reese’s, and more. The goal is to make concessions part of the experience, not just an afterthought.

My perception, limited as it is, is that UA has a little bit of a branding problem. My daughter was there during the Dambrot years and being from VA didn’t have the ability to go home everyday or the weekends. The place was pretty much dead on the weekends. If the local kids only see UA as a convenient way to get a degree vs a true college experience it’s unlikely they attend many games. If you didn’t go as a student it’s unlikely you bring your family back as an adult. With 20k student around at anytime and probably 100k alums around Akron it’s crazy the JAR isn’t mostly full every game….its only 4% of the potential fan base. I love Akron (much better than Charleston🤣) and my daughter loves UA. If we are within a couple hours on game day we go…unfortunately it’s not often enough.

There are teams in the CAA that aren't any better than the directionals in the MAC. The CAA is also a 1 bid league. CoC is averaging more fans now than when their arena opened 15-20 years ago. Obviously they have done something to improve the experience. Edit: They've also been the only show in town for many years. That wouldn't explain why their attendance improved while ours regressed.

Zips fans show up when it counts. Kent games, Cleveland, etc. They don't care about directional Michigan schools coming to the JAR in the middle of December because those games don't really matter in the grand scheme of things. In Charleston their basketball team is really the only show in town and they have a much nicer arena. Everyone there probably goes all-in on the basketball team. Whereas in NE Ohio we have pro sports down the road in Cleveland, as well as two MAC schools splitting the region.

Not really meaning to pour any salt on wounds. Someone mentioned CoC attendance in a previous post so I looked. If you go back 15 years they were averaging 3,400 fans, similar to us during the later Dambrot years, and that was with them having a relatively new arena. Fast forward 15 years and they're now on a 39 game sell-out streak, meanwhile our attendance has catered to ~2200. I do think it would be worthwhile for the Zips athletic department to maybe take a look at what factors maybe helped improve CoC numbers at a time when attendance is shrinking most places. Perhaps see if there is anything they've done to engage the community or improve the gameday experience that is transferable.

💯😓👍

Okay, okay, you can keep the bobblehead!

I snapped this photo of Groce during warmups prior to the MAC Championship game. He sat alone for most of it, watching his players, but also looking around a bit, seeming to take it all in. Maybe he has done this before other games and I missed it, but he seemed to be different. I even told my wife it looked like a man who knew this was his last time playing Saturday in Cleveland.

Second time today I'm going to ask for unlimited reactions lol.

Shouldn't be complete turnover.

BANG!

Thanks, I am sure we will learn more as this plays out. I was on a flight wearing a Zips hat right after Cleveland and I spoke to a guy who saw my hat and he indicated that he was friends with Groce and helped with the recruiting of Oggie. I now wish I had gotten that guys number. He was very nice and we talked Zips basketball and he had the highest admiration for Groce.

Search? What search? 😉

Gather in friends, we secured our first commit of the Ford era.

Remember you asked for this… Nine years ago I came onto this forum and expressed to you all just how good of a coach you were getting in John Groce. And an even better person in my opinion. At that time you were dealing with the departure of KD and I couldn’t say goodbye to a guy I grew fond of as the coach of the Fighting Illini. I really thought he would get Akron that first NCAAT win. I know the landscape of the game completely changed during his tenure, but I sure wish he could have achieved that ultimate goal. UCLA was the game, damn we were so close. As a guy who grew up in Illinois within a couple of hours of Chicago I support my local pro teams. I support U of Illinois. My alma mater is Illinois State and they stick their head up every once in a great while. Pretty basic regional loyalty stuff. Here is the great twist as I have gotten older. I have adopted teams into my fandom that are based on affinity. I don’t know Groce personally. I just connected with him on some level and that led me to Akron. And I will probably check in on him at Charleston too. It might be harder because I can’t find a legitimate fan forum for the College of Charleston cougars. It’s still so hard for me to believe he’s gone. Anyway, I have also adopted Ole Miss due to a road trip from Illinois to Florida. They are now my SEC team. The sleepy little town of Oxford fits my personality so well and I enjoyed talking to the people during my short visit. I need to get back down there. All of this is to say people and relationships is what matters most to me. Zips Nation, you all matter to me. I have spent so much time on this forum and have never met any of you in person. Is that silly, pathetic? Perhaps. But you are still my friends. We have experienced so many highs and lows together. So I’m not looking to go anywhere. Now my positive feelings towards the new head coach are a plus. I met both Groce and Ford years ago when the Zips played at NIU. Ford was very personable and gave generously of his time. I think his hire while not a sure thing is a wise decision and I will be pulling for his success just the same. I will still be putting together the scholarship chart and if I win it big one day I will still build Joe and Jane Akron a new basketball arena with the best concessions. Thanks for the good times. And here’s to many more to come!! Go Zips!!

Maybe it was a mutual change of scenery situation. Groce was happy, UA was happy, but maybe both sides decided it was time to try something different? I'm probably just trying to make myself feel better. 3 MAC championships in a row is awesome, but 3 tourney losses in a row have been heartbreaking. Will Ford be a better coach? Doubtful. Will Groce win more games at Charleston? Maybe. But I think both sides saw the ceiling. If a big school saw our results, their coach probably would have been fired after the tournament losses.

I'm not privy to any inside knowledge, but I saw this post by Sam Amico on 330togo facebook page. I'm thinking Utah was maybe Utah State as that Utah job was never open.

I know there are a few people on this board with some inside information. I would like to know why Groce made the decision to leave Akron which is at best is a lateral move. Was it for more money, more money for players, a realization that he could not win a tourney game coaching Akron? Or was it to give Ford an opportunity to coach and move into the limelight. Just curious to see why Groce made the move since he always seemed to like the area and program.

Any initial feelings on the staff?

OG. Like to have Bo back also if the rumor is true.

If we can afford to keep players like Enrique (even with the discount I’m sure he gave us) and Tavari, I hope we can keep anyone who is slated to come back next year. Another positive - we didn’t have to waste six figures on a customary “search firm”. We do need to start making our buyouts bigger though. We got peanuts when both KD and Groce left. Charleston got 1.3 million plus a home and home with a bettter program, and I don’t think they were paying Mack THAT much more. We should be sitting pretty with a solid extra war chest close to 7 figures.

Enough to win the MAC a few times 👍 Any coach will go as the money goes nowadays.

Groce left on good terms. I don't see him actively poaching any players. If anyone follows him it will likely be because they were going to enter the portal anyway and we couldn't afford their asking price.