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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.

Young, Mahaffey, and? Sad part is, Groce has the money to grab who he wants. We were going to be a younger team next year as it was. I have to imagine a few players leave, to Charleston or elsewhere. Maybe opens up the opportunity for a reload rather than a down year.

Mahaffey and Young have a chance to develop into two of the best Zips ever if they stay. Hopefully part of the reason we kept Ford was to make sure that happened.

I like it. From the few brief conversations I've had with our new coach and the former. I like the new coach more. I hope we are able to retain 3 players in particular. Let's make the climb. Go Zips. Fear the Roo.

We know from earlier in the thread he has LCJ's endorsement. If he, a few years removed from the program, basically says "Hey Dustin Ford should get this job," that's pretty telling and a pretty meaningful endorsement. Clearly Ford had an impact on maybe a top 10 or 20 all-time Zip. The "career assistant coach" thing doesn't bother me. Everyone has to start off and put in years as an assistant coach, obviously. There's no reason to think "He's been an assistant coach for too long, therefore he can't be a good head coach."

I'm not happy about what has happened today. But Zips alum have come out with resounding excitement about Ford getting the job. Even guys like Romeo Travis, who never played for him. That gives me some hope. Miami and Kent fans are doing victory laps right now. Hopefully we can shut them up next season.

I thought the same thing of Embick for men's soccer. I thought they should've hired UA alum and highly successful Coastal Carolina coach, Shaun Docking. In any case, it played out the way it did, and Embick has done an amazing job. I hope Dustin Ford is the right assistant in the same way Embick was.

While it remains to be seen on what Ford does as a Coach. We, as Fans have to look what he does off the Court in the Off Season and what he does putting together as a Team First and how he Coaches during the Season(At Least Three at Min).

Akron is in a great spot to be aggressive, or not. The website shows Ford as the Head Coach. Akron is the gold standard for MAC basketball and I'm not sure a career assistant is the right person.

And the bball managers are headed to the Final Four I believe

E-sports! 📺💪🏽

See my comments a few pages back.

See my comment a few pages back.

Would be surprised if there is a mass exodus.

I just had to do that.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Eric M left. Either to follow Groce or a school closer to cincy to be close to his father. we have to retain Young!!

Same. @Captain Kangaroo Can we please rid the site of a reactions limit? Haha

I do like using my likes. 👍

I wish I could be this optimistic. The thing about "culture" as you describe it, is it not inherent. It takes work to not just build it, but maintain it. I am reminded of when I had a job as an opinion pollster for political candidates (Peter Hart Research, to be exact, who used to operate a phone bank in the Springfield/Lakemore area. I worked there). One question that we asked people a lot was this: Who does a better job of representing Hoosier values (if working on a statewide Indiana race in this example)? Candidate A or Candidate B? That question always rankled me. WTF are Hoosier values? It's a meaningless phrase, an unholy alliance of marketing and politicking. It's not a thing. You think humility, community, hard work, whatever the F, are unique to being Indianan? Almost everyone thinks of their state/community/tribe/however-you-want-to-demographic-it in this way! We have been very, VERY fortunate to have had as much success as we had under Dambrot and Groce. But there's nothing in the air that made those things happen. Akron is not special - no place is in and of itself, really, is my point. We have no inherent advantages. It worked because we had two damn good coaches. And if we don't hire a damn good coach to replace Groce, there's no parachute that prevents us from becoming a directional Michigan on the basketball court. I'm not all gloom and doom here. Obviously, if Ford becomes the new coach, that will help with stability, continuity, and make us less likely to crater. Even if we have a full on regime change, that doesn't mean it will fail. But let's not kid ourselves into thinking there's something in the water that makes "the culture around Akron basketball is a good one" and makes us immune from crashing out. Culture didn't build our success, people did.

Top dodgeball school too!!

Akron is still the talk of Rocket League!

😂 Edit: had to leave this because I'm coincidentally out of reactions.