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Not sure where Nemer was or if this has any effect on the players, but I also heard that he was not at the QF/SF games.

Total rumor alert but..

It makes perfect sense.

💯

The direct University fund.

What is ACE?

With as many James Madison players who followed Cignetti to Indiana I can’t believe any Zips player couldn’t follow Groce if they wanted.

Roster construction is still important. UMass spent the most money in the MAC, but still finished 8th in the MAC. If you pay top dollar for a bunch of mid players that's not going to suddenly make them great. The issue is there is a lot more money out there than there are players worth spending it on. You're going to see more and more fringe P5 players, like Nate Johnson, command $1.5M+ plus. You have to spend a lot of money to contend, but just because you spend a lot of money doesn't mean you will contend. If that makes any sense.

More like still can't win a championship with one player. Get at least five of those players, and watch what happens. Buying wins is happening. That's why the past two years there have been no mid-majors to the Sweet Sixteen, and the SEC and Big Ten have dominated the NCAAT. Even the formerly mighty ACC is looking paltry.

As long as it's not Miami. Where his dad happened to play.

BYU paid 1 player $7,000,000 and got first rounded just like us. Still can't buy a championship.

The issue is nobody is going to do a damn thing until they can figure out how to not limit their financial gain with the much needed structure.

Not surprising, I read LSU has a $40 million roster for football next year. It seems about 1/3 of what gets spent on football gets spent on basketball.

I think Eric goes back to cincy area. NKU maybe UC be closer to his parents. I don’t think he goes to CoC. To far for family to travel.

Good weekend reading even if you’re not a parent, player, advisor, consultant, HS/AAU coach or agent …

I would think he is debating whether to follow JG but if that was the case he’d likley include a DNC tag correct?

As we lose one of the Akron greats I see there are plenty chiming in re: the parallels to when we lost KD. Let’s also make sure we don’t have selective memory when it comes to the start of this unbelievable run in 2022. According to Groce himself, repeatedly, during the: Joe Gingo, Gary Miller, Chuck Guthrie, Groce run there was incredible alignment. Groce would use the same language he used in the CoC press conference in public and private on replay after the ‘22 championship and up to the unveiling of the Wentz practice facility. Remember there was so much alignment that they had ALL signed multi-year extensions approved by BOT under Adkins who followed Gingo as chair that would have had that group in place through 2027 (Miller) and beyond (Guthrie, Groce). The outlier was the provost Wiencek (along with the ‘brilliant’ Mr. Saxon - my eye is on the state of UA in 2031 after his 9 yr term ends I’ll then revisit the validity of this characterization) who after having a publicly documented (see Signal Akron expose) primary role in the upheaval of all that alignment was quickly shown the door by the person he had handpicked as his new boss. Funny enough he ‘stepped down’ in Jan 25 right after they donned the front cover of Walsh Jesuit’s alumni magazine Winter 25 issue together. Credible sources say Nemer doesn’t like to share the spotlight beyond a few exceptions e.g. photos with shirtless Ak rowdies so that magazine cover could have been the nail in the coffin for Wiencek who knows. I jest. https://issuu.com/drakem-walshjesuit/docs/warrior_paths_-_winter_2025 Whatever happened, happened, that full BOT to admin to head coach group is now completely gone with Groce’s departure - Nemer cleaned house and has his people in place. You mention current alignment, but what I hear is Nemer loves only those who do his bidding, and even uses the nickname puppet boldly in his cabinet meetings for some of his closest followers on campus. Bottom line, I’m just not sure unilateral say is the same as alignment? Regardless, appears Groce didn’t think or feel so. Thankfully, we have Ford in place and most importantly, keep Bud in a primary role, BUT those are some rose colored glasses you’re wearing @72Roo and/or you’re drinking the proverbial cool aid that Nemer loves to pour. You’ve been around a long time so I’m not totally discounting. I’ve consistently heard similar rumblings to what @Let'sGoZips94 mentioned from some of the coaches and coaches staffs non-basketball. Not all is what it seems, but at UA it never is so I just shrug, support our programs and hope we can keep the momentum. I’ve renewed my season tickets and will continue buying into whatevr Bud has to offer, literal and figurative. I just wonder what this could look like if it was Bud on the BOT someday.

Not a great start to the Ford era!

The admin needs to make sure they stay out of Wentz's way. Embrace what he wants to do because it obviously yields results.

Hard to win as an underdog when you're almost always favored.