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So I went to my 1st G league game. Those guys are really good. Stronger and faster. Enrique had a great 4th quarter. Hit a few 3s, a dunk and the Mad Ants won a close game. The arena was super nice and the locals seem to really support their team.

Went to today's practice. Here's what I gleaned... Check out some of the defensive numbers if you'd like... Starting DL was: 97 / 10 / 5 / 41 Second unit was: 50 / 90 / 98 / 30 Joe's post-practice speech. He seemed pretty pleased Joe spent the bulk of his time observing from 20 yards behind the offense. #3 Cibastian Broughton is intriguing. He's a diminutive kid, but has a strong arm. Completed a long TD pass to #7 Adams (who's back and looks healthy). Had another nice TD pass to St Ed's Kyan Mason (#11) and one to Jake Newell too. Moves well. He's like Dijon Jennings, but good. He will see the field somewhere this season. 2nd Unit OL. First unit was (left tackle to right tackle): 78/56/52/50/73 Second unit was: 60/55/52/79/51 Finley's left leg was apparently cold? He played a lot today. Looked in-command, but understandably a bit rusty. WR's screwed up some routes that probably made his accuracy look worse than it was. Owen Wiley and Dublin Fr. Matt Schramm split the kicker duties. Both missed from 42 yards out. Tough to kick indoors, into netting with goal post stripes that's often only halfway dropped from the ceiling when the ball is snapped. Wiley seems to have the bigger leg, but Schramm is no slouch. This position will be an interesting battle. I forget who caught this Finley pass? It's spring practice for me too. 🙃 Ruggow on the run. He threw an early pick (S #18 DeMarco Johnson). Probably threw more bad balls than good ones today. Back up QB will be a battle this year. I expect Broughton (#3) will see the field, even if not at QB (like above). He's pretty athletic. Maybe a few of the 2024 "Taj" wildcat plays go to him this season? Kyan Mason blocks for Ben. Washington State transfer Brandon Hills (Soph.) made a couple nice receptions. Washington State transfer Brandon Hills again. A Cibastian Broughton INT ended the scrimmage. Overall or DB's looked surprisingly good? I think they had a pick of each Blue QB. Other notes: #95 Joey Castle punted well (albeit indoors). It looks like we'll be ok at punter this year. #22 Jordan Gant (Tennessee State) started at RB. He fumbled on his first carry. But rebounded with a tough 10 yard run on next opportunity. #25 Chris Gee from Colgate was the #2 RB today. Got a lot of action. Runs hard. Showed good hands on swing passes. #13 Sean Patrick saw a lot of reps today. Played at WR and RB. Overall the defense looks good. Solid tackling and created several turnovers. #88 Newell looks to be a beast this year. Made several nice plays. Caught a TD from Broughton. Starting LB's were: 42 (Spriggs), 32 (Summers) and 17 DeWalt (Butte College - listed as a DB) #5 Ronald Hull from Wise HS in Maryland played NT. He's mistakenly listed as #55 on the Zips roster Late game RB's included #28 Luke Reed from Benedictine and Cam Macon from Walsh It was heartening to see the Zips had sufficient depth to field 2-deep offensive and defensive units, even without the guys who will be joining in the summer. The country "Rock me like a Wagon Wheel" blasted on the speaker system for the final few minutes. Overheard in the crowd - Adrian Norton is ineligible...that's why he hasn't signed anywhere.

You are looking live at CPA! ZipsWin!

I just got off the phone with Amani. He is excited about next season and ready to put in the work to take his game to the next level. He is a great kid and a perfect fit for Akron. I would expect his offensive game to take a step forward next season.

The amount of spring coverage we’ve gotten from the program has been disappointing. To be fair, spring coverage across college football has taken a hit in general. As of this writing, only two SEC schools are even televising their spring games. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a vote next year to allow schools to play other programs during the spring. Colorado and Syracuse gave it a shot, but the NCAA shut it down, saying it wouldn’t be fair since other schools had already wrapped up spring ball and didn’t have the same opportunity. In any case, here’s my take on the current roster and what I’ll be keeping an eye on during our spring event. QB: Finley is one of the few returning starting quarterbacks in the MAC, and with a full year in the system under his belt, he should be in the mix for an all-conference season—assuming he stays healthy. With Bullock hitting the portal, the QB-run threat takes a hit, so that element of the offense will have a different feel in 2025. Roggow didn’t look like an overwhelmed freshman during spring ball in 2024, and there's a good chance he’s ready to lock down the backup role as a redshirt freshman. Then there’s true freshman Cibastian Broughton. He’s a bit undersized for the position, but he’s physically gifted and could force his way into the conversation if he puts it together quickly. RB: Top rushers Simmons and Kellom have moved on after the 2024 season, opening the door for new faces to step up and take meaningful snaps. Jordan Gant, a transfer from Tennessee State, looks like the best bet to grab the starting job, while Chris Gee out of Colgate might end up being a sneaky good pickup. Don’t sleep on redshirt freshman Sean Patrick, either. He was electric in high school and may be ready to make an impact this season. WR: Golden and Norton decided to go portaling, which leaves a production void—but honestly, I don’t think we’re looking at much of a drop-off. Adams returns, and if he can stay healthy, we’re getting back a former 1st team All-MAC player. Polk showed real growth late in the season, and that development should keep trending in the right direction. Walker, Louis, and P. Davis should be ready to step in and contribute. Redshirt freshman Kyan Mason was an absolute nightmare to cover in high school. He flashed that ability with a tough touchdown grab last year, and if he’s added some mass, he should start seeing regular snaps. And I’m pretty high on the upside of Brandon Hills, the Washington State transfer. He’s got the physical tools to become a big-time player in this offense. TE: Newell and Cravaack form what is likely the best tight end duo in the MAC. I’m curious to see what strides redshirt freshman Khalil Witherspoon has made. OL: What the starters at this position will look like is anyone’s guess. Coach JRod has done a fantastic job recruiting the high school ranks since he got here—but keeping those kids around has been a challenge. We lost starters James and Williams to the portal, and Blanchard is out of eligibility, but we might actually be in a spot where we can replace them without too much of a drop. The new additions don’t lack size or athleticism, that’s for sure. Morris and K. Davis will be locked in as starters somewhere on the interior, and we’ll have to see how the tackle spots shake out. If he’s healthy, Mann could be ready to make a push at right tackle. DE: 1st Team All-MAC Nunnally took advantage of his extra year and hit the portal to Purdue, and his running mate Adler is out of eligibility—so we’re looking at some new faces at this spot. Arizona transfer Cyrus Durham will battle it out with redshirt sophomores Cheatom and Dall for the starting jobs. Right behind them are the Frazier brothers, both redshirt freshmen. None of these guys are short on length or athleticism. DT: This position probably concerns me the most on the defensive side right now. Moore surprisingly moved on to Bowling Green, and Kapongo is out of eligibility, so we’re thin. This would be the perfect time for Murphy to finally tap into his potential and lock down a starting role. Redshirt freshmen Ronald Hull and Elijah Davis definitely have the talent, but the question is whether they’re ready to handle the workload. Madden flashed at times last season, but even as an upperclassman, he’s still pretty green. We’ve added two JUCO signees, but I don’t know when they’ll actually get on campus. We probably need a few more DTs before we can start feeling good about depth. LB: Starters McCoy and Fish have moved on—Oklahoma State and Sam Houston snagged them—but there’s some good news: Cooper looks to have been granted an extra year, and Summers is listed on the spring roster. I’m actually really high on this group. All the young guys have a ton of upside—it’s just a matter of when the light comes on for each of them. If it clicks, this unit could surprise. NB: D. Lewis and Greenwood will once again handle the snaps at Nickel, barring injury. They have plenty of experience and provide stability to the secondary. CB: Golden-Nelson transferred out, but outside of his departure, we didn’t really lose much at this spot. Reed, DeWalt, and White are the top returners and should collect the meaningful snaps. Upper Iowa transfer Ben Kamara is definitely one to watch. He has all the physical tools to be a really good player—it’s just a matter of how quickly he adjusts to this level. S: P. Lewis is off to try his hand at the pro level after a one-and-done, all-conference season. David and Anderson should be the starters heading into the year. Quality depth was a real issue last season—once David went down or anyone else missed time, it really showed. We’ve added two transfers to help shore things up: Jamarii Somerville from James Madison and Mehki Flowers from Penn State. I’m not sure if Flowers is on campus yet, but if he’s able to pull it all together as a former 4 star, he could be a game-changer. ST: We fielded one of the best special teams units in the conference in 2024, but now we’re looking at a full reset—our starting kicker, punter, kickoff specialist, and long snapper have all moved on. Wiley and Castle will both have shots to earn starting roles. They have been in the program for several years now and should be noticeably improved from their freshmen campaigns. I’d imagine we’ll see a few more specialists brought in after the spring for competition purposes. Ending Thoughts: I’m sure we’ll lose a handful of players after the spring when the next portal window opens. By my count, we still have nine scholarships to fill, not counting the three usually allocated to special teams. There are still plenty of players out there who could help us, whether from JUCO or the portal, so we’ll see how everything shakes out over the next few months.

On a personal note, as an undergraduate, I attended an "elite" private East Coast college with a 7% acceptance rate. I was not an athlete, child of an alum, nor child of a major donor. Their acceptance rates were much higher than 7%. The rest of us, therefore, had a rate even more restrictive. Tough to get into. My master's was done at Akron in an area that had a number of combined undergrad/graduate classes in which graduate students were expected to do more- but- gave me an insight into the undergraduate student requirements. I assure you the undergraduate students had demands that matched those at the "elite" school. The difference was largely the research/book success of the professors at the "elite" school. Virtually no impact on the education received by students unless the student sought to be a researcher. Quality of output is the most important criteria in measuring a college- UA can stand tall!

John Groce Named The Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year Award Recipient https://gozips.com/news/2025/4/3/mens-basketball-john-groce-earns-2025-hugh-durham-award

Whoa.

I just got home. I am: 1) hoarse from screaming; 2) exhaausted; and 3) damn proud to be a Zips fan. We had an obnoxious Kent State fan in front of us rooting for Miami who about 8 minutes on said it was over. As the clock expired I leaned in, grabbed him by the shoulder, and said "I thought you said it was over about an hour and a half ago." It very mush enjoyed that.

Tonight will be the 12th time in the last 18 seasons (minus 2020) that Akron will play in the MAC Championship game. We've been fortunate to have great coaches and players to make it all possible.

No. UA is in a cold war and KSUcks is the enemy. KSUcks has and continues to drain billions of potential dollars from central city Akron (and, frankly, Youngstown); two legacy but aging Ohio anchor cities which could certainly use the money. While Toledo, Ohio, and Miami are fun rivalries, KSUcks should not even exist (and NEOMED should reside @ UA as The University of Akron School of Medicine but good grief don't get me started on that). Drive them into the dust and scatter their ashes till no one remembers their name. Go Zips.

I’ll start with one of the most obvious items - NIL. Bud has done a great job getting us to where we are (and I’d assume there are others involved as well), but it shouldn’t be all on him/them. Anyone reading this can contribute to the Fear the Roo collective. It would be more convenient if the process was easier, but all you need to do is email info@feartheroocollective.com to get things rolling. If you’re able to contribute, you may not think your individual contribution would make a difference. However,“collectively” us diehard fans can be the difference in keeping or obtaining a player that would otherwise go elsewhere. One player can be the difference. The program has a good thing going. In my mind we are currently in the peak of Akron men’s basketball. We have a great coach (who also seems to be a great person), who brings in players who are great representatives of our University, and have a guy leading the NIL who has a vision. Please consider playing a part in our program taking the next step. info@feartheroocollective.com

As a brief Zips Hoops history lesson - The 1986 Zips led by Bob Huggins played Michigan in Round #1 of the NCAA Tourney. Zips were a 20 point underdog, and Dick Vitale predicted we'd lose by 40. Michigan was led by future NBA'ers Glen Rice, Roy Tarpley and Gary Grant. The Zips countered the 6' 11" Tarpley with Russell Holmes, a 6' 3" football player brought on to to basketball team because Huggins was hamstrung on players. In fact, three football players were needed to fill out the 1986 Zips roster! The Zips lead at halftime 32-30. I enjoyed some ice cold Hudepohl Gold as I watched from Annadale Avenue on a 19" tube TV. The Zips lost 70-64, but played a great, highly competitive game. The 2025 Zips team is in much better shape to compete with Arizona. Our interior shortcomings can be overcome by great coaching and player effort...just like in 1986. Shock the World!

Groce should at least give his brother a good birthday present this year.

Let's establish a couple of things. (1) For the last five years the Akron Zips have pretty much owned MAC basketball, from Kent State on down. No contest, and the numbers and banners bear that out. (2) Groce, by virtue of No. 1, is arguably the best MBB coach in the league. Kent State is a rival, not an enemy, just like every other team in the MAC. You are only as tall as the shoulders you stand on. When a rival does well, it reflects positively on Akron, the best team/program in the league. As for your 19-17 argument, it reflects more positively on Kent than negatively on CMU. Kent advanced to two MAC Tournaments, CMU only one. Kent advanced to one MAC title game, CMU lost its opening game. Those early season loses to a pair of Top 10 Kenpom teams and a Top 65 team were translated into NIT at-large invitation, then road wins at a pair of Top 100 teams (St. Bonaventure, 96 at the time, and 86 Stanford). CMU was not invited to a post season tournament. Senderoff was rewarded, Bruno was fired. Finally, like most on this thread, don't take Kent's failures, shortcomings or success personally. It's a rivalry that Akron sits at the top of. It sounds personal to you - (did somebody from Kent steal your hubcaps) - but just a game to most.

The Kent board seems convinced that Sendy has coached his last game with the team and that he's already accepted the Fordham job. Kind of odd that he was just on social media promoting Kent's collective days ago when he likely already knew he wouldn't be with the team next year. The Fordham job is pretty terrible. He must really want out of Kent badly. If he thinks Akron is the Dodgers, he's in a rude awakening when he faces the AL All-Stars (Dayton) and NL All-Stars (VCU) every year.

Seeing all these portal transfers make me sad for the MAC, and sad for the state of college basketball. Year ago Don Ohlmeyer famously said "The answer to all your questions is money." Sucks what greed and money do to just about everything good. For whatever inexplicable reason the planets aligned and the Zips got John Groce and Bud Wentz at the precise time we needed them, or we'd be in the same boat and everyone else. So grateful for those guys. But it all can come crashing down at any second, and we'll be like Buffalo and Toledo...losing our best players because they're chasing a couple quick bucks rather than getting a meaningful degree and making lifelong friendships with college teammates. The bulk of the portal transfers are pure basketball mercenaries majoring in eligibility. Kowalczyk spoke the truth...it'll be interesting to see where these guys end up in 20 years...with the $38,000 in NIL long gone, and no college degree to fall back on. For every decent MAC player that ascends to a P4 school with success, there are 15 who sit the P4 pines eagerly awaiting the season's end and the chance to transfer yet again.

Can I say, okay, I'm saying it here and now! I've watched Akron Zips basketball since the late 1960s, and THIS is the best Akron team of them all. This team has much of the same talent level, athleticism, physicality and grit as the legendary 1972 NCAA College Division national finalists, but I have to think the mental toughness and strength of Groce's squad is unprecedented. These guys are "no ka 'oi". They da bes' brah!

8 points and 8 boards in 31 minutes in his hometown today.

Frankly ... I'd rather see the money got to NIL over a new arena. Not sure I would have said this even 5 years ago. But Rhodes Arena has not kept Groce from landing some pretty good recruits. Until Rhodes consistently has 5,000 attendance ... even 3,500 consistently, Rhodes is just fine. Rhodes isn't keeping that extra 2,000 fans/students from consistently buying a ticket.

We keep redecorating ours with new championship banners.

With Boals influence, maybe Simmons can step into the shoes of Clayton and go from pre-season All-MAC to All-MAC third team.

Indeed. It's only 10 minutes east on 76.

ZipsNation, we are off the NCAA Tournament. I don't want to post an individual game thread because this is the year we go beyond one game! Here's hoping for a regional site that's easily travelable. I'll be out of town the next couple of days so I wanted to get this thread up so you guys could get rolling. Go Zips!

It would be great to bring that back. It’s call fan involvement. Just like if they did any brief coaches or player interviews after practices and/or games. Create some interest. When fans get to know, or learn something about the players and coaches they are more likely to have a connection with the program and get involved. This leads to interest, ticket sales, merchandise buying etc etc. I’m continually amazed why this isn’t done. Give an intern an iPhone and take 15 minutes before or after practice then post on social media - it’s really not that hard!

I hadn't been that excited since we were joining the ACC.

They can have it. It worked out well for OU this year!

I still miss the sale the athletic department used to have in conjunction with the spring game. You could get some decent gear out of that sale. The grab bags were also a fun deal, especially if you wanted to add to your collection of Matthew Wilson bobbleheads!

I actually don't mind the Crown. I won't watch it, but it opened up space in the NIT. Now we have a mid-major tournament, like many here asked for, that isn't pay to play. The 2nd, and if the MAC improves 3rd, place MAC team has a place for a postseason. The path we were heading down was if you didn't win the MAC tournament your season was over. Regardless of how your regular season was.

As well as a testament to the quality of Zips football.

Zips add Evan Mahaffey.

Square peg, round hole.

It's just a general comment. It's great to want new seating, better scheduling, better players, etc... All of those things cost money. The administration is telling us more cuts are coming. If you are a fan, you can do your part to make up the difference. Buy a better seat. Make a donation to the Zip Athletic club. Make a donation to the collective. UA is not a P-4 school with large numbers of rich alumni. LeBron is not going to come rescue us. My experience in this world is you get what you pay for.

When Ohio State lost to Oregon this year (the same team they clubbed in the Rose Bowl), Urban Meyer said a big reason was the Buckeyes non-conf schedule. He said the speed and athleticism of Oregon was unlike anything they had seen. Basketball is different but maybe the Zips need to see a Big Boy in December every year so they know what it looks like in March. The Sun Belt and Ivy League aren’t Big Boys. Still, great year, great program and a great coach.

Seems like things are kind of percolating right? Finally got some buzz, sustained conference success, good kids on the team, the culture, finally some good marketing.. We're right there if we want to take the next step. Today would be a good day for it

I do not want to offend anyone but I was hoping to read comments about our game tomorrow and not guessing who may or may not transfer. Lets enjoy the moment where we can get our first NCAA victory. Go Zips!!!

Today's Beacon article on Nate- https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/college/zips/2025/03/20/akron-zips-basketball-ncaa-tournament-arizona-nate-johnson-tavari-johnson-john-groce-miami-toledo/82491030007/

After rewatching the final, I know you can say this about a lot of players who play well, But the Zips do not win that game without Amani Lyles. He was so clutch in so many ways, he must have been watching Enrique because 14 rebounds in 26 minutes is dog work. Six of them were offensive rebounds, which is the same number as the rest of the team had and only one less than Miami had. Plus obviously his clutch rebound at the end with that fantastic outlet pass. But he was also the guy boxing out Miami when Nate Johnson made his game tying shot near the end. Just an amazing game for him for somebody you just never thought was going to be that kind of a contributor last year. The Cavs had the Block, the 3 and the D, the Zips had the D, the Outlet and the Euro. 😊

Nope

Yes but he wasn't "in the room" when North Carolina was selected because there's no way there could be any back room dealings or any deals made without him there. Pisses me off that Boise State beat St. Mary's Clemson and San Diego State, and were left out while North Carolina with exactly one quad 1 win was included.

Amani Lyles was a man in this game. I think his three pointer in the second half started the confidence and his rebounding was superb. Great outlet pass for the game winner. Incredible poise and determination by the team in the second half. They took the best punch Miami had and recovered. So much resilience.

My drunk self has convinced me that we're about to mount a comeback

Also ran into Romeo Travis on the concourse and told him I loved him and Doug Penno is a bitch.

Could someone tell the lady with the ZIPS cereal boxes how much Zips Nation appreciates her! I think she was there the time I witnessed the event in 2003, and every time I see her I know it's time for an @Akron Zips Men's Basketball title run! She's a true CLE tradition!! Our version of John Adams. 😄

Alabama State won their semifinal game. That means all 4 participants in the ABC made it to their semifinal at the very least, with Omaha, Alabama State and potentially Akron reaching their conference finals. Lamar lost to McNeese St in their semifinal game, Omaha won their conference, and we will see what happens with ASU & Akron. People scoffed at the ABC, but it was a mini version of the MAC tournament - 3 games in 3 days vs above average competition. UPDATE: 3/4 teams have at least made their conference final. Akron Basketball Classic produces champions.