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I know this is tongue-in-cheek but I sense it will be a theme for many moving forward, so I'll say this and then move on: Akron was a mediocre program when Keith Dambrot took over. He and his staff built it into a consistently winning program with 3 NCAA Tournament berths along the way. When KD left, he left the program in FAR better condition than he received it. Even the biggest KD critic should be able to admit that he took the program to a higher level than it had been before. In fact, John Groce is not Akron's coach today if Dambrot didn't build it into a program with a winning reputation first. Dambrot took us as far as he could, and now I believe Groce will take us to the next level in finally getting that NCAA Tournament run. It's OK to be excited about Groce and what he's doing while still having great appreciation for 13 years of hard work KD gave us. Keith Dambrot will one day have a banner next to the one belonging to Bob Huggins in Akron. I think we can all agree on two things: #1- That banner better be hanging in a new or renovated arena, #2- It'd be perfect if John Groce fulfills what we all believe he can here to have a banner up there as well. Rant over, back to scouting awesome prospects. Go Zips!

Pat? Is there another Pat I'm not remembering?

It would be really risky, IMO. Sometimes you get Rodney Coe, and sometimes you get Jelani Hamilton... AD's don't give you 5 years to build a program now-a-days. If your program is at some level of being decimated (there are varying shades of decimation), then you go for the JUCO's & transfers. There's no alternative...3 bad/marginal years and you're gone. If you're a good HS recruiter at an established program, you should focus on the 4-year kid, while cherry-picking the one or two "non-traditional" kids that happen to fall in your lap every so often. On a scale of 1-to-10, KD's departure...,maybe not just the departure, but the last 2-or-so years of his tenure...rated a 6 on the Decimation Scale. Not only did he bail after the eligibility of the team's top 2 players expired, he also obviously had a large mix of either dissatisfied players (Noah, Antino, and I think you can lump Josh Williams in that group too), and ultra-loyal ones like Hughes and TDM. Misfires on kids like Agba and Gladden hurt too. It had been been a couple years since he recruited a "stud." I think Keith Dambrot saw the disenchantment... the graduation losses...and the lack of "impact" returning talent...and got the hell out of Dodge before "12 years of 21+ wins" turned into "14 years of 13+ wins." I really wonder how Joe Akron will evaluate Year #1 of the Groce Era. Will he be intelligent enough to realize Dambrot bailed on him when his program's stock was at it's low point? Can he deal with a Zips basketball team that might uncharacteristically struggle for a while? Was Joe an "Akron Fan," or a "Dambrot Fan?" I love the incumbent guys that have stuck with the Program. Bench guys like Utomi and Ivey have a fresh start and their chance to shine. I'm really intrigued to see what Groce and his staff can do to utilize Olijapoke's freakish athleticism. I look forward to seeing all the new faces taking the court @ the JAR. Dambrot's time had expired. I don't think an entrenched coach of 13 years could bring the program back from where it was when the 2016-17 season's dust ultimately settled. Keith Dambrot's departure was exactly what he wanted, and exactly what the Zips Basketball Program needed. Off we go! Go Zips!

6'3 guard Eric hester freshman from university of florida is now a zip

Good for Jamal. That injury really, really hurt his career. If he's recovered, he stands a good chance of making a roster.

I agree. I mentioned essentially the same sentiment in either the Dambrot to Duquesne thread or the John Groce thread.

Hopefully, the latter. I would love to see Akron join a better conference as a Men's Soccer only member.

I totally agree with every word you said. Nothing but gratitude and appreciation for KD and his staff for what they have done at Akron. That being said, B&G didn't say anything wrong. I am also grateful for Duquesne. We all know that KD would have been able to keep the job at Akron for as long as he wanted. So the only way for us to upgrade and keep moving forward was for someone else to hire KD away. Duquesne did that for us. Hence the gratitude.

Unbelievable. Groce

Man, Groce has brought in as much highly-regarded talent in one week as KD did in 12 years. Once again, I'd like to express my deeply heartfelt thanks to Duquesne!!!

I think Eric Hester gets the last one.

So based on that there was no soccer only MAC school added for this year (expected since the Buffalo announcement just came out). I wonder what the MAC will do. Do they try to get another soccer only member or will Akron be allowed to join another conference for soccer only in the years to come?

11 players available for next year (10 scholarships + 1 walk-on). Returning (6) - Ivey, Utomi, A. Jackson, Poke, Eubanks, McIntyre(wo) New (5) - Williams, Parrish, Sayles, Kostelac, Patton 2 Players sitting out next year - Riak, L. Jackson That's 12 scholarships for 17-18, so we have one more spot available for next year. Thoughts?

The one thing we'll probably never know is - how many were planning to leave had Dambrot stayed? I know the answer isn't "0."

Breaking!

Conner wrote an open letter to NFL GM's about how he wants to be seen heading into the draft. It is really an excellent read. https://www.theplayerstribune.com/james-conner-pitt-letter-to-nfl-gms/