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We most likely should have been anticipating our seed and matchup for the NCAA Tournament today. Instead, the sports world shut down and the world in general is shutting down. I caught myself realizing this team didn't get the proper recognition from the fans at the end of the season. Not because the fans didn't show up, but because a special season like this is usually capped off with a community celebration at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on a Saturday night in March, maybe followed by a NCAA Tourney watch party at the JAR for our seed/matchup. I wanted to let Coach Groce know how much Zips Nation (not this site but the fans) appreciated this group of guys and the season. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Mr. Groce, I am not an Akron alum. I was born in 1994, and I'm pretty sure I learned the Akron Blue & Gold fight song before I learned to even breathe. My dad and grandma are both Akron alumni, and I bleed Blue & Gold because of them. Two quick stories before I continue. My parents tell this story where after an Akron basketball game in the mid-late 90s, I fell asleep in the back seat instantly. My dad would whistle the fight song, though, and apparently I woke up just in time to say, "Go Zips," at the end before passing back out. One year, my mom asked me who I wanted to be for Halloween, fully expecting me to say Batman or a firefighter like every other kid in the world. I said I wanted to be Bruce Weinkein, a former Akron 7' Center from the 90s. She made me a custom #00 Weinkein jersey that I would wear to every game, and it eventually got me on the news and got Bruce's attention. One Christmas, he had us meet him after the game and gave me a game-worn Weinkein jersey (I still have it), while also inviting me into the locker room for the next couple of years on Senior Night to get the autographs of the seniors on a basketball (I still have that as well). My roots are Akron, which is why I had mixed feelings when Akron hired you - not because you aren't a great coach, but because we had to get the bad taste out of our mouths from all the butt-whoopings you gave us and the success you had at our rival Ohio U. I remember the first game of your tenure against Cleveland State. We had some raw skill, but I was already impressed with the style of play you preach and practice. It's very fun basketball, and not just because of the faster pace with fluid motion on offense. It's fun basketball because it's fundamentally sound. Thank you for bringing that back to Akron. I love the emphasis on defense, effort, rebounding, and FREE THROWS. The Kent game to end the year was the PERFECT example, with that game being won because of our clutch free throw shooting and effort on BOTH ends of the floor. The 2019-2020 Zips Men's Basketball team was an easy group of guys to get behind. They put the effort in during the off-season to take the program back to a level we're accustomed to at Akron. LCJ was incredibly special, and everyone around him was fun to watch. Most importantly, though, the character on this team was incredible. These are good people, first and foremost, and I want to thank you for recruiting them to Akron. On top of that, thank YOU for being a good man as well. I have heard nothing but great things about you and am proud to say you're the Head Coach of the Akron Zips Men's Basketball program. Thank you for choosing to come to Akron. Team 119 will always be remembered not because of how the season ended, but because of how much joy it gave us as fans. This team won a lot of people over, and we all appreciate the effort from the program to deliver that joy. Who knows what the future has in store, when basketball/sports will resume, etc. I'm excited for the future of the program with you at the helm, and thank you & the team again for such a special season. Go Zips.

I'm not crying, you're crying...

I would like to give a shout out and well done to the above and also Clark Griswold who predicted the 3 guard starting rotation of Jackson Banks and Cheese along with Riak and Williams. I was always concerned about the number of transfers but you were correct that Groce was just getting players who wanted to be in his system and would work within his system. Nobody predicted that Groce would be coach of the year or that Jackson would be player of the year. The Zips finished the season strong and beat Buffalo in Buffalo. I cannot remember the last time that happened. We had a great season!!! It just ended too soon.

To get us past our lingering disappointment, I thought it was a good time to start looking forward. Last year, I started the Looking Forward thread to take the focus away from the end of the season griping. This year, we’re in a much different place. Our Zips have gone from 15 wins to 17 wins to 24 wins and a MAC championship under John Groce. Assuming the NCAA doesn’t allow seniors to return, the Zips look to lose Cheese, X, Banks and Riak from the regular rotation. Stepping in are Dailey, Curry, Trimble, Clarke and Edwards. Of course, this could always change (see Eric Hester). It will be interesting to see what Groce does with this slate of players next year. If I had to bet, I could see a starting five of LCJ, Trimble, Dailey, Curry and Reece. Tribble could be in the starting five but I could see Groce not starting him with an eye towards using him quite a bit as both the primary backup at the point and at the 2. Ali and Dawson should also see quite a few minutes. Clarke should also see some minutes as he settles in. I’m not sure what they have in Edwards. I think next year’s squad won’t shoot the three as well as this team, but they will be deeper, more physical, and may rebound and defend better. I think Zips fans will love Maishe Dailey. He’s long, plays hard and is a likable kid. I loved how he supported the team from the bench this year. It’s going to be tough to top this year’s special team but I think next year’s version will be fun too. I think the community is finally starting to get it so we’re going to see better crowds and some rocking nights at the JAR.

Damn... dust.

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We should all be basking in the glow of a MAC championship and be repeatedly glancing at the clock to see if it's time to leave for the JAR for the selection watch party, but instead, nobody has posted in 14 hours. Sigh. LIFE AIN'T FAIR.

Hawkins out at WMU