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I love Akron Hoops but this is still a life and death issue. GET THE DAMN VACCINE OUT THERE ALREADY. ENOUGH POLITICS.

Hey guys - new poster here. Great forum. My son is showing interest in playing at the next level and Akron is on his interest list. I have been watching the forum from a distance but thought I would jump in on this one. I'm going to push back a little as a former DIII coach myself. My first job in DIII, I worked for guys who were all successful DI coaches (Coordinators) in the 70's and 80's. Our program was set up just like the program there in terms of the entire operation, minus awarding scholarships. Each guy brought their offensive and defensive schemes in and they were the same schemes they used to stop Herschel at UGA, or protections to handle Bruce Smith at VT, etc. My last job in DIII we were running the "Marshall Spread" to the T. Exact carbon copy of what Marshall was doing minus Randy Moss and Chad Pennington. In fact, when we would visit some of the FCS schools in our area (mainly Lafayette, Bucknell, Towson and Lehigh), they would incorporate our stuff and pick our brains on how we did things. The guy I used to spend a bunch of time with at Lafayette, left Lafayette to take the OC job at UVA. He used to say there are only so many ways you can line up 11 guys and he is 100% correct. If anything, I think you have to be a better coach at DIII. In some cases, you take what you can get for talent. I was fortunate to coach some super talented D-IIA bounce backs and that helped me look smarter, but in many cases we were trying to out scheme teams because we didn't have talent to match up. Or maybe we were limited a bit because we could not recruit to our needs like DI guys can. In many cases we tweaked the system to match our talent and that isn't an easy chore. DI guys have lots of advantages (and pressures), but I challenge the notion they are considerably better X and O's guys. Also, I get red in the face when I hear folks talk down about DIII players. I coached some outstanding football players in DIII that just happened to be off the radar for various reasons (size, speed, exposure), but outstanding players just the same. Don't knock DIII guys. I don't think this is going to be a quick fix and the short season this year didn't help at all. As many have pointed out here, you can measure improvement by running a clean operation and it was anything but last Saturday. That's on the coaches. The question is can they get it fixed? I think so, but not overnight. I will say the one thing offensively I like is building from the inside out. The dividends up front will pay off, these kids need time to grow into their shoes a bit. The freshman have a grand total of 4 college games under their belts. That's nothing. Anyway, best chance for a win is coming up. Get it.

We can go back and forth on whether the current situation is because the 'cupboard was bare' when Bowden was let go OR because the current staff has not recruited well and has not used the 'talent' that was left properly. Back in 2004 when Brookhart was brought in after Owens' departure he had some good talent brought in by Owens, used it and started recruiting some missing pieces. I believe Owens even had at least a .500 season or better in 2003. Certainly that cupboard wasn't bare. J.D. decided not to do a complete tear down. He brought in some transfers and JUCO's and hit the jackpot in 2005. Never quite lived up to expectations after that though. J.D. even admitted he made some mistakes in recruiting after 2005. Bowden left some decent players on the roster upon his departure. Not enough to win consistently but definitely serviceable at this level. Unlike J.D., Arth has decided to do a teardown and get the underclassmen playing experience. It takes longer. But if it works, or hopefully WHEN it works there should be more consistency on the field. Right now with young players and new assistants at several positions not to mention the crazy season progress has been limited. I am not making excuses for the way Arth chose to rebuild. Right now it looks bad especially on the defensive side of the ball. Depending on what next season is going to look like Arth is going to have to make a choice. Either 'bite the bullet' one more season or bring in a few more JUCO's and transfers to try to kick start it. As I said before in the MAC you eventually have to fill in with those types of recruits to a greater or lesser degree. I think at the end of this season he will know better which of his guys can play and coach at this level and which ones he will need to replace.

Did you guys miss the part where the team had to shut down due to a covid outbreak?

https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=AwXIX6bpLdev5NoP84CI2AI&q=danger+will+robinson&oq=danger+will+robinson&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQAzIICC4QyQMQkwIyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAgguMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAA6CAgAEOoCEI8BOggIABCxAxCDAToLCC4QsQMQxwEQowI6CAguEMcBEKMCOgUIABCxAzoOCC4QsQMQgwEQxwEQowI6CAguEMcBEK8BOgUILhCxAzoLCC4QsQMQyQMQkwI6CAguELEDEIMBOggIABCxAxDJA1CuEFjpRWDOc2gBcAB4AYABgwKIAYUPkgEGMTcuMi4xmAEAoAEBqgEHZ3dzLXdperABCg&sclient=psy-ab&ved=0ahUKEwjm9pH0nLDtAhXXF1kFHXMAAisQ4dUDCAg&uact=5

Interesting question. What does everyone think of Tom and his staff as far as X’s and O’s go? Are they building a good game plan every week and making proper adjustments, but don’t have their players developed and experienced enough? Or, is he lost in space?

I cosign 100% with what @Zippy1986 said. I totally understand rebuilding but there is NO EXCUSE for going 0-16. NONE If you can't coach up a team to get at-least 1 win in the MAC = you don't deserve to be a $500k Coach I honestly believe Youngstown State would a kicked our ass.

This has been a common trend with Coach Arth. Blaming the roster for performance. FYI, He inherited a very talented Chattanooga roster from Russ Huesman. In Huesman final 4 years with Chattanooga they were very successful and made the FCS playoffs in 2014, 2015, & 2016. Russ Huesman record @ Chattanooga 2013-2016 2013 8-4 2014 10-4 2015 9-4 2016 9-4 Tom Arth record @ Chattanooga 2017-2018 2017 3-8 2018 6-5 ...He must’ve inherited terrible guys from Huesman as well. Huesman inherited a 1-11 team(2008) at Chattanooga and in his first year in 2009 he went 6-5. Again, I think Tom Arth is a great guy, has a very positive perspective, and I hope the best for him.. hopefully he can turn things around. But it’s not looking good and his staff needs to stop blaming their roster and own up to their 0-16 record. They need to be better.

Agreed. Depleted roster is on the coaching staff. They pushed Bowden’s guys out and are continuing to push them out. Players are starting to opt out mid season because of this. Arth staff showed up to a decently talented MAC roster that could have won a couple games last year and definitely should have beat U Mass.. the 2019 team had some of the key players who did not graduated that were a part of the Northwestern win and competed with Iowa State & South Carolina. Could you imagine the outcome of a game if this team and staff shared a field with a team like this? Yes the 2018 Team struggled during MAC play that year but many injuries and poor Play calling at the time. They went to the MAC championship the previous year. Also, Last year they had very talented defensive players and possible NFL talent in Lakos & Davis to build around and somehow still failed to even compete on defense. They ruined these guys NFL hopes & now continue to point fingers at the Bowden Era.... the Bowden era produced quite a few NFL players and gave many of their players opportunities at the NFL. So now the question is was the inherited roster really to blame or is the 0-16 record on the coaching staff???

BOWDEN WON GAMES Guess you forgot about that

https://gozips.com/news/2020/12/1/mens-basketball-akron-basketball-set-to-play-st-bonaventure-at-rocket-mortgage-fieldhouse.aspx Schedule is up

$650,000 to buy out Bowden. $350,000 to buy out Arth's previous contract. So many bad decisions by the top 2 guys in the athletic department. There are great sports at Akron that are being badly hurt by the top 2 guys continuing to flush money down the toilet for Akron gridiron.

I have been over COVID since early April but like many many others I have developed a medical condition PROBABLY as a result of COVID that I am dealing with. Thankfully it is not life threatening and not disabling and is treatable. But this virus is no joke. The latest figures indicate the mortality rate here in NY is way way down, for unknown reasons since the infection rate has tripled recently. But the long term effects are real, people don't generally recover from the flu and discover it has caused other problems. So I have to support their decisions if it helps stop the spread. Some of what the politicians have done is just plain wrong, COVID is not less infectious in Walmart than in Church. And it is not more infectious at a Trump rally than at an Antifa riot. That being said, losing a basketball season sucks, but it won't change our lives (for the players, that is another matter, but the good of 12 or 13 people does not replace the needs of the population as whole). And cut the crap and get the vaccine out there.

Thanks for the voice of experience and reason. Hope you are feeling better.

Really good take Sir. That’s another thing my kid is banking on. Academics. Some schools will pull the trigger on a kid who may be in between an FCS/FBS if they know he can make it academically. That’s why grades ultimately drive the ship in my opinion. Yes Mount Union is a machine. My Alma mater Bridgewater (and one of my coaching stops) fell victim to them 20 years ago in the national championship game. They had so much talent. Lots of bounce back talent and were very well coached. Have to tip the cap!

Excellent post! Thanks so much for posting! I agree with the X's & O's. We live near one of the top D-III schools in the country - Mount Union. Their offense is as intricate as anything run in college on any level. But, IMHO, the reason they're so successful is because of their recruiting. If not for an injury, I would have been able to play D-III ball, and probably D-II, say on the level of Walsh University. But when I watch Mount Union play I know that at Mount I would have been riding the pine. They just have athletes that are bigger/faster/stronger than your typical D-III athlete. Makes the coaches look brilliant. Lol. This is one reason I'm a big Zips fan. As a high school athlete we'd sometimes go to Zips games and we were always blown away with how big and fast the athletes were at this level. I would have been absolutely DESTROYED if I had set foot on a D-1 football field! Lol. It's a lot of fun to watch. I'm so glad your son is considering Akron. I LOVE Coach Arth and his entire staff! I wish I could have played for men like Coach Arth & Co. If I had a son they're the kind of men I would want my son to learn from and be mentored by - both on and off the field. This is going to take a little longer than an average rebuild because of the kind of players Coach Arth is seeking. The guys coming in really seem like Ivy League type guys; guys the university will be sincerely proud of both on and off the field. I do think after a few years of Arth changing the culture we're going to have a football team we can really be proud of as football players and as good, intelligent young men who are leaders in their respective communities. Again, thank you for your perspective and please don't be a stranger! Go Zips!

You're absolutely spot on with your evaluation of Hamm & I agree. I'm just aggravated because offering him a PWO (Prefered Walk On) doesn't cost us a scholarship and could help build a relationship with the Hoban program. He'd likely never see the field at this level, but get him in here, make him a part of the team, let him have a great time and then let him help recruit Hoban for you. He's a leader and seems like a good kid and has a high football IQ. If Arth is trying to change the culture he seems like an influence you'd want on the team (again, especially if we could simply get him here as a walk-on). Terrell said in the postgame interview that Hamm would probably be coaching with him one day. A relationship with Hamm could have benefits for the next 20 years. So yeah, that's why I'm upset about it - because it appears Kent's head coach is thinking what I'm thinking and even if Arth does eventually offer a PWO, Kent beat us to the punch and has the inside track now (plus all the good will as those subtweets show).

Why are you so upset? I watch this kid every Friday & he is a good QB, nice arm strength, he makes nice long throws with all kinds of talent for H.S. around him. He is inaccurate on the more every down throw. Hoban runs all over you & then kills you on the deep pass. He is built like a RB & that is why no one has offered a 3 time state champ. I wouldn’t want him at Akron. I am not saying that to be mean. Things I do give him, he is a leader & has great determination, he is tough & never gives up, so in my opinion he has a lot of the qualities but not a D1 QB, for the kids sake I hope I’m wrong cause he is a good kid.

I like the photo, I question the resolution. ?

Not sure what’s funny about my post. Good people lost their jobs while these guys keep making stupid, wasteful decisions with regard Zips Football with little personal repercussions. UA is a mess.

Larry Williams and George Van Horne.