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I would like to see us utilize the transfer portal a little better . I look at some of the talent there and scratch my head. I looked at West Florida roster since Mav Wolfley is headed there and I couldn’t believe all the D1 transfers they have. So it makes sense why they won the D2 title after a col yrs. Pretty good use of the transfer portal.

I think there's a lot to be said for continuity, and the Zips haven't had any this season. Few practices, and fewer games. That's tough for a team that has so many new faces. That said, those are the cards we've been dealt. The door is wide open for any player desiring playing time to get it if he can provide a consistent offensive presence, and get a few floor burns on defense. Aside from brief flashes of marksmanship from Trimble, none of our highly touted newbies has shown they know what it takes to win in the MAC. They need to dig deeper. Make an impact on defense if your shot isn't falling. Get some fast break points. Our #2 best player is a walk-on. And it is arguable that Ali Ali could be our #3 most impactful player this season. Their energy and athleticism stands out. That's beyond surprising, considering we brought in players from Iowa, Wake Forest and Saint Johns whose energy has yet to stand out.

There are some years when the Zips can handle an OOC schedule like this, and 2021 isn't it. If in 2020 we surrendered 70 points to Kent State, and only threw for 87 against Bowling Green, I can't imagine how uncompetitive these games will be.

Our 2nd guy has yet to emerge. Love freeman’s progression and story but he’s not a 5 and the fact that we have to start him there and play him 25+ mins shows how bad our other big men are. Reece is capable but can’t play big mins without getting in foul trouble. Rebounding and rim protection have been an issue for us this season. Trust me no division 1 coach wants to start a walk on unless they absolutely have to. I think for us to have a chance at repeating Tribble and Dailey have to step up I also think if LCJ played off the ball more he’d get more open shots and it’d open things up a lot more for him to make plays for himself and others. He’s having to work too hard to create.

There's definitely a balance to be had, IMO. I think we may not have hit the portal hard enough the first 2 years and it shows, but having a team with a lot of experience the next 3 years will hopefully pay dividends. The staff so far in the late signing period seems to be focusing on filling gaps with transfers, both from the P5. I hope the majority of the rest of open scholarships are used in that manner with maybe 1 or 2 higher-ranked high school recruits (for us at least) if we have the opportunity to grab them. It remains to be seen if the model Jackson State and West Florida are taking lead to long-term success. Its probably easier to do at D2 due to the limited amount of scholarships. Use the scholarships on ex-D1 players and supplement the roster with non-scholarship players as you normally would. Who knows how this will go at Jackson State with Deion. I want long term success for our program. A Toledo or OU type of program. Not a program where we make or win one MAC championship and it all falls apart and we go back to the gutter for another 3-4 years.

Another example of good use of the transfer portal is FCS Jackson State Check out the Tigers impressive transfer list so far-

Tough schedule. I had been saying the Zips will win 4-5 games in 2021, but I was not expecting this schedule. I still say 3-4 wins and keep my projection for 9 wins in 2022.

These are just the teams we will face. No particular order other than the set contracted OOC games at the top...which should state September, not November.

They would have stormed Polsky's