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Here are a few thoughts on Paul Davis’ film. He is absolutely worthy of his 3 star ranking and this may turn out to be a situation like Landers of last year where a kid who should be playing P5 landed with us in the end. 1st Highlight - Davis isn’t necessarily explosive getting out of his stance, but he has long strides and deceptive speed. Watch how he high points the ball in the air and catches it with his hands extended away from his body. He then has the hand strength to hang onto the pass while surrounded by guys who are bumping into him and swiping at the ball. Next highlight (starting at 0:18) - Davis displayed his body control and hand/eye coordination. When the camera zooms to Davis he is being bumped and the defender has a hand up in his line of vision. Davis again caught the ball away from his body and demonstrated his hand strength (although would rather see him immediately tuck the catch in). Often receivers are unable to make the reception when defenders are bumping them along the route. Really impressive catch. Highlight on kickoff return (catches ball at 1:00 mark) - Davis is unlikely to be a kick returner at the college level and I’m not highlighting his weaving through the traffic. Instead, notice how he runs through several ankle tackles and hardly breaks stride as he gets closer to midfield and beyond. He is slowed down some, but soon kicks it back up to his top gear. That’s natural balance, lower body strength, and body control some players do not have. WR screen for touchdown (starting at 1:38) - Davis understands angles. Watch how he catches the ball and allows his blocks to set up. Davis started running in one direction and then made a subtle move to make the defender miss before getting vertical. Knowing when to push sideways and when to get vertical is one trait that separates players who will make it at the college level. Next highlight (starting at 1:57) - Davis again turned a simple screen into a touchdown. I’m not going to say much about this one is except he looks like a man among boys here. I’m guessing the team he is playing against isn’t exactly top tier. It’s sometimes hard to gauge a receiver when their whole highlight film is running and catching deep routes, but Davis makes plays in a variety of ways

Twitter is buzzing about Akron basketball. The nation took notice last night. We're a real team with one of the best mid major barns in the country atmosphere wise (when we want it to be). Massive shoutout to the students. 1400. That's nearly 10% of the entire student body that came out. Big time 6th man award last night.

PCCC Flashes- this is what a locker room video is supposed to look like.

I think you're giving them too much credit. Can't read, Can't write, Can't State. Heck, it probably took 2 Can't State people to tally up X's points for the box score. Needed 3 hands and 2 feet.

I brought 3 people to the Kent game on Friday. They all had a really great time. 2 of them even talked about getting season tickets next year after I told them how cheap it is.

Instead of “Whose Stock is Rising” were into the “Whose Dread is Rising” portion of the season. In all seriousness, the buzz and recognition is great. Awesome. Well-deserved. But the key is not letting it get to their head. We’re still a month and change away from Cleveland. A lot can change. Groce needs to continue to get these guys laser focused. Everybody needs to be ready to compete. From X to Amani Lyles. Akron basketball has been prone to big stage letdowns for years. They delivered in the MAC title last year, and they delivered Friday in front of one of the largest home crowds of all time. Let’s keep it rolling, no time to be satisfied!

The FIRST PLACE Zips welcome in the Toledo Rockets this Tuesday night. The Rockets are 16-6/7-2 heading into tonight's game against CMU. Their two MAC losses were in the home opener to Ball State and at PCCC. Rockets' scoring is led by RayJ Dennis at 19 ppg, who also leads the team in assists. Dennis is a 6'2" junior guard transfer from Boise State. JT Shumate, a 6'7" senior forward, was on the All-MAC Preseason first team and is averaging 18 ppg and 5.1 rpg. Second team Preseason All-MAC Setric Milliner, a 6'7" senior forward, contributes 14.9 ppg while leading rebounding at 6.1 rpg. They were predicted to finish second in the MAC. Here's hoping there's not a letdown after the PCCC game!

Still can’t believe how well the White Out went over. I was thinking there’d be maaaaaybe 1/3 of the crowd wearing white. The word definitely got out & almost everyone rocked it! Very cool 😎

As of Sunday morning, roughly 35 hours since Akron’s 67-55 win over Kent went final, Kent State has not acknowledged Friday’s result anywhere on their website. No game recap, haven’t even updated their MBB schedule to reflect the loss. They’ve got a real solid operation going! https://kentstatesports.com/index.aspx

Here’s the list of All-Time MAC POY winners: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-American_Conference_Men's_Basketball_Player_of_the_Year I suppose Bates could get it if they start winning, but they’ll have to do a lot of winning and he’ll have to put up even better numbers. I remember the “controversy” of Big Dog getting it in 2017 over Marcus Keene from CMU, who was the leading scorer in the country.

The PCCC game was magical and universally praised. When we look to Toledo Tuesday night there's a different vibe. Some are worried about a letdown. Others feel we will slip back into past attendance history with 1/3 of the JAR filled. I say why not build on our success and keep it going? I know there are many reasons why some feel that can't be done. This is NE Ohio, by the way, and we are used to disappointment. Yet we can make a difference. There are thousands of posters on this board alone. If we buy a ticket and bring a friend we can do it ourselves. I am coming from Columbus and will bring a friend. How about the rest of the board finding a way to get there? We can start something big if we want to. Be part of the solution and stop rehashing the past troubles. These Zips are what we have wanted for decades. Beat the Rockets!

I didn't write that well. those seats aren't held by anyone during the season. these guys picked them up at some point for last night. never saw them before but were totally into the game.

I think the seats next to me in the lower bowl are un-sold. Was cool, last night a few Akron guys bought those tickets, had their beers, and were pumped for the game in their Akron gear.

I really think this may be the best job Groce has done since arriving here. Bandaogo and Ali bail, Dawson goes down, Clarke out for a substantial period, 4 freshmen getting regular minutes... He's earned every cent of his pay this season.

The coach is essentially the one that establishes the culture. Culture with some talent often beats more talent without a solid culture (looking at you, Stefanski and the Browns).

Someone on the reddit post game thread said the same thing. I actually think he deserves a 10 year extension if not longer.