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We just got a guy who played Wilson/Lyles/Okonkwo like minutes on a bubble Big 10 team. Worse case scenario he’s a great bench player. I see him as a Gray-like player with high major size.

I think it's too early to see how this team will shape up. Nobody predicted the improvement we saw out of Tavari and Lyles this season. Perhaps Okonkwo or someone else in year 2 under Groce will take a similar leap. If Lyles continues to develop a perimeter shot, we could also very well see him playing PF and Mahaffey at SF for stretches of games. That would of course require Brisco being able to provide 5-10 minutes off the bench a night.

I actually think the opposite. Bigs are less utilized today compared to 10, 20, 30 years ago. A lot of teams play with 3 guards, 1 SF, and only one true big. It's all part of that positionless basketball craze going on in basketball circles. Edit: Also, it should be noted Gray was also a very poor 3 point shooter prior to coming to Akron. His career average at Cornell was around .270. His first year at Akron he shot .365. Akron's staff also helped improve Lyles and Freeman's shooting over the years. I don't think it's a given that Mahaffey's shot can't improve.

So, ummmmmm, does this make PCCC the MAC version of the Boston Red Sox?

We don't need a "post player" on this team. We just need someone that can defend one, and rebound

A few thoughts on Evan: - Seems like a high character young man, so I'm sure he will fit in with our established culture. - I worry about his offensive game. I've only seen highlights, but 22.6% career from 3 Point territory and 52.3% from the FT stripe would've been at the bottom for us this year. - But maybe we don't need that much offense? He looks like an elite defender, and that's something I'm not sure we had this year. He'll get to know Suder (and players like him) well. - My biggest concern is what he is not - and that's a post player (unless they play to convert him). I know the coaches are smart and know it was an issue against better teams this year, and just running that back isn't good enough. So I'm taking that as them being high on Rich Brisco and their believing in him as worthy of playing next season.

Now it's officially in the 'poorly' state. Looks like they lost Magpayo! I will always try to be objective above anything else

+1

I edited a prior comment. Gray was also a very poor shooter prior to coming to Akron. He shot ~.270 at Cornell and .365 in year 1 at Akron. In Groce's time at Akron we've seen some players make huge leaps Freeman, Lyles, Tavari, etc. Mahaffey shot improving is certainly a possibility, but not a given.

That team with Riak and X was our most balanced/complete yet.

Big, small or in between, we can count on Groce to figure it out. He's won here with Riak and X in the lineup, with Enrique being the focus and with a fast paced guard driven 3 point focused offense. He doesn't lock into one plan and force his players into it, he gets the talent and character and fits the plan to what he has.

That's a solid comparison. He doesn't have Gray's outside shot, but I can see him manning up on defense on the opposing team's second big as Gray did. I see him more like a power forward type on this squad, something they've missed. He also looks athletic enough to cover a big wing like Toledo's Lewis.

Groce's near Elite Eight team at Ohio had Ivan Baltic & Reggie Keely as their front court at 6'8". Those were the tallest contributors on the roster. The key is avoiding garbage matchups unlike this year vs Zona, and hit your shots. Win more in the OOC, get a 12 seed or better, and this system can absolutely have success in March. Quite frankly, the more I've thought about it, the more I've realized Evan Mahaffey solves what would've been our biggest hole: sizeable lockdown defensive guard. We will have one of the more athletic front courts in the country and the way Dustin Ford coaches em up, I'm not worried. We would've had a lot more matchup problems without a guy like Evan.

Groce when at Ohio almost took out North Carolina with a 6-7 center. They were able to play his preferred style, spread the floor, drive and shoot a lot of threes. But it’s a new era and we just got out-rebounded by Arizona by something like 53-20. They doubled up our points in the paint and dominated second chance points. It wasn’t from a lack of effort. They were taller, stronger and more athletic at all positions. Others have already addressed this and Evan Mahaffey is definitely a step in the right direction. But Lyles on a free throw miss got pushed right off the blocks. I think Brisco will help, but a 7 footer or 6-10, 250lb, Austin Parks type player would be a welcome addition at some point. And even though you do lose some quickness and agility, Groce did run his offense with full-sized bigs when at Illinois.

Yes, he committed this morning.

Agree to disagree. You absolutely need good post play, and Evan isn't guarding someone like Tobe Awaka on Arizona. But maybe Brisco can.

Sounds like the UCR coach is not necessarily taking the Fordham job.

Good catch, corrected as I was not referring to 'you.' I don't believe they ended up with their 3rd or 4th candidate. My primary point was these searches involve a lot of smoke, that said it could very well be the case it was not their first choice. I do agree with you, no matter who they ended up with, it will be a monumental task.

Zips add Evan Mahaffey.

I love Trib but he could barely make a 3 footer when he showed up (running floater excluded). He worked as hard as any Zip we have had.