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I just got off the phone with Amani. He is excited about next season and ready to put in the work to take his game to the next level. He is a great kid and a perfect fit for Akron. I would expect his offensive game to take a step forward next season.

We keep redecorating ours with new championship banners.

I think way too much stock gets placed on who starts. I feel what's more important is who Groce has in to close out games and how many minutes everyone logs. My guess is he'll ride the hot hand.

Something to keep in mind. When I posted on X about Shammah being 6th Man of the Year, his father replied something along the lines of, "He's not planning on being the 6th man next season. Fair given the way Shammah has developed & the sacrifice he made coming off the bench this past season. So next year I'd anticipate a starting lineup of Tavari 5-11 Nate 6-3 Shammah 6-2 Evan 6-6 Okonkwo 6-8 Essentially Shammah (6-2) will replace Wilson (6-2) and Evan (6-6) will replace Gray (6-3) Gray was strong as an ox & I loved having him for a year but I think adding Evan on the W will make this a much stronger defensive lineup.

I agree, but think that big may be Brisco. The fact that he stayed and that they didn't go after an external big tells me they believe in him.

I certainly hope we focus on basketball. Much higher ceiling than football.

I do think there will be an open competition all Summer long. But I would like to see Shammah get the nod to start for this very reason. He would have started on most MAC teams and could have started for the Zips as well. I feel similarly about Amani. It’s his time to shine too. Especially, if he takes another step forward during the offseason. That said, there is something to be said for veteran leadership being on the floor at all times. Also, something @clarkwgriswold pointed out was that Young and Shammah do play well together. Finally, I can’t imagine how emotional it will be for the Mahaffey parents to see their sons out there together for the first time. They probably get all choked up just thinking about the money they will save on gas alone. As of today, my starting lineup would be thus: Tavari Shammah Nate Amani Okonkwo Second wave has countless possible variations: Young/Perkins Eric Hardman Evan/MMK Brisco I do subscribe to the 4 guard/big and 3 guard plus a wing/big theories. But I am suggesting starting the game with Amani playing a stretch 4 role. He can run the court just fine. How many times did we see him chase down and block from behind on an opponent’s fast break.

Having Evan is good, but make no mistake we still need another big if we are going to win outside the MAC.

Miami is making moves.

This is insanity! How can anyone be a loyal fan- you have no idea to whom to profess loyalty? How can you be a coach in such a situation? You recruit a player; during the preseason and the season, you are still recruiting that player. After the season, you recruit the player yet again and get a commitment that the player is going to stay- allowing you start to build a roster knowing the player will be a part of said roster. Then several weeks later, the player leaves and you have to start again to build a roster without a key element, Insanity! The loser, of course, will be college athletics with a declining fan base and the player who will be going to her fourth school and likely not receiving the same value in a degree with a future.

The judge in the House case just kicked the can down the road again today. There are so many moving parts to this case I'm not sure it will ever be resolved. She suggested a partial settlement to which both sides responded all or nothing. Even if a settlement is reached, the lawsuits and injunctions that will follow are going to render it useless.

I see Amani taking a big step forward. This was his first year of real PT and he looked like a new player. Has to be a big confidence boost for an off-season of work

Exactly, revenue sharing is about to start and it's not like the University has deep pockets. Akron revenue sharing $1 million to pay players goes much further to building a competitive roster than a flashy arena would and costs a fraction of the price. The JAR is like a 12 year old Toyota. It's not flashy, maybe even has a few rust spots, but it's still dependable to get you from point A to point B. When it starts to become dilapidated then it becomes a different conversation.

Frankly ... I'd rather see the money got to NIL over a new arena. Not sure I would have said this even 5 years ago. But Rhodes Arena has not kept Groce from landing some pretty good recruits. Until Rhodes consistently has 5,000 attendance ... even 3,500 consistently, Rhodes is just fine. Rhodes isn't keeping that extra 2,000 fans/students from consistently buying a ticket.

Just another MAC school building a new arena while UA does nothing. Maybe the JAR will get a fresh coat of paint or some new lights in the next few decades to make us proud.

Hope it came with a juicy buyout figure

I think they added 4 or 5 years to his existing deal. Also, it appeared to be intentionally meant to stay silent by both Groce and the University at the time. Likely because it wasn't long ago Akron said they needed to do another round of budget cuts. It's not a great look giving your highest paid employee a raise while eliminating programs and other jobs. The ABJ would eat that up even though Groce is worth the money.

Kent State extended a mediocre coach and got a wave a media praise and recognition. At least 20 articles I've counted that covered it. Akron gave the MAC coach of the year a 10 year extension and not a peep. Makes sense.

they extended Groce's contract until 2035. Maybe by then he will find a viable and serviceable back up big.

I don't think there are any promises. Maybe Shammah beats Young out for a spot, maybe he doesn't. May the best man win

As for incentives to stay, I would list developing meaningful relationships with players/students/coaches that will continue beyond playing days ( difficult to do when you bounce around four schools within your limited playing career) and obtain a degree in a field you enjoy and has good employment prospects (I can just imagine what shape her credits are in). Its not like she will be making millions playing professional basketball. Compare with Freeman- who will likely make millions but has employment opportunities with real degrees to back him up.

I don't think that comment changes much. He was going to replace Gray in the lineup, which is still what I see likely happening. Akron will almost certainly start 3 guards, 1 wing, and 1 big. It's an improvement in size over the 4 guards and 1 big lineup we deployed last year.

I have no idea what you just said🙃

That's a likely take. It's surprising the AD said in the article stated he thinks it will help Toledo basketball if that's the case. Other places online I've seen online are projecting when revenue sharing is fully implemented, FBS football will get ~60%, mens basketball 25-30%, and all other sports would split the remaining 10-15%. If a schools punts on football to focus on basketball and other sports, that gives them a fairly decent advantage in those sports.

The NCAA is neutered by their own greed.

With Boals influence, maybe Simmons can step into the shoes of Clayton and go from pre-season All-MAC to All-MAC third team.

I really enjoyed the Alabama St. game this year (SWAC) but I agree we need to scale back on the D-2 & lower schools. One per year. 1st game of the year. Home opener. Drill Walsh or Malone or Heidelberg or someone. But THAT'S IT. ONE PER YEAR.

Sharks are in the water everywhere looking for opportunities to make some money. One of them convinced her the grass would be more lucrative at some other location. Sad state off affairs in collegiate athletics today.