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Chabi Barre is the final commit. https://www.instagram.com/p/DI4ECT0unBO/?igsh=ZDVmbnRuNWJ2a2dz

Zips add Cody Head.

Trying to predict this team's starting 5 and rotations is silly. Here's the key, and @Zippy87 eluded to it - we are way more matchup proof this year than we were last year. Our rotations are going to be very malleable based on whomever we are playing. Evan will pretty much be a staple no matter what strengths our opponents have because he's so versatile, athletic, and a great defender. Against a taller team, we can utilized more of the Barre/Lyles/Brisco/MMK/Evan combinations. Against more guard oriented teams, we'll just insert any 3 guards in addition to Evan and one of the bigs. Need more offense? Throw Evan at the "5" and run any 4 of the other guards. Zippy87 said we'll have 6 guys in the rotation that will be 6'3" or taller. We'll actually have 7, maybe 8 if Josh Henderson plays as a true freshman. Scott and Head are also both 6'2", so not far off. All but Sharron, Tavari, and Perkins will be 6'2"+. 2024-25 Contributors James Okonkwo - 6'8" 240 lbs Amani Lyles - 6'7" 226 lbs MMK - 6'6" 195 lbs Isaiah Gray - 6'3" 220 lbs Bowen Hardman - 6'3" 190 lbs Nate Johnson - 6'3" 205 lbs Shammah Scott - 6'2" 195 lbs Seth Wilson - 6'2" 220 lbs Sharron Young - 6' 160 lbs Tavari Johnson - 5'11" 160 lbs 2025-26 Potential Contributors Chabi Barre - 6'9" 225 lbs Rich Brisco - 6'8" 230 lbs Amani Lyles - 6'7" 235 lbs MMK - 6'6" 195 lbs Evan Mahaffey - 6'6" 200 lbs Josh Henderson - 6'5" 175 lbs Eric Mahaffey - 6'5" 190 lbs (I've heard he's now 6'6") Bowen Hardman - 6'3" 190 lbs Shammah Scott - 6'2" 195 lbs Cody Head - 6'2" 194 lbs Sharron Young - 6' 160 lbs Tavari Johnson - 5'11" 160 lbs Tai Perkins - 5'11" 165 lbs I legitimately think we got better despite losing Nate & Okonkwo. This roster is going to be VERY formidable. LET'S GO ZIPS!

My starting lineup followed by position depth: PG) Tavari Johnson - (Young, Scott, Perkins) SG) Shammah Scott - (Head, Hardman, Johnson, Young, Henderson) W) Evan Mahaffey - (Hardman, Eric Mahaffey, Head, Henderson) F) Amani Lyles - (Kamali, Evan Mahaffey, Eric Mahaffey, Hardman, Brisco) C) Halil Barre - (Lyles, Kamali, Brisco) I think we will see lots of variation including fast paced, 4 guard lineups. But this might be our most balance starting 5 since the Covid catastrophe. Also, I am thinking of the Mahaffery brothers as guards and slightly taller versions of Mikal Dawson. And I believe Lyles emerges from the offseason as a stretch 4 since we will have more muscle on the roster to bang down low.

He’s huge. He has to be 80 stories tall. Go Zips!!

Home and Home with Shaker Heights?

Tailgating with my wife, The Unluckiest Woman in the World, inside my pick up truck as the rain pours down in Lot 10.

I like all of you guys but not enough to share that jackpot!

Zips add Halil Barre.

Barre is a great get - athletic big who will help tremendously on defense and can finish around the rim. High character player, too. Have to believe KD helped facilitate this one. No idea how it'll shake out, but maybe we look something like this? Lyles/MMK Evan/Eric/Halligan/Groce Barre/Brisco Scott/Head/Hardman/Henderson Johnson/Young/Perkins

With the volume of players leaving any D1 program nowadays, I don't know if the old spring game format can be used? There just aren't enough bodies to field 2 full squads until the summer? The "Open Practice" format is fine IMO. They scrimmage one's on one's and two's on two's, with full contact (except for QB). The offense just always goes right to left, and there's no punting (which is worthless in the Stiles Center anyhow). 47 yard FG drills follow TD's. F the weather. I'm tailgating in Lot 10 tonight (Open Practice Tailgating...not full blow tailgating).

The loss of Nate hurts, but did any of us expect him to be the MAC player of the year going into last season? Did anyone expect Freeman to become the GOAT? On paper I think a lot of people will be sleeping on the Zips. But I have faith that the coaches know what they are doing and we'll be better than last season. Just need some guys to keep getting better.

Head and Barrel both with two years eligibility. I like that too!

I sure hope it can handle the enormous crowd.

I've said before lineups to close out games is more important than who starts. This is the lineup I'd expect most often in close out situations. PG - Tavari SG - Young SF - Scott PF - Evan C - Amani You might see Barre and Amani do some offense for defense substitution. Since Barre is a sub 50% career free throw shooter, you can't afford to keep him on the court if you're trying to protect a lead late.

I was just told - "Outside if the weather is ok. Inside if it's not." Since the practice facility is right next to the field, it can be a near-game-time decision. Postponement or cancellation isn't on the table.

Do you have a guess on the next lottery numbers?

What is that, a city for ants?

7'4" wingspan and athletic. What a get.

you might want to watch the gozips.com schedule. currently it still says infocision at 7..

I haven’t seen anything official, but if the weather is bad it’ll be played indoors. Or maybe they postpone until tomorrow.

Nope. I'm a 3rd stringer tailgater, so it's full contact for me. I bought the Zips old t-shirt cannon on ebay for 50 bucks last month and have been taking shots to the head to toughen me up for the big event this evening. I've been training hard... @NWAkron has been my "Burgess Meredith".

Technical there is. It would have to be before the enrollment deadline ends so sometime in August. It was around this time and into early May that we filled out our roster last year with the portal. I would think within the next 2 weeks we'll have it set.

Landed at Marshall.

Patience grasshopper, patience

Don’t bury the lead. I think depth and Shammah Scott’s replacement are good points, but here is a guy who can drive confidently to the hoop on the left side of the court. Actually, he appears to be amber dexterous. I think if Groce could fill half his roster with left-handers, he would. It makes the offense more dynamic and is another wrinkle the opponents have to game plan around. Edit: He is from Cleveland, so there’s that. But watching his highlights more closely he seems to shoot with his left and drive mostly with his right. So we’ll see how that plays out.

Looking at her numbers, I can't imagine she'd get any meaningful amount of money.

Rumor has it Mardi Gras is going to become a NIL fundraiser. You get beads for donating.

Chabi Barre, a 6'9" forward is in the portal from Duquesne. He's a little unpolished but a strong rebounder and defender.

I’m really sorry to report this, but I just heard that @clarkwgriswold has entered the portal. They’re even poaching our super-fans. Where does it end?!

I know someone who works for the MAC. This person told me that during the most recent meeting of MAC presidents, the leader of one school petitioned the group for approval to either drop football entirely or move their football program to an FCS league while remaining a MAC member for other sports. They were turned down. Although my friend would not divulge the university in question, the hints I was given (urban school, financial pressure) sure point to UA.

Almost every P4 schools loses money with athletics. Given our history, do you believe we would be in the minority or majority? I'm of the belief out administration would set records.....in losing money of course.

I feel it's still TBD how much revenue sharing and direct institutional NIL support will impact the cost of college athletics. If the standard becomes G5 schools paying players $3 million, that means schools like Akron would have to play 2 paycheck games just to fund the players. A cost that doesn't currently exist today.

The MAC Council of Presidents is not a public institution. Members are sworn to secrecy on all discussions.

It seems very likely that this is about UA; Toledo is succesful in football, and Buffalo is in no real finaical danger with the largest enrollment in the MAC. I think we'll see a lot of these situations (dropping football outright or dropping down a division) over the next five years. Sadly, the money is just not available to run a D1 program even on the G5 level. It might be the lesser of two evils to bow out instead of enduring years of very visible and costly failure in a system rigged for the success of larger and wealthier universities. College football as it is today cares only about the Power Conferences, and even within the "Power 4" there are/will be a large number of rich "also-rans". Northwestern is as far away from Ohio State as Kent is to, let's say, even mediocre Cincinnati.

And I thought I had commitment issues.