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Mahaffeys are at the presser.

Oh I see what this is. Welcome to Akron, Javari Tohnson

I am a life long Republician and there is NO WAY I would ever vote for Vivek after his simplistic attitude towards higher education. Simply put, The University of Akron is now stronger academically than ever in its history. The strength of undergraduate/graduate programs in Engineering, Business, Nursing, Law, Psych, Speech Audiology, and even unheralded programs like Geology and PoliSc/Law are numerous (I have left out some other strong programs just for brevity). How many schools can boost the world's best program in any discipline? Admittedly The University bears some responsiblilty for not promoting itself as much as it should have given its strengths but the facts are still the same. In addition, The University is doing an excelllent job of producing "career-ready" graduates- not everyone but some of that blame is on the students for not taking advantage of opportunities provided by UA that are essential in today's more difficult job market. It is inexcusable for any public figure to take such a sophomoric rather than qualitative view of Universities. He has lost this Republician vote forever. I would rather be Forever A Zip!

This came off from a very direct question from Jim Clark, long time Akron radio broadcaster. "I was at the championship game against toledo, 12k fans and maybe 10k were akron fans. How do we get them to come out on a Tuesday night against Eastern Michigan". Its nice to hear the stuff we discuss about in here ad nauseam being brought up in public

Spring game kickoff is Saturday April 25th @1pm.

If MMK has one fan that’s me, if MMK has no fans I’m dead

I remember a group of KD's players were at Groce's introductory press conference. I was super bummed at the time and honestly that gave me a little bit of hope. Pretty sure they all transferred lol.

Not to mention these type of events really appeal to upper middle class and the wealthy. Even if the event itself doesn't make program changing money, perhaps the relationship building leads to more premium tickets getting sold or corporate sponsors.

Golf outing seems like a great way of attracting new people or re-engaging some who had interest before, but lost interest. It's pretty easy to get a friend or associate who enjoys golf to be your 4th to fill our your scramble. Also, maybe a way of attracting some more local business to get more involved.

It does already seem Dustin has tried to be more engaging with fans on social media compared to Groce. Another sign is starting the golf event back up.

If I'm not mistaken, he's the biggest player in the MAC at the moment. The board has been clambering to get bigger down low and we did that. My excitement isn't exactly through the roof but I see the vision. Believe in Ford & his staff - he has earned that over that the last 9 years of developing undersized big men into All-MAC caliber players.

It's obvious how much this means to Dustin. So awesome. Thrilled for him and his family. He's going to be easy to root for and I can't wait to see where he can take this program.

Someone needs to turn the mic up, computer is at max volume and can barely hear

Looks like a solid rotation big. With 6 potential open spots heading into portal season, not every one is/was going to be a high-impact player. 4 spots remain.

People are saying Groce is a shell of himself without Coach Ford

I talked to bill skeeles last night, UA needs to find a way to get him to invest more. He started his own private equity firm recently, he is already an investor in the new RubberDucks ownership group. He is also a very funny guy to talk to, he might be the biggest Luigi’s hater I’ve ever met

I think it's interesting that none of the HS recruits decommitted (yet). Pretty excited for all 3 of them and wouldn't be surprised if at least 1 or 2 get some PT next year. I said a week or 2 ago after Young & Mahaffey hit the Portal that the 2 key guys to retain would be MMK & Halligan due to their experience within the culture. Each guy has had 3(?) years of experience doing things the Akron Way and both seem like GREAT teammates. I don't care what we get out of them on the court as much as I do in the locker room/off the court. I think MMK can continue to take giant leaps in his abilities to become a legitimate threat on the offensive side of the ball, as he is already a pretty solid defender. Halligan just needs to work on his shot & decision making on offense and we have a legitimate contributor out of him. Barre could be All MAC next year. As long as he's healthy, an entire off-season in the Dustin Ford School of Big Men should do him wonders. No idea why he didn't get more run last year, but I think we've learned that Groce likes to stick to a core of guys he trusts more than others, especially as the season goes on. Very excited about Head. I think it speaks volumes to his desire to play for Akron that there wasn't even a hint of him going into the Portal. Health and fit and Arkansas St. made for a not great sophomore year. I expect him to return to his Lipscomb form. Very excited for Perkins & Henderson - especially Henderson. I've heard nothing but good things about him and love his size. We never had the bonafide build-around guy returning on this roster regardless of who the HC was going to be. However, so far we've been able to at least not lose the vast majority of a potentially very solid supporting cast/depth. Several more open spots to add some top tier production.

Ah yes, the disease that killed over 1.2 million Americans was proven to be a farce.

Ryan Sabol to Providence. https://x.com/i/status/2044487251204161976

5 if what @clarkwgriswold said is true about a HS decommit.

Are you able to confirm or deny if this player is separate from this morning's earlier commit?

Nope

Maybe that's the recruit who will be on campus and is personally being recruited by Dustin.

September 21st I believe is the date they said.

Ford mentioned the program needing to do a better job of making meaningful connections to the community. They also said they'll be having a golf outing again.

Max Burton was primarily used as a play-finisher and rim-runner, while also contributing as a rebounder and interior defensive presence. Given his 20+ MPG, he projects as a high-impact role player at Akron. I'm guessing he will likely be asked to fill a similar role by setting screens, running to the rim, finishing efficiently, rebounding, and defending.

I switched to my phone and it has worked much better.

"The hot water heater went out this morning, so I had my wife go down to the basement and fix it" love this guy

Someone tell them to turn up the mic. I have my laptop at 100% volume and I can't hear squat.

4 spots left, and this is a general idea of how we might currently look: Halligan/MMK Henderson Burton/Barre Head Staveskie/Perkins

Max Burton from Western Michigan has committed to the Zips, per his IG

I'm not sure Groce has retained a single player at CofC.

How cool is this?!

Outstanding use of the Open Cup to make his case for more playing time!

This is a player I'd be all for targeting. Local kid - Wadsworth graduate. High character. Scored 18 against Virginia in the NCAA Tournament. Averaged 10 per game and shot just under 40% from 3PT.

Not everyone we bring in from the portal is necessarily expected to be a 25+ minute a night guy. It might just be someone we expect to be 10-12 minute incoming sophomore that we hope to develop. I do think we do need 1 more wing and big at minimum that can be solid MAC starters.

Local guys: who will be the next Josh Egner? A weary and wary Zips Nation awaits.

I looked through the accounts Coach Ford follows on Twitter and found these players he follows who I believe are all in the portal. It may give us some clues on some players we may be pursuing. Brayden Gross (Walsh) Iyran Francis Jr (Gulf Coast State) Sean Register Jr (Eastern Florida State) Donovan Hill (Saint Leo) Cooper Kesler (College of Southern Idaho)

Really not impressed with what Miami OH is doing thus far in the Portal.

I agree with everything you said, and I also think MMK showed a ton of hustle on defense and rebounding ability both offensively and defensively.

The 2026 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Softball Championship will be held at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio. [1, 2] The tournament is scheduled to take place from May 6 to May 9, 2026. The top six teams from the conference regular season will qualify for the championship. [1, 2] Firestone Stadium Akron, OH Event Details Location: Firestone Stadium, Akron, OH. Dates: Wednesday, May 6 – Saturday, May 9, 2026. Format: Double-elimination tournament featuring the top six conference teams. Tickets: Championship passes and daily tickets are typically available through HomeTown Ticketing. [1, 2, 3, 4] Firestone Stadium has been a long-term partner for the event, having hosted the championship from 2002–2005, 2008–2019, and consistently since 2024 following significant facility renovations. [1, 2]