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Arkansas had a player who played 8 years overseas and they won the tournament. Northern Iowa was the only other mid-major their, so we are the Mid-Major Manager Champs

I seriously wonder if any of them will sniff a Final Four with that spend. BBN hasn't been to a Final Four in 11 years, and they can spend all they want and have the most lottery picks. The ?football school? in Bloomington hasn't been there in 24 years. They're casting about and spraying money at what they think is the problem. It's not translating to net cutting. You only need to look at the 2nd half of the Duke / UConn game last weekend to see what happens when experienced talent goes against pure talent in a high stress situation. The experienced team will maintain composure better than the teams new to that environment. Talent surely matters, but culture is wildly undervalued with the NIL top down perspective. There's a team shooting for it's 3rd NC in 4 years that has ample NIL (just below the cited list), but prioritizes culture and team building. It's the *same* reason that the Zips will be playing for their 4th straight MAC tournament title in about 11 months. His on-court antics aside, if you take the opportunity to listen to Dan Hurley's recruiting and program perspective, you'll see how much he values fit and background over projected draft status. Steph Castle is a prime example .. and it's the same reason he's a great fit for the Spurs. He wanted to be part of something bigger. Karaban is shooting for his 3rd NC. He's not a 1st round NBA guy .. but he's essential to UConn's success. There are plenty of other examples (Painter at Purdue for 1). Ultimately, success is less about the "X's and O's" than it is the "Johnny's and Joes." You either have the players or you don't .. but among 2 teams on the court with similar talent, it comes down to cohesiveness and collaboration. Teams that like themselves and play for their teammates will always be better than a group of individuals. No matter what happens this weekend, the signature play of Alex Karaban's college career will be giving up the ball to a Freshman who had a slightly cleaner look at a shot the team had to have. As we all know, the kid buried it .. but it was the trust the team had in each other that obliterated Duke in the 2nd half. Same is true in rec ball, middle school, CYO and almost every career. Build a high functioning team and successes will chase you down. It's one reason I'm excited to see Coach Ford's finger prints on the Zips. I fully expect to take my center court seats at the Q next March and watch the Zips play on Saturday for the hardware. The sun shines brightly on our team & program, and I hope the sun shines brightly on everyone here this Easter Weekend. Go Zips! {/captain obvious}

Yeah, I’m on a different page than many of you. I hate seeing the top talent from our conference get lured away. I want to win the MAC at its strongest.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/evan-t-wilson_gocougars-1charleston-activity-7445793981835382784-Wvlt?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAACkAKNsB0SkA095jhk47kMR1msg1-UFdr-o Evan Wilson accepts a job at Charleston. Love to see that

I once took a whiz on a picture of Rick Pitino at the bottom of a urinal in a college bar in Lexington KY.

I can't believe that our 18 to 22 year old basketball players much give a damn whether Nemer is in the crowd.

I think Eric has P5 potential, I don't think his college resume is sufficient to get him any P5 offers. He'd benefit greatly from another year at UA, then we'd unfortunately need to kiss him goodbye. I just shake my head when I see what college basketball has become. The arena is the same. The uniforms are the same. The fight song is the same. But the players are professional mercenaries, not student athletes. That's sucked the romance out of it for me.

Oggie aka the Big Stank started playing more and more hero ball when he got his runs. There were more than a couple bad 1-on-3 takes or no look passes out of bounds that had Groce just staring at him in disbelief. Bad defense and not running the offense means take a seat kid. I would have liked him to stay b/c he does have a lot of upside but the portal will tell us a lot about his true value.

Idea: teams/players should have to sign two-year contracts. If this included the redshirt year this would still give the athlete an opportunity to transfer two times in his/her career if they would so choose. Sound fair?

Ask yourself this people- If you were able to put your resume out there to see if another employer would pay you more to do the same exact job, and it wouldn't impact your current position, would you do it? That's what these kids are doing.

Ignacio Alem distinguished himself on the left wing. He was consistently dangerous on the dribble. Freshman Leo Morana also impressed with some incisive passing through the midfield. I believe he had at least one assist, depending on how you score it. But the frosh I really have my eye on is Londen Sears. Here is a mountain of raw talent! Fairly good with his right, superb with his left. He played all four years of high school, the old-fashioned way. "... a two-time All-America honoree, he was named as the Ohio Player of the Year in each of his final two campaigns...led his squad to a state title as a senior after advancing to the title game as a sophomore." If Sears plays all four years of eligibility, he will very likely have an MLS career. I will lay that bet right now! His size/speed ratio is fantastic. He is quite rough around the edges and really needs some intensive and focused development. Akron is a great place to receive that sort of attention, the program that turns red chips into blues every damn year. But what is his position? Not sure at this point.

Josh Jones, assistant coach at North Dakota State is joining Dustin's staff. Hes been at NDSU 6 years and overall has been coaching in college since 2014.

I don't know how it's going to happen yet, but I have a feeling the Akron Zips will win the MAC again next season.

I don't know about you, but I am sick and tired of the trite, sanctimonious messages athletes post when they go into the portal. They talk about God guiding them. They talk about the everlasting bonds of fellowship they have with their teammates. They thank their coaches for developing them into the men they are today. Then they leave. After great thought and consultation I'm offering this simple sample announcement: "I'm in the portal. I may come back. The most money determines what I'll do." This hits at the truth. Saves a lot of time. And eliminates hypocrisy. Please use for all future announcements as my gift to portal entrees. No charge.

Happy Easter everyone!!

That’s a super strong add. Head coaching experience on the back end and the bench can’t be underestimated. It’s a trend right now and in my mind huge for a first time HC

Same here! They have been doing this for a while now and know how to build. They obviously weren’t blindsided and knew this was what would be coming and got ahead of it yesterday on social media BEFORE the portal announcements came. Also, who’s to say Bud himself didn’t encourage the guys to explore their value and then come back and give Akron a chance to keep them (aka we’ll do our best to match your true market value). Obviously they’d prefer to not have them go in the portal but I have to imagine they would welcome them back with open arms and want to show they care about what’s best for the athlete and their family - similar to Groce encouraging Nate.

I took a whiz next to him in a club level bathroom at halftime of the QF game. The douche fabricating the story of Nemer being in Europe is a liar.🤥 Hope that settles the issue.

Zips Nation Insider podcast posted on IG that they'll have an interview with Coach Ford, releasing tomorrow at 6 PM on their YouTube Channel.

Or our athletic department just got around to organizing it

Re: Big Stank. I have been holding off my thoughts on our former coach. Trying to let a little time heal the wounds. Coach didn't play him and he was clearly better than a few that got more minutes. Probably why he is transferring. 6'9" ball handler with offensive skills. Yes he was raw but he could of helped us.

I think Oggie's shortcomings on defense cost him time. Groce also always emphasizes how the guys practice and I suspect this did not bode well for a kid in a new country and new system. The Zips system is much more up tempo and physical when what he was likely seeing in Europe. Also, Groce's rotations tend to shrink as the season wears on and he ended up as the 10th or 11th guy in a 9 man rotation.

Speaking of

It won't happen, but I wish they would quit playing Final Four games in NFL stadiums.

I agree, I don't hold a grudge or ill will towards him for not doing it. Just assumed it would be something he would do given the length of his tenure.

This didn't age well...

This was a thorough thrashing and mostly one-sided affair.

I have no idea what the answer is, but I’m pretty convinced at this point that the NCAA isn’t it.

As I recall both BUGS goals were scored in the last 10 minutes. One in the run of play. The other was a PK due to a takedown in the box with only about 1:20 remaining in the game if I recall correctly. Nice to renew the rivalry with such a squashing. 😊

Apparently Terry got bored. This summer he'll be coaching Monroe (LA) in The Arena League, a 7-on-7 indoor football league. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18ovTiBYFU/

Joe Dunn 👇

You heard the man.

I'm honestly not surprised. Out of all our players with remaining eligibility he probably has the highest market value due to his size, athleticism, and well rounded game.

$12K plus being a human billboard to raise awareness for both the team and collective

In case you haven't noticed it is happening at Akron now. We have exceptional people in all positions and they will work things out. They are doing it now.

I feel like we had a great lineage from LCJ and Co down to this group with mentorship etc and we've lost that link if they both go. So this sucks

This is USD and not Euros though 😆

They probably had more NIL /s

I get that a talented college basketball player would want to enter the portal to gauge his value. That being said, I'll be a little aggravated if Eric leaves after UA brought in his brother and made that experience possible.

As long as it's not Miami. Where his dad happened to play.

I think Eric goes back to cincy area. NKU maybe UC be closer to his parents. I don’t think he goes to CoC. To far for family to travel.

Mahaffey enters the portal, but does not rule out a return to Akron. https://x.com/i/status/2039777040358907924

Pretty crazy that all of the FTRC gear is as affordable if not more affordable than most Akron gear and is typically better quality. Plus, the Fear the Roo logo has always been a favorite of mine.

Bummed about that. He was a disaster for them.

Watching Freeman play on prime and he is really playing well. Last 4 games averaging over 20 points and already has 19 points tonight in 3rd quarter with double double.

A signature win?

Sigh. We just broke up and I saw her with her new boyfriend.