kreed5120

Groce tried playing them together on the court numerous times and it didn't work offensively. It just made it easier for opposing teams to double Freeman to force him to have to pass and allowed defenses to pack the paint to prevent guards from getting to the hoop as Aziz shooting range is about 2 feet from the basket and Freeman is less than 10 feet. Freeman is at his best when he is isolated in man defense in the low post. If he's playing next to another post player you want said post player to be able to at least knock down a mid-ranger that way it can keep the defense honest.

Not surprised Boals would want to bolt. The Ohio roster has been decimated. Who knows how long before he'd be able to assemble a squad to draw major interest again.

Groce is a good enough coach that if he had Big Dog he would alter his offense in a way to make it work. Aziz transferred because he knows if he stays he won't see the court for the next 2 years with Freeman ahead of him. I don't fault him for that. In his case it was definitely in his best interest to transfer. Let's get the stretch 4 that we desperately need that would help compliment Freeman's game.

Unlike the Ali departure I don't mind this. Aziz and Freeman can't coexist on the floor at the same time and we want Freeman to play 30+ minutes a game. That means Aziz really doesn't have a pathway to playing more and contributing. He barely saw the court in the MAC tournament and only played in the UCLA game when Freeman was in foul trouble. I think we'd be better served using this scholarship to land a big that can play next to Freeman that way Groce has more flexibility in his lineup.

I'm not faulting Groce nor saying don't recruit hs players at all. Just that you need to heavily rely on the transfer portal to succeed this day and age, which is what Groce has done. LCJ, Xeyrius, Cheese, Banks, Riak, and Castaneda were all transfers. Sure there have been some whiffs, but at this point I feel Groce has whiffed far more frequently on hs players than he has transfers.

We also wouldn't have had Castaneda this year under the old rules therefore likely wouldn't have made the tournament. Embracing the transfer portal is the only way to succeed in college basketball as a mid-major. You have to take the good with the bad. You just have to keep bringing in more quality transfers than you lose. It's also why recruiting hs players IMO isn't that great to build a team. Why spend 2-3 years of scholarships on a player just for him to leave after 1 good year when you can bring in players that can help you win day 1?

The thought that you can't make the NBA if you play in the MAC is a farce. If you're good enough the NBA will find you no matter where you play. Just look at Ja Morant who was drafted #2 overall out of a weaker OVC conference. It just happens to be the most talented players gravitate towards the P6 conferences. Ali departure is certainly a loss. 6'8 players who shoot 40%+ from 3 and can guard multiple positions don't just grow on trees. I don't necessarily think it means next season is doomed, but just means Groce has more work to do.

It looks like both are planning to hire an agent so if that's the case then yes both will be gone.

A lot of players "declare" for the draft even though they know they won't get drafted. It allows them to go to the combines and have scouts tell them what they need to work on. They then are allowed to rescind their declaration and return to college. There was a rule change that was put in place 3 or so years ago that allows for it. I'd expect both Williams and Segu back at Buffalo next year.

Bonzi Wells is apparently interviewing for the BSU job

Marshall already is a perennial opponent. Excluding the covid shortened season we've played them 8 straight seasons. We initially scheduled them for a 4 year contract, but both schools keep agreeing to extend the deal.

We use to play CSU every other year as part of the coaches vs cancer double header. Of course that's when they stunk and people then complained why are we playing cupcake CSU when we should be playing someone like Middle Tennessee. A team that was doing well at the time. That's the thing with mid-majors is who is good one year to the next varies so much. Edit: There has been 36 all-time meetings between the schools https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/play-index/matchup_finder.cgi

Over signing is pretty standard these days given how much the transfer portal has exploded.

A lot of those comments were before the UCLA game. After the game posters seemed to change their tune and said Akron should be favored to win the MAC next year and that Freeman will be a contender for MAC POY.

NMSU accepted an invite to Conference USA to backfill all the teams that bolted for the Sunbelt and AAC.

Yes, I didn't say NMSU wasn't a good mid-major program. They're just the only good mid-major in a extremely weak conference. It becomes easier to recruit at the mid-major level when you're pretty much a lock to make the tournament every year.

Generally how it works in sports is the more talented you, the more schools/fans are willing to look past things. He was only at BG for 1 year and they went 11-7 in MAC play. Not like he achieved enough for BG to give him the benefit of the doubt. Also, the WAC is a disaster of a conference. It's pretty much NMSU, who has been a solid mid-major for a while, and a bunch of other really crappy teams. NMSU is pretty much a lock to make the tournament every year and they had success long before Jans got there. I doubt he would have had the same success at BG as the MAC is much more competitive.

I don't see Steele getting much, if any, attention from major conferences. His time at Xavier was more disappointing than Groce time at Illinois and Groce at least had prior tournament success to bolster his resume. Steele has really nothing. He's almost certainly going to have to go back to being an assistant at a high major or accept a position at some place like a Ball State to prove himself. Whether or not a MAC school has interest in him I have no idea. I don't think he would be a break the bank though. If he decides to be a head coach at a mid-major over being an assistant at a big school, I'd imagine he'd sign for ~500k/yr. I believe Whitford was making around 300k so it would definitely be a pay increase, but very doable if they decide they want to make a splash hire.

I said it in another thread I feel we really need a stretch 4. Some here seem to think the same. We also need at least 1 other person to emerge as a legit scorer whether that be Tavari or someone else. Tribble needs to spend the entire offseason working on his 3 point shot. Being a guard that is no threat from deep really allows the opposing defense to play 5 on 4

I 100% agree the more athletic 6'5-6'8 guys you can have on the court, the better. The length would help a ton for the defense Groce wants to run. I'm with you on categorizing Ali as a 3. Not only is he not big enough (in muscle mass) to be a 4, but he's not really a strong rebounder. A lot of games it was really Freeman getting us boards with little help from anyone else. Kwan and Xeyrius were both significantly better rebounder than Ali is. If you pair Freeman down low with another guy who can get 6-7 boards a night, we should win the battle on the glass the vast majority of the games, especially in MAC play.

Well there us always next year...

Stop the count!

I'm sure they did. Government agencies are notorious for inflating the useful life on capital projects to help justify the costs.

I lived in Mogadore briefly after college. I had to join the Moose Lodge as it was the only bar in town. Im pretty sure I was the only member under the age of 40. Town Tavern I've been to a few times and I've enjoyed myself there. It is a little bit on the smaller side to be hosting an invite like this, but then again it is a late night game during the work week so most will likely just be watching it from their home.

Holmes is absolutely owning them in the low post 10/15 from the field for 20 points. Toledo struggled with Freeman both games too as he was 6/6 in the championship game and was 7/8 from the field in the regular season. A game I feel we could have won had Freeman not gotten in foul trouble. Hopefully they don't fix that problem this offseason otherwise they might actually be able to live up to expectations for once.