kreed5120

I just don't think the website is completely updated yet.

You say that like one of those players wasn't first team All-MAC and another wasn't 6th man of the year. I see a lot less talent returning to the MAC this coming year compared to this past season. I believe only 1 player that was 1st, 2nd, or 3rd team All-MAC is returning next season. Last year there was 2 players alone that were first time All-MAC who returned. The MAC will add players certainly. They added players last year. It's just much easier to build a strong conference when you're starting from a solid foundation. Last year had that foundation as Akron and Miami were projected to be 2 of the stronger mid-majors in the entire country before the year started given the talent they had returning. There are no teams that you can really point to right now and be like they're going to be great. It seems sensible to believe next year the MAC won't be as good as it was this year considering the MAC had a historic year. It seems some people just want to argue for the sake of arguing. Edit: As I said before we can revisit this in November/December once we see how the MAC does in OOC play.

Jahari Williamson in the portal. https://x.com/i/status/2041246826490180067

We can revisit this at seasons end, but I'd expect the MAC to finish something close to what the Horizon League was this year, which is worse than what the MAC was this past season.

The MAC is coming off its best season since pre-covid (looking at Kenpom) and that was with Akron and Miami returning a lot of talent. Also, with Kent returning Gillespie. The MAC also got its first at-large bid this century Do you honestly believe next year the MAC as a whole will be better?

It wasn't mentioned in my post I suppose, but Young and Eric leaving isn't good for the MAC either. I would prefer to win the MAC again next year because we got better, not because the entire conference regressed to level of a directional Michigan. Edit: Also, what's not mentioned is this is a contract year for the MAC TV deal. If basketball was actually good maybe we could squeeze a few more dollars out of ESPN or whoever bids.

Yep, people try to defend Akron's poor attendance saying nobody wants to see Akron beat a poor MAC team by 15+, but then cheer when other MAC teams lose all their talent. If you're a fan of the sport and want to watch quality basketball at the JAR all these portal entrants isn't a good thing. It's more just a race to the bottom.

Kent board is saying Sumlin has announced intent to return.

I feel this was known for a long time. Kent board seemed to know this was going to happen pretty much as soon as MACT ended.

Wyoming as a state has a population that is similar to Summit County. Even if someone like Goodyear steps in and gives Akron $500K-$1M, I'm expect programs like VCU, Saint Louis, and Loyola Chicago to get something closer to $1.5M+. Just widens the gap between the haves and have nots.

It seems like he comes from a Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana background. Perhaps that opens up some high school recruiting connections that we might not of had with the previous staff.

Kind of gets back to the point I've made before. Think about how much of a better place Miami basketball would be today if instead of building a ~$250 million arena they opted for a more modest $70M-$100M arena. They could have then fundraised that $100M (what AD claims they will get for arena) in donations to endow their ACE fund (or whatever they call it). Having an extra ~$5 million a year in perpetuity to pay players would go much further to guaranteeing success than trying to build a Big 12 caliber arena as a MAC school.

I never indicated they would be great or even good. Nor did I indicate they would be the favorite post portal. They are kind of the favorites as of right now because they're slightly less gutted than everyone else. The MAC as a whole will likely be down substantially from this season. I would be shocked if there is any MAC team as good next season as Akron or Miami were this one. Partly why both teams were so good is they had a lot of returning pieces, which allowed for good chemistry. No MAC team will have that next year. Edit: It should be noted they still have Ipsaro, who was probably their best player in OOC play. It's to be seen if he lost anything post injury.

I still feel Miami has the most returning talent as of right now, but the MAC as a whole will likely be weak. Dhani Miller from Kent seems legit. I wouldn't be surprised if he has a Blyden type freshman year. We'll have to see how the portal plays out.

Bold of you to assume Bowen is returning.

You can add ADs to the list as well.

Nate Johnson shot an even worse percentage and reportedly got $1.6 million. There are more teams with deeper pockets this season. I think someone will over pay for his services.

That was only true for his first 2, maybe 3 seasons at Akron.

You can't live that billionaire lifestyle in Akron like you can in LA or Miami. Memphis and Milwaukee are two of the NBA smaller markets. I've never been to either city, but I'd venture to guess they don't have the upscale dining or VIP experiences he's accustomed to in the larger cities. It seems weird the interviewer tried to make it a race issue. I feel this board spends too much time talking about LBJ. He's not the savior some think he is nor is he the villain. The most we can probably expect out of him is sending an occasional, low effort tweet.

The thing is once the door was opened slightly this is always what it was going to turn into. In part it's why the NCAA fought change for so long. They have tried a few times to restore order, but have lost in court every single time. The same way this EO will play out. The only way for this to play out and balance to be restored is collective bargaining. I just don't see what incentive the players would have to do that. They're already getting everything they want. Why would they agree to restrict movement or put hard caps on salary? I have seen a few players taken to court and at least 1 or 2 settled for backing out of their contract. In the case of the Duke QB it was a 2 year deal. Perhaps make 2 year deals the standard with hefty buyouts built in. That way it at least creates a bit more stability and offers some compensation if a player leaves before they play their 2 years.

I wouldn't be surprised if Akron is closer to UB now. I haven't seen details behind Ford's deal, but I can't imagine he's making what Groce did this past season.

It looks like he was offered by NIU.

Akron is theoretically way under the $20.5 million that teams are technically allowed to revenue share and wouldn't fall under the scope of NIL. If it somehow could become a problem they could always roll the fear the roo collective into the ACE fund and Bud could continue to help oversee it.

Groce stealing all our players /s

Miami (OH) is disbanding their esports program. They cite lack of funding. I wouldn't have thought it would have a high overhead, but its not like I follow it. https://x.com/i/status/2040066798066782662