Zip JD

At least Guthrie didn't ask us to please respect his decision......

100% correct. My dad taught at Akron for 40+ years and met Faust multiple times. Coach always made a point of walking over to him to shake his hand and say, "Hello Professor, good to see you".

Maybe we can schedule them over X-mas Break instead of Arkansas Pine Bluff of the Mississippi Vallet State Delta Devils?

It would be a rather boring board if everyone just stayed neutral to avoid sparking discussion or risking a difference in opinion. Nobody here (save a few) is looking for instigators or trolls, but this is a forum for the discussion of all things Zips. Hopefully RooFan you stay active on the board. If you feel strongly enough about your point of view, then post and support it. Don't take your keyboard and go home.

Spot on. In Kreed we trust.

There is no question that getting to start every game sped up the process, but I think of all the games where there was no 3rd scorer for the Zips and all the different lineups Groce used. It would have been fun to see Aziz and Freeman on the court together. I wonder if Groce would have used the high low post game at all? Oh well, best of luck to Aziz.

It's probably the all too frequent combination of unrealized "potential" and a coach who feels he alone can unlock the player's true potential. I still remember Hue Jackson raving about DeShone Kizer, Cody Kessler and RGIII and what he was going to do with them (nada). This seems like a draft Manziel in the first-round reach. Best of luck to him.

His stat line was 15 pts (4/9 field, 7/10 foul line), 12 boards, 4 blocks and 2 assists to only 1 turnover in a 6-point win over Cincy. I knew he would get better, but I had no idea he would be this good, this quick. It's amazing he's still playing two weeks after the entire MAC is done for the season. Good for him but I wish he was still in the blue and gold.

Wow, this is more in depth than my Sr. term paper. Let me know when Vol 2 is coming out. I want on the distribution list. Great work.

I would have thought this would have been done during the season when Charles decided not to renew Coach's contract. I hope they get someone in there SOON!

Nate Johnson was a red shirt and his upside is huge. Some kids aren’t ready to play right out of high school just as some transfers aren’t ready to come in and contribute (or adjust to a new team). I’m sure the fans at Trimble Jr’s or Virshon Cotton’s last stops are writing that their coaches should stop taking transfers. I don’t have all the answers or inside info so I have to trust that Groce is making the best decisions he can.

This happens every couple years where a school starts renovations as soon as the season ends and then gets an NIT bid. Kentucky went to Robert Morris just a few years ago (and took the L).

It looks like the CIT got postponed twice for COVID and then came back last year as the The Basketball Classic. The web page just lists 2022 details and nothing about 2023 so it looks like we saw X's last game which sucks. I will be interested in what the AD has to say about the decision-making process for post season play. I really wanted one more run with this crew.

No CBI for the Zips. Major disappointment from my perspective. The bracket is up at The CBI (@CBITourney). CSU and KD are in, not us.

Faith has to work on her conditioning in the off season. Reagan, Layne and Molly could all run circles around her as could opposing bigs. She wasn’t going to be on the blocks ahead of the other 3 bigs and being on the perimeter helped her get back on defense. The couple of games I was at where she got significant PT she was gassed quick. That being said she has a lot of potential and can be a real contributor next season.

Over the past 15 years or so, it is very rare for the MAC to get more than 1 team in the NIT. Two seasons ago (approximately) both Toledo and Buff got in, but I believe that was the first time since 2008. The year before no MAC school got in as the regular season and conference champ was the same team. They actually passed a rule that the regular season conference winners get an automatic bid to the NIT if they do not go to the NCAA Tournament (which in the MAC means you lost the MAC tourney). The rule was passed largely due to the 26-7 Akron team with Romeo, Dru, Wood, Dials, etc. being left out of both tourneys. The MAC carries no clout or prestige with selection committees, and the tourneys would rather have the 9th or 10th place teams from power conferenced than mid-majors. If you check the recent history, the CBI and CIT (I believe they changed the name) are the only places you will ever see multiple MAC bids.

A former member of the school's administration told me that all of the Zips MBB starters were making at least $18K a year this season. He was concerned that Freeman might bounce for a bigger payday like Ali Ali did. I have not located any specifics to confirm or refute this statement.

I hope you are right but in one year we had one player bounce to a bigger program and one head to a small school where he could start. The transfer portal and NIL $ has changed everything.

Without the ability to trade talent for future draft picks.

#ShouldHaveStayedAZip or #AlwaysStayAZip The choice is his.

I’m more interested in when do we start our, “We want Wilson!” chant?

I greatly enjoyed the home environment KD brought back to Akron. The JAR had not rocked like that since Huggins. KD built a premiere mid major program that unfortunately ended with several years of heartbreak in the MAC tourney. After multiple years of being the #1 seed but failing to get it done for the automatic trip to the big dance, I think he was telling the truth when he went to a team that was in a 3 bid league (at least it was when he arrived). His family is from Pittsburgh and his son transferred to Duquesne to finish his soccer career so I don’t blame him. The money was not that big an increase if my memory serves correct. It was time for both him and program to go in new directions. I think the whole of ZNO (minus one or two cranks) agrees Groce is the best coach for the job. Let’s just enjoy what we have and leave KD in the past. Go Zips!

I'm sorry to hear you are leaving. Hopefully, you will see what happens in the off season and give them one more chance. My main thought is I do not understand the "if it's not broke, don't fix it" statement. Coach seems to be a great lady; however, she is barely above .500 for her career at Akron, she's 40-50 (44%) in MAC play, and 4 out of 5 starters are graduating leaving us with by far the worst roster in the MAC heading into next year. We only have 1 remaining player that would start for any other MAC team (maybe 2 on the lesser teams). This is now a total rebuild. I hope they get hot in Cleveland, and I have no doubt they will play hard for Coach. Go Zips!

You are totally correct. A 44% winning percentage in MAC play is not going to cut it. Also, with 4 starters graduating we are now in a complete rebuild which made it all the more likely the program would go in a new direction. You have Bass (please tell me she is staying), Stinson and not much else to build around. The backcourt was horrific this season and both starters are gone with no clear successors in place. Our backup point guard appears to be 4' 6'' and we had a lot of ladies on the bench that did not or could not regularly contribute. If the roster was loaded with young talent, Coach would probably have been brought back. I was at the Toledo game when at one point 6 Zips hit 3's out of the gate (6/7 shooting) so here's hoping they get red hot and make some noise in Cleveland for Coach. Go Zips!

I forgot to mention parking pass is thrown in with season ticket orders. If they try to give you Lot 1 (parking deck) ask for Lot 8 for hoops and Lot 9 for football.