RoyalBlu
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Posts posted by RoyalBlu
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15 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:
Thanks. (Out of Likes.)
With the departure of Baker I hope Onkonkwo is ready to play at least 30 minutes/game.
PG: Wilson........ Tavari/Young
WG: Gray......... Scott
WG: Johnson... Prather
WP: Harris........ MMK
P: Okonkwo... Lyles
Redshirt (or did we just learn our lesson w/ Baker?): Mahaffey
It's not uncommon for redshirt freshmen (like Baker) who hit the portal to spend a year at a JUCO. They get 30-35 games of experience, quite likely graduate, then have three years of D1 ahead of them. Frankly, I don't understand why mid-majors in particular don't recruit this gold mine more actively.
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3 hours ago, blueandgold said:
If I was a betting man, which I'm not, I would say it would be Tavari leaving.
Surprise (at least to me) Baker ... exit stage left???
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13 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:
Dawson upgrade.
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5 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:
He'll fit in just fine. Very efficient scorer - not as good of a shooter. Strong defense, too.
A big physical third guard ... perfect for this team. Defense will be key vs. best perimeter player the opposition has. Very good pickup. Also a good PG backup for inevitable down games from freshman PG, Sharon. (Tavari who?).
Adds to the premise this team - w/so many experienced P5 transfers - should be strong right out the gate, capable of winning big (read: P5) games in November and December.
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12 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:
Scott took a while to settle in but he was a very valuable bench player down the stretch, especially on defense. As his play improved, it was obvious Groce's confidence in him increased. I think X and LCJ have skewed our expectations of transfer guards.
We all have guys we like and would prefer to get more minutes. I think the way it played out demonstrates no one of that Scott, Thornton. Tavari trio took control to the point of seizing the role as "the guy."
I said in an earlier post (somewhere??) the reason the MAC was so bad last season is because PG play throughout the league was poor to bad across the board. We were spoiled with two years of X, Carry, and others that transferred in and made the league much stronger. No suce transfers last season short of the guy at CMU.
It will be interesting to see how that position looks across the board in the MAC this season. Young IMO walks in the door as Top 1-3 in the league, depending on how you want to rank them. We'll see if that looks the same in January. For the sake of the MAC, here's hoping Young is as advertised, ... but he ranks 3-5. Then the MAC has a good chance at climbing back into the 14-19 range among top BB conferences in D1.
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12 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:
Ignore the quote.
Obviously, Akron is far and away the Portal leader in the MAC. But how would you rank the likes of Toledo, Ohio, CMU, BG, Kent in terms of transfers (not HS) recruits coming in?
Seems like they all got something out of the portal.
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Another note: Unlike many on this board and others, I believe the MAC will be a much much tougher conference overall next season. (Hopefully it shows as early as non-conference).
Yes, it's hard to predict each team with all the portal comings and goings, but judging from what teams like Ohio, BG, Toledo, Ball State and Kent have added, I would expect all to be better.
Like Akron, those teams have not necessarily replaced departed 'players' as much as they have recruited to their weaknesses. Ohio, for example, desperately needed some size inside, and got it with a 6-10, 250-pound portal. Yes, he's D2, but he has a solid resume and should be a rotational player at the least.
I think the same can be said for incoming transfers at these other MAC schools. Toledo, for example, was not the 3-point shooting team last year that they usually are. Now, all of their portal recruits are proven 3-point shooters at the college level (2 from the MAC).
Time will tell how good all of these players are on their new teams, ... but in terms of recruiting to their weaknesses, it seems most MAC teams have done that, getting players with proven experience or (like Akron) P5 pedigree.
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3 hours ago, Illini Zip said:
I would say, not necessarily at the beginning on the year, but they should have a higher ceiling come March. And way more balanced.Frankly ... with 3 years of P5 experience on hand at multiple positions, along with the holdovers for depth, this team SHOULD be able to make a statement or two (read: WIN) vs. P5 non-conference opponents in November and December, then improve over the course of the season in the MAC.
Not predicting or expecting anything like an undefeated MAC season, but on paper this Akron team seems to compare with those good Buffalo teams, and they were able to establish themselves both in non-conference and conference.
If Akron can do the same, I think the MAC and post-season aspirations should be easily attained.
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On 4/12/2024 at 12:30 AM, kreed5120 said:
I don't know if he can or can't help us. If he can, there is no point in redshirting. With how much the transfer portal has exploded, there is no promise of a tomorrow. Unless there is someone I'm missing, only Freeman and Tribble came to Akron as Freshman and graduated as seniors without a transfer in-between during Groce's tenure. The days of guys staying at 1 school for 5 years just isn't as common as it used to be.
Also, Ali wasn't hurt by not having a redshirt year. He got an extra year of eligibility regardless from covid. He provided the team defense and versatility. He wasn't asked to nor did we need him to score. That team was probably our most loaded team offensively between LCJ, Cheese, Banks, and Xeyrius.
If I'm not mistaken Freeman was also a 'transfer' albeit academic ... pretty sure he came from Tiffin first.
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9 minutes ago, Illini Zip said:
We are on the same page. I have been watching West Virginia games on Draftmatic. I will post a couple of games later. All three typically come in off the bench 5 minutes into the game. Although Harris has started.I think Harris is he plum in this bunch ... he should be able to play any baseline position on the MAC level and be pretty strong at any of them. Not many MAC teams will have a player with that versatility. He should be a consistent 15-20ppg scorer in my mind and that is huge.
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13 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:
I never want to play Kent in Cleveland. It's not like they were good this year, but Senderoff had them playing their best basketball in March when it matters most.
Looking at this through your lens ... I see what you're saying.
Akron's two latest NCAA appearances were probably more directly related to Kent self-inflicted miscues (24-foul, 22-video). Could Akron have won both games without those incidents? Certainly. But ...
It's not like blocking Kent's last-second shot in OT to win the MAC Tournament, and go to the NCAA. No discussion. Zips earn it/took it.
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32 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:
Decided I wanted to risk losing some brain cells and IQ points, so I traveled over to the PCCC message board to see their thoughts on the off-season. Found a few interesting tidbits...
- According to Musselman77 "I got it from a good source that Ali Ali got $100k to come back this season" (referring to last season)
- It was questioned how WMU can solicit the money for their new arena, while PCCC "does nothing but burn bridges with community businesses and alumni." In response to this, Older and Older stated "The list of well off alumni and businesses that want nothing to with the development people and Athletic Dept. is truly shocking We frequently discuss and just shake our heads. Wish I was comfortable saying more but they will cancel my parking pass." (This was copied verbatim, perfectly conveying the Can't Write part of Can't Read Can't Write Can't State motto)
Any message board news on how much Kent has in NIL $$$.
Can't be too much.
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30 minutes ago, akzipper said:
This tweet is so hilarious to me.
Their entire team basically transferred. Yet they brought in one guy, who barely did anything for St. Louis, and are going to the tournament? What?
I think you're a bit out of touch with those guys ... but it's understandable. Here's a more up to date take.
1) The only notable transfer loss was Sullinger, their leading scorer. Davis went into the portal but came back. All other portal entries for them were bench guys, including Freeman, who (based on their board) was a poor recruit who only showed up once a month. Rollins (who committed the foul that sent Akron to the NCAA) ultimately beat him out. And is now in the portal as well.
2) So far they have two transfers from the portal -- not the * caliber the Zips have hauled in, but solid none-the-less. The PG above was the starter for St. Louis the final 10 games or so of the season and had some very productive games, especially with assists, including vs. Duquesne, St. Bonaventure and Rhode Island on the road. Has 3-years to play.
The other portal recruit is a 6-8 guard/forward from Boston University, again, nothing over the top besides the fact he's a very good 3-point shooter.
3) Have no clue how many (if any) scholarships they have left. But they always seem to recruit a bit differently from the rest of the league (witness above) anyway. None of these two guys move the needle much for me, but we'll see what it looks like come January/February.
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1 hour ago, ZipsFan31 said:
I know the roster is not finished up. My big questions who do you think gets the nod for starting point guard. Tarvi, Scott, Wilson, or Young… I think you can play all of those 4 guards at the 2 as well. my guess is Tarvi, but I’m hoping Young comes in and is special.
From what I heard, by several different MAC assistants, is Young is special. A starter as a freshman.
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Do the Zips now go back to the head of the class in the MAC for basketball next season ....🤫
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Getting Davis back is a plus for them ... and the transfer guy seems OK when he plays, but has had multiple injury issues over the years. They still need guards, several of them. Until they get some not really a top tier MAC threat IMO.
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19 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:
Honestly, I might be in the minority, but I'm not all that impressed with Coit. He's a career .416 shooter and .354 from 3. The only scoring that he does efficiently is free throws, but it's not like he gets to the line a ton. ~18 ppg on ~15 fga/gm just isn't all that good. He's a chucker on a bad team.
A lot to filter through here ... but generally speaking I'd rather have a player not afraid to shoot - maybe even a bit selfish - over a hesitant player or player always willing to defer.
I think coaching can temper some of that ... don't forget Little Loren was a near train wreck as a freshman/sophomore before he and Groce found common ground. Generally speaking, I'd rather not put my chips on a 1-year guy unless I was sure about him and the team. But if the comfort level is there, go for it.
(Some guys just don't want the last shot, no matter how much they claim they do.)
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On 3/22/2024 at 10:24 AM, tolbob said:
Oakland's Jack Gohlke went 10 for 20 3's and beat Kentucky. They had what we lacked. Gohlke came from Hillsdale Collège, just an hour north of Toledo. Was he on our radar? Probably not a great defender that Groce wants, but at some point we need shooters to stretch the field.
C'mon now. The reason he launched 20 3-pointers is because Oakland had no other choice. If he only makes 7 Oakland loses. Credit to him for making them, and Kampe for leaving him in against a superior opponent, but that's all Oakland had. We'll see if his hot hand continues in the tournament.
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Great point ... consistency is key. Also, as Ali and several other players (Wright State forward who went to Ohio State then returned to WSU) have shown, if you're going to transfer, do it after your sophomore season. Leave a year to recover if all does not go as planned ... which is the case more often than not.
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48 minutes ago, Zippy87 said:
The share of blame I'd pin on coaches is primarily the roster and recruiting. No frontcourt depth and Thornton/Scott were portal misses.
There is some truth here ... and I think it is not just an Akron problem. Toledo-Akron-Kent had the best three guards in the league the previous two years and all were transfers. This season the best transfer guard/player is the PG at CMU. Every portal player in the MAC from Toledo to Akron To Kent and on down the line VASTLY underachieved. Personally, I think teams would be better off getting Jucos with a solid resume instead of the question marks and left-overs in the portal.
I believe Toledo-Akron-Kent all recruited Dennis-Castenada-Carry out of HS and knew what they were getting. Not so sure about the latest crop. ... But that's the issue, and must be addressed IMO going forward for the entire league, not just Akron.
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Freeman, Moss, Hunter, Hill, PG at CMU
COY-- CMU
What a sad state across the board ... (Note, EMU played its best BB w/o the MAC's leading scorer ... Kent is a loser for first time in over 20 years ... injuries impacted a lot of teams this season ... but still)
Roster development left a lot to be desired at a lot of places, including Akron ... although THE PORTAL had a lot to do with much of it.
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This probably belongs on a post-season wrapup but .... find me one game - much less 3 or 4 - this season where Ali put the Zips on his back and carried them to the finish line. Enrique, for all his plus-plus abilities, does not 'carry' the Zips offensively. That job should belong to Ali. He should have been 'the closer.' If anybody ever saw it, let me know when. Down the stretch of the season is when you need 'that guy' to step up and it just hasn't happened.
Maybe at the MAC Tournament we'll see it.
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1 hour ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:
No doubt, but right now we're slotted into a 13 seed by pretty much every bracketologist. Assuming we get JMU and handle our business in the MAC (including winning the 3 in Cleveland), you'd be looking at a 10-11 seed at worst anyways. Actually, if we draw JMU and beat JMU, assuming we hold serve in the MAC, we would probably starting getting votes then with only 4 losses, all to respectable opponents, and 3/4 losses being without Ali Ali.
JMU -- right now -- would be a tier 1-2 road win, but JMU needs to keep winning the help the Zips before they play them, and JMU has struggled a bit lately (dropping out of Top 25).
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12 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:
I'm all for Groce picking up a monetary sanction from the MAC for post-game comments about the refs and the chicken$h!+ technical calls. I'll start the GoFundme for us all to contribute to pay it.
So what did Groce say ....
Transfer Portal
in Akron Zips Basketball Recruiting
Posted
Paladin ... "Have Gun, will Travel"
Fits him well.