Zippy87

Evan Wilson will be a GA at Arkansas State next year.

Last season, we only had 3 players in the rotation taller than 6'3". Next season, we'll have 6. I'm excited about that as I think it gives you a better shot against P4 teams.

I think we all understand basketball here and that a depth chart is a simplistic view of where things may stand, especially in April.

Barre is a great get - athletic big who will help tremendously on defense and can finish around the rim. High character player, too. Have to believe KD helped facilitate this one. No idea how it'll shake out, but maybe we look something like this? Lyles/MMK Evan/Eric/Halligan/Groce Barre/Brisco Scott/Head/Hardman/Henderson Johnson/Young/Perkins

I like it. Now let's get a big.

There's certainly risk, but I'm not sure it's any different from a team perspective than a player getting a season-ending injury, like Harris last season. He wears a monitor, gets regular check-ups, and doctors have told him there's low risk in it happening again.

Duquesne finished middle of the pack. Barre could likely give us Okonkwo-type of production in the MAC.

This is happening from what I've heard.

Two spots open now. I think a big similar to Okonkwo and a scoring guard are the ideal fits.

Interesting that it happened so quickly. Did he not get the offers he expected, or did UA pony up some more money to keep him? Either way, great news for Akron.

The gigantic difference between the Guardians and Zips is that the Guardians know exactly how long they have a player locked in, and can get compensated if they know they'll be leaving (either comp picks or trading them for prospects). The Zips got nothing in return for any of their players leaving.

A few thoughts: - I can't blame Nate based on the money thrown at him. He won't reach the NBA and wouldn't get paid that much playing professionally overseas. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and he took it. If Tavari is getting similar money, good for him too. - I do wish neither would've posted on social media that they were returning. Yes, they're young. Yes, it's possible they didn't know. But Nate literally went 6 days between his "I'm returning to Akron" and "I'm out" posts on IG (the Akron post hasn't even been deleted). I hope these young athletes or the adults guiding them do a better job of this moving forward. - If this is the end of the defections, I still think we can compete for the MAC Championship. Evan Mahaffey will be a good MAC player, Sharron Young is the real deal, Amani Lyles and Shammah Scott should get even better over the summer, and I've heard nothing but great things about Eric Mahaffey. - I wonder if Perkins or Henderson may play next year. Redshirting players doesn't seem to make much sense anymore unless they're just not ready to contribute. - We have 3 spots open now, and I trust our staff will find winning players. We have to add at least one big (I've heard us connected to at least one already) and some scoring. They'll need another PG, too, unless Perkins plays right away. - I really hope this doesn't make it harder for Groce and others like him to want to stay at mid-majors. I can only imagine how frustrating it is and how tough it will be to build something sustainable.

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