Great post. I’m feeling very optimistic about the culture foundation being as strong as ever with Coach Ford and this group - and there may be that extra boost of new energy that naturally goes along with getting out of the routine and changing little things that make the experience feel familiar but fresh!
And you have Steele ending up either ‘stuck there’ and them stuck with him (I’m not convinced he’s anything above average.) Or he finds a way to jump ship if they can manage another decent season / run, and they are starting over and stuck with that stadium project!
I still struggle labeling Miami special … just sort of makes my stomach turn because we should have beat them, they got lucky what at least 5x, and got beat in first rd of MAC tourny by a team that didn’t end up making the final. To me they will
always be a mediocre team that got more than a few breaks. I get the undefeated thing is always a statement because it is so rare but I sure would love to see them brought way back down to Earth next season.
That’s a super strong add. Head coaching experience on the back end and the bench can’t be underestimated. It’s a trend right now and in my mind huge for a first time HC
Same here! They have been doing this for a while now and know how to build. They obviously weren’t blindsided and knew this was what would be coming and got ahead of it yesterday on social media BEFORE the portal announcements came.
Also, who’s to say Bud himself didn’t encourage the guys to explore their value and then come back and give Akron a chance to keep them (aka we’ll do our best to match your true market value). Obviously they’d prefer to not have them go in the portal but I have to imagine they would welcome them back with open arms and want to show they care about what’s best for the athlete and their family - similar to Groce encouraging Nate.