ZipForNow

Dr Darrell Scott has quite a set of posts on X!

I disagree. We are talking about a 6’8” guard from Serbia who at one point would have been brought along and developed and, who knows, could eventually be all-MAC. I vaguely remember extreme excitement when he was successfully recruited.

Player development is a Zip strength. The calculus of that is tougher in the new era. But also, couldn’t Oggy have gotten more minutes in blowouts? Has KenPom distorted playing time decisions?

Is it at all significant that Bowen said nothing about wanting to leave the door open to a return to UA? I would imagine that in each case where it was or was not said in a portal post, this was merely a strategic decision. For example, if you say you would entertain returning to UA, you are signaling that the only offers you will entertain are those better than what you already have at UA. I was expecting to see that clause in Bowen's post.

Nice to see Xavier Castaneda is still balling, playing pro ball in Andorra and also a member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina National squad. Always one of my favorite Zips, he could really control a game.

Testing the portal waters is the new normal. On the face of it, Eric and Sharron, while we love them, did not do all that much. It’s their youth and upside that almost mandates seeing if they can cash in. I hope we can sell the culture: you will get decent NIL, will graduate, play professionally, and have a finance guru to help you out long term. That’s a nice package.

Retention strategy is super important in the TP NIL Coaching Carousel era.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a transition plan in place to retain Eric and Sharron, maybe contact between Goodrich and Bud prior to Groce leaving. Maybe a Dustin convo? Goodrich seems to have been ready for the coaching change.

I'm not. The press conference with Goodrich made it clear that saying goodbye to the team and moving on to a new opportunity were the main things on his mind. Once a Zip, always a Zip? Maybe. But he is definitely a Cougar.

Women’s lacrosse is a net revenue generator I believe. Many are on only partial scholarships.

Bingo. I think the key to the future of UA student fandom is to recruit a greater number of students from outside the NE Ohio region. Even the Columbus kids are more likely to go to games than the Stow kids. This would also help the academic program as we are facing a demographic cliff and could always use more students in general.

Let’s not forget Track and Field, Rifle, Swimming and Diving…

I think what we are rooting for here is the continuation of the Akron ecosystem. 1. Bud leads the FearTheRoo Collective. 2. Ford develops players. Zips nearly ALL become paid pros, mostly overseas. They make decent money and invest it with.... 3. Bud. 4. Rinse and repeat. 5. At regular gatherings, alumni talk to current Zips, who talk to recruits and recruits' parents about the way things work at UA... 6. Rinse and repeat. 7. A vote for Ford (though I was a Carter supporter) is a vote for continuing a winning ecosystem at UA.

How does revenue from broadcasting fit into this picture? Do decisions based on tv viewing negatively impact attendance? Maybe games get flexed to Fridays for TV purposes.

Nice to be courted and see what’s out there. Makes requests to Goodrich credible.

I agree. I am on the academic side, but even there, when there is interest, you have to pursue the opportunity diligently, maybe even make some over-the-top demands, just to see what is even possible in other places. Then, even if you do not wish to take the job offer, you go back with the offer to your boss and use that to better your position at home. This is simply how it works, maybe in other walks of life as well (executive level in firms, headhunter-dominated fields). Hopefully, this is all that is currently going on. Wasn't there some wisecrack on X that implied "bald man got too greedy" or some similar sentiment? That could be what is going on. Obviously, I am speculating.

For most people, the Zips will always be their fourth favorite team: 1. Browns or Steelers 2. Buckeyes 3. HS Football team 4. Zips This was true even in the Bowden years. Exciting, bowl-winning team still did not draw fans. What is the solution? It will be interesting to see if Goodrich can crack this nut.

Absolutely. That’s what I am saying. The article points out how awful conference realignment has been.

Conference realignment was the eye-opener for me.

Thank you for posting the link. If you go to those projections, what you see is that Ohio has a high mortality rate (both relative to the past and to the national average) and a low birth rate. Surprisingly (to me), there has been a net influx of residents, people moving here, perhaps out of affordability? Still, it does not offset these natural drivers of population decline. This causes problems for UA because most of our students are local and the pool is shrinking. I think we need to start recruiting more students from out of state. These students would be more likely to attend sporting events than the current local student body, who tend to go home after class.

In this country, how to spend one’s own money has come to be seen as an inalienable right. I wonder how this would play out in court. It seems like a bad idea for coaches to be able to do this.

Don’t forget conference realignment. That contributes.

Article on Eric in ABJ: https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/college/zips/2026/03/21/eric-mahaffey-akron-zips-ncaa-tournament-march-madness-college-basketball-transfer-portal/89242985007/

Beyond the immediate money, there is the ecosystem: play professionally somewhere, Bud invests it, grow your nest egg, have a good life after your playing days. I wonder whether that is ever part of the deliberations.

I agree. He also got better at making back cuts when the opponent would try to deny him the ball on the perimeter.