Let'sGoZips94

It's damn good to be on this list again.

I'm assuming JoeMo is holding the program to a higher standard where they actually maintain the turf properly. Are we getting new endzones?

Then why say it in the first place? Pretty cowardice to not finish that thought and duck behind the cover of "being respectful". Right because nowadays, a word is basically murder and hypocrisy is the accepted approach to life. Do as I say, not as I do. Gimme a break.

No no. Finish that thought. Telling of what?

He said a word. He wasn't campaigning for the rights of gays to be taken away or for gay people to be murdered for being gay. The same word is used in popular rap songs. The same word is used in movies & comedy shows that many people have laughed at, including on this board. It's a damn word that people are suddenly up in arms about, while they stay silent about legitimate human rights violations in the world that are partially funded through companies Americans support. The hypocrisy in the outrage is hilariously evident. When I heard what Huggy said, I laughed. Does that make me a bad person? I'll let God be the judge of that when the time comes. But I know that if human rights for gays or a gay person were being threatened or assaulted, I'd be one of the first people at their defense. I'm pretty comfortable in my own skin and moral compass. I am tired of the crusade against free thinking, and am done being complicit with silence. Excuse me for being able to distinguish the differences and having the cajones to point all of this out.

Framing it this way is a Kent State-level thought process and reading comprehension. If you would like to have a legitimate discussion on a topic you originally posted about, with the insinuation that he wouldn't be in the Hall of Fame because of this incident had he not already be indicted, I would love to partake. Feel free to PM me if you don't want to publicly discuss. Apparently, in today's America, it's enough to post a topic (ignorantly not expecting a different viewpoint to be shared), share an opinion, then incorrectly repeat the opposition's words and slap a "bigot" label on them to end a discussion. P.S. The Barstool guy, as I previously mentioned, got fired for reading rap lyrics with the N word in it.

What about this ain't it? Have songs like Rap God by Eminem not been blaring in locker rooms (and pretty much by every millennial/Gen Zer) since 2013?

Not much of a stretch, but that's precisely the point. The fake outrage over something this small vs virtually zero outrage as companies all over the place accept money from a country where being gay is punishable by death. Yes, you said he will probably be fired soon. In response, I posed the question if Akron should take down his banner? If what he did is egregious enough to lose his job over, should Akron being honoring him? How far do we go with this?

Should Akron pull down his banner?

Sure it is. AWS is one of their sponsors. Saudis are invested in Amazon. Therefore, there is Saudi money being accepted by the PGA. Then of course you have the advertising revenue from the TV network deals, which includes Saudi money. The PGA is absolutely profiting from Saudi money, however direct or indirect that may be. If this is such an abhorrent act, shouldn't there be equal outrage at the radio hosts? Or maybe the bubble of who is actually offended isn't as large as people are led to believe? Maybe, just maybe, we should get away from caring about words offending us.

"Oof" because I'm willing to go against the grain and call out hypocrisy and have a discussion on a fan forum where this "controversy" was posted? "Oof" because my post doesn't fit the trend of herd mentality, where it's easier to simply agree to be part of the larger group instead of taking a step back and analyzing the whole situation with perspective? Honestly, the first post mentioning this insinuates the man shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame. Adolph Rupp is in the HoF, and what he actually stood for was a whole helluva lot worse than this one Huggins incident. Apparently you can. The radio hosts, while they did get somewhat awkward for a second, laughed and kept Huggins on. The one guy even called him the best.

The coaches are paid to win, and the players are paid $100k+ to do the same. Let's not pretend that "representing the university" is some righteous objective anymore. Kansas had Snoop Dogg perform during one of their preseason exhibitions, and he brought stripper poles & money guns onto the court. Alabama's best player was associated with a murder in which he provided the murder weapon, and was never even suspended. Listen to the songs played during warm ups, and Google the lyrics. If representing the university in an appropriate fashion was an actual objective, at least half of those songs wouldn't be played. Yes, and a popular figurehead at Barstool was recently fired by the parent company Penn for accidentally reading the N word as he live-read rap lyrics. I'm well aware of the status quo when it comes to being politically correct and caving to the cancel culture mob. The PGA sponsors disciplined Justin Thomas, while the PGA accepts Saudi investment/sponsorship money, where it's illegal to be gay. Hypocrisy. In fact, research the companies that Saudi Arabia has invested in. What's more offensive - a gay slur or doing business with a country where being gay is punishable by death? That's why this is an overblown controversy IMO. Huggins didn't physically harm anyone or commit a crime. And those who are offended by this are probably talking about it on a Saudi-funded platform (i.e. Twitter/Facebook). Here is a good illustration of the hypocrisy within the cancel culture movement.

Right, because the music & conversations that plays & are had in the locker rooms across the country is so Holy and pure. They wouldn't offend anyone, so people would never get angry. He said a word. Big freaking deal.

Overblown "controversy". The reaction-driven hypocrisy in these situations is nauseating anymore.

I know the transfer portal will be part of this, but 2024 will be one of the most important recruiting classes in the history of the program. 5 open scholarships + any additional departures. The health of the program going forward depends on the 2023-24 season results & 2024 recruiting class. OU and Buffalo are the cautionary tales.

You must have a helluva time taking questions at the t-shirt cannon convention. "NWAkron is a t-shirt cannon survivor. He is living proof that you can stare down these weapons of sports marketing war, and not be deterred from sporting events. Bud Light's Real Men of Genius recognized the inventor of the t-shirt cannon, but it's people like NWAkron who are the Real Men."

13.5 ppg last year for Balls.

Why was he a key factor in those games? He hit his 3s. He shot 40.7% that year from 3. His worst games occurred when he didn't hit from beyond the arc. Understandable. However... He's a career 34.9% 3PT shooter. If Ali Ali doesn't produce like he did in 2021-22, are people as excited about him coming back? If you remove 2021-22, he's a career 27.6% 3PT shooter. That's 3 years of sub-35%, with 2 years of sub-30% including this past year which was 25.5%. The ball and hoop don't really change, no matter where you play in D1 college basketball. If we get 35%+ 3 PT shooting from Ali Ali, wonderful. That level of game fills massive voids we had from last year. If we get 30% or less, his scoring seemingly comes from dribbling the air out of the ball and hitting layups/mid-range jump shots for 6-8 ppg. Where does that level of game fit on this team? My expectations are tempered. I hope Ali Ali is able to fire on all cylinders this year. I have my reservations. Does he try to hard & press during his comeback tour? If he struggles, has he grown enough mentally to not get as down as he used to?

Just like he no-showed against UCLA? Didn't realize better competition came with different-size baskets... Saying his stats dropped dramatically because of the better competition isn't exactly a ringing endorsement. Edit: I'll back off now. I don't mean to be harsh towards Ali Ali. The wound of him leaving when we needed him is still open. Really hoping he has the mentality of having to earn his PT at Akron again.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, our 2023-24 roster is finalized. Guards Greg Tribble - 6'3" SR Tavari Johnson - 5'11" SO Ryan Prather Jr - 6'5" RFR Nate Johnson - 6'3" RSO Shammah Scott - 6'2" JR Kaleb Thornton - 6'0" SR Evan Wilson - 6'2" JR Pat Mayfield - 6'5" JR Wings Mikal Dawson - 6'5" SR(?) Ali Ali - 6'8" SR Marvin Musiime-Kamali - 6'6" FR "Bigs" (PF/Centers) Enrique Freeman - 6'7" SR Sammy Hunter - 6'7" SR Amani Lyles - 6'7" SO Darrion Baker - 6'7" FR Easily the deepest team in the MAC on paper, the main questions that will remain unanswered until the season starts... - Which guard(s) steps up to replace X's scoring production? Not necessarily all of it, but 10-12 ppg will be needed. - Does Amani Lyles develop into a solid #3 big man to spell Freeman/Hunter? - Does Hunter's shot develop into a more consistent, stretch-4 threat? - Does Darrian Baker, a McDonalds All American nominee, slot in as a Wing or Big (maybe under weight for a Big)? Does he contribute from Day 1? - What can we get out of Prather? 6'5" is amazing size for a guard, and if he produces, look out. - Does Ali Ali produce similarly to his 2021-22 stats? Do we see better ball movement like the end of 2021-22, or does the offense with the addition of Ali Ali revert back to Ali Ali backing down opponents with the occasional kick-out? I knocked the Kaleb Thornton transfer initially, but I did not realize he led the MAC last year in both assists and steals. He is the PERFECT PG for this team.

It's a pretty valid conversation. Breaking down how an incoming player fits onto this Zips squad is a key component to a fan forum. If Ali Ali went to Butler and came anywhere near his 2021-22 production, 1) he probably wouldn't be coming back and 2) that would validate your thought of experience & growing up equating to better production YOY. He didn't. Therefore, the door is open to question which Ali Ali we will be getting.

Which is why we need him to return to 2021-22 form. In 2021-22, part of what made Ali Ali productive was he had 241 2PA vs 118 3PA. In his other 3 seasons, he has taken pretty much an equal number of 2PA vs 3PA, with his 3 pt percentages being 23%, 34%, 40% (2021-22) and 25%. I will always root for Akron's success, which this year means rooting for Ali Ali to return to 2021-22 form (minus the possession killing back-down offense). It's very fair to have reservations about a guy who has had 1 standout year during a 4 year college career, left your program when you needed him, and is coming back with only 1 year of eligibility. Go Zips.

6'6" 310 lbs. Sheesh.

If you can guarantee me a 13 ppg player on 40%+ shooting from 2 & 3 (even upper 30s for 3 pt percentage), I'll take Ali Ali back. If he returns to 7 ppg on 40% 2 pt and 30% 3 pt (averaging out his 2020-21 & 2022-23 seasons), I'd rather take my risk on a transfer that could be here for more than one season and most likely put up similar or better numbers.

X was a 13 ppg player in 2021-22 with 2 other 13+ ppg guys on the team. I don't think X took a significant leap in 2022-23 - he just had a more prominent role thrust upon him. He largely answered the bell. Ali Ali, for as big of a step he took in 2021-22, regressed mightily in 2022-23. Whatever the circumstances may have been, he only has 1 year out of 4 of being a prominent DI basketball player. That's a fact. We need another year from him like 2021-22. That's all I'm saying.