Let'sGoZips94

Recruiting a high school player only to redshirt him in today's age is like buying a lottery ticket and putting it in the junk drawer, potentially to never look at it again. Look at Aziz - he was pretty raw last year (probably could've redshirted) but contributed enough to make a decent impact. He left and looks like he might be something special, but at least you got something out of him for a year; at least you got a few dollars back on your lottery ticket purchase. Not knowing what we might've had in Mosengo is puzzle. Using a scholarship on him instead of something who would've helped more than Mosengo ended up helping us is just plain frustrating.

Exactly my point. We could have used Mosengo's scholarship on a transfer that would've been able to help the team this year. Prather had some health stuff if I recall that hindered his preparation for the season, correct?

Quit. Recruiting. High. Schoolers. And. Redshirting. Them. @NWAkron I see your confused reaction emote, so I'll explain. We got nothing out of Mosengo. This team needed another bigger body, another scoring threat, and we have no idea if Mosengo would've filled either of those needs. Instead, he got a year of free education, free physical development, free basketball knowledge, etc., all on the University's dime, and now he's going to take all of that elsewhere. In the era of the open Transfer Portal, if a high schooler isn't expected to contribute at least a little bit from day 1, that scholarship would be better used on a more experienced Transfer who would then be locked into the Akron jersey for multiple years unless he wants to sit out a year. I don't understand redshirt anyone in this era of the Portal.

All great points. Is the graphics team the same team that does them for football? If so, those people are earning their paychecks/experience. Both programs have really stepped up their social media game. Tribble, Dawson, and Hunter aren't surprising returns. Hunter would have to sit out a year if he left, Tribble is basically an Akron lifer with a limited skill set that only Groce can get the most out of, and Dawson is coming off an injury with limited transfer potential I'd assume; he also has the connection from Huntington Prep with Fulford. Freeman is the key to all of this. Him returning creates the stability this program needed after multiple offseasons of roster turnover. I'd be fascinated to hear the behind the scenes with him staying. He seems so genuine and simple, it could be that he just loves being at Akron, with Groce who gave him his big shot. It could be the program found some NIL money for him. It could be a combination. Would be interesting to hear the details. Everyone else on the roster is fair game to stay or leave. I don't believe there's a restriction on any of them, so we'll see which ones share a "Run It Back" graphic and which ones enter the Portal. Opening a spot on this roster for a veteran guard to replace X has to be the hope for anyone who watched this team last year. Ideally, I'd like 2 open slots on the roster for veteran pieces, since we have quite a bit of youth from the 2022 and 2023 classes.

Anybody know if RayJ graduated?

Kowalchoke continues to be a one-sided coach. If only he taught defense...

Up 42-40 at the half.

Regardless of your thoughts on Dakich, I would venture to guess his stories are pretty factual here. Sampson's cheating scandal was pretty ugly. KSUcks being on Houston's schedule this year was pretty telling about Pinky's relationship with Sampson. We've seen the questionable character recruited to PCCC by Pinky. And let's be honest: the image of Pinky balling his eyes out is both hilarious and entirely believable. He always looks like he's one mean word away from crying.

I'm not cherry picking 1 game to bury his time as a Zip. He was obviously huge in many games on a team void of depth/talent last year. The post I directly replied to said, "The answer seems pretty obvious.... Anyone who wouldn't take a proven .400 3P% shooter because him leaving hurt their feeling needs to grow up." The guy no-showed when we absolutely needed him in the NCAA Tournament, then bolted for Butler, with the optics being he thought/thinks he's better than Akron. Since being at Butler, he has seemingly regressed and faded into irrelevancy. I don't think it's exactly an obvious "yes" to want a player back who no-showed in your biggest game on the national stage and seemingly thought he was too good for our program, yet 75% of his new school's fans probably don't even know who he is. That's my point. It's a silly hypothetical to even debate since he isn't even in the Portal.

He picked up at Butler right where he left off with Akron. What a stud.

W.O.W. Quite the hire by BUGS. Here is a bit of what we can probably expect from BUGS going forward...

You're welcome. Do we want a new thread for 2023 or keep it the same? Also, there will be a new "shame" group since Akron is not participating this year. I think it's quite obvious which team the "shame" group will be based on - pick wisely. Remember: morals matter (cough don't cough pick cough KSUcks cough).

Here is the link. https://picks.cbssports.com/college-basketball/ncaa-tournament/bracket/pools/kbxw63b2ha2tambyguyq====?pool-join-key=oi4lm831waggh3sgprv74attqdidh18e&invited-by=ivxhi4tzhiyteojyge2dimjt&via-medium=copy&ttag=FF23_lk_cbssports_cbb_bpm_copySetupInvite All are welcome.

https://www.si.com/college/indiana/basketball/dan-dakich-peels-back-curtain-on-craziness-during-kelvin-sampson-rob-senderoff-era "Indiana fans, if you want to get under Senderoff's skin, cheer Bud Mackey,'' Dakich said. "Bud Mackey was a palyer from Kentucky that he sold Sampson on but never got to play. Why? Armed robbery, drugs, you name. Multiple charges. "So we find out that Bud Mackey has been arrested and I'm sitting in my office, and I'm just laughing. I'm watching Senderoff, and Ray McCallum and Kelvin Sampson, it's like the Keystone Cops of idiots. We find out that Bud Mackey has been arrested and my man Senderoff is balling in my office. Literally crying his eyes out.''

No because we need win-now talent, and I'm not interested in having Ali Ali back only for him to sit for a year. As a grad transfer? Still no.

I wish there was a site that added stats to Portal entries. I'd be like a kid in a candy shop. "I'll take one of these 18 ppg guards, one of those 7 rebounds per game bigs..."

Jim Tressel promised the committee free tattoos for this to happen.

The cost is $27,500, to be exact, and I don't know what additional expenses there are. I agree recruiting is where the money would be better spent, assuming we find shooters. Still disappointing we aren't getting the younger core more experience.

Having followed these teams from a betting standpoint since January, this is a solid non-P5 field. San Jose State has the MW Player of the Year. Southern Utah and Southern Indiana can score with the best of them. Indiana State, Cleveland State, and Tarleton would be excellent competition. And let's be honest, we'd all love a shot at Duquesne.

CBI field is full of teams that would've given our younger players worthwhile experience. Would be interesting to hear the reasoning...

Mr. Coach of the Year only preached one side of the ball all season and it bit them in the butt hard with their inability to execute defensively when it mattered in the title game. Shocking. Kowalchoke loves those NIT banners and participation trophies. Legitimately can say I would not like Carry in an Akron uniform. I'd maybe tolerhate him, but that's about it. Part of what we hail about Groce's Akron squads is the character level and how the young men that wear the Akron Blue & Gold conduct themselves. Akron's pep band wear polos & khakis, while PCCC's pep band wear wrinkled t-shirts. Akron players typically carry themselves well, while PCCC's players are punks that look for the camera constantly. 14 miles separates the two schools, but the contrasting differences are way further apart.

Tribble was in the gym and worked HARD. MANY videos posted by him daily in the gym. That's not the issue. It's strictly a mechanics issue that is too engrained in muscle memory, and that's ok. We don't need him to be a shooter. He just needs to continue to work on his handles (which are more than adequate), finishing at the rim, defense, and passing. He's not a hinderance on offense when we have 2-3 other players on the floor that can shoot. Freeman, Tribble, and 2-3 guys who can shoot is perfect.