Let'sGoZips94

This program is in his hands.

He's special. His name will be in the rafters someday.

Wait, we could go undefeated?! HANG THE NATIONAL CHAMPS BANNER!

Amazing. If this is accurate, the ability to add 2 more players to this squad would be incredibly beneficial. I feel like the 11 we have currently could win the MAC again, but to add anyone to that would be a massive bonus.

I still don't think I've gotten an answer on this. Do we have a scholarship left to offer anyone?

What was the competition like that he was posting up against? Same size guys or bigger than him?

I'm guessing Linhart was in there?

I'm bored - the new norm. So, here's an accurate by-position list (I believe) of the roster (excluding walk-ons) for next season (grade reflects next season). Guard LCJ (5'8" RS SR) Garvin Clarke (6'0" FR) Greg Tribble Jr. (6'1" SO) Bryan Trimble Jr. (6'2" RS JR?) MIkal Dawson (6'5" SO) Tre Edwards (6'6" SO?) Forward Jermaine Marshall (6'6" SO/JUCO) Maishe Dailey (6'7" SR) Cam Reece (6'7" SR/JUCO) Ali Ali (6'8" SO) Taylor Currie (6'8" FR) Am I missing anyone/anything? Do we have any open schollies left? We need one big in there, at least 6'9"/6'10". Our perimeter defense will be unmatched, though. Our height and athleticism will be a nightmare for other teams. Guys like Trimble, Edwards, and Dailey saw first-hand what Groce wants to do on offense and defense, and should have no problem living up to the expectations set by this year's squad.

Can we get an updated Scholly Chart if possible? There's nothing better to do nowadays. ?

X is the kinda guy I wish we could have had for 4 years. He represented the Blue & Gold incredibly well.

My guess is no because he's a JUCO. I believe it's a seamless transition to DI ball from there. I said this in the Recruiting thread for him, but he looks like a slightly weaker Reece with a jump shot. He finishes well around the rim with/after contact, and is heady on defense with an aggressive approach. Groce's strength & conditioning program should have no problem putting size on him. I think he'll fit the system nicely, and as we've seen with Groce's recruiting tactics, it's all about the system fit - not the "traditional basketball" fit of grabbing guys just because of their height, etc.

Interesting... Looks like a slightly weaker Cam Reece, but with a jump shot. He looks athletic enough to stretch the floor, and seems to finish well with/after contact around the rim. He plays bigger than 6'6", and Groce's strength & conditioning program will have no problem putting size on him. I like the idea of adding more experience to this squad!

Only two players that scared me from that squad. Well done WMU. Hope The Rona was a good enough excuse to submarine your program even more.

100% agree with all of this. LCJ definitely isn't going anywhere, and this team is going to be just fine from a leadership standpoint. Completely forgot we have Garvin coming in. By the way, did you mean Tribble? Trimble and Tribble will be confusing for the next couple of seasons haha. I'm looking for Tribble to make a massive leap, and hope he focuses on his shot & free throws. Trimble, coming from the St. John's program, should be able to step in right away and produce. Any word on what Buffalo's recruiting is like this year with the newish coach and a disappointing year? Akron has to be the pre-season favorite with LCJ returning (nobody is going to dig deep enough into the MAC to look past LCJ), but OU will be VERY formidable. Boals & Groce are building something special at their respective schools, and that's going to be a fun rivalry all the way around - coaching (although I can't hate Boals), players, and school.

One way to cut through time is have a couple players on the bench that have to sit out during a year where we had great chemistry. Guys like Trimble and Dailey should be able to fill the leadership roles with Cheese, Riak, Banks, & X departing. The key is LCJ. Him returning is massive for this program, and we owe it to him to show how thankful we are.

I know there wasn't a postseason for us this year, but One Shining Moment has been the social media posts from this squad. These guys were truly close. It's a shame they were robbed of showing the nation just how special this group was. I hope we never take the 2019-20 Zips for granted, because they have been one of the best groups ever to represent the University.

With this being the only coaching change in the MAC, I wonder how much the absence of the MAC Tourney played into keeping some of the other coaches. Did the coaches convince the ADs they could have made a run in Cleveland?

Interesting quote from an ESPN article. "I decided to change leadership of our program days before the COVID-19 crisis emerged. A comprehensive national search in this time of anxiety, despite exceedingly strong national interest in the position, just didn't sit well with me," athletic director Kathy Beauregard said in a statement. I don't know if that's a cop out, but if I'm a WMU fan, using the Coronavirus situation as an excuse to not have an extensive HC search wouldn't sit well with me.

This. x100000000000.

Hang the banner! "SI.com Simulated 2020 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen"

Many MAC players have used this rule throughout the years. It's quite beneficial to them. They get pro training experience, networking, and the return to college card in their back pocket.

Turner was recognized at their senior night. This wasn't a surprise. It is good news though.

I'll be there, assuming there won't be more than 10 people in attendance. Shouldn't be a problem considering the last time Akron played at OSUcks, they were already practicing social distancing (super small crowd). This matchup makes perfect sense. Groce was an assistant at OSUcks and I believe has a good relationship with Holtmann.

Interesting but not surprising. I appreciate that he stayed with the program as long as he did. I agree with Clark that he was never the same after his injury. Wasn't his injury due to a BS technical earlier in the game that potentially sat in the back of his mind and made him let go of the rim too early on the dunk? I wonder how Groce will fill the extra scholly.