Let'sGoZips94

Any updates on commitments, offers, etc.?

Three thoughts... 1) The play-in games are a money-grab joke, especially the 11 seeds to squeeze every last dime possible out of the upper echelon level of schools. 2) The field was expanded to 64 in 1985. How many teams have been added to the Division I level of competition since? That would be interesting to know. 3) These coaches need to realize it's all about quality of wins, not quantity.

I was confused on the point of the original post to begin with, so I did probably miss it. If Groce succeeds to the point of another, bigger program wanting him, I'm going to be happy as hell because that means my wishes came true from when we hired Groce (NCAA tourney run). That will also prove that the next level can be reached at Akron, which should attract a good, young coach to replace him, again should Groce leave. I do not expect LBJ to foot the bill for the arena. However, some public, vocal support backed up by a sizable financial donation to build the foundation would be/have been nice. The guy is close to becoming the first ever billionaire athlete. The money is there for him to truly make a difference when it comes to the city of Akron and its university. Maybe if he wasn't spending the time boosting up OSUcks athletics, sporting the Suckeyes gear, he'd have more time to focus on Akron. I have similar feelings towards Dambrot. He complained and complained about the JAR, yet took a salary that made him the highest paid coach in the MAC, from a school he knew was strapped for cash. It would have been nice for him to maybe make a statement and put some of that as a foundation towards a new arena, but ultimately he has to do what's best for he and his family. Ultimately, as @kreed5120 mentioned, the taxpayers have spoken, and I don't blame them. Heck no I wouldn't trust them to spend my money better than I can, not with their track record. A new arena needs to come from private donations, which is why I'm so adamant that if LeBron truly cares about the city of Akron so much, he'll become a bigger voice and put his money where his mouth is.

Edit: Actually, after further thought, is the joke really on you and the OU fan base?

Someone should post this on BobcatAttack and watch them implode with a similar Dambrot/Groce Civil-War-like debate.

This wouldn't surprise me in the least. That's why I'm so interested in the QB competition.

I disagree that the biggest chance we had to dominate the MAC and get into a better conference left with Dambrot. Maybe LBJ should have ponied up some dough for a new arena if he loved his HS coach and hometown so much. Not sure how anyone can make this post when there is so much optimism looking ahead to next season.

Excuse me? Happy Easter? This is a public forum. How about "Happy first Sunday in April"? Seriously, when does the real QB competition start?

Well hold on here. You might be onto something. What if he's entering the draft to build a relationship and connect with LiAngelo Ball, to get to know his dad, who is a self-proclaimed big time GM in Europe? In all seriousness, entering the draft is smart. You get to play against better competition, go through some rigorous training, and develop excellent connections I presume. Odds are he wouldn't make it, but he'll build the relationships necessary to be successful overseas.

I think first and foremost, we need the ever-elusive-but-ever-so-important killer guard. I understand we need talent everywhere, but that killer guard makes the difference come March and can take you to that next level. He had that guard at OU with Cooper (Kellogg was solid from deep, too). Look at March Madness this year. How do teams like Loyola become Cinderellas? They have the guards that step up and hit the big shots or make the key passes. Look at WVU. Their success almost single-handily came from Jevon Carter, who was the heart and soul of that team. Much like Terry Francona has revolutionized the importance of a bullpen mafia, college basketball is dominated by killer guards. You can neutralize athletic forwards with a killer guard or two; typically only the blue-chippers are match-up proof, and even then those blue-chip forwards play like guards. The importance of the killer guard is showing by the number of guards we have offered so far.

What about Antino and what is his relevance to Jimond's tweets?

Has nobody showed him a list of MAC players that get drafted? Hell, the #1 overall pick a few years back was from CMU. Good riddance.

With how bad MAC refs are and how close in proximity some of the fans are to the court, it's probably to protect the zebras from getting an early shower. Bottlegate 2.0?

You should be suspended from the board for a month for this.

When there are adamant assertions made, such as "3. Is Akron better off compared to when he became President? NO and yall will soon find out once stones get un turned with him out the picture" (- Dre), those aren't opinions. The title of "fake news" would be applicable, despite your level of disdain for our President. Let me get this straight. You're ripping the guy for doing damage control, making amends, and regaining lost donations? He had to start somewhere. That would be like ripping Dambrot in the beginning of his time here for getting Akron back to mediocre mid-major status instead of bottom of the barrel. Whomever takes over next has a better and higher foundation to build upon. Regarding any statements that question if the University improved under Wilson, look no further than the crowd reactions to him at basketball games. Loud cheers and people loved his interactions and involvement in the shooting contest. He was great. Now make the right hire on the next guy and keep moving forward; no more backward movement.

Next year should prove that's saying something.

Terrific field thus far. @Illini Zip's fandom - especially his newly developed support for the Zips - will be tested if Akron has to play Illinois State.

I would feel better if we start getting commitments from recruits that a program of Memphis' caliber is targeting.

Getting blown out by a Kentucky team that struggled with Davidson didn't help the perception either. We'll see where Kentucky's season ends, but that put out the fire surrounding Buffalo a bit. Any rumors of Nate Oats getting pulled away from Buffalo yet?

Huge showing by the MAC women. The cherry on top is knocking off the 3-seed Suckeyes when the Final Four is in Columbus.

Penny Hardaway has been hired as the new coach of Memphis. I think we have one or two recruits we are fighting for with them, right?

That's a weird corporate list. Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland State, Ohio State, Can't State, etc., yet a company like Leaf Filter isn't on there.

Shocker. The crazy fact is this can NEVER be topped in the tournament, because it is the lowest ranked beating the highest ranked. Incredible.

A trio of Zips greats would be a fantastic bobbleheads set.