Let'sGoZips94

Awesome season opener (at least an opener for WVU; Akron TBD). Road trip!

For a University that is struggling mightily financially, not sure paying FCS schools is the wisest use of the money. Also, I made some changes to your post for the ideal scheduling in my eyes. No - that's extreme. What's wrong with 1-2 P5/Pay Days (Illinois is winnable AND a pay day) and 1-2 G5 schools? Yaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy...

Agreed but man is our back court tall.

Don't we pay those schools?

This could prove to be a significant get, and a turning point for the program. Up to this point, we haven't necessarily beaten out other solid schools for 4-year recruits. Everyone knows we need a shooter/scorer, and this guy looks to be just that. I'm expecting some pretty immediate impact from him this year. Side note: how huge is it to have Fulford on the staff for recruiting purposes?

While the non-conference schedules may be complete, my puking isn't finished after looking at these names...

We had never beaten a Big Ten program prior to last season. I think we have Big Ten wins in back to back seasons.

Easy choice for him. Looks like his wardrobe won't change much, minus the letters. Imagine being used to wearing blue & gold, committing to Can't thinking their colors are blue & gold, then you're handed pee-yellow attire.

Why? A couple of those players pictured are about to make a phenomenal amount of money because they developed at Akron, Akron's way. There's a head coach in the NFL whose taglines include "Progress" and "Battle". Hint: his name rhymes with Fat Smurmur. Nothing will be worse than those words, at either level.

I think this a very smart move. The program has been at best, stagnant, and at worst, in decline. Holding back a few scholarships after what is hopefully an exciting season will only benefit the program more.

http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/marcus-johnson-oh How is Akron's architecture program?

Hold my beer... Wait, looks like Clark's holding your beer.

Tribble is a high percentage shooter - he made 100% of his shots in those videos! There's your Cooper. Difference maker at guard. Love how many high percentage shots he takes, whether it be a mid range jumper or layup/dunk. I think this is a big get, considering college basketball - especially in March - is guard-dominated.

Normally I would partially laugh at the idea of the Zips participating in celebrating Day 3 of the Draft, but with John Dorsey as GM of the Browns, Day 3 matters. Plus, it gives Arth and the program some exposure.

Riak as well. It would be a nice little pipeline to build.

Since you're apparently deciding to be serious, 2. Sayles & X are both listed at 6'9".

Utomi played the emergency 5 because he's built like a brick wall - wasn't able to be backed down very easily. X lacks the height advantage and the strength advantage to hold that spot down.

Thank you. It's called Optimism. And no, I didn't get it from a former PG. He was selling stuff called Ceiling, named after the coach that recruited him.

I don't see Utomi as a game-changing loss. I wasn't particularly fond of him on defense, he turned the ball over a lot with offensive fouls & travels on offense, and was a key contributor to the poor shooting we witnessed all season. Aside from Ivey, you're returning every piece of your top 25 defense nationally, you're adding a healthy Toles, Williams, & Reece, and leadership pieces such as Dailey (as I mentioned in a previous post - until he's on the floor, he's an unofficial assistant coach) will help everything gel. Physically & athletically, we match-up with or over-match every team in the MAC with Buffalo's Golden Class gone. I think fundamentally, we actually outclass the MAC now. It comes down to executing and making shots, both of which are largely out of Groce's control, but I think we'll be most improved in that category. Amazing. Not only does @Illini Zip flip allegiances to our humble fan base, but he does the dirty work for us. Bravo.

Not sure that's a fair statement. The landscape of college basketball and recruiting is changing. Groce has been tasked with stopping the bleeding, and 4 year players don't exactly do that at this level, especially when some of your initial 4 year players aren't locker room fits. Get me a winning product. I don't care if that's 10 4 year players, 10 1 year players, 10 JUCOs, or a concoction of everything. Win.

No, Hester. Didn't even know Dre posted - the beauty of the Block Button. Admins should look into a "Send To Duquesne Forum" button, that takes troll posts from ZN and posts them to the Duquesne message board instead.

I'm just happy someone found him.

Agreed in most circumstances. However, I look at these one-and-done's like assistant coach/players, especially when they're coming from disciplined, top-flight programs such as Iowa. When we have as many roster openings as we're going to have in 2 seasons, we're gonna need a guy like Dailey.

Kid looks fluid.

And this is why I didn't want O-Who to hire Boals. He coached at OSUcks and knows the CBus area. No idea how he'll turn out, but not only is Columbus a hot bed for talent, it's a hot bed we have ignored for years.