Blue & Gold

I'd be excited about Anthony Stewart, Jeff Boals, or Lamont Paris. I think Chris Jent is also an intriguing prospect, but he was passed over by Cleveland State, so... ?

Great points, all around. But I'll just say that universities football and basketball (and soccer at UA) teams are the faces of the university. Those two (three) teams are generally the only reason a local population pays attention to a school. I didn't attend UA (I had a tiny little athletics scholly to Malone) but I've been following UA since I was in high school b/c they wear "Akron" on their chests (I could never have competed at UA's level). Over the years I've given thousands of dollars to UA b/c of football & basketball. Sadly, I'll admit, not because of their world-class engineering programs. Again, not saying that's a good thing, but it is what it is. I know I can't be the only Akron-area resident who supports the U b/c it's Akron U. One pet peeve of mine: when I'm wearing a UA t-shirt & someone asks, "Oh, did you go to Akron?" When I used to wear Ohio State gear no one ever asked me, "Oh, did you go to Ohio State?" Oh, and let me add this, which I occasionally post: IMO there shouldn't even be an "Athletics" budget. Anything athletics related should be grouped under "Advertising/Marketing" b/c that's what D-1 athletics actually are.

C'mon, man. Almost every school... even Walsh and Malone... know the importance of the men's basketball team to the university. I'm not saying it's necessarily a good thing that it's come to that, but it is what it is.

Exactly. Given our opponents and the JAR, 99% of the people at Akron basketball games are total die hards who truly bleed blue & gold. The other 1% probably saw relatively slow basketball, against a team they'd never heard of, while torturing their backsides on wooden bleachers and won't be in a hurry to return.

I'm thinking the same. He's a basketball fan & obviously seems to know the importance of the program. He's a sharp guy.

I hope. Aim high. We're the premier program in the MAC. Keep it that way.

Here's something... Cleveland dot com: Akron AD Larry Williams says Keith Dambrot replacement list is long

YES!

I'm picking Isaiah Williams to start for us at PF next year. He's a stretch 4 & was a stud in high school - is 6'7" & can handle the ball & likes to drive to the hole. I think he's going to be a treat to watch.

True, Skip, but that smallish 3-guard lineup wasn't a very good one. After our loss to YSU I posted that I thought this was going to be a disappointing year. We won a ton of MAC games by the skin of our teeth so record looked good... but we weren't. Not really.

Utomi could be awesome. He's built like a Mack truck w/ a smooth jumper. That's rare. I hope our new coach feels the freedom to do that. I think KD may have felt a little obligation to start both Noah & 'Tino? Idk, but they're both PG's. 'Tino's a Lead Guard, but at 5'10" is awfully short to be considered a 2, let alone guard one. I'd go: PG: Noah / Antino (like you, I prefer Antino, but he's a perfect "Instant O" 6th man) W: Ivey / Parrish W: Utomi / Parrish / Eubanks P: Williams / Poke P: Hughes / Sayles That's a versatile 9-10-man rotation. Gotta pressure & push tempo next year.

I think Big Dog was an assassin. I think it's an "I'm the best player on the court so give me the ball & get out of the way," mentality. But Big Dog was a 6'10" 330-pound assassin so it looked a lot different than a G or W assassin.

Thank you for the clarification. Coach Stewart really intrigues me. He's quickly established UT-Martin as a top mid-major & is a Hoban grad, which I like.

This was an issue during Dambrot's entire tenure. I hope the new coach brings the remedy.

President Wilson tweeting players

Meanwhile, 45-minutes north...

Beacon Journal: Search to replace coach Keith Dambrot begins; current players weigh their options

Meanwhile, from our Zips beat writer...