My disclaimer prior to posting is that I love anyone who wears the Akron blue & gold... but we've got such high character guys I'd love them even if they never played for Akron. Having said that...
We're losing:
Hankerson - not a big deal. After watching for 10 games I was no longer ever surprised when he made regular mistakes 5th year seniors shouldn't make
X - And on the other hand... impossibly huge shoes to fill & no single player on this roster is remotely ready to fill them
We're returning (until we hear otherwise):
SENIORS:
Freeman - best big in the MAC & one of the best in the country. #1 priority for the staff is keeping Freeman.
Tribble - not a guard. Not even a wing. Greg is a 6'1 power forward. (Greg only hit on 1 3-pointer this year in 12 attempts. ONE. Obviously that's not D-1 caliber.) Groce love Tribble but good grief you simply don't have to guard him outside 4 feet from the basket. And everyone in the MAC knows it.
Dawson - can't wait to get him back in the lineup. Will fill Hankerson's role, only much better... but he's coming of an Achilles injury so we'll have to see if his mobility has been hampered.
Sammy - If he keeps playing like he did the last 2 weeks of the season he's an honorable mention all-MAC type of player. But he's certainly an enigma.
JUNIOR:
Garvin - barely a D-1 caliber guard. Only hit 4 3-pointers all year. He's pure hustle & a tenacious defender but extremely inconsistent on the offensive end.
R-FR:
Kobe Mitchell - would be better off transferring to a level more suited to his game (honestly, we need him to transfer)
Nate Johnson - early in the season I called him a future pro, but he needs to quickly develop The Eye of the Tiger Mikal Dawson. Against KSUcks as soon has the ball would hit his hands he was looking to pass before even glancing at the basket; he had zero will to score. Obviously unacceptable. In the TP era we need him to develop The Eye of Mikal Dawson by NEXT year, NOT two years from now. We need that development THIS OFF SEASON. If not, we're better off with him transferring to a level where he can just have fun playing and open up the scholarship for us
FRESHMEN:
Amani - Amani will be a serviceable big. He's not explosive but is powerfully built & will probably learn to bully most MAC bigs in the paint. I can't wait to see what his build looks like after an off season of working out. He's going to be huge. After a game against Amani you should need an ice bath. And once he learns a little pump fake at the rim I think he'll be a solid player off the bench. Who knows, if he can develop just a little more explosiveness, with that body, he could be a beast.
Tavari - I can see Tavari developing into something special. He's got a scorer's mentality (something currently sorely lacking on next year's roster), and while not terribly quick, is tricky with the ball. Once he gets just a little more comfortable with his teardrop J I think he's going to be devastating running the pick and roll - he does it quite well already; he's a natural. I can see Tavari being a regular 20 PPG scorer his junior & senior seasons.
Prather - who knows what to think? He's got nice size & was a 3-star prospect coming out of HS. But, if you remember, his senior year when he transferred to a new school (a stacked powerhouse, admittedly) his coach praised him for his willingness to be the team's 6th-man. Frankly, that doesn't inspire me. If someone's a D1 caliber player you'd better believe a HS coach starts him... and rarely takes him off the floor; you ride your horses. Also (now I'm getting judgy), he's got that sleepy (too cool for school?) demeanor which drives me crazy, e.g., when a guy looks like he just woke up from a nap while sitting on the bench (Kobe Mitchell). Need that fire in your belly. "There is a gleam, gentlemen. A gleam." (I guess they all can't be Mikal Dawson.)
Prince - Another intriguing 3-star prospect. Looks athletic and is apparently a stretch-4. But who knows; we get zero information about these guys. All I know is that Groce & Co. thought Amani would provide better minutes than Prince... so who knows what to expect. I do appreciate his demeanor on the bench.
Summary:
1. We all know it's impossible to over emphasize how important it is to retain Freeman. Frankly, if we lose Freeman I think we're going to suck next year.
2. We need to hit the TP hard for scoring guards. Plural. Tribble & Clarke are role players at best. Nate is a deer in headlights in big games. Get us some guards who can shoot and who want the ball in their hands. That means we need two players to transfer out. Kobe is a no brainer. Coach Groce needs to have a heart-to-heart with Nate Johnson, but Nate's got so much potential I don't think he'll transfer. There's no way Tribble is going to transfer as he is the heart and soul of the team. IMO that leaves Garvin Clarke. So yeah, in summary, I'm expecting Kobe & Garvin to transfer & for Groce & Co. to bring in two solid shooting cold blooded scoring guards who will both be starters from the jump next season. They had better. If not then it's going to be an awfully long, cold winter in the JAR next year.
My disclaimer prior to posting is that I love anyone who wears the Akron blue & gold... but we've got such high character guys I'd love them even if they never played for Akron. Having said that... We're losing: Hankerson - not a big deal. After watching for 10 games I was no longer ever surprised when he made regular mistakes 5th year seniors shouldn't make X - And on the other hand... impossibly huge shoes to fill & no single player on this roster is remotely ready to fill them We're returning (until we hear otherwise): SENIORS: Freeman - best big in the MAC & one of the best in the country. #1 priority for the staff is keeping Freeman. Tribble - not a guard. Not even a wing. Greg is a 6'1 power forward. (Greg only hit on 1 3-pointer this year in 12 attempts. ONE. Obviously that's not D-1 caliber.) Groce love Tribble but good grief you simply don't have to guard him outside 4 feet from the basket. And everyone in the MAC knows it. Dawson - can't wait to get him back in the lineup. Will fill Hankerson's role, only much better... but he's coming of an Achilles injury so we'll have to see if his mobility has been hampered. Sammy - If he keeps playing like he did the last 2 weeks of the season he's an honorable mention all-MAC type of player. But he's certainly an enigma. JUNIOR: Garvin - barely a D-1 caliber guard. Only hit 4 3-pointers all year. He's pure hustle & a tenacious defender but extremely inconsistent on the offensive end. R-FR: Kobe Mitchell - would be better off transferring to a level more suited to his game (honestly, we need him to transfer) Nate Johnson - early in the season I called him a future pro, but he needs to quickly develop The Eye of the Tiger Mikal Dawson. Against KSUcks as soon has the ball would hit his hands he was looking to pass before even glancing at the basket; he had zero will to score. Obviously unacceptable. In the TP era we need him to develop The Eye of Mikal Dawson by NEXT year, NOT two years from now. We need that development THIS OFF SEASON. If not, we're better off with him transferring to a level where he can just have fun playing and open up the scholarship for us FRESHMEN: Amani - Amani will be a serviceable big. He's not explosive but is powerfully built & will probably learn to bully most MAC bigs in the paint. I can't wait to see what his build looks like after an off season of working out. He's going to be huge. After a game against Amani you should need an ice bath. And once he learns a little pump fake at the rim I think he'll be a solid player off the bench. Who knows, if he can develop just a little more explosiveness, with that body, he could be a beast. Tavari - I can see Tavari developing into something special. He's got a scorer's mentality (something currently sorely lacking on next year's roster), and while not terribly quick, is tricky with the ball. Once he gets just a little more comfortable with his teardrop J I think he's going to be devastating running the pick and roll - he does it quite well already; he's a natural. I can see Tavari being a regular 20 PPG scorer his junior & senior seasons. Prather - who knows what to think? He's got nice size & was a 3-star prospect coming out of HS. But, if you remember, his senior year when he transferred to a new school (a stacked powerhouse, admittedly) his coach praised him for his willingness to be the team's 6th-man. Frankly, that doesn't inspire me. If someone's a D1 caliber player you'd better believe a HS coach starts him... and rarely takes him off the floor; you ride your horses. Also (now I'm getting judgy), he's got that sleepy (too cool for school?) demeanor which drives me crazy, e.g., when a guy looks like he just woke up from a nap while sitting on the bench (Kobe Mitchell). Need that fire in your belly. "There is a gleam, gentlemen. A gleam." (I guess they all can't be Mikal Dawson.) Prince - Another intriguing 3-star prospect. Looks athletic and is apparently a stretch-4. But who knows; we get zero information about these guys. All I know is that Groce & Co. thought Amani would provide better minutes than Prince... so who knows what to expect. I do appreciate his demeanor on the bench. Summary: 1. We all know it's impossible to over emphasize how important it is to retain Freeman. Frankly, if we lose Freeman I think we're going to suck next year. 2. We need to hit the TP hard for scoring guards. Plural. Tribble & Clarke are role players at best. Nate is a deer in headlights in big games. Get us some guards who can shoot and who want the ball in their hands. That means we need two players to transfer out. Kobe is a no brainer. Coach Groce needs to have a heart-to-heart with Nate Johnson, but Nate's got so much potential I don't think he'll transfer. There's no way Tribble is going to transfer as he is the heart and soul of the team. IMO that leaves Garvin Clarke. So yeah, in summary, I'm expecting Kobe & Garvin to transfer & for Groce & Co. to bring in two solid shooting cold blooded scoring guards who will both be starters from the jump next season. They had better. If not then it's going to be an awfully long, cold winter in the JAR next year.
