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Blue & Gold

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  5. Transfer Portal Watch

    in Akron Zips Basketball

    Posted

    On 3/11/2023 at 10:24 PM, Blue & Gold said:

    While he hasn't yet entered the TP, a player I'm keeping my eye on is current WV Mountaineer sophomore (former Canton McKinley G) Kobe Johnson.  He was one of the better players in NEO his senior year but he hasn't found his footing at WV.  We offered him coming out of HS & maybe he needs a fresh start.

    Kobe got zero minutes today in WVU's tourney game vs. Maryland. I'd be shocked if he doesn't transfer.  

  10. MAC Basketball 2022-23

    in Akron Zips Basketball

    Posted · Edited by Blue & Gold

    6 minutes ago, RoyalBlu said:

    I don't understand what you mean by "cheating out on basketball" ... please explain.

    I think he’s saying there are a number of schools who’s administrations are not giving adequate support to their basketball programs so it ends up there is a lot of dead weight at the bottom of the conference dragging down the conference as a whole. 
     

    The top of the MAC is good basketball! Akron, Ohio, Toledo, Kent, Buffalo, Ball State.  But the bottom of the MAC (the directionals: EMU, CMU, WMU, NIU) are awfully weak.

    • Like 1

  11. Zips Basketball- Looking Back to 22-23/Looking Forward to 23-24

    in Akron Zips Basketball

    Posted

    From July '22 a nice little Rivals.com article on Darrion Baker

     

    one of the most pleasant surprises at this month’s adidas 3SSB Championships in South Carolina, 

    Darrion Baker spent his time at the event proving that he might be a touch under-recruited. The 6-foot-8 forward flashed high-major athleticism and the ability to guard most positions on the floor while also showcasing a versatile skill set that should translate to the next level. 

    Baker, who handles the ball well for his size and position, can knock down looks from deep and impact the game in the high-post. He recently spoke to Rivas.com about his growing offer list and which schools are in the mix.

     

     

    • Like 3

  16. Should Zips Play in CBI?

    in Akron Zips Basketball

    Posted

    42 minutes ago, NWAkron said:

    Or maybe the coaching staff have more important things to do than travel to Florida to play in the Discount Tire tournament.  But hey, if the god like former coach does it, it must be the right thing to do.

     

    I appreciated when Bobby Hurley said or maybe it was Oats, after losing in the MAC tournament, that his team's goal was to play in the NCAA and if not that the NIT.  Therefore, he wasn't accepting any invite to a lesser tournament.

    This is what I'm thinking. If the staff thought the same starting 5 were coming back maybe we play in the CBI & get even more games under our belt in looking toward next year. But I think the team is going to look drastically different next season & the staff likely wants to get ahead of the curve on the work which needs to be done.  Today they're likely starting their exit interviews & going to have heart-to-hearts with a few guys about their futures with the program. We may know who is going to transfer out by tomorrow, and how many available scholarships that will open up.  Better that than waste time at the CBI with a squad that's going to look significantly different next year. Just my $0.02.

    • Like 1

  17. Zips Basketball- Looking Back to 22-23/Looking Forward to 23-24

    in Akron Zips Basketball

    Posted

    31 minutes ago, 1981 grad said:

    Last year I thought Tribble would hit the gym hard to develop a decent jump shot.  It did not happen.  Although Clark was injured early, his game did not get any better offensively and he stopped shooting the outside shot.  When those 2 were on the floor together, it made it easier for Kent to just clog the middle.  I am disappointed in that both players really did not improve their shooting over the off season.  I expected more improvement from these 2 players.

    I'm sure Tribble hit the gym.  In fact I'd bet he's hit the gym religiously since his middle school days.  It's not fair but shooting a basketball has a lot to do with the genes the good Lord decided to bless you with. 

     

    I had a friend in HS who was a natural. He hardly ever practiced but could simply stroke J's from range without even paying much attention to what he was doing.  But he also had a nice, fluid golf swing, a fluid baseball swing & a fluid pitching motion, all without putting much work into it.  Life's not fair!!! Lol.  

     

    Clarke, on the other hand, has a much more natural looking jump shot.  He's just terribly inconsistent with it.  When the ball leaves his hand I never know where it is going to end up. To me, Clarke looks like he still gets too excited - his shots are almost always too long.

  18. Zips MAC Tournament- 2023

    in Akron Zips Basketball

    Posted

    1 hour ago, NWAkron said:

    That is total B.S. about last year.  Not sure why you would even write that or try and denigrate what they did...especially a year later.  Akron was playing exceptionally at that moment.  If anything Kent took this year's run out of Akrons playbook...defense.  

    True true. After Groce dismissed Bryan Trimble from the team Akron was a buzzsaw. I've never really seen such night-and-day addition by subtraction play out in real time.  Still makes me a little sick both Ali Ali & Bandaogo transferred away from that terrific, young team. 🤢

  21. Zips Basketball- Looking Back to 22-23/Looking Forward to 23-24

    in Akron Zips Basketball

    Posted · Edited by Blue & Gold

    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.

    • Like 3

  22. Transfer Portal Watch

    in Akron Zips Basketball

    Posted · Edited by Blue & Gold

    While he hasn't yet entered the TP, a player I'm keeping my eye on is current WV Mountaineer sophomore (former Canton McKinley G) Kobe Johnson.  He was one of the better players in NEO his senior year but he hasn't found his footing at WV.  We offered him coming out of HS & maybe he needs a fresh start.

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