akzipper
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Posts posted by akzipper
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My point was that a new arena will never happen. So fans need to create an atmosphere that transcends an outdated, small facility. That's the only way to improve the gameday experience for players and want them to be part of the Zips basketball program.
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1 hour ago, 72 Roo said:
My thought precisely. How long is it before Sharon decides he can play for the coach who recruited him, in his hometown, at a university in a better conference than the MAC? Are we looking at one season as a Zip and then out to Marshall?
That's the current state of college sports regardless of where a player calls home. It's getting rarer and rarer for athletes to stick around for 4 years at the same school. If they succeed in year 1, they'll jump to a bigger school. If they struggle they might jump for more playing time. We just have to take it one season at a time and hope for the best.
1 hour ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:It's up to Groce, his current staff, and the players to create a culture worth sticking around for. That goes for any player that enters the program from here on out given the 24/7 door that is the Portal.
If Young wanted to play for his hometown team or even just stay in the state of WV, he could've. Akron offers a very strong foundation to get him where he wants to be in his basketball career. WVU and Marshall both have new staffs with a TBD label for their success.
I think fans need to understand how important we are to building a culture as well. To say the crowds at the JAR have been disappointing is an understatement. Nobody wants to join a program that draws a few thousand a game. The arena problem is the elephant in the room, but that's not getting fixed. Improving the gameday atmosphere starts with fans and students showing up, being loud and giving this team a real home court advantage. It shouldn't matter who the visiting opponent is. People need to pack the JAR regardless.
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12 hours ago, zippy5 said:
As long as he doesn't take Sharron Young
...and all the WVU transfers coming in. It's too late for them to back out right? right?
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47 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:
Interesting. Ohio chooses to use a scholly on a high school recruit.
Stacked?
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So in a rebuilding year the Zips added two transfers from WVU, one from NC, one from OSU and another from Cornell. While also bringing in the top high school basketball player in the state of West Virginia?
I'm so ready for this.
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56 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:
There's a difference between rebranding to a corporate aesthetic and rebranding to be more modern while maintaining the college aesthetic.
Vanderbilt's is borderline but sharp. It screams Ivy League School of the SEC.
Akron's is both sharp and sporty.
George Mason looks like they're hosting the east coast knock-off version of the Waste Management Open.
Western's is just atrocious. They did themselves no favors when they look into a frat house toilet on a Sunday morning for inspiration when picking their school's colors.
A lot of times a school's athletic logos become so iconic that the academic side takes it over and uses it as well. Texas, Miami (FL), Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Ohio State are all good examples.
George Mason feels like the complete opposite. An academic logo that's being used by sports teams. It's not a bad logo, but it's a bad sports logo.
Having said that, their pre-2004 logo was even worse and their 2004-2024 logo wasn't anything special either.
So chances are their fanbase won't really care.
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16 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:
If you click on the tweet, the official new George Mason logo appears. It's still crap, but it's yellow & green crap.
I don't mind Vanderbilt's and I love the Akron A, but Western Michigan & George Mason have crap letter logos.
I have no problem with schools switching to simplistic monogram logos. Most of the biggest schools in the country are known for their iconic logos. Michigan, NotreDame, Ohio State, etc.The real problem is in the execution. Vanderbilt and UA did a great job. Western is blah and George Mason is terrible.
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2 hours ago, 72 Roo said:
I also had limited sympathy for the players when they (the ones primarily in the rich programs) said they needed a piece of the revenue pie. When you look at it players get a full ride covering absolutely everything = $120,000 over four years. On top of that they get tutors, gear, nutritionists, medical care and counseling without waiting for an appointment like the rest of the student body. They get cost of living allowances on average about $2,000 per year. On top of that if they come from disadvantaged backgrounds they can get a Pell Grant up to $9,000 per year. I realize the demand on their time is huge, but so is working two jobs to get thru school like I did while playing soccer. NIL needs some sanity. Is the star running back really worth $000K when the linemen blocking for him get little? The very nature of NIL works against teamwork and everyman counts.
Bingo. I also worked two jobs while I was at UA and both were internships that paid practically nothing. I got some course credits and great experience, but everything I did was basically helping UA for free. I still had a full slate of classes and graduated with over $100,000 worth of debt that I am still paying off almost 15 years later.
Not only do athletes get all the perks you mentioned. But I know the UA football and basketball players got their pick of just about any girl on campus. They are celebrities and lived like it.
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31 minutes ago, 72 Roo said:
This is a good and accurate review of what Bud had to say. As glowing as his comments were about our facilities, development, culture, reputation, etc we must always remember that in this new NIL world any school willing to offer more money will negate all our advantages. Money is the primary factor no matter how disappointing that is.
We can be proud of our advantages, but we also need to be realistic. It's a different world.
Using the moneyball approach in college sports is even more proof that it's no different than Major League Baseball. The only difference is that every athlete is on a one-year contract and is free to jump onto the Yankees or Dodgers whenever they want. Our only hope is that we can gather enough 7-9 hitters, back of the rotation or AAA guys from those teams to compete.
I was against paying players for this exact reason. I always felt like getting a full ride, 6-figure scholarship should be enough payment. If athletes wanted to get paid they should have given them those funds in cash and let them use it as they'd like. But now we have a free-for-all with no "salary" cap.
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2 hours ago, Hilltopper said:
Other tidbits;
Our new practice facility and NBA quality locker room are the best in the MAC and rival most P5 programs.
What our staff brings to the table in terms of player development and a winning culture makes Akron an attractive landing spot for players wishing to take the next step.
John Groce is highly admired by his peers.
It is worth the time to listen.
I'd love to see more photos and/or videos of this. Aside from a few progress updates of the practice court, I feel like it hasn't been publicized very much. Does anyone know if work isn't completed yet?
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9 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:
I really hope he can be a big scoring threat for us. Similar to guys like LCJ or Castanada. We need a legit guard who can put up big points if we want any chance to make a run in the tournament. Even with Freeman last season, I think not getting enough offense from our guards held us back.
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55 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:
Wow. He - along with the Zebras - almost single handily kept PCCC in the contest at the toilet bowl known as the MACC this season. Great 3P shot. Poor Pinky. Queue the memes!
This tweet is so hilarious to me.
Their entire team basically transferred. Yet they brought in one guy, who barely did anything for St. Louis, and are going to the tournament? What?
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14 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:
Correct, but it's a pretty important season. I'm assuming these guys know Sharron Young, and Sharron Young knows them. Would be big to establish chemistry and roots in Akron for the entire West Virginia crew. Not to mention this team needs experience, and there is no better experience than 2, 3-year big time P5 guys.
Good point. I was expecting the program to go into a rebuild period, but this could definitely give us a huge boost. In the world of college athletics all we can really do is take it one season at a time anyway.
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10 hours ago, Illini Zip said:
These are former West Virginia teammates. James Okonkwo transferred to North Carolina for one year.
Looks they're both listed as juniors. So I'd assume we'd only get one season out of them?
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BYU got knocked out in the first round by a mediocre A10 team. Their coach gets a 5-year deal from a school that also got knocked out in the first round? Can't say I'd be excited if I were a Kentucky fan.
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1 hour ago, NWAkron said:
Verbal Commits says Julius Rollins is in the Portal. May be best for him to get a fresh start. He made a huge mistake and has certainly paid the price for it. I heard he received death threats and lots of hateful attacks. Best of luck to him, but he will always be a footnote in Zips basketball history. Helped Groce remain undefeated in MAC championships.
I honestly didn't realize anyone cared enough about Kent to attack him. My only guess would be it had to be people who lost money betting on the game.
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1 hour ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:
nOtHiNg Is GiVeN. eVeRyThInG iS eArNeD.
"In Northeast Ohio..." They bailed a long time ago for the sunshine and bright lights of LA.
I definitely think he'll be the highest drafted athlete ever who only selected because of who his father is. But as long as he doesn't end up playing for the Suckeyes or god forbid the Dukes I'm happy.
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4 hours ago, kreed5120 said:
Does anyone really think that he's coming to Akron? I'd guess Duquesne would be well ahead of us in the pecking order as well. He'd play for a coach he knows and the A10 is leaps and bounds better than the MAC.
The only people suggesting it are randoms on Twitter. Some radio idiots in Pittsburgh are acting like it's a guarantee he ends up with Duq, but they are delusional. Saying Bronny will play for Dru and Lebron is going to pump millions and millions into the program. Lebron is going to pay his own son to play for them? How does that even make sense? If he ends up there that just means he isn't good enough for a big conference.
These are the same morons who said they'd make it to the Elite 8. They haven't followed the Dukes for decades. But now all of a sudden they act like it's a national powerhouse.
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57 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:
Eastern Michigan's arena did wonders for their program and fan support.
I'll never forget the Eastern Michigan TV crew pumping up the White Out vs the Zips last season. You know, all hundred people that were in the seats wore white.
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17 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:
Everyone says he's more of an NBA-type talent, not college. That's not exactly the description of a guy Groce would go after.
Yeah this pipe dream of Bronny coming to Akron makes no sense. Maybe if we still had Freeman, Ali, Tribble, etc. But he's going to come into a bare/rebuilding program that averages like 2k per game in one of the weakest conferences? Akron/Cleveland isn't home to them anymore. I could see Ohio State or maybe Dayton. But that's it.
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20 minutes ago, ewbrooman1 said:
Mark the Cavs down for another long road trip.
Man I really want the Browns to build a new stadium with a roof. Not only because I think they can potentially host the MAC Football championship, but they'd definitely get to host the Final Four.
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15 hours ago, Zippy87 said:
I'm curious for those who cheered against KD, will you support Dru?
I will never be able to root for Duquesne, regardless of who is coaching there. Especially after this past season.
But hypothetically we can ignore the school. To me this is no different than if someone like Getsy or Frye went to coach some random Sun Belt school. If they had success, won bowl games and conference championships while the Zips continued to be mediocre. Would I be happy? I'd be jealous and pissed that it wasn't happening for us.
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22 hours ago, Captain Kangaroo said:
I hope none of the MAC transfers land in Akron. It’s a bad look.
I just want the Zips to win. Groce can bring in anyone he wants regardless of school or conference.
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13 hours ago, Illini Zip said:
I’m watching JMU get curb-stomped by Duke (4). Down 35 points with 2 minutes to play. I guess losing to Creighton (3) could have been worse.
I still can't believe the Zips were only down 5 at half. JMU and Duquesne were getting their doors blown off by 3 and 4 seeds by halftime. I will never get over the fact that we were a 14 seed. Absolute disgrace.
2024 Post Mortem and Looking Ahead to 2025.
in Akron Zips Basketball
Posted
True. I'm sure in like 50 years the arena will collapse in on itself forcing UA to actually do something to fix it.