clarkwgriswold

Interesting stuff. Thanks for posting. It begs the question though of how a one win in two years football team helps with marketing.

Some blurbs from GT's article today- University of Akron football coach Tom Arth can’t sing the praises of freshman running back Jonzell Norrils loud enough. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound freshman out of Toledo Central Catholic has taken a significant number of reps in spring practice so far and has shown elusiveness and the ability to break tackles. “He came and really showed some flashes and signs of ability,” Arth said, “but coming back this winter, he was like a completely new person. He had a completely different mindset and approach to his training, nutrition and he’s changed his body…and it’s shown up for us. Norrils is but one part of a running back room that’s gone from desert to oasis in two years. In the offseason, the Zips added Michigan State transfer Anthony Williams to the fold and promising freshman Jaylen Ball, whose brother Warren played the same position for UA, along with Isiah Childs, among others. Interesting that the article encouraging us to be enthusiastic about the running backs hits the day after the Dollard story.

There's no presumption of prison time or probation on a third degree felony. If it gets pled down there's almost no chance of prison time.

I hate every last bit of stories like this. That being said, the football team has roughly 100 18 to 23 year old males on it at any given time. Things like this happen in that age demographic. I'd say 1 in a hundred is ahead of the curve. If we come to learn this type of behavior is common among Zips players, I will become very concerned, but as long as this remains a single case of a kid possessing a gun and not using it to harm anyone, I'm less concerned than I was with the Diggs, Treadwell or Abreu situations that occurred in the basketball program. Don't get me wrong, I am not excusing this kid's conduct, but for his sake, let's hope he gets this situation and his life in order and moves on with a productive life, with or without Zips football.

I really thought he could be a prison guard. My least favorite Zip of all time. Sulking, whining, fighting, bad attitude...

This is why we can't have nice things.

Never saw a change on Chrome.

Easy there big guy. It's an opinion based forum.

Creighton's athleticism starting to take its toll on the Bobcats.

Just.....grrrrrrrrrrrr......damn.

That was such a great year. 19 game win streak...excitement building...5 pounds of weed in the stove...awful NCAA draw...pop!

Good call. I guess we all have to also rely on Groce's history of playing to his team's strengths rather than trying to squeeze teams into a pre-determined strategy.

Groce loves the three. I think you'd only see two bigs without an outside shot in the lineup if your small forward and guards are sharpshooters and I don't see that in this squad as presently constructed. Then again, I had Taylor Currie and Reece in my projected starting lineup in the pre-season last year!

I was rooting for Shaka to get throttled by 46, but I will take it!

I may be wrong, but I think they essentially go there as free agents. There are agents for international basketball that essentially market these guys to find them spots. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he ends up at an NBA prep thing like the Portsmouth Invitational and then goes from there. I also wouldn't be surprised if his long term plan is to coach, possibly even taking over for his father. If that's the case, he could start off in that direction rather than delay it by playing. He's young though with nothing but a long life ahead of him so who knows.

Congrats to the OU Bobcats. I'll root like hell against them when they play the Zips, but for the MAC to be recognized and respected it needs high exposure and tournament wins to get the attention of the selection committee. Wins like this accomplish that, so Go Bobcats!

Buffalo lost to Colorado State on a shot with 1.2 seconds left.

Well, he shot .067 this year on 1 for 15 so I am just hoping for improvement. I think he's a sixth man playing a lot of minutes at the 1 and the 2 but only time will tell.

Agree with you guys. He's never going to be a deadeye sharpshooter but there's no reason with his athleticism and skillset that he can't become passable with work. It's a lot of work, but if he puts it in he can at least become enough of a threat to draw a defender on the perimeter rather than sag as they do now. 45% FG/25-30% 3PTFG is a reasonable expectation.

I'd cringe every time he's get caught in one of those pick and roll type switches where he'd end up on a big man. I've actually been surprised during him time here that he wasn't posted up or backed down more than he was. To his credit, I wish our big men during his time here worked as hard as he did in post defense.

To put LCJ's experience and maturity into perspective, he was born on December 15, 1996. The NBA's youngest player, Aleksej Pokusevski of the Oklahoma City Thunder, was born on December 26, 2001. Nearly 5 years difference.

The kid went from Oakland to Sheridan. Wyoming to Akron. He's probably looking forward to getting closer to home. I wish him well. Seems like a great kid. This photo demonstrates his shooting range and why he shot 65%-

Always seemed like a nice happy go lucky kid and a good teammate. I assumed he was not returning. I wish him luck. That being said, he's exactly the same player that arrived on campus two seasons ago and not one that will be missed significantly on the floor, especially if Bandaogo and Salle develop.

Source?