clarkwgriswold

Arth discussing the team with Jim Donovan- https://www-wkyc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.wkyc.com/amp/article/sports/ncaa/ncaaf/akron-football-coach-tom-arth-talks-to-jim-donovan-about-state-of-program-how-team-is-dealing-with-pandemic/95-3b6b4d05-3bcb-4585-9f3c-aa3ec3f9a6ab

I had visions of Poltergeist.

Interesting article in today's Beacon about the beginnings of the University. The best segment reads- Trustees of the Ohio Universalist Convention gathered May 31, 1870, at the Summit County Courthouse to vote on a proposal to establish a school to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Universalist Church of the United States. The trustees had already ruled out Kent after scouting the Portage County town and learning it had an “unpleasant reputation” of being ridden with malaria and typhoid fever. Too damn funny. Some things never change. https://www.beaconjournal.com/news/20200531/local-history-let-there-be-buchtel-college

It's not a good sign but only time will tell if they are right. With the history of the program the coaches are always going to be fighting an uphill battle for talent. As fans we have to hope that they are: 1) more persuasive than their counterparts, and 2) able to identify the diamonds in the rough better than the competition.

That's an iffy call. Picking a 3rd year sophomore team leader and leading scorer over an angry freshman team cancer. If Virshon was half the player he thinks he is he'd be looking at resuming his second NBA season.

That's a lazy answer.

Just thinking of some of the kids the Zips had to rely on in Groce's first season. He was able to get some kids into the pipeline like LCJ and Riak as redshirts, but the kids that they had to actually field a team were rough. Kostelac who was nowhere near ready. Cotton, who was a D1 talent and a class 1 headcase. Patton who was a great effort kid but wasn't ready. E-man with his heart problem. Lucas Smith out of the rec center. Jayden adjusting to college life. Thank goodness for Malcolm Duvivier coming in and Ivey and Utomi sticking it out. All the while people were griping about Groce.

He is 7'0" tall. He was never more than honorable mention in the North Coast Conference. That's really all you need to know.

I never understood the infatuation. I admired him for his effort in helping the team through a very difficult season in Groce's first year here but he was always very limited in what he could bring to the court. Some kids rise to their level of competition. He's fallen to his in D3.

That was based on the conclusion that 84% of colleges won't field a football team this season.

He's 22 years old and going into his 5th season of post high school basketball (IMG, Akron, Akron, Walsh). Not likely. He may get more minutes due to experience in the program and improve his numbers, but at this point he is what he is.

Still pending in the Court of Claims. Groce was dismissed as a party a while back. Recently, the magistrate recommended dismissing the discrimination and intentional infliction of emotional distress claims, leaving only the negligence claim. It's not scheduled for trial until June of 2021.

Sounds like the Faculty Senate is unhappy about the President's plan. I guess it all comes down to whose ox is being gored.

Dear Zips Basketball- Please come back, and soon, so we can talk about something positive instead of COVID-19, budget cuts and football. Sincerely, Zips Basketball Fans

Agreed that we need some enthusiasm and creativity in the AD position, but PJ Fleck himself wouldn't make a difference if everyone isn't in the boat. This is much bigger than a one person issue.

Those types of "rowers" are pretty damn rare too. Guys like Fleck come along rarely.

Article from the Beacon about the golf team- https://www.beaconjournal.com/sports/20200519/separation-anxiety-hits-home-for-zips

They thought they were paying the market rate for a head coach. Remember, these decisions are made in a world (and state) where a women's rowing coach makes $400,000.

A snippet of information from something I read today about the Zips training staff. In 2013, the department has gone from seven full-time staff and six graduate assistants to having 13 full-time athletic trainers.

This article is now 2 years old but it sets out the pay for some of the top Ohio college coaches. Some of them are astounding. https://www.cleveland.com/sports/erry-2018/05/571c0d0f7b6137/49_ohio_college_head_coaches_p.html

I think the 5 year deal is that norm and that any school going outside of that norm would be at a disadvantage in the short term. I say short term as I think we're about to enter into a new era of coaching contracts with schools backing away from long term big money deals that tie them down in the event of bad hires. This will happen more on the level of the UA's than the Alabamas, but it is coming. An early example is what Western Michigan did with basketball. Pressed by the coronavirus and financial concerns, they hired an assistant of Hawkins (the coach they canned) on a two year deal at $120K salary and $100K for media obligations. Hawkins was making $225 salary plus $160 for media obligations. Hawkins last deal was signed in 2014 and still had a year left on it when they recently canned him.

My post acknowledged the fees. By "free" I meant not paying at the door. My point was that they could get more out of those fees by attending games.

It's a strange world where we have to hope for the kind of success that leads a more prominent program to take away the person that brought that success.

All of this roster number talk makes me think back to the broadcast of the 2017 game against Penn State when the UA radio color guy explained that the biggest difference between the teams was not in starting talent but in depth. This was in the 3rd quarter when the Zips were down 42-0 and the reserves had not seen the field. Yikes!

I was in school during prohibition so we didn't have that option.