clarkwgriswold

He's bigger through the chest and shoulders. He obviously hit the weights in the offseason.

These refs are awful, though they're bad for both teams.

6 fouls called so far.

I think we're going to like this Gray kid.

Some defensive lapses by the Zips. They're going to need some serious minutes out of Lyles this year.

There's no risk of the refs wearing out their whistles tonight.

Have to love the early ten man rotation. This new fast pace is going to take a little getting used to.

Zips need to pick up the rebounding.

Looks like he's grown mentally and physically. I'm ready to see Hardman.

Sloppy, but it is game 1. I guess we've learned to answer to the question of whether Sharron Young would see much time as a freshman. 9 guys with with time in the first 5 minutes.

Looks like starting 5 is Tavari, Gray, Nate, Harris and Okonkwo.

It's on DraftKings. Zips +6 at -112. Over/under is 150. Zips +195 on the money line.

I can see it now, the University of Akron Captain Kangaroo Center.

I see it as a scrimmage/warmup to make sure we're firing on all cylinders for the Ohio Wesleyan matchup.

The good news is that Zips basketball starts tomorrow.

Zips basketball TOMORROW!

Agreed. The up side is that Arkansas State also has a number of new faces. They also had a tough time in an exhibition against Trevecca Nazarene last week.

I had to laugh the other night. Groce spoke about how these ranking mean absolutely nothing but then later told us how strong the schedule was citing the rankings of our opponents. I trust in Groce and this team to prove these rankings wrong.

one of those decades... one of those programs...

Groce commented on the difficulties in scheduling at the reception and laid out the strength of mid-majors on the schedule. I took a look and the following schools are all one or more mid-major top 25s- Princeton (ranked as high as #3); St. Mary's (ranked as high as #4); OU (ranked as high as #11); Yale (ranked as high as #13); Arkansas State (ranked as high as #17); and Toledo (ranked as high as #19).

I'm curious to see how it is once the season starts. Michael Beaven was at the Tip-off Reception front and center. Anything is an improvement over the disinterested George Thomas we had there for a while.

This was played at the reception and really made an impact. Good stuff.

The Tip-off reception was a very nice event. As always, Groce worked the room like a pro. The team really seems to enjoy each others' company. As before, there was a lot of talk about character, selflessness and core principles. Nate was the player chosen to take the stage with Groce and answer questions. There was a discussion about how hard it is to get teams to come to the JAR to play the Zips. Most of the kids did a nice job of going around the room and interacting. Lyles looks much bigger through the chest and shoulders. Tavari looks like he grew a couple of inches. You could pass Seth Wilson on the street and have no idea he was a D1 basketball player. Josiah Harris moves and looks the part of a real player. Hardman, the OSU transfer, is purportedly the best shooter on the team with a great shot and a quick trigger. Eric Mahaffey was sporting a large knee brace for a sprained MCL and will likely be out another couple of months (redshirt?). Brisco is likely to redshirt. Okonkwo wasn't there as he was in class. The team will be very deep (10-11 players) and is looking to play at a very fast pace and will be able to mainatin pace due to their depth. Rebound the ball and off to the races. After the YSU game, the YSU coach called Groce and thanked him for showing them they needed more cardio as the Zips pace wore them down, while Groce thought the Zips had not played fast enough.

It is what it is. 🤣

The 2024 Tip-Off Reception is tonight. I'll try to post some notes from it tonight or tomorrow morning.