1981 grad

Congrats to Freeman. Great to see Akron on the draft board. Groce deserves a great deal of credit for giving him an opportunity to develop as a player and then developing a great relationship with him to keep him at Akron.

I could not remember who was on that team and looked up the roster. Lots of talent but unfortunately lots of problems. Four members of the team did not finish their careers in Akron or finish their careers, Harney, Tree, Abreu, and Forsyth.

Tyler Cheese was one of my favorite Zips on the fast break. He would take anyone one on one and score on the break. Almost unstoppable.

Thanks, I stand corrected.

I agree with you that Riak should be a hit. You cannot blame Groce for Riak deciding to leave. Before Riak decided to leave, Freeman indicated that Riak was going to be really good as he gained more experience.

Great list!!. I give Groce a pass on Kostelac as that was his first year and he had little options in finding a big man. Also, your misses must include Khadim Gueye, the guy who punched out Kostelac. Also, the book is still out on Tavari, Scott and Nate and they still could be hits or misses. Only time will tell.

We will have to agree to disagree. This team shot 32.2% from three which ranked 262 of 351 teams. Freeman shot .370 so we would probably drop another 10 spots without his 3 point shooting. Thornton shot 32% from three and Scott was 30%. We needed shooters to compliment Freeman's inside game. As I have stated many times, Groce is a great coach but even great coaches fail on occasion. Considering Freeman's talent that is now being noticed nationwide, I would deem success to have been winning our first NCAA game or at least coming as close to a win as we did against UCLA.

It is amazing that Akron has a potential first round draft pick who was a walk on player. I remember Freeman's first games and the only thing that stood out was he had the skinniest legs of any basketball player I have ever seen. He looked like a walk on and I never thought he would get any substantial playing time. You have to give Groce and his staff for developing Freeman. His progress through the 5 years with the team was truly amazing!!! That being said, our best opportunity to win an NCAA game was against UCLA when Freeman was a 2nd year student. Considering Freeman's talent, Groce failed to build a better team around him his senior year. He had three big misses in Prather, Thornton and Scott. He just needed a point guard that could drive and shoot. Tribble was a 2 guard playing the point and Ali was a wing playing the two. This team never hit the next gear that we were all expecting at the beginning of the season. I really hope to see Freeman in the NBA!!

Thanks!! I vaguely remember the dogs but do not remember the daredevils. Consider Akron's financial problems, I do not see them spending cash on any more half time shows that cost money.

I remember the Red Panda performing at the Jar and she was amazing. I know we have had a lot of volunteer dance teams at the Jar, but can anyone remember any other paid performers that came in at half time.

I was always curious where Sullinger would land and he landed at Furman. They were a 13 seed in the tourney and upset 4th seeded Virginia last year. https://furmanpaladins.com/news/2024/5/10/paladins-welcome-anderson-sullinger-to-mens-basketball-program.aspx

Great video!!! Interesting that this was his first dunk in a college game and he was a junior. He indicated that he exposed himself when he made the dunk. If he is going to take the next step forward, he needs to expose himself more. Watch video of Tribble. He exposed himself about 5 times a game. Need to see more of what is on that video for him to get playing time next year. I hope he does it. Seems like a great guy!!!

How high is Enrique's ceiling? After watching Akron B ball for 25 years, nobody is even close when compared to improvement from year 1 to year 5. Enrique is quick to the ball for a man his size, athletic, and picks up new skills remarkably well. Can we see the same jump in years 6 through 8? If so he could be an NBA player. It was interesting to watch him in the NBA scrimmages where he did not face a triple team every time he touched the ball and was surrounded with equally talented players. He played the wing and made some nice 3 pointers. Remember, that is not a skill set he had last year. I think playing every day with good coaches that can improve his skills he might be on a NBA team in a couple of years.

They had him playing out in the wing away from the basket. Cannot rebound from there.

Tried to watch Freeman but the ESPN coverage was a joke. When Bronny was on the court the camera was on him and his dad. When he came out, they cut away from the game with interviews and graphics. Unfortunately, Freeman was not in at the same time as Bronny so only saw a few glimpses of him playing. Pretty much a waste of time.

Playing against Bronny and Lebron is in the house.

I thought back in the day athletes got easier jobs like watching the grass grow. Maybe that was just at the bigger programs. (lol)

I stand corrected. Thanks for the history lesson. https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/college/zips/2023/11/10/bill-turner-dies-akron-zips-basketball-nba-warriors-trail-blazers-lakers-nate-thurmond-gus-johnson/71487067007/

Great video. So we did not win our first NCAA playoff game but maybe he will be the first Zip to wear an NBA uniform. The callup could not happen to a nicer guy. Congrats to Freeman.

Great to see him stand out with a pressure filled environment. Will be curious if he stands out at he next level.

I just read about Hardman. The good: all academic player with a great three point shot. The bad: His defense kept him from playing more time at Ohio State. Basically, another bench player with limited minutes coming from a big program to Akron. Glad to see Groce getting some shooters on this team.

You knew we would have one more Zip enter the transfer pool yesterday. Player choice or Groce's decision? I would guess the latter.

You and I are on the same page with regard to Groce's misses on the transfer pool last year with regard to Scott and Thornton not being the scorer we needed and now a clear miss with regard to Darrion. However, I am hoping he is learning from his "misses" from last year. I agree it is a waste of a scholarship from last year but it is a good move to cut your losses and bring in a player that has a better chance to help the team this year.

If I am Tavari, Prather, or Nate and I see who Groce is bringing into the program to compete for my position, I am going to elevate my game this summer knowing that getting court time next year just got a lot harder.

I do not know why everyone is upset. I think this late it is the coaches call and obviously he picked the player that he thought would not get to see the court.