1981 grad

I did not make the game tonight and watched the replay. Great replay but everytime there was a commercial it reset to the beginning of the game so it was a little anoying but the picture was great so no complaints. I really liked Duvivier. He had a terrible 1st half but played very well in the second half. He looks like a guard who can control the ball without turnovers. He missed a lot of open 3 balls but if he improves his shooting he will be tough. Loved his dunk. Cannot remember the last time a zips guard drove to the basket and dunked the ball over a defender. Eric Parish looked great and would not be surprised if he makes his way into the starting lineup. I was surprised that Poke did not set up in the post. We did not have anybody playing with their back to the basket except for Kostelac who was only in for 2 minutes. We are definately more athletic than in the past. Utomi needs to keep his man in front of him. Got beat off the dribble several times. However, he saved us offensively. We do not have many strong opponents this month so it will be interesting to see how this team progresses. I think everyone agrees that the foul shooting was amazing. Go Zips!!

This game reminded me of the movie Groundhog Day. Last year we needed one game to become bowl eligable and we played our first week night game at Buffalo who had a very losing record. The defense could not stop the Bulls and the offense sputtered. I thought that Miami ran the same misdirection play with the receiver in motion and a handoff to the back at least 10 times and gaimed positive yardage every play. I am hoping that the Zips can get Woodson back next week and win the big one against Ohio. Does anyone know about the injury to Sands and whether Woodson will play next week? (I just read the Beacon story that told me relatively nothing)

It looks like they use him as a perimeter player with 26 three point attempts to 11 two point attempts and only a couple foul shots attempted. It does not surprise me that Kwan leads the team in rebounds. He really developed into a great rebounder during his years at Akron. I hope he continues to have great success.

I usually don't post much during the off season but I am making an exception because the deadline to renew season tickets is this Friday. I just renewed today and I hope everyone else renews their season tickets. I heard some people indicating that they would not renew because Akron did not retain KD. I hope that season ticket holders would reconsider and renew. I know that this team will be a complete rebuild but I am still looking forward to the season and great basketball under our new coach.

Thanks for the reply. I hope that he has success in Sweden as his game continues to improve.

I looked on this board but did not see anything. Does anyone know if Big Dog signed to play professional ball?

Good luck Kwan. It is great to know that former Zips can make a career playing pro ball. Enjoy the ride. Best of luck in the pros.

A big strong physical guard who can get through picks, rebound and won't get pushed around under the basket. Looking forward to watching him play next season.

You have to feel bad for Aaron in that he did not have a very good year. As an underclassman he was like the energizer bunny, he would come in off the bench and bring energy to the game. He made a lot of hustle plays. In the beginning of the year he played double digit minutes. Like everyone else, he liked to shoot the 3. This year he only shot 22% from the 3 line and was 0 for 8 once we hit MAC play. He hardly played toward the end of the season. I remember when he was in a game and playing well KD pulled him after a couple of minutes and he gave KD a look like why are you pulling me. I did not see him getting major minutes this year. I wish him the best of luck and hope that he obtained his degree.

With Antino leaving, we have no guards left from last year. After we got killed in the second game of the NIT, my thought was that we will never win a NCAA tournament game with the guards we have on the team. Of course, I had no idea that a month later none of them would be returning. If our goal is to win a tournament game, that was not going to happen with Noah, Antino, Josh, and Dunn Martin. They were too small, not athletic, poor rebounders, difficult stopping penetration and weak when it came to penetrating against defenses. (If anyone disagrees please rewatch the Texas Arlington game or the last 2 MAC finals.) Antino was probably our best guard on defense and slashing at the basket but at best he was an average MAC guard. KD liked to play inside out which meant our guards often stood on the wing or behind the 3 point line and shot the 3 ball. I cannot remember any of these guys back cutting to the basket or diving for a loose ball all season. When there was no double team, they struggled offensively against better athletes because they could not create their own shot and just shot the 3 ball. (Gonzaga game). There strength was their 3 point shooting and playing within the KD system of feeding the ball to Big Dog, waiting for the double team, and then shooting the 3 ball. I know that we will struggle next year with 4 new guards but hopefully we can pick up some athletes who can keep their man in front of them, rebound, move and cut without the ball and show athleticism in attacking the basket.

You guys make a great point. After the season, I rarely look at the board or post anything. But this year I have been checking the board to find out if KD is leaving, who our coach is going to be, what players are leaving, and what new players are coming. This board is more active than during the season. Maybe we should change coaches more than once in every 12 years to generate more interest in Akron basketball. (LOL)

I am happy that both Noah and Antino will received their degrees in 3 years. They seemed like really bright students when I heard them on the radio. However, it seems a little one sided that Akron holds a scholarship open for him and is prevented from recruiting another player while they shop around to transfer to another school. I hope they make up their minds quickly or Akron gives them a time period to make their decision.

Is he going to be a graduate student next year? I have not seen that anywhere.

I disagree that KD misused Antino or that he is a better player because he is receiving offers from other schools. First, I really think that it is in Antino's best interest to stay with the program. Akron has found a solid coach, one who has coached in the Big Ten, and a coach who has had success taking a MAC team for a run in the NCAA tournament. If Antino's goal is to play in Europe, he would be postponing a paycheck for a year if he transfers with no guarantee of improving his status as a player. His 3 point shooting improved this year to 40% but he still averaged 11 points per game, the same as last year. He has been a solid player for Akron and I have enjoyed watching him play the last 3 years but if he believes there is greener pasture somewhere else he has the right to leave. I would rather recruit a frosh that wants to play basketball for Akron than somebody who does not want to be here. Akron has done what it had to do. Now Antino and the rest of the players have to make a decision on what they want to do so the program can move on.

In the beginning of the year he looked decent for a first year player. Reminded me of Big Dog his first year. He then hurt his back. After he came back he did not do much. I thought he was not fully recovered but who knows. I did notice that when he was injured he was always the first one off the bench congratulating the team so I did like his team spirit in the beginning of the season.

Is Hughs following Dambrot? Considering that he hardly played this year, it would be foolish for him to transfer and then wait another year to play. He is a big guy but did not show much last year because of injury. I just wonder if he would get that many offers.

Thanks for sharing that. It is impressive that Antino's decision to consider leaving Akron was not a knee jerk reaction to KD deciding to leave. The players have a right to be upset with KD since a big part of his pitch to them was that he was not leaving Akron. If Antinos goal is to play in a big 5 conference, he will be competing against bigger and more athletic guys to get playing time. He has to realize that it is risk since he may not get the playing time coming into a new program. If he wants to play pro ball in Europe as many other Akron athletes, the safer move would be to stay with Akron where he is guarenteed playing time and is already part of the system.

Thanks for posting the video. I find it amazing that a guy that was just fired can be that thankful to the school that just fired him. I think it is great that he indicates academically his team did great in the classroom and that he had great relationship with his players. I am very impressed with this guy. He indicated that he takes responsibillity for his team, his record, and did not have any excuses. I hope he gets the job and I am optimistic for the future if he is our coach.

I saw him on the roster but he did not play. Did they red shirt him this year. Is he a scholarship player?

He just brought in a great recruiting class before he was fired, http://www.fightingillini.com/news/2016/11/17/mens-basketball-groce-and-staff-reel-in-top-10-recruiting-class.aspx?path=mbball He has MAC experience, can recruit, took Ohio to the sweet 16, and probably will be hesitant to go to the next level after his experience with the Illini so he should be here for a few years. I hope this happens soon so he can talk to our players and start recruiting since he will have at least 3 players transferring and some open scholarships.

Somebody that has more than one inbounds play in his repetoire of coaching skills!

If Groce gets the job, it would only be fitting if he brings in Brian Walsh as an assistant. Groce owes his success to Brian. If Brian made a 12 foot jumper instead of it rimming out, Akron goes to the NCAA in 2012. (Does it seem like Akron was snake bitten in MAC finals) Ohio does not make their sweet 16 run, Groce, does not get the Illinois job and make a million dollars. I also liked Brian as a Zip, a tall guard that could rebound and played tough defense. Somebody we could definately use as a coach.

I understand why Josh wants to go play with his brother. He has 2 years left of eligability. I understand why Dunn Martin wants to follow KD to Pittsburgh, he has 3 years left of eligability. However, I am still hopeful that Antino will stay after Akron gets a coach. He only has 1 year left of eligability and would have to sit out a year unless he has enough credits to graduate. Also, he has not announced a school so it does not look like he has a defininate plan on where he wants to go. Hopefully, after Akron gets a coach, he will give some consideration to staying. He would have the opportunity to play next year, add to his 1000 point career at Akron and finish out his senior year with his teammates. I really think this may be his best decision in order to further his playing career after he graduates Akron.

I just did a quick internet search on him and found this analysis from last year when N.C. state was looking for a coach. He is a home town guy who played for N.C. Ashville and was an assistant there for many years. http://www.backingthepack.com/2017/3/3/14807990/nick-mcdevitt-nc-state-coaching-search-basketball

Even if that was their plan, a tournament run in the MAC or NIT would improve their marketability greatly. Nobody threw in the towell.