2017/2018 End of Season Thoughts

[Blue & Gold]

4 minutes ago, jhl385 said:

I'm right with ya on this.  I'd like to thank Malcolm personally for (whatever reason - how DID Groce get him to come here???) his massive contribution to this years team.  His calmness during games helped this young team tremendously.  I'd hate to think of this years team playing a couple more frosh in place of Malcolm.  I hope his decision to play for the Zips is compensated by allowing him to get his Masters from Akron.

I'd love to see Malcolm as a grad assistant next year as he finishes up his master's. 

[clarkwgriswold]

21 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said:

I missed Groce's post-game comments.  It was past my old lady bedtime and I just wanted to shut that awful game off at the end.  What exactly did Groce say about the players/character issues?

 

Nobody here has given me any guidance on this but I spoke to a buddy this a.m. who had seats right behind the bench Thursday night.  Apparently, there was an incident involving JImond and Malcolm "counseling" Virshon, and a subsequent "conversation" between Groce and Virshon.  Sigh.

[NWAkron]

1 hour ago, clarkwgriswold said:

 

Nobody here has given me any guidance on this but I spoke to a buddy this a.m. who had seats right behind the bench Thursday night.  Apparently, there was an incident involving JImond and Malcolm "counseling" Virshon, and a subsequent "conversation" between Groce and Virshon.  Sigh.

We are all speculating but my two cents is that this type of distraction during the game wears mentally on our top players.  My thought is that more bad plays occur from being mentally tired rather than being physically tired.   LIke I said in the other thread,  Big Dog led the team because he was an emotional rock for the team and the players could count on him to do his job. 

 

I learned a lot more about the game this year watching a struggling team than I did watching a dominating team. 

 

Does anyone know when the cuts/additions are finalized?

[clarkwgriswold]

3 hours ago, NWAkron said:

We are all speculating but my two cents is that this type of distraction during the game wears mentally on our top players.  My thought is that more bad plays occur from being mentally tired rather than being physically tired.   LIke I said in the other thread,  Big Dog led the team because he was an emotional rock for the team and the players could count on him to do his job. 

 

I learned a lot more about the game this year watching a struggling team than I did watching a dominating team. 

 

Does anyone know when the cuts/additions are finalized?

 

I understand Groce in conjunction with mentioning character issues also said you could see a couple of kids transfer out.  It could be an interesting off-season.

[Blue & Gold]

1 hour ago, clarkwgriswold said:

 

I understand Groce in conjunction with mentioning character issues also said you could see a couple of kids transfer out.  It could be an interesting off-season.

He said something like, "They have to change for us; we don't change for them.  If they don't want to play ball the Akron way, they can do it someplace else."  Paraphrasing, of course.

[zipfan84]

10 hours ago, jhl385 said:

I think De La Rosa is a punk.  What happened at the end of the half at Kent and after the Zips beat them at the JAR proves it. 

I think THUG is a more accurate description. But then again this has been Kent's M.O. for as long as I can remember. They always have at least one on the roster.

[72 Roo]

4 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said:

 

I understand Groce in conjunction with mentioning character issues also said you could see a couple of kids transfer out.  It could be an interesting off-season.

If we have to lose a player or two due to character issues I'm all for doing it now so we set straight what culture we want from those players coming in. I'm not sold that Virsohn understands that or is willing to submit to a team first mentality. That being said I am not particularly close to the inner workings of the team and if i am wrong I am actually happy to be so. I want to keep talent, but it must be tempered by good character and the team above all else.

[zippy5]

Buffalo with their third title in 4 years. Hate to say it but they're pretty much what we thought we were going to be. Oats has done a great job.

[Zip44]

7 minutes ago, zippy5 said:

Buffalo with their third title in 4 years. Hate to say it but they're pretty much what we thought we were going to be. Oats has done a great job.

Groce will have to get past Buffalo in next few years. Oats is now best coach in MAC & his program is one to beat until he advances to bigger stage.

Can Groce do it??  Combined history record in MAC/Big Ten: sub.500.     5Yrs in Big Ten:

1st: NCAA   2nd: NIT   3rd: no bid  4th: last place 

5th: 10place

Nagging Questions: 

Why could Groce not convince last years players to stay in program?

Can Groce keep Ivey from transferring?

Are current Frosh really going to get a lot better over the years & are his transfers & incomig recruits difference makers?

Can he now convince top HS talent & transfers to come to Akron after finishing last in MAC?

Can he beat Buffalo head to head in THE BIG GAME?

A lot of big questions marks!

Improvement is not good enough next year.

Remember, anything short of MAC Tourney champ & a WIN in NCAA Tourney will fall short of his promise & AD/UA fans expectations.

He has a streep road ahead of him - next year will tell a lot. 

[clarkwgriswold]

55 minutes ago, Zip44 said:

Groce will have to get past Buffalo in next few years. Oats is now best coach in MAC & his program is one to beat until he advances to bigger stage.

Can Groce do it??  Combined history record in MAC/Big Ten: sub.500.     5Yrs in Big Ten:

1st: NCAA   2nd: NIT   3rd: no bid  4th: last place 

5th: 10place

Nagging Questions: 

Why could Groce not convince last years players to stay in program?

Can Groce keep Ivey from transferring?

Are current Frosh really going to get a lot better over the years & are his transfers & incomig recruits difference makers?

Can he now convince top HS talent & transfers to come to Akron after finishing last in MAC?

Can he beat Buffalo head to head in THE BIG GAME?

A lot of big questions marks!

Improvement is not good enough next year.

Remember, anything short of MAC Tourney champ & a WIN in NCAA Tourney will fall short of his promise & AD/UA fans expectations.

He has a streep road ahead of him - next year will tell a lot. 

 

Some answers:

 

*  Transferring players on a coaching change is commonplace;

*  Can't imagine Ivey transferring in his senior year.  He's a team leader and one of the guys who bought in right away;

*  Improvement is to be expected and enough next year for any reasonable fan.  They are expected to be competitive, but a MAC championship and NCAA win in his second year is an unreasonable expectation.  Rome wasn't built in year;

*  Meryl Streep has nothing to do with this.

 

[skip-zip]

I'm not ready to put Oats on a pedestal quite yet.  I still wonder how much his success might still be a result of riding the coattails of the work that Hurley did.  I think we'll know that answer in a couple more years.  But certainly their consistent finishes at/near the top of the conference every year starts to make them seem like "the next Akron" from the previous decade.  

 

56 minutes ago, Zip44 said:

Can he now convince top HS talent & transfers to come to Akron after finishing last in MAC?

 

This is definitely a legitimate concern.  I've brought this up a few times over the last couple of weeks.  Nobody can deny that the best players are looking at the schools that are already winners, or moving upward.  A first place to last place move isn't going to help you make that point.  I wouldn't want to ever be recruiting on the basis of "we have improved effort", "we don't give up", and "we hope to be better in the future".

 

3 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

*  Can't imagine Ivey transferring in his senior year.  He's a team leader and one of the guys who bought in right away;

 

I'd say it's probably unlikely that he would leave on his own, mostly because of it being his last year.  But obviously, some things are different than they were a year ago when the guy was so publicly enthusiastic about being a part of the new team.  

 

8 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

*  Meryl Streep has nothing to do with this.

 

[NWAkron]

What things are obviously different?

 

Oh and a "legitimate concern" from the "concerned troll."

 

concern troll

In an argument, a concern troll is someone who is on one side of the discussion, but pretends to be a supporter of the other side with "concerns". The idea behind this is that your opponents will take your arguments more seriously if they think you're an ally.

Edited March 11, 2018 by NWAkron

[zippy5]

It's tiring

[UAZip0510]

5 hours ago, zippy5 said:

Buffalo with their third title in 4 years. Hate to say it but they're pretty much what we thought we were going to be. Oats has done a great job.

 

They are what we were.  They have 3 titles in 4 years, we had 3 in 5 years.  We didn't get the big tourney win - let's see if they can.  

 

[LZIp]

5 hours ago, UAZip0510 said:

 

They are what we were.  They have 3 titles in 4 years, we had 3 in 5 years.  We didn't get the big tourney win - let's see if they can.  

 

Super tough draw vs Arizona. Highly unlikely.

[clarkwgriswold]

14 minutes ago, LZIp said:

Super tough draw vs Arizona. Highly unlikely.

 

Yep, very tough. Arizona is playing awfully well right now and deserved better than a 4 seed.

[NWAkron]

46 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

 

Yep, very tough. Arizona is playing awfully well right now and deserved better than a 4 seed.

And sent to Boise to play on Thursday.  Of course, the 13 seeds are either playing in Boise or San Diego.  Is Toledo in the NIT?

[skip-zip]

Did anyone else watch the Championship Game in the AAC today?

 

I was actually rooting for Houston.  They came within a basket of beating a solid Top-10 Cincinnati team, less than a year after getting knocked off by the Zips....on their home floor...in the NIT.  I think that's interesting to see that we were superior on the road to a team that was about to elevate themselves to the top of that league the following year.   

[skip-zip]

7 hours ago, NWAkron said:

What things are obviously different?

 

Oh, I don't know.  Finishing in First Place vs. Last Place?  You don't see that as an obvious difference for someone who was a big part of the team in both 2017 and 2018?

 

Occasionally, I do choose to answer some of your ridiculous questions, even though I know you're asking them just to be petulant.  

 

Have a nice evening.  

[ZIPS96]

It was nice to see the team playing it’s best basketball the last few weeks of the season.  The last couple years our teams have been much better overall but didn’t finish strong, so that is a positive for this team.  In the MAC that is the most important thing since we are a one-bid league and that’s what we should expect from a Grose team.

[UAZip0510]

2 hours ago, ZIPS96 said:

It was nice to see the team playing it’s best basketball the last few weeks of the season.  The last couple years our teams have been much better overall but didn’t finish strong, so that is a positive for this team.  In the MAC that is the most important thing since we are a one-bid league and that’s what we should expect from a Grose team.

 

2018

Last 10 Regular Season: 3-7

1-1 MAC Tournament

 

2017

Last 10 Regular Season: 6-4

2-1 MAC Tournament

 

2016

Last 10 Regular Season: 7-3

2-1 MAC Tournament

 

[dre22era]

My End of Season thoughts 

Our AD can kick rocks and take our one foot out the door UCF rejected applicant UA president with him 

I hate the MAC and wish someday we will grow a pair and leave just like Hampton is leaving the MEAC. Gotta take risk and as of now we take none. 

I have no hope in Groce because I know the first job offer he gets HE IS GONE. 

You can't build off that long term so with that said my hope is all but dead in regards to the future of this program. 

People will take what I say as nothing but hate when in fact I am hardcore all in and passionate about my alma mater and i back up my talk with my check book   

but I will criticize when i feel its warranted. 

This next year for Football and Basketball will be crucial for UA in regards to establishing a solid foundation to build on or we will be in serious trouble from a  financial standpoint. 

God Save Us All 

 

[Zip44]

13 hours ago, NWAkron said:

What things are obviously different?

 

Oh and a "legitimate concern" from the "concerned troll."

 

concern troll

In an argument, a concern troll is someone who is on one side of the discussion, but pretends to be a supporter of the other side with "concerns". The idea behind this is that your opponents will take your arguments more seriously if they think you're an ally.

To NWAkron:  everyone has a right to their opinion. Show some respect & quit displaying your bullying tendencies.

[skip-zip]

6 hours ago, UAZip0510 said:

 

2018

Last 10 Regular Season: 3-7

1-1 MAC Tournament

 

2017

Last 10 Regular Season: 6-4

2-1 MAC Tournament

 

2016

Last 10 Regular Season: 7-3

2-1 MAC Tournament

 

 

Please don't point out the facts, and mess up someone's ridiculous misconception.  

 

 

[skip-zip]

6 hours ago, dre22era said:

I have no hope in Groce because I know the first job offer he gets HE IS GONE. 

 

Serious Question:  Where do you think this "job offer" is coming from after a 6-12 season in the MAC, which followed that 5-year debacle at Illinois?

 

He's certainly working hard to resurrect his career.  But lets be real here.  You shouldn't be worried about higher opportunities presenting themselves anytime soon.