Game 5- Youngstown State

[Blue & Gold]

ABJ: Zips jump out early, defeat Youngstown State 82-60

[1981 grad]

1 hour ago, Blue & Gold said:

Good question about the injuries impacting his growth.  I - along with a number of other posters on here - thought he looked his best his freshman year before his injury.  He hasn't looked quite the same since.  To this day it infuriates me when refs call T's for hanging on the rim after dunks.  Jaden about killed himself because he was afraid of getting T'd up.

We had a guard, Noah Robotham, who had a great frosh year and we thought he would be a great player over the next 4 years.  He suffered a knee injury as a frosh or soph and when he came back he was never the same player.  I remember he once had a fast break and instead of going up strong would fake going up.  It seemed as though he was always a little tentative after the injury.  He had a good career with Akron but never lived up to the career we thought he would have as a frosh.  I believe he transferred out his senior year to go back home to Las Vegas.  Good point that injuries can affect how a player develops after his frosh year.   

Sayles is also a little slow for this team.  I think he is the last KD recruit.  All of Groce's recruits are quick athletic guys.  Our defense is so good because these guys are athletic enough to recover when somebody attacks the basket and goes to the hoop.  Cheese had a great block last night from behind the play.  I think Sayles will have limited minutes but he can still help the team by being aggressive on offense.

Edited November 22, 2019 by 1981 grad

[Blue & Gold]

 

[Let'sGoZips94]

Sayles is the last remaining Dambrot recruit, and it shows. That's most certainly not a slam on Sayles. He was recruited for a completely different system - half court offense, half court defense, inside-out gameplan on offense, man-to-man on defense; a system I think he would have truly excelled in. Groce employs an up-and-down attack on offense, and whatever he needs to use on defense to shut down the opponent - full court press, zone, man, etc. I think Sayles is a good player that could have really developed into something had he not dealt with the injury bug. The jump from high school to DI ball is huge to begin with - size, speed, strength, pace, pressure, etc. He lost half a season his freshman year, and basically the previous 2 seasons in their entirety. The obstacles on his uphill battle include conditioning, as well as STILL adjusting to DI size/speed/strength/pace/pressure/etc. In many of those categories, he's still a freshman basically. I have always admired how he stuck around through the coaching change, and how he's always out there with the team. Speaks to the kind of person he is despite the series of unfortunate events that have taken place on the court these last few years. I think you'll see Sayles become more of a factor as the season wears on, especially during the MAC portion. He's an athletic big that I believe will find his place and get somewhat caught up in the categories I mentioned above. Wasn't his hanging-on-the-rim-induced injury a byproduct of a technical called earlier in the game on either him or someone else for hanging on the rim (I think it was him?)? 

 

Robotham is a perfect example of how injuries can derail a career. He was getting P5 transfer looks during his freshman year if I remember correctly, and probably would have departed if not for the injury. He eventually ended up going back home to play for UNLV, and had a decent finish to his career there, but nowhere near his ceiling. That kid might have been the best true basketball player this program has had as a freshman. His vision, shot, and ability to slash to the basket were unrivaled in an Akron uniform (at least as a freshman). After that injury, he always seemed timid. 

 

 

Glad to see a solid highlight video from the other night. Love how we're finishing at the rim. Everyone looks so smooth.