Zips MAC Tournament- 2022

[NWAkron]

FYI:  The Kent State men’s squad will play in The Basketball Classic, and will open at Southern Utah (20-11) Wednesday night in Cedar City. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. local time. KSU will make its fifth postseason appearance under 11th-year head coach Rob Senderoff.

[clarkwgriswold]

I saw a bus down here today with the name "Flashes" on the front of the bus.  Of course, it was a short bus.  It made me smile.

Edited March 14, 2022 by clarkwgriswold

[Let'sGoZips94]

25 minutes ago, NWAkron said:

FYI:  The Kent State men’s squad will play in The Basketball Classic, and will open at Southern Utah (20-11) Wednesday night in Cedar City. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. local time. KSU will make its fifth postseason appearance under 11th-year head coach Rob Senderoff.

 

There we go. When a program needs cleaned up, send em to Mormon country. 

[zippy5]

Oh hell yeah

 

 

 

[a-zip]

59 minutes ago, zippy5 said:

Oh hell yeah

 

 

 

I'm digging' seeing the "Z" coming back.  Just sayin'

[NWAkron]

1 hour ago, zippy5 said:

Oh hell yeah

 

 

 

"Dance Team Dad"

[a-zip]

On 3/13/2022 at 1:48 PM, a-zip said:

Skipping his way home 🤣🤣🤣

The most feminine pick I could grab.

[Z.I.P.]

On 3/13/2022 at 12:50 PM, dre22era said:

 

If these two do for @ZipMBB what they did for UWGB WBB - i.e. a perennial top mid-major program and NCAA tournament high seed, basketball fans will call for them to stay forever!

[LZIp]

Nice read from everybody's favorite - Terry Pluto. A couple stats I wasn't aware of - Akron has the best MAC winning % in the conference when you look at the last 3 seasons, yes better than Toledo. Enrique is the most efficient shooter in the nation and 6th in rebounds in the nation.

https://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/2022/03/how-did-akron-reach-the-ncaa-tournament-here-are-some-stories-terry-pluto.html

[zippy5]

Just came to post that. It was a good read, I learned some things. Enrique was 19-23 from the floor in the tournament! 😳

[Akron1]

Senderoff places some blame for the Snapchat video on the Akron students from the February 11 game at the JAR.  He also places blame on whoever shared the Snapchat (his player posted it) and said that it happened in the locker room and never should have got out.   The press conference is worth a watch.

 

[zippy5]

That explained his whole team culture. No issue or regret with the actual video or behavior, just that it got out. They have what they deserve over there

[LZIp]

1 minute ago, zippy5 said:

That explained his whole team culture. No issue or regret with the actual video or behavior, just that it got out. They have what they deserve over there

Yep. What would John Groce do? Sure as hell not that.

[zipsrule]

12 minutes ago, zippy5 said:

That explained his whole team culture. No issue or regret with the actual video or behavior, just that it got out. They have what they deserve over there

Are you sorry?

 

Yes... sorry we got caught

[NWAkron]

5 minutes ago, Akron1 said:

Senderoff places some blame for the Snapchat video on the Akron students from the February 11 game at the JAR.  He also places blame on whoever shared the Snapchat (his player posted it) and said that it happened in the locker room and never should have got out.   The press conference is worth a watch.

 

These guys aren't reciting Shakespeare or swapping recipes in the locker room.   I get that.  Groce who is amazing at PR had the team singing the Blue and Gold if there is a camera around.  

 

Groce and his staff aren't saints.  He had Basset at Ohio and some sketchy guys at Illinois and a few here I'm sure.  KD had to recruit some less than stellar guys to compete with Kent.  That can work in the short term but eventually bites you. 

 

As someone posted on the buffalo message board...Toledo going to Toledo (choke) and Kents going to Kent.

[LoyalZIP]

Nice statement from Sendy on Jacobs, it needed to be stated. He's a guy I respect immensely. And he's one of their most important players from a standpoint of being an all-around player.

 

Blaming the fans is so dumb, every team gets MF'd, Sendy. You reap what you sow, dude. It's not the first time you or your team has done something stupid and it probably won't be the last. There's a reason so many die-hard Kent fans can't stand him.

Edited March 15, 2022 by LoyalZIP

[Blue & Gold]

10 minutes ago, LoyalZIP said:

There's a reason so many die-hard Kent fans can't stand him.

Can't stand Senderoff?  I wasn't aware of that dynamic.

[clarkwgriswold]

I'm not a fan of the how Senderoff said it shouldn't have gotten out of the locker room or how he tried to explain how things happen in the locker room, but his defense of Jacobs and praise of the Zips was what I would hope for from the coach of my team.  

[LoyalZIP]

3 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:

Can't stand Senderoff?  I wasn't aware of that dynamic.

 

I am around a ton of Kent people and know a lot of their season ticket holders that have been for a long time. They are tired of garbage that happens off the court. Many of them are obviously eternally grateful for the 2017 title, but my very best friend, who is me if I was a Kent State fan, feel that the 2017 title doomed the future because they will not move on from him unless he gets a bigger job. Are they spoiled and probably off-base? Yeah, probably. But after over a decade at that program, he won a title as a 6-seed and then lost one as the two seed and hasn't really sniffed any other major success. He's like 11-16 against Akron, went 3 years without winning a MAC tournament game at one point, has lost to a 12-seed, and had so much drama off the court. It's not been the most fun for them.

[Illini Zip]

21 minutes ago, NWAkron said:

Groce and his staff aren't saints.  He had Basset at Ohio and some sketchy guys at Illinois and a few here I'm sure. 

 

I agree with @NWAkron sentiment.

 

I'm not going to make any excuses for Kent State's overall culture. You all know better than me and I have heard some of the stories and even watched some past video. So I get it.

 

But it is important to stay just a bit humble on this matter. As much as Groce runs a tight ship with high standards these things flare up on occasion. These are young men who live most of their lives away from the coaching staff. Groce tries to find guys that are warriors inside the lines and gentlemen outside the lines. Players who love to compete and at the same time he would feel comfortable having around his family. That is a hard balance to strike at times. We had comments on this forum earlier in the year that Akron doesn't have any "dogs" on this team. No killer instinct. Groce will often have one or two guys on his roster that are the enforcer types. But understand, that those are the very guys that often create bad headlines and black eyes for the program. What Groce does stress over all else is mental toughness and boy does this Zips team have mental toughness!! Go Zips!!

 

 

[clarkwgriswold]

He's been just good enough to give them hope and hold on yet not bad enough to fire.  He's the Crash Davis of MAC coaches.

 

His Kelvin Sampson scandal probably holds him back a little too.

[clarkwgriswold]

1 minute ago, Illini Zip said:

 

I agree with @NWAkron sentiment.

 

I'm not going to make any excuses for Kent State's overall culture. You all know better than me and I have heard some of the stories and even watched some past video. So I get it.

 

But it is important to stay just a bit humble on this matter. As much as Groce runs a tight ship with high standards these things flare up on occasion. These are young men who live most of their lives away from the coaching staff. Groce tries to find guys that are warriors inside the lines and gentlemen outside the lines. Players who love to compete and at the same time he would feel comfortable having around his family. That is a hard balance to strike at times. We had comments on this forum earlier in the year that Akron doesn't have any "dogs" on this team. No killer instinct. Groce will often have one or two guys on his roster that are the enforcer types. But understand, that those are the very guys that often create bad headlines and black eyes for the program. What Groce does stress over all else is mental toughness and boy does this Zips team have mental toughness!! Go Zips!!

 

 

 

So just to clarify, 18 to 22 year old males occasionally do some stupid stuff?  That's outlandish!

[Let'sGoZips94]

3 hours ago, zippy5 said:

Just came to post that. It was a good read, I learned some things. Enrique was 19-23 from the floor in the tournament! 😳

 

His 23(?) in the Title game was the quietest 23 pts I've ever seen from a big. 

 

2 hours ago, zippy5 said:

That explained his whole team culture. No issue or regret with the actual video or behavior, just that it got out. They have what they deserve over there

 

I actually have zero issue with the song. If Akron had a F Kent song, it would probably be my most listened to song if I could get my hands on it. I love the hate. The issues with the song extend to 1) the video getting out and 2) all the antics/showboating on the court. If Can't players played that song in the locker room then went out and simply took care of business without Carry prancing down the floor, without stirring it up with Akron students, without Singletary playing with a week old OVI, etc., this would've been a much smaller issue. I don't believe the players were suspended for the video as much as they were the video being the final straw before someone had to take action regarding Senderoff's program. 

 

2 hours ago, LoyalZIP said:

Nice statement from Sendy on Jacobs, it needed to be stated. He's a guy I respect immensely. And he's one of their most important players from a standpoint of being an all-around player.

 

Blaming the fans is so dumb, every team gets MF'd, Sendy. You reap what you sow, dude. It's not the first time you or your team has done something stupid and it probably won't be the last. There's a reason so many die-hard Kent fans can't stand him.

 

The Jacobs comments were respectable, but how about taking a kid like that and NOT promoting all the other antics around the team? Doesn't sound like the environment did Jacobs any favors, and that's on Pinky. 

 

2 hours ago, Blue & Gold said:

Can't stand Senderoff?  I wasn't aware of that dynamic.

 

Their fan board echoed similar sentiments, that the off-the-court crap is old, especially with the mediocre on-the-court results. 

[kreed5120]

With players being able to transfer more easily these days coaches have lost their leverage. Senderhoff could come out and condemn the actions, but then he risks pissing off his locker room and losing his roster.

 

You don't have to look any further than Duquesne. I don't know what went down there, but they had numerous players leave who made major contributions at other schools. Duquesne probably would have been pretty good this year had they kept the band together. Instead Dambrot can now claim he has a roster of players who buy in and want to be there, but those players aren't good and the teams sucks. It very well may cost him his job.

Edited March 15, 2022 by kreed5120

[Z.I.P.]

3 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said:

He's been just good enough to give them hope and hold on yet not bad enough to fire.  He's the Crash Davis of MAC coaches.

 

His Kelvin Sampson scandal probably holds him back a little too.

From this old ESPN piece on Sendy's hiring as HC, it appears that a "show cause" finding is a very low hurdle to remaining in the profession during the penalty period.  His AD simply told the committee he'd vouch for his credibility and hold his hand till the phase ended.

 

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/columns/story?columnist=oneil_dana&id=6401701