RowdyZip Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 1 minute ago, ZIPS96 said: Akron C Aziz Bandaogo has entered the transfer portal. verbalcommits.com/players/aziz-b… I give up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 What?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 Another fantastic article from GT. Props. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 12 minutes ago, ZIPS96 said: Akron C Aziz Bandaogo has entered the transfer portal. verbalcommits.com/players/aziz-b… 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyZip Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 5 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said: Another fantastic article from GT. Props. This makes me feel a little better. The Bandaogo portal entry was starting to make me think that maybe Coach was leaving the program and we were seeing the early evidence of a Murray State type exodus. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkronAlumnus Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 5 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said: The man is 7 foot tall and air balls shots two feet away from the basket. Farewell stone hands! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 A comment not specific to the Zips but college basketball in general: the transfer portal has made the coaches' jobs much more difficult recruiting wise. Are they going to have to recruit new teams every year? It may really lead to coaches kissing a lot of current players rear ends and ultimately that is not best for player development. Just some thoughts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyZip Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 Ultimately, this will boil down to schools that have NIL opportunities and those that don't. The best players from medium and small schools will play a couple and move up to make some cash. You can hardly blame them, but it absolutely sucks for those of us that follow schools like Akron/OU/Buffalo, etc. These are consistently strong programs that find kids that other programs pass up. It will truly be like starting from scratch every single season. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWAkron Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 23 minutes ago, RowdyZip said: I give up. Why? He was a liability when he was in the game. I don't know how they were going to take his game to the next level by November 2022. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 2 minutes ago, AkronAlumnus said: The man is 7 foot tall and air balls shots two feet away from the basket. Farewell stone hands! I liked Azis' potential and liked having a 7-footer... but I'm thinking old school. The game really has changed and Aziz not being an offensive threat anywhere but inside 2-feet of the basket really was a liability... especially in today's game. Give me a 6-8 post player (call him a "center" if you want) who can run the floor and stretch the floor on the offensive end with an outside/mid-range shot. Who knows how he'll ultimately develop, but right now Aziz is essentially a mediocre rim-protector. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkronAlumnus Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 1 minute ago, RowdyZip said: Ultimately, this will boil down to schools that have NIL opportunities and those that don't. The best players from medium and small schools will play a couple and move up to make some cash. You can hardly blame them, but it absolutely sucks for those of us that follow schools like Akron/OU/Buffalo, etc. These are consistently strong programs that find kids that other programs pass up. It will truly be like starting from scratch every single season. I wouldn't say losing three players is starting from scratch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWAkron Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 Just now, Blue & Gold said: I liked Azis' potential and liked having a 7-footer... but I'm thinking old school. The game really has changed and Aziz not being an offensive threat anywhere but inside 2-feet of the basket really was a liability... especially in today's game. Give me a 6-8 post player (call him a "center" if you want) who can run the floor and stretch the floor on the offensive end with an outside/mid-range shot. Who knows how he'll ultimately develop, but right now Aziz is essentially a mediocre rim-protector. yes, being able to win the jump ball isn't much of a selling point these days. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyZip Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 1 minute ago, NWAkron said: Why? He was a liability when he was in the game. I don't know how they were going to take his game to the next level by November 2022. He's a 7 footer that just recently began playing basketball at a high level with athletic ability that led the league in blocks playing just 12 minutes per game. He was a prime candidate to continue a high level of development on the offensive side of the ball with a little additional strength and muscle mass. Not the same level of loss as Ali, but could end up being even bigger. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyZip Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 4 minutes ago, AkronAlumnus said: I wouldn't say losing three players is starting from scratch. It's pretty close when you played a 7 man rotation for the last half-dozen games of the season, and one of those guys is Michael Wynn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 (edited) The can of worms is open now. Is there any way to put the toothpaste back into the tube? I've thought this for about a week but hadn't posted, but if you look at the list of transfers on the Verbal Commits website is absolutely ludicrous. This simply is not sustainable. I think (hope?) It'll work itself out over the next handful of years. Kids will see that the grass is not typically greener on the other side of the fence. (I think our current roster will learn this while watching what happens with Ali's career.) Edited March 31, 2022 by Blue & Gold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWAkron Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 (edited) 5 minutes ago, RowdyZip said: He's a 7 footer that just recently began playing basketball at a high level with athletic ability that led the league in blocks playing just 12 minutes per game. He was a prime candidate to continue a high level of development on the offensive side of the ball with a little additional strength and muscle mass. Not the same level of loss as Ali, but could end up being even bigger. All I know is that he didn't play more than a few minutes in any of the important games. I think there was high hopes for him with Groce and staff with the idea of playing him and Freeman at the same time. I know he and Freeman were friends and Freeman tried to bring him along, but I don't see him as an asset to the program. But great minds will differ. Edit: I will await @clarkwgriswoldand @Captain Kangaroo opinions. Edited March 31, 2022 by NWAkron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkronAlumnus Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 3 minutes ago, RowdyZip said: He's a 7 footer that just recently began playing basketball at a high level with athletic ability that led the league in blocks playing just 12 minutes per game. He was a prime candidate to continue a high level of development on the offensive side of the ball with a little additional strength and muscle mass. Not the same level of loss as Ali, but could end up being even bigger. least athletic player on the team. Zzzzz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyZip Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 6 minutes ago, AkronAlumnus said: least athletic player on the team. Zzzzz You can Zzzzz all you want. He was a prime candidate to develop into an all-MAC center, and as of now we only have Enrique on the roster capable of playing the 5. Another big hole to fill for Groce and company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkronAlumnus Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 6 minutes ago, RowdyZip said: You can Zzzzz all you want. He was a prime candidate to develop into an all-MAC center, and as of now we only have Enrique on the roster capable of playing the 5. Another big hole to fill for Groce and company. If we didn't lose Marshall, Aziz wouldn't have seen the floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 2 minutes ago, AkronAlumnus said: If we didn't lose Marshall, Aziz wouldn't have seen the floor. I've thought about Marshall quite a bit over the past season. I think losing him hurt us this year more than we'll ever know. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWAkron Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 19 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said: The can of worms is open now. Is there any way to put the toothpaste back into the tube? I've thought this for about a week but hadn't posted, but if you look at the list of transfers on the Verbal Commits website is absolutely ludicrous. This simply is not sustainable. I think (hope?) It'll work itself out over the next handful of years. Kids will see that the grass is not typically greener on the other side of the fence. (I think our current roster will learn this while watching what happens with Ali's career.) I agree with you. Groce and Company likely have memory of those they went after before and missed and wait for them to pop up in the portal. But the players (who go voluntarily) need to take a hard look at the competition awaiting them once they decide to fly on their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LZIp Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 (edited) You guys are pretty good at convincing yourselves these departures mean nothing lol. If they players are on the team, they're good. If they leave, they sucked anyways. The staff has their work cut out for them if we want to repeat or more. Edited March 31, 2022 by LZIp 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, ZIPS96 said: Akron C Aziz Bandaogo has entered the transfer portal. verbalcommits.com/players/aziz-b… Not a system fit. When you fall out of the regular rotation and the team proceeds to go on an incredible 8 game winning streak including a MAC Title, the writing is on the wall that maybe this system isn't right. He was not a key defender or rebounder, and a liability on offense. This team needs offense. Positive outlook regarding the Transfer Portal: any incoming transfers won't transfer again. I think what you're going to see is Year One become a trial period. For the team, is this guy truly a fit schematically, mentally, emotionally, etc.? For the player, is the program a fit, can I transfer up, etc.? We'll see 2-3 years of an incoming player post-transfer instead of 4, but that's no different than a JUCO or a non-redshirt freshman who sees little PT his freshman year. More talent is out there than ever before and that talent will have more of an immediate impact than ever before with at least one year of collegiate development under their belt. We'll see more disappointing regular seasons as teams take time to develop the chemistry, but better end of season runs like what we saw this year with the Zips. Just my outlook on the whole situation. Edited March 31, 2022 by Let'sGoZips94 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1981 grad Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 This is the new college basketball. We can probably expect this every year. I sure Zips fans are disappointed in that we thought our students loved Groce and would not transfer after winning the MAC and almost knocking of UCLA. We also do not know what Groce told Azziz regarding his future. Azziz was a project in that he had bad hands, not a good rebounder and was very slow moving his feet even for a 7 footer. There is a reason that Wynn got playing time instead of him. Groce might have told him that next year was going to be a struggle because they were going to be playing pressing defense and he may not have fit into their plans. Thus far the only transfer that really hurts is Ali but I would rather him transfer than have a disgruntled player on the roster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWAkron Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 6 minutes ago, LZIp said: You guys are pretty good at convincing yourselves these departures mean nothing lol. If they players are on the team, they're good. If they leave, they sucked anyways. The staff has their work cut out for them if we want to repeat or more. We don't have any control over it, so we might as well look at it in a positive way. Reminds me of the panic when KD left. It all worked out. On my own private list, Aziz was the first I thought should go. As for Ali, that certainly is a loss in that he produced a lot of points. But he is replaceable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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