Transfer Portal

[Captain Kangaroo]

If I waited an entire season to play, expecting to get substantial PT in 2024-25...and then found out my team just recruited a bunch of upperclassman...and, I can transfer elsewhere without sitting out...I would be moving on to greener pastures faster than a rolled up tee shirt to NW Akron's skull.

 

Tribble, Freeman and Ali were complete dinosaurs, graduating as seniors from the same school they began their college careers. 

 

In today's NIL/Portal era no kid is going to wait his turn for playing time. As Chris Rock once said - "You're only as faithful as your options". Kid's options are endless today.

 

I'm ecstatic with the caliber of talent and experience Groce has signed in the past week. He had to do it, because today's AD's don't have the patience of AD's from even just 5 or 6 years ago. It's a business on both ends now...the kids can pack their bags and leave as they please...and coach's can eschew player development by bringing in bucketloads of new, seasoned talent before they can even sweep up the confetti from the previous squad's conference championship.

 

 

[Blue & Gold]

Can someone remind me, a player can only transfer once without having to sit out a year unless he is a grad transfer, right?

[Let'sGoZips94]

4 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:

Can someone remind me, a player can only transfer once without having to sit out a year unless he is a grad transfer, right?

 

Or unless they have a waiver approved. Waiver reasons can include mental health, which anymore is just about everyone. 

[RoyalBlu]

3 hours ago, blueandgold said:

 

 

If I was a betting man, which I'm not, I would say it would be Tavari leaving.

 

Surprise (at least to me) Baker ... exit stage left???

[Blue & Gold]

22 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Or unless they have a waiver approved. Waiver reasons can include mental health, which anymore is just about everyone. 

Thanks. (Out of Likes.)

 

 

With the departure of Baker I hope Onkonkwo is ready to play at least 30 minutes/game.

 

PG: Wilson........ Tavari/Young

WG: Gray......... Scott

WG: Johnson... Prather

WP: Harris........ MMK

P:   Okonkwo... Lyles

 

Redshirt (or did we just learn our lesson w/ Baker?): Mahaffey

[RoyalBlu]

15 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:

Thanks. (Out of Likes.)

 

 

With the departure of Baker I hope Onkonkwo is ready to play at least 30 minutes/game.

 

PG: Wilson........ Tavari/Young

WG: Gray......... Scott

WG: Johnson... Prather

WP: Harris........ MMK

P:   Okonkwo... Lyles

 

Redshirt (or did we just learn our lesson w/ Baker?): Mahaffey

 

It's not uncommon for redshirt freshmen (like Baker) who hit the portal to spend a year at a JUCO. They get 30-35 games of experience, quite likely graduate, then have three years of  D1 ahead of them. Frankly, I don't understand why mid-majors in particular don't recruit this gold mine more actively.

 

[kreed5120]

1 hour ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Or unless they have a waiver approved. Waiver reasons can include mental health, which anymore is just about everyone. 

That was challenged in court and overturned. The NCAA just updated their rules last week to not limit transfers as it wasn't a rule the courts would let them uphold. As it stands, the NCAA has no power over player movement. It's the wild wild west and nothing can be done to modify it.

[LZIp]

A bit bummed to see Baker enter the portal. I thought he looked the part physically, on paper, and in the limited time he played in the Bahamas or wherever it was last year.

[Let'sGoZips94]

1 hour ago, kreed5120 said:

That was challenged in court and overturned. The NCAA just updated their rules last week to not limit transfers as it wasn't a rule the courts would let them uphold. As it stands, the NCAA has no power over player movement. It's the wild wild west and nothing can be done to modify it.

 

Thanks. Didn't realize all transfer restrictions were overturned. Sheesh. NCAA has only themselves to blame. If they weren't so morally bankrupt and corrupt for decades on end, they would've had a better legal footing to stand on to maintain some power. 

[clarkwgriswold]

I think Groce's guard-centric recruiting approach is in part dictated by the market.  A quality big man is tough to find and they are swallowed up by the big programs.  There's a much larger pool of guards to choose from.

[Blue & Gold]

3 hours ago, LZIp said:

A bit bummed to see Baker enter the portal. I thought he looked the part physically, on paper, and in the limited time he played in the Bahamas or wherever it was last year.

Agreed. I thought he was our future centerpiece 😕

[Illini Zip]

43 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:

Agreed. I thought he was our future centerpiece 😕

 

I guess it's not safe to get excited until a player starts getting some meaningful minutes. And then you have the Dawson situation where his productivity fell off and left. And then the situation where Aziz Bandaogo leaves for a bigger school. So basically, it's just not safe to get excited.

 

Who am I kidding. I'm still excited. Go Zips!!

[Captain Kangaroo]

1 hour ago, Illini Zip said:

 

I guess it's not safe to get excited until a player starts getting some meaningful minutes. And then you have the Dawson situation where his productivity fell off and left. And then the situation where Aziz Bandaogo leaves for a bigger school. So basically, it's just not safe to get excited.

 

Who am I kidding. I'm still excited. Go Zips!!

I never thought I’d see the day when Utah Valley was bigger than Akron.

[Illini Zip]

3 minutes ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

I never thought I’d see the day when Utah Valley was bigger than Akron.

 

Yep, I stand corrected. I thought he went right from Akron to Cincinnati.

[LZIp]

8 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

 

I wouldn't be surprised to see a guard transfer out and a "big" fill their spot. 

Agreed. We feel very thin/unproven at the 5 and to an extent the 4. We must be planning to play a lot of small ball. I guess the staff could have really high expectations for Brisco. He was pretty well recruited as well.

[NWAkron]

prather

[blueandgold]

6 minutes ago, NWAkron said:

prather

All the wrong players are leaving!

[Let'sGoZips94]

This one is less shocking. There were signs last season that he might not be part of the future plans. 

 

Now go get another "big".

Edited April 24 by Let'sGoZips94

[Zippy87]

 

[Zippy87]

We've been linked to these four, all of whom I believe are still uncommitted. 

 

Markus Harding (Central Michigan)

Rashad Bishop (Georgetown College)

Keenan Fitzmorris (Stony Brook) 

Drissa Trayore (St. Johns)

Edited April 24 by Zippy87

[zipsrowdy88]

The Prather news doesn’t shock me just based on his… well…. Skill.

 

But I would love to bring in Drissa for a visit. 

 

Amani is not an acceptable backup big as the clear #2. Need depth there badly.

[tpsjugglerdude]

4 minutes ago, zipsrowdy88 said:

But I would love to bring in Drissa for a visit. 

 

Just curious, but why? I don't know anything about the kid, but last 2 years averaged 3.5 and 6.4 min/game with 0.6 and 1.7 ppg. What am I missing? 

[blueandgold]

The true "big" would be Fitzmorris.

[Let'sGoZips94]

4 minutes ago, tpsjugglerdude said:

 

Just curious, but why? I don't know anything about the kid, but last 2 years averaged 3.5 and 6.4 min/game with 0.6 and 1.7 ppg. What am I missing? 

 

 

 

Traore is a more of the modern, athletic stretch 4 with post moves and an outside shot. Based on the scores of some of these highlights, he has solid playing time experience on the Big East. 

 

Harding and Fitzmorris would be more of the "traditional big" with more proven DI experience than our current front court. 

 

We'll see if we go big - and which type of big - or guard, like Kone Johnson. 

[clarkwgriswold]

I don't think Prather is a great loss but I will give that kid credit.  He went from being Wilson's bench neighbor to playing meaningful minutes on his practice effort.