2024 Off-Season CBB Tracker & Discussion

[NWAkron]

1 hour ago, 1981 grad said:

All season long Scott could not make a layup, Thornton could not make a foul shot, and neither could hit the 3 ball.  We made March madness because of our seniors and some good play from Tavari in the quarter and simi final.  Also, the brain fart from Kent in last seconds also played a role in getting to the tourney.  

Always so incredibly negative.  Seriously, what is your deal

[NWAkron]

2 hours ago, Reslife4Life said:

 

We made March Madness with Thornton and Scott, I think they played their role well

thornton and scott took playing time away from Tavari.  That's all that matters to him.

[Let'sGoZips94]

8 minutes ago, NWAkron said:

Always so incredibly negative.  Seriously, what is your deal

 

I'm gonna defend @1981 grad. Scott & Thornton really struggled all year to provide any sort of positive impact on the offensive end, especially consistently. 

 

Scott came on stronger towards the end of the season, but it still wasn't stellar. 

 

Countering a statement that both played their role well isn't "negative" - it's simply not sugarcoating the situation. The role needed was a PG, and none of Tavari, Scott, or Thornton stepped up to fill that role all season. In fact, that role was so vacant that Tribble ended up filling it. That's NOT what Groce wanted. 

 

 

[NWAkron]

@Let'sGoZips94.  Yes, and he's made that point ad nauseam.

[Let'sGoZips94]

7 minutes ago, NWAkron said:

@Let'sGoZips94.  Yes, and he's made that point ad nauseam.

 

I've made points on here ad nauseam. It's a forum. 

 

Our guard play was the reason we were a 14 seed and lost by double digits to Creighton. It's worth hammering IMO. It's an observational opinion countering another statement. It wasn't political or Pro-Kent; no need to be confrontational. Go Zips 👍

Edited April 21, 2024 by Let'sGoZips94

[clarkwgriswold]

Scott took a while to settle in but he was a very valuable bench player down the stretch, especially on defense.  As his play improved, it was obvious Groce's confidence in him increased.  I think X and LCJ have skewed our expectations of transfer guards.

 

We all have guys we like and would prefer to get more minutes.  I think the way it played out demonstrates no one of that Scott, Thornton. Tavari trio took control to the point of seizing the role as "the guy." 

[RoyalBlu]

12 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

Scott took a while to settle in but he was a very valuable bench player down the stretch, especially on defense.  As his play improved, it was obvious Groce's confidence in him increased.  I think X and LCJ have skewed our expectations of transfer guards.

 

We all have guys we like and would prefer to get more minutes.  I think the way it played out demonstrates no one of that Scott, Thornton. Tavari trio took control to the point of seizing the role as "the guy." 

 

I said in an earlier post (somewhere??) the reason the MAC was so bad last season is because PG play throughout the league was poor to bad across the board. We were spoiled with two years of X, Carry, and others that transferred in and made the league much stronger. No suce transfers last season short of the guy at CMU.

 

It will be interesting to see how that position looks across the board in the MAC this season. Young IMO walks in the door as Top 1-3 in the league, depending on how you want to rank them. We'll see if that looks the same in January. For the sake of the MAC, here's hoping Young is as advertised, ... but he ranks 3-5. Then the MAC has a good chance at climbing back into the 14-19 range among top BB conferences in D1.

 

[Blue & Gold]

You guys are awfully bullish on Young coming in and contributing significantly as a true freshman. I wish I could say I'm as confident of that... but I hope you guys are right 🙏🤞🙏🤞

[Let'sGoZips94]

Will be interesting to revisit this when all the dust settles. 

 

 

[Blue & Gold]

What are we looking at there, @Let'sGoZips94?

[Let'sGoZips94]

5 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:

What are we looking at there, @Let'sGoZips94?

 

Essentially it's an analysis of gains through the Portal by conference. It's still relatively early on, but based on this, the MAC is doing well despite the volume of Portal-goers from the MAC. 

[Illini Zip]

I am looking at value gained via the portal. The number of players moving around is irrelevant. The Big Ten is the big winner.

 

 

Edited April 22, 2024 by Illini Zip

[Let'sGoZips94]

Good for Mikal - going home. 

 

[kreed5120]

41 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:

What are we looking at there, @Let'sGoZips94?

The rich getting richer. The poor getting poorer. The B1G was the big winners in adding value. The SEC, ACC, and Big 12 were bunched up next. The Big East and A10 notably made big improvements as well and look distanced from the pack. Everyone else is bringing up the rear. The MAC does look to be near the top of the best of the rest, but still miles behind the top 5-6 conferences.

[ZIPS96]

Cornell grad transfer Isaiah Gray has committed to Akron, per his Twitter page.

[Let'sGoZips94]

9 minutes ago, ZIPS96 said:

Cornell grad transfer Isaiah Gray has committed to Akron, per his Twitter page.

 

 

 

He'll fit in just fine. Very efficient scorer - not as good of a shooter. Strong defense, too. 

 

[Let'sGoZips94]

 

 

[RoyalBlu]

5 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

 

 

He'll fit in just fine. Very efficient scorer - not as good of a shooter. Strong defense, too. 

 

 

A big physical third guard ... perfect for this team. Defense will be key vs. best perimeter player the opposition has. Very good pickup. Also a good PG backup for inevitable down games from freshman PG, Sharon. (Tavari who?).

 

Adds to the premise this team - w/so many experienced P5 transfers - should be strong right out the gate, capable of winning big (read: P5) games in November and December.

 

[Let'sGoZips94]

5 minutes ago, RoyalBlu said:

 

A big physical third guard ... perfect for this team. Defense will be key vs. best perimeter player the opposition has. Very good pickup. Also a good PG backup for inevitable down games from freshman PG, Sharon. (Tavari who?).

 

Adds to the premise this team - w/so many experienced P5 transfers - should be strong right out the gate, capable of winning big (read: P5) games in November and December.

 

 

Yup, perfect analysis of how he fits. He had 19 pts vs Ohio State in the NIT. Capable of hitting the outside shot although not at a high clip (upper 20s percentage wise). He's a stronger version of Banks on paper. 

[Let'sGoZips94]

 

Very good at getting to the rim and finishing. 

[Let'sGoZips94]

 

 

[AkronAlumnus]

Interesting read here on Isaiah... Looks like Akron beat out some serious competition

 

https://247sports.com/college/nevada/article/minnesota-basketball-portal-profile-cornell-guard-isaiah-gray-229799153/amp/

[kreed5120]

It looks like we got our Tribble (prior to 2023-2024) replacement. Tough nosed guard who can play defense, get to the rim, and is willing to get gritty. Hopefully Groce and the rest of the staff can work with him to improve his perimeter shooting, like they did Tribble. That seems to be the main thing missing from his game. Overall, I'm pleased with this add.

[Let'sGoZips94]

4 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

It looks like we got our Tribble (prior to 2023-2024) replacement. Tough nosed guard who can play defense, get to the rim, and is willing to get gritty. Hopefully Groce and the rest of the staff can work with him to improve his perimeter shooting, like they did Tribble. That seems to be the main thing missing from his game. Overall, I'm pleased with this add.

 

Tribble shot the 3 ball so well last year I didn't even think of him as the comparison. 😂 He is the Tribble replacement. 

[Blue & Gold]

Looks like Groce & Co. are really putting together a tough squad!!  I'm already impatiently awaiting next season 😂