Checking in on Some Former Zips

[Zippy87]

Kansas State is 0-5 in the Big 12, last place in the conference, and 9-9 overall. Utah is just ahead of them at 1-4, 9-9 overall. It doesn't look like Johnson or Okonkwo will be playing in the NCAA Tournament again. 

[ZippyRulz]

Sounds like they have coaching deficits. Would JG go B12?

 

[1981 grad]

31 minutes ago, Zippy87 said:

Kansas State is 0-5 in the Big 12, last place in the conference, and 9-9 overall. Utah is just ahead of them at 1-4, 9-9 overall. It doesn't look like Johnson or Okonkwo will be playing in the NCAA Tournament again. 

Instead, they will be reviewing their stock portfolio with the money they received from Kansas State and Utah.  (LOL)

[Captain Kangaroo]

26 minutes ago, 1981 grad said:

Instead, they will be reviewing their stock portfolio with the money they received from Kansas State and Utah.  (LOL)

If they're smart they'll still invest it with Bud.

[kreed5120]

2 hours ago, Zippy87 said:

Kansas State is 0-5 in the Big 12, last place in the conference, and 9-9 overall. Utah is just ahead of them at 1-4, 9-9 overall. It doesn't look like Johnson or Okonkwo will be playing in the NCAA Tournament again. 

 

https://tenor.com/view/woody-harrelson-crying-money-wipe-tears-rich-gif-16201471

 

Edit: Only a serious note, Nate was an outstanding player but any team desperate enough to give him $1.6 million or give Okonkwo any sizable sum probably wasn't going to go far regardless.

Edited January 19 by kreed5120

[Captain Kangaroo]

1 hour ago, kreed5120 said:

 

https://tenor.com/view/woody-harrelson-crying-money-wipe-tears-rich-gif-16201471

 

Edit: Only a serious note, Nate was an outstanding player but any team desperate enough to give him $1.6 million or give Okonkwo any sizable sum probably wasn't going to go far regardless.

It will be interesting to see how the leash shortens on coaching tenures of those guiding underachieving teams with big payrolls. If I were the donor that ponied up a million bucks to buy Nate Johnson I’d be pretty angry about only having a .500 record to show for it. I’d probably be making some demands if they want me to cut more checks in the future.

[Illini Zip]

4 hours ago, ZippyRulz said:

Sounds like they have coaching deficits. Would JG go B12?

 

We might be thinking in a similar manner. As much as Nate had really improved and earned MAC Player of the Year he still had a few bad tendencies. Taking a play off here and there. And he was always good for one head-scratching pass or a missed dunk per game. I’m not being critical, just saying that was the Nate we experienced and he had Groce staring him down from the bench. I can’t imagine a new coach, any new coach could possibly know exactly which buttons to push to get the best out of Nate in one season. Or it could be just a bad situation all together. 
 

[kreed5120]

48 minutes ago, Illini Zip said:

We might be thinking in a similar manner. As much as Nate had really improved and earned MAC Player of the Year he still had a few bad tendencies. Taking a play off here and there. And he was always good for one head-scratching pass or a missed dunk per game. I’m not being critical, just saying that was the Nate we experienced and he had Groce staring him down from the bench. I can’t imagine a new coach, any new coach could possibly know exactly which buttons to push to get the best out of Nate in one season. Or it could be just a bad situation all together. 
 

 

Nate Johnson isn't the problem at Kansas State IMO. If you look at his numbers his FG%, 3P%, FT%, steals, and assists are all above last years numbers. His point total is down because his shot attempts are just down because he's Kansas State's 3 or 4th scoring option, not first.

 

I actually don't think Kansas State is all that bad. I actually watched their game against Oklahoma St. the other night. They just play in what looks to be a very strong conference and have lost some close games OSU and Arizona State. Not to mention they lost to #7 Nebraska by 1. They can field a strong starting 5, but their bench looks underwhelming. Instead of giving Nate what they did they probably should have split that money adding 2-3 players instead. They would likely be in a better place.

Edited January 19 by kreed5120

[Reslife4Life]

7 hours ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

If they're smart they'll still invest it with Bud.

“Coach is right this isn’t just about hoops, it’s about our future!”

Edited January 19 by Reslife4Life

[Zippy87]

6 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

 

Nate Johnson isn't the problem at Kansas State IMO. If you look at his numbers his FG%, 3P%, FT%, steals, and assists are all above last years numbers. His point total is down because his shot attempts are just down because he's Kansas State's 3 or 4th scoring option, not first.

 

I actually don't think Kansas State is all that bad. I actually watched their game against Oklahoma St. the other night. They just play in what looks to be a very strong conference and have lost some close games OSU and Arizona State. Not to mention they lost to #7 Nebraska by 1. They can field a strong starting 5, but their bench looks underwhelming. Instead of giving Nate what they did they probably should have split that money adding 2-3 players instead. They would likely be in a better place.

 

He's not playing especially well in conference play:

 

In 5 games:

 

8.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, 2.2 TOPG

26 FG%, 29 3 PT%

 

Edited January 20 by Zippy87

[ZipsFan31]

Both okonkwo and Johnson are starting in big 12 basketball. Their teams are sub .500 

 

Our team would have been loaded if money was not a factor. They both would have had more fun here. But who can blame them for getting life changing money 

[Reslife4Life]

1 hour ago, ZipsFan31 said:

Both okonkwo and Johnson are starting in big 12 basketball. Their teams are sub .500 

 

Our team would have been loaded if money was not a factor. They both would have had more fun here. But who can blame them for getting life changing money 

I'll take Evan over Okonkwo any day

[Captain Kangaroo]

Per yesterday's pregame show former Zip Nick Cventinovic is apparently going to be a Zips Grad Assistant? Isn't he like 34?

[Hilltopper]

7 minutes ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

Per yesterday's pregame show former Zip Nick Cventinovic is apparently going to be a Zips Grad Assistant? Isn't he like 34?

He was at the game last night. 

[LZIp]

50 minutes ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

Per yesterday's pregame show former Zip Nick Cventinovic is apparently going to be a Zips Grad Assistant? Isn't he like 34?

I’d guess 35-37 range.

Edited Wednesday at 10:45 PM by LZIp

[kreed5120]

1 hour ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

Per yesterday's pregame show former Zip Nick Cventinovic is apparently going to be a Zips Grad Assistant? Isn't he like 34?

 

Didn't Bowden go to Clemson to be a GA after he got canned at Akron? He was around 60 at the time.

[clarkwgriswold]

42 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

 

Didn't Bowden go to Clemson to be a GA after he got canned at Akron? He was around 60 at the time.

Unpaid grad assistant so that UA still had to pay his full salary,

[1981 grad]

What better way to learn to be a coach then be a graduate assistant for Groce.  Nick was a character when he played at Akron.  We were in a close game and Nick was having a difficult time shooting the 3 ball and had missed his last 5-10 shots.  At a critical juncture in the game he started lining up a three ball and everyone in the crowd starting yelling "NO"  Nick smiled at the crowd while passing the ball.  He was a good player while at Akron and glad to see him coming back.

[clarkwgriswold]

I think Nick being here could help Oggie's adjustment to Akron and the American system.  It also gives the program an in in Nick's area of the world.

Edited Thursday at 01:36 PM by clarkwgriswold

[Illini Zip]

On 1/28/2026 at 10:34 AM, Reslife4Life said:

I'll take Evan over Okonkwo any day

I just watched some of the Oklahoma State at Utah game and I am so not missing Okonkwo at all. He’s earning his money running up and down the court. He’s active on defense and sets screens on offense, but other than being a big body who can lean on an opponent he’s a non-factor. He’s not a consideration on offense (4 pts in 28 minutes) and not overly effective on defense. He had 6 rebounds which is something I guess. I know the Big 12 is a better conference, but Ok. State is not exactly Arizona. 

[kreed5120]

14 hours ago, Illini Zip said:

I just watched some of the Oklahoma State at Utah game and I am so not missing Okonkwo at all. He’s earning his money running up and down the court. He’s active on defense and sets screens on offense, but other than being a big body who can lean on an opponent he’s a non-factor. He’s not a consideration on offense (4 pts in 28 minutes) and not overly effective on defense. He had 6 rebounds which is something I guess. I know the Big 12 is a better conference, but Ok. State is not exactly Arizona. 

 

I mean that's kind of the player he was here. Although I would say last year he was a + defender and + rebounder. MAC bigs last season also weren't as good as this year and certainly well behind anything the Big 12 has at the position.

 

IMO him getting his bag really represents 2 things. 1) There is a very small pool of bigs, much smaller than guards, so anyone that shows any sort of promise can and will get paid. 2) These P4 NIL programs have more money than they know what to do with. I'm sure Okonkwo wasn't their first choice, but when they lost out on musical chairs on the guys they really wanted they were like we have all this money budgeted for this position so let's throw it at a guy like Okonkwo. 

[1981 grad]

I just wonder who is happier, Tavari who is having a break out season in the MAC and has an opportunity to go to the big dance or Nate who cashed a much bigger paycheck but is stuck on a losing team with no personal accolades such as MAC player of the year and no chance of an NCAA tourney.  Money or fame? Difficult decision for 22 year old athletes.

Edited 5 hours ago by 1981 grad

[Hilltopper]

3 hours ago, 1981 grad said:

I just wonder who is happier, Tavari who is having a break out season in the MAC and has an opportunity to go to the big dance or Nate who cashed a much bigger paycheck but is stuck on a losing team with no personal accolades such as MAC player of the year and no chance of an NCAA tourney.  Money or fame? Difficult decision for 22 year old athletes.

I'm watching K-state get demolished at home by Iowa St right now. Down by 30 at the half. Nate is probably the 3rd or 4th option on a really bad team. His mom and her husband were at the JAR Friday night. I asked how he was doing and she was pretty non-commital, just saying he was fine.

[Illini Zip]

The money was obviously a huge factor, but maybe Nate will come back around the Akron program and echo Ali’s message that the grass isn’t always greener elsewhere. And not every program or locker room has a great culture like Akron does. Cherish what you have.

[Blue & Gold]

33 minutes ago, Hilltopper said:

I'm watching K-state get demolished at home by Iowa St right now. Down by 30 at the half. Nate is probably the 3rd or 4th option on a really bad team. His mom and her husband were at the JAR Friday night. I asked how he was doing and she was pretty non-commital, just saying he was fine.

Nate’s mom still comes to Zips games? That’s pretty cool & rather telling, unless there’s another angle to the story I’m not privy to?