Game 11- Princeton

[clarkwgriswold]

The 7-4 Zips next head to Princeton on December 30th to face the 9- 4 Tigers in the last game of the OOC season.  The Tigers also will not play until the 30th and are coming off of a two-point win at Rutgers.

Tigers’ scoring Is led by 6’4 junior guard Lee Xavian at 16.1 ppg. 6’7” junior forward Caden Pierce is second on the team in scoring at 12.1 ppg while leading rebounding at 7.2 rpg.   These two are considered by some to be the two best players in the Ivy League.  The Tigers were picked to finish first in the Ivy League preseason poll, ahead of Yale.
 

[LZIp]

Tigers by double digits.

[Z.I.P.]

4 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said:

The Tigers were picked to finish first in the Ivy League preseason poll, ahead of Yale.

 

That does not bode well.

Merry Christmas everybody.  

[clarkwgriswold]

On 12/22/2024 at 1:08 PM, Z.I.P. said:

That does not bode well.

Merry Christmas everybody.  

 

Yep, certainly an uphill battle.

 

It would appear that a schedule many questioned as adequate has been more than enough.  Here's hoping it prepared them well for the MAC season.

[Illini Zip]

Due to the transfer portal, I think there is probably a lot of teams around the country learning just how difficult it is to add a bunch of players to your roster at one time. Although, I think our situation is a bit of an extreme with 5 transfers and 3 true freshman. And of the 5 returning players only Scott, Nate and Tavari had really seen the court before this year. Amani not so much and Marvin redshirted last year. There will be some turnover again next year, but hopefully we will have established a much stronger core and it will be far less disruptive. 

[Illini Zip]

We were hearing great things about Mahaffey in the off-season before he got hurt. Has anyone seen enough of Brisco to have an opinion? And I’m waiting to hear if Okonkwo was rewarded an additional season. 

[1981 grad]

And all I want for Christmas is a big who can rebound.  Really, in 3 of our losses to good competition we have been outrebounded by 20.  We are undersized and the word is out to pound the ball inside against the Zips and if you miss no big deal since you can get the offensive rebound and pound it inside again.  I know that Groce wants to play fast but you still have to rebound to win basketball games.  I don't think anyone on this board would have predicted with all the transfers from bigger programs that we would have difficulty rebounding the ball.  I hope Groce finds some answers before the MAC season begins.  

Edited December 27, 2024 by 1981 grad

[clarkwgriswold]

Here's a little known basketball secret-  taller players generally rebound better than shorter players.

[LZIp]

48 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

Here's a little known basketball secret-  taller players generally rebound better than shorter players.

Exception: Enrique Freeman 

[Illini Zip]

42 minutes ago, LZIp said:

Exception: Enrique Freeman 

a.k.a. The Unicorn. 

[1981 grad]

54 minutes ago, LZIp said:

Exception: Enrique Freeman 

Agreed!!!  Freeman was just a great rebounder because he was quick to the ball for a big, strong under the basket, smart, and most importantly worked his butt off to become a better basketball player.

[RoyalBlu]

This may surprise folks ... but based off what little I've seen from around the MAC, with his combination of both height and girth Okonkwo may be the biggest post player in the league. There are several taller ... and the round mound at BG may have more girth ... but overall Okonkwo, who has had some double figure rebound games this season, is a more than adequate post player in the MAC. IMO.

 

[clarkwgriswold]

I do consider 6'7" to be "big" in the MAC.  One can be a little smaller and be a good rebounder out of technique and tenacity.   Anybody remember Jerome Lane from SVSM.  He went to Pitt as a graceful wing type player and turned himself into a muscular rebounding monster that led the nation in rebounding.

[clarkwgriswold]

Merry Christmas to ZipsNation.

[Zippy87]

On 12/24/2024 at 12:00 AM, 1981 grad said:

And all I want for Christmas is a big who can rebound.  Really, in 3 of our losses to good competition we have been outrebounded by 20.  We are undersized and the word is out to pound the ball inside against the Zips and if you miss no big deal since you can get the offensive rebound and pound it inside again.  I know that Groce wants to play fast but you still have to rebound to win basketball teams.  I don't think anyone on this board would have predicted with all the transfers from bigger programs that we would have difficulty rebounding the ball.  I hope Groce finds some answers before the MAC season begins.  

 

I thought Okonkwo would have a bigger impact, but I absolutely worried about the frontcourt beyond him. That's not Lyles' strength and never has been and Harris plays like a wing. I figured Baker would fill that role and when he transferred out, was pretty stunned they didn't bring anyone else in.

 

You never know who was/wasn't available, but I would've taken a shot on another big as opposed to Seth Wilson, who I think has a skill set that was a bit redundant on this roster.

[kreed5120]

15 hours ago, Zippy87 said:

 

I thought Okonkwo would have a bigger impact, but I absolutely worried about the frontcourt beyond him. That's not Lyles' strength and never has been and Harris plays like a wing. I figured Baker would fill that role and when he transferred out, was pretty stunned they didn't bring anyone else in.

 

You never know who was/wasn't available, but I would've taken a shot on another big as opposed to Seth Wilson, who I think has a skill set that was a bit redundant on this roster.

 

I think that's the problem. All schools want quality bigs that can play. There is a large surplus of talented 5'10"-6'5" guards/wings. There are only so many 6'10+ bigs who can run the floor and aren't a liability on the court. Most of those get eaten up by the big schools.

 

We were fortunate for the past few years having a 6'7" walk-on who played like he was 6'11, but had the quickness of a wing. Those guys are far and few between at the mid-major level.

[1981 grad]

18 hours ago, Zippy87 said:

 

I thought Okonkwo would have a bigger impact, but I absolutely worried about the frontcourt beyond him. That's not Lyles' strength and never has been and Harris plays like a wing. I figured Baker would fill that role and when he transferred out, was pretty stunned they didn't bring anyone else in.

 

You never know who was/wasn't available, but I would've taken a shot on another big as opposed to Seth Wilson, who I think has a skill set that was a bit redundant on this roster.

Lyles indicated post game that he worked on this 3 point shooting this summer.  In hindsight, needed to work on his rebounding.  

[NWAkron]

49 minutes ago, 1981 grad said:

Lyles indicated post game that he worked on this 3 point shooting this summer.  In hindsight, needed to work on his rebounding.  

conceivably, one could practice 3 point shooting over the Summer by oneself or with one other player with a hand in his face.  

Edited December 27, 2024 by NWAkron

[clarkwgriswold]

The one "little guy" that helps on the boards is Isaiah Gray.  At 6'3"  he's second on the team in rebounds.

[clarkwgriswold]

Okonkwo's rebounding stats are a little skewed due to big games against lesser opponents SUNY Brockport, Alabama State and Jackson State.  He did have a nice game against Arkansas State, but I want to see more rebounding against more substantial opponents and see it consistently.

[Zippy87]

On 12/27/2024 at 12:39 PM, kreed5120 said:

 

I think that's the problem. All schools want quality bigs that can play. There is a large surplus of talented 5'10"-6'5" guards/wings. There are only so many 6'10+ bigs who can run the floor and aren't a liability on the court. Most of those get eaten up by the big schools.

 

We were fortunate for the past few years having a 6'7" walk-on who played like he was 6'11, but had the quickness of a wing. Those guys are far and few between at the mid-major level.

 

This definitely could be, but it also makes me curious on why Baker left. I assumed it was because he wasn't going to play here, but if he was any good at all, he would've played on this team. Maybe he wasn't/isn't? Or maybe there were fit issues? I don't know, obviously. It's something severely lacking on this team, though. Hopefully Brisco can play.

 

 

[Illini Zip]

Baker leaving sure surprised me. It’s getting harder to be excited about recruits until we see them perform in an Akron jersey. Because we just don’t know if they will pan out. And I am someone who really enjoys following the recruiting process 

[clarkwgriswold]

Baker is averaging 5.9 points and 4.3 rebounds a game for Southern Illinois- Edwardsville.  In the one practice I saw last year I thought he had some potential.  He must be hurt now as he hasn't been playing.

[NWAkron]

50 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

Baker is averaging 5.9 points and 4.3 rebounds a game for Southern Illinois- Edwardsville.  In the one practice I saw last year I thought he had some potential.  He must be hurt now as he hasn't been playing.

Darrion Baker Chronicles:  The Missing Piece.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Can we at least play 40 competitive minutes against a decent mid-major. Getting boat-raced for a 4th consecutive measuring stick game would be wholly unfun.