clarkwgriswold Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 Our Zips shuffle off to Buffalo Tuesday to face the Bulls. The Bulls are 5-11/0-4 heading into Kalamazoo today. The Bulls are led by Ryan Sabol, a sophomore 6'3" guard averaging 16.1 ppg. 6'3" senior guard Tyson Dunn averages 12.1 ppg. 6'8" junior forward Noah Bachelor leads rebounding at 5.5 rpg while scoring 7.5 ppg. How can we be at game 18 already? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWAkron Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 https://open.substack.com/pub/akronzippedup/p/zips-mens-basketball-weekly-update-db1?r=4gotw8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email Excellent round up and preview from Zipped Up. This guy knows his stats and the Zips program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkwgriswold Posted January 20 Author Report Share Posted January 20 The fall of the Buffalo program demonstrates just how lucky we were to transition from KD to Groce. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreed5120 Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 1 hour ago, clarkwgriswold said: The fall of the Buffalo program demonstrates just how lucky we were to transition from KD to Groce. Yes, they had their own fortune of going from Hurley to Oats prior to collapse. I've long said coaching was the most important thing in collegiate athletics as they wear the hat of both coach and GM. It's still the most important thing, but NIL has emerged as the clear second biggest factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egregiousbob Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 1 hour ago, clarkwgriswold said: The fall of the Buffalo program demonstrates just how lucky we were to transition from KD to Groce. Let's face it, the zips success this year is almost entirely due to bud Wentz's checkbook. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1981 grad Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 6 minutes ago, egregiousbob said: Let's face it, the zips success this year is almost entirely due to bud Wentz's checkbook. Are we the only school in the MAC to give basketball players NIL money? Is it public knowledge what players are being paid? Do teammates know what other players are being paid on the team. The above post makes me wonder whether Akron has an advantage over other MAC schools because of the NIL money. I am seeing our football disintegrate over the NIL money because we do not pay football players. I do not believe we have lost a basketball player because of the NIL in the past but could this happen in the future? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 1 minute ago, 1981 grad said: Are we the only school in the MAC to give basketball players NIL money? Is it public knowledge what players are being paid? Do teammates know what other players are being paid on the team. The above post makes me wonder whether Akron has an advantage over other MAC schools because of the NIL money. I am seeing our football disintegrate over the NIL money because we do not pay football players. I do not believe we have lost a basketball player because of the NIL in the past but could this happen in the future? Yes, there have been several posts over the past year or so citing sources that talk about how far ahead we are compared to the rest of the MAC in our basketball commitment, including NIL. UMASS next year will surpass us, but we will be closer to UMASS than the other MAC schools. Anybody looking for a big pay day will leave (Young could possibly get a big bag to return to WV) because our NIL isn't setup for pay to play. It's setup to create a multi-year retention system for guys that want to be at Akron. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeRise225 Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 50 minutes ago, egregiousbob said: Let's face it, the zips success this year is almost entirely due to bud Wentz's checkbook. While true to some extent for the transfers especially, Groce did recruit Johnson, Sharron, Amani, TJ, and MMK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LZIp Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 3 minutes ago, WeRise225 said: While true to some extent for the transfers especially, Groce did recruit Johnson, Sharron, Amani, TJ, and MMK. Groce also recruited the newcomers and appears to have properly vetted them from a talent/cultural fit standpoint. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illini Zip Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 (edited) 3 hours ago, egregiousbob said: Let's face it, the zips success this year is almost entirely due to bud Wentz's checkbook. I think you are right to applaud Bud Wentz for his major contributions to the program, but in no way does it diminish the coach’s role or obligations. If anything, the new NIL landscape adds an additional level of challenges to the equation. Edited January 20 by Illini Zip 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreed5120 Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 3 hours ago, 1981 grad said: Are we the only school in the MAC to give basketball players NIL money? Is it public knowledge what players are being paid? Do teammates know what other players are being paid on the team. The above post makes me wonder whether Akron has an advantage over other MAC schools because of the NIL money. I am seeing our football disintegrate over the NIL money because we do not pay football players. I do not believe we have lost a basketball player because of the NIL in the past but could this happen in the future? Our football program was a clown show long before NIL became a thing. We can't exactly blame NIL for the state of our program when we were a bottom 10 FBS program for the prior ~20 years before it became a thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWAkron Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 4 minutes ago, kreed5120 said: Our football program was a clown show long before NIL became a thing. We can't exactly blame NIL for the state of our program when we were a bottom 10 FBS program for the prior ~20 years before it became a thing. Thank you for pointing that out. Football program is actually improving. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreed5120 Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 Also, I think it's premature to congratulate ourselves on any "success". The jury is still out on this team. We're 5-0 and have looked better in MAC play, but the MAC is hot garbage this year. The worst it has ever been. Miami or round 2 of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge might be our first real test of 2025. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy87 Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 13 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said: The fall of the Buffalo program demonstrates just how lucky we were to transition from KD to Groce. Also fortunate for both giving us so many years, 13 for KD, 8 for Groce so far. Hurley gave them 2, Oats 4. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZipsBBjunkie Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 7 minutes ago, Zippy87 said: Also fortunate for both giving us so many years, 13 for KD, 8 for Groce so far. Hurley gave them 2, Oats 4. Specific to Groce and his tenure at UA. It helps when you have a coach who has experienced making a move to a P5/P4 and gets let go, understands the grass isn’t always greener - so is far more appreciative of what it means to be somewhere that is a good fit and isn’t looking to jump ship at the first ‘big’ opportunity to come calling. Buffalo has hired guys on their way up so the turnover is going to be greater. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy87 Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 38 minutes ago, ZipsBBjunkie said: Specific to Groce and his tenure at UA. It helps when you have a coach who has experienced making a move to a P5/P4 and gets let go, understands the grass isn’t always greener - so is far more appreciative of what it means to be somewhere that is a good fit and isn’t looking to jump ship at the first ‘big’ opportunity to come calling. Buffalo has hired guys on their way up so the turnover is going to be greater. Absolutely. And I'd argue that if KD had jumped ship after 2009, we'd probably be Buffalo right now. His staying so long and building a consistent winner set this program up for the long haul and made it attractive to a successful coach like Groce when the time came for him to move on. Hopefully Groce is here just as long, if not longer. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkwgriswold Posted January 21 Author Report Share Posted January 21 21 hours ago, egregiousbob said: Let's face it, the zips success this year is almost entirely due to bud Wentz's checkbook. Bud has done at outstanding job with building the team chemistry with a bunch of new players, completely overhauling the offense from last year and rallying the team after a rough OOC schedule. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 9 hours ago, Zippy87 said: Absolutely. And I'd argue that if KD had jumped ship after 2009, we'd probably be Buffalo right now. I wouldn't say "probably". "Worst case, we could be Buffalo 2025" is the way I see it. Zips basketball has a long, successful history predating my 58 years on the planet. Had Dambrot bolted for greener pastures in 2009 I assume we'd have found a solid replacement. Hell, if Larry Williams could find one, anyone can. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkwgriswold Posted January 21 Author Report Share Posted January 21 1 hour ago, Blue & Gold said: Speaking of Gray's physical strength, I do like how he has taken on the role of defending other teams' bigs in our shortage of big men. He uses his larger frame well in bodying up on those guys where our other guards are not physically equipped to do so. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1981 grad Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 12 hours ago, ZipsBBjunkie said: Specific to Groce and his tenure at UA. It helps when you have a coach who has experienced making a move to a P5/P4 and gets let go, understands the grass isn’t always greener - so is far more appreciative of what it means to be somewhere that is a good fit and isn’t looking to jump ship at the first ‘big’ opportunity to come calling. Buffalo has hired guys on their way up so the turnover is going to be greater. Specific to Groce, I listen to the post game interviews of players on the way home from the game and he recruits articulate young men who are humble and always talk about the team first. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreed5120 Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 2 hours ago, Captain Kangaroo said: I wouldn't say "probably". "Worst case, we could be Buffalo 2025" is the way I see it. Zips basketball has a long, successful history predating my 58 years on the planet. Had Dambrot bolted for greener pastures in 2009 I assume we'd have found a solid replacement. Hell, if Larry Williams could find one, anyone can. To be fair, Groce kind of fell right in his lap. A guy with prior MAC success and a guy that came cheap because Illinois was still paying him for his 1st two or three years as a Zips coach. It was more blind luck than anything. There are probably only 4 MAC (Ohio, Akron, Kent, and Toledo) programs Groce would have considered. Dambrot positioned ourselves to be one of the few MAC schools Groce would have considered. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 36 minutes ago, kreed5120 said: To be fair, Groce kind of fell right in his lap. A guy with prior MAC success and a guy that came cheap because Illinois was still paying him for his 1st two or three years as a Zips coach. It was more blind luck than anything. There are probably only 4 MAC (Ohio, Akron, Kent, and Toledo) programs Groce would have considered. Dambrot positioned ourselves to be one of the few MAC schools Groce would have considered. To be fair, Dambrot kinda fell right on the Zips lap too. Former MAC HC, turned insurance salesman, turned HS coach, turned Hipsher assistant at the tail end of Thunder Dan's tenure. Just as everyone with half a brain knew Groce was the exact coach we needed after Dambrot left (I too, limit any hosannahs for Larry Williams)...those same half-brained people could see the Hipsher assistant we lucked into was going to ultimately be the Zips BB HC. Better lucky than good, they say... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illini Zip Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 I’m happy for Akron fans, I really am, but I’m not so sure Groce takes the job if he knew what was waiting for him. I personally think he was blindsided. Between a depleted roster and a fractured fan base, Groce unknowingly walked into a situation far worse than Buffalo 2025. For all of Dambrot’s accomplishments and accolades, he left a dumpster fire behind. Many coaches would have reneged. It’s Akron’s good fortune that Groce is a man of character. He kept his commitment, didn’t pout, and immediately went to work on the rebuild. It was late in the recruiting cycle and remember transfers had to sit out a year back then. I don’t want to be hard on those guys, but much of the talent available was subpar and many Akron fans with winning expectations didn’t know how to handle a 14-18 season, 6-12 in the MAC. Give credit to KD for all he did, Groce certainly does. But make no mistake, Groce pulled Akron basketball out of the ashes. And I hope he retires there with many more accomplishments to come. Go Zips!! 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkwgriswold Posted January 21 Author Report Share Posted January 21 1 hour ago, Illini Zip said: I’m happy for Akron fans, I really am, but I’m not so sure Groce takes the job if he knew what was waiting for him. I personally think he was blindsided. Between a depleted roster and a fractured fan base, Groce unknowingly walked into a situation far worse than Buffalo 2025. For all of Dambrot’s accomplishments and accolades, he left a dumpster fire behind. Many coaches would have reneged. It’s Akron’s good fortune that Groce is a man of character. He kept his commitment, didn’t pout, and immediately went to work on the rebuild. It was late in the recruiting cycle and remember transfers had to sit out a year back then. I don’t want to be hard on those guys, but much of the talent available was subpar and many Akron fans with winning expectations didn’t know how to handle a 14-18 season, 6-12 in the MAC. Give credit to KD for all he did, Groce certainly does. But make no mistake, Groce pulled Akron basketball out of the ashes. And I hope he retires there with many more accomplishments to come. Go Zips!! Groce essentially admitted as much to me years back. I told him how much I appreciated him putting together his first roster to keep the program afloat and he told me that when the job was offered to him he and the assistants were excited because they saw a team with a remaining core that could immediately compete but that by the time he got here much of that core had bailed. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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