2024-25 Post Mortem and Looking Ahead to 2025-26

[NWAkron]

Home and Home with Shaker Heights?

[Hilltopper]

2 hours ago, NWAkron said:

Is he a guard who can score?

 

Need a big

Patience grasshopper, patience

[clarkwgriswold]

I wish there was a deadline for transfer portal players to choose their landing spot.

[NWAkron]

12 hours ago, Hilltopper said:

Patience grasshopper, patience

I will show up in November and see what Groce has scrounged together

[kreed5120]

39 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

I wish there was a deadline for transfer portal players to choose their landing spot.

 

Technical there is. It would have to be before the enrollment deadline ends so sometime in August.

 

It was around this time and into early May that we filled out our roster last year with the portal. I would think within the next 2 weeks we'll have it set.

[kreed5120]

Chabi Barre is the final commit.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/DI4ECT0unBO/?igsh=ZDVmbnRuNWJ2a2dz

[Illini Zip]

7 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

Chabi Barre is the final commit.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/DI4ECT0unBO/?igsh=ZDVmbnRuNWJ2a2dz

He’s huge. He has to be 80 stories tall.

 

Go Zips!!

[Let'sGoZips94]

7'4" wingspan and athletic. What a get. 

 

[akzipper]

10 minutes ago, Illini Zip said:

He’s huge. He has to be 80 stories tall.

 

Go Zips!!

 

What is that, a city for ants?

[clarkwgriswold]

Wow, I just mentioned him as a guess when someone mentioned Duquesne and now he's here. 

 

Think of a more athletic Deng Riak.

[Let'sGoZips94]

6 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

Wow, I just mentioned him as a guess when someone mentioned Duquesne and now he's here. 

 

Think of a more athletic Deng Riak.

 

Do you have a guess on the next lottery numbers?

[Illini Zip]

59 minutes ago, akzipper said:

 

What is that, a city for ants?

Maybe that’s a new pitch, “Come to Akron. The city of ants.”

[Zippy87]

Barre is a great get - athletic big who will help tremendously on defense and can finish around the rim. High character player, too. Have to believe KD helped facilitate this one. 

 

No idea how it'll shake out, but maybe we look something like this? 

 

Lyles/MMK

Evan/Eric/Halligan/Groce

Barre/Brisco

Scott/Head/Hardman/Henderson

Johnson/Young/Perkins

Edited 17 hours ago by Zippy87

[kreed5120]

3 minutes ago, Zippy87 said:

Barre is a great get - athletic big who will help tremendously on defense and can finish around the rim. High character player, too. Have to believe KD helped facilitate this one. 

 

No idea how it'll shake out, but maybe we look something like this? 

 

Lyles/MMK

Evan/Eric/Halligan/Groce

Barre/Brisco

Scott/Head/Hardman/Henderson

Johnson/Young/Perkins

 

You realize there is only 40 minutes per position played, right? No way Tavari/Young play only 20 min each just so Brisco and Barre can combine for 40 minutes.

 

We started 4 guards last season. I expect to see us utilize 3 this year.

 

C - Amani/Barre/Brisco

PF - Evan/Eric/MMK

 

I'm not even going to try to dig into PG, SG, and SF. Those positions will be fairly interchangeable. We will likely see Eric, who I listed in the PF rotation, also play some minutes as SF.

 

 

[kreed5120]

I've said before lineups to close out games is more important than who starts. This is the lineup I'd expect most often in close out situations.

 

PG - Tavari

SG - Young

SF - Scott

PF - Evan

C - Amani

 

You might see Barre and Amani do some offense for defense substitution. Since Barre is a sub 50% career free throw shooter, you can't afford to keep him on the court if you're trying to protect a lead late.

[Illini Zip]

My starting lineup followed by position depth:

 

PG) Tavari Johnson - (Young, Scott, Perkins)

SG) Shammah Scott - (Head, Hardman, Johnson, Young, Henderson)

W) Evan Mahaffey - (Hardman, Eric Mahaffey, Head, Henderson)

F) Amani Lyles - (Kamali, Evan Mahaffey, Eric Mahaffey, Hardman, Brisco)

C) Halil Barre - (Lyles, Kamali, Brisco)

 

I think we will see lots of variation including fast paced, 4 guard lineups. But this might be our most balance starting 5 since the Covid catastrophe. Also, I am thinking of the Mahaffery brothers as guards and slightly taller versions of Mikal Dawson. And I believe Lyles emerges from the offseason as a stretch 4 since we will have more muscle on the roster to bang down low.

 

 

[Zippy87]

53 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

 

You realize there is only 40 minutes per position played, right?

 

I think we all understand basketball here and that a depth chart is a simplistic view of where things may stand, especially in April. 

[Zippy87]

Last season, we only had 3 players in the rotation taller than 6'3". Next season, we'll have 6. I'm excited about that as I think it gives you a better shot against P4 teams. 

[ZipsFan31]

I think the 5 position is hard one because on one hand I think Amani deserves to start but on the other I struggle to see Chabi Barre commit to be the backup center. Amani can play the 4. but all of last year he never did in a similar situation with Okonkwo. 

 

so either we see a change in offensive scheme going with 2 bigs or one of them has to start and one has to come off the bench. if we don't change and play 1 big.  I think Lyles comes off the bench. 

 

the wild card of development will be if Lyles works on his ball handling, and lateral quickness and becomes a 6'8 SF. 

if that happens then I think the Zips have a chance at the 2nd weekend if March! and Lyles will have a legit shot at that NBA! after last offseason development jump he had. I think it is possible that kid is hungry! 

[Let'sGoZips94]

Trying to predict this team's starting 5 and rotations is silly. Here's the key, and @Zippy87 eluded to it - we are way more matchup proof this year than we were last year. Our rotations are going to be very malleable based on whomever we are playing.

 

Evan will pretty much be a staple no matter what strengths our opponents have because he's so versatile, athletic, and a great defender. Against a taller team, we can utilized more of the Barre/Lyles/Brisco/MMK/Evan combinations. Against more guard oriented teams, we'll just insert any 3 guards in addition to Evan and one of the bigs. Need more offense? Throw Evan at the "5" and run any 4 of the other guards. 

 

Zippy87 said we'll have 6 guys in the rotation that will be 6'3" or taller. We'll actually have 7, maybe 8 if Josh Henderson plays as a true freshman. Scott and Head are also both 6'2", so not far off. All but Sharron, Tavari, and Perkins will be 6'2"+. 

 

2024-25 Contributors

 

James Okonkwo - 6'8" 240 lbs

Amani Lyles - 6'7" 226 lbs

MMK - 6'6" 195 lbs

Isaiah Gray - 6'3" 220 lbs

Bowen Hardman - 6'3" 190 lbs

Nate Johnson - 6'3" 205 lbs

Shammah Scott - 6'2" 195 lbs

Seth Wilson - 6'2" 220 lbs

Sharron Young - 6' 160 lbs

Tavari Johnson - 5'11" 160 lbs

 

 

2025-26 Potential Contributors

 

Chabi Barre - 6'9" 225 lbs

Rich Brisco - 6'8" 230 lbs

Amani Lyles - 6'7" 235 lbs

MMK - 6'6" 195 lbs

Evan Mahaffey - 6'6" 200 lbs

Josh Henderson - 6'5" 175 lbs

Eric Mahaffey - 6'5" 190 lbs (I've heard he's now 6'6")

Bowen Hardman - 6'3" 190 lbs

Shammah Scott - 6'2" 195 lbs

Cody Head - 6'2" 194 lbs

Sharron Young - 6' 160 lbs

Tavari Johnson - 5'11" 160 lbs

Tai Perkins - 5'11" 165 lbs

 

I legitimately think we got better despite losing Nate & Okonkwo. This roster is going to be VERY formidable. LET'S GO ZIPS!

Edited 11 hours ago by Let'sGoZips94

[kreed5120]

1 hour ago, ZipsFan31 said:

I think the 5 position is hard one because on one hand I think Amani deserves to start but on the other I struggle to see Chabi Barre commit to be the backup center.

 

I don't think that's a given. He wasn't going to start at Duquesne either. He was buried on the depth chart behind Wilborn, Dixon, and Necas heading into next season. Duquesne then added Hugley from Xavier, which would have eaten into Barre minutes even more. Barre entered the portal soon after (as did Wilborn). Getting a guaranteed 15-20 minutes to fill Okonkwo's role likely was enough considering he was the 9th or 10th man in the rotation for a very mid Duquesne squad.

[roopride]

Head and Barrel both with two years eligibility. I like that too!

[clarkwgriswold]

4 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Do you have a guess on the next lottery numbers?

 

I like all of you guys but not enough to share that jackpot!

[akzipper]

1 hour ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

Trying to predict this team's starting 5 and rotations is silly. Here's the key, and @Zippy87 eluded to it - we are way more matchup proof this year than we were last year. Our rotations are going to be very malleable based on whomever we are playing.

 

Evan will pretty much be a staple no matter what strengths our opponents have because he's so versatile, athletic, and a great defender. Against a taller team, we can utilized more of the Barre/Lyles/Brisco/MMK/Evan combinations. Against more guard oriented teams, we'll just insert any 3 guards in addition to Evan and one of the bigs. Need more offense? Throw Evan at the "5" and run any 4 of the other guards. 

 

Zippy87 said we'll have 6 guys in the rotation that will be 6'3" or taller. We'll actually have 7, maybe 8 if Josh Henderson plays as a true freshman. Scott and Head are also both 6'2", so not far off. All but Sharron, Tavari, and Perkins will be 6'2"+. 

 

2024-25 Contributors

 

James Okonkwo - 6'8" 240 lbs

Amani Lyles - 6'7" 226 lbs

MMK - 6'6" 195 lbs

Isaiah Gray - 6'3" 220 lbs

Bowen Hardman - 6'3" 190 lbs

Nate Johnson - 6'3" 205 lbs

Shammah Scott - 6'2" 195 lbs

Seth Wilson - 6'2" 220 lbs

Sharron Young - 6' 160 lbs

Tavari Johnson - 5'11" 160 lbs

 

 

2025-26 Potential Contributors

 

Chabi Barre - 6'9" 225 lbs

Rich Brisco - 6'8" 230 lbs

Amani Lyles - 6'7" 235 lbs

MMK - 6'6" 195 lbs

Evan Mahaffey - 6'6" 200 lbs

Josh Henderson - 6'5" 175 lbs

Eric Mahaffey - 6'5" 190 lbs (I've heard he's now 6'6")

Bowen Hardman - 6'3" 190 lbs

Shammah Scott - 6'2" 195 lbs

Cody Head - 6'2" 194 lbs

Tavari Johnson - 5'11" 160 lbs

Tai Perkins - 5'11" 165 lbs

 

I legitimately think we got better despite losing Nate & Okonkwo. This roster is going to be VERY formidable. LET'S GO ZIPS!

 

The loss of Nate hurts, but did any of us expect him to be the MAC player of the year going into last season? Did anyone expect Freeman to become the GOAT? 

 

On paper I think a lot of people will be sleeping on the Zips. But I have faith that the coaches know what they are doing and we'll be better than last season. Just need some guys to keep getting better.