Zips Win! Posted Tuesday at 12:45 AM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 12:45 AM Thank you Coach Groce for a wonderful season. It was worth every penny to travel to Seattle and support my Zips. To the players leaving through the transfer portal the old adage applies here: Break a leg! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted Tuesday at 01:33 AM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 01:33 AM Per Grok... Yes, a college basketball player can enter the transfer portal on the day it closes, as long as they submit their entry before the deadline. The NCAA transfer portal has specific windows, typically closing in mid-April for basketball (e.g., April 16, 2025, based on recent cycles). Entries must be finalized by 11:59 p.m. local time on the closing date. Just over 24 hours left in the anxiety department. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westie Posted Tuesday at 12:59 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 12:59 PM Just read the Tavari article on ohio.com. I am really surprised at all these guys leaving. Wish them nothing but the best but can’t imagine their grass is gonna be that much greener. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted Tuesday at 12:59 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 12:59 PM Just now, Westie said: Just read the Tavari article on ohio.com. I am really surprised at all these guys leaving. Wish them nothing but the best but can’t imagine their grass is gonna be that much greener. Who cares when their bank accounts are greener? 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreed5120 Posted Tuesday at 01:04 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 01:04 PM 4 minutes ago, Westie said: Just read the Tavari article on ohio.com. I am really surprised at all these guys leaving. Wish them nothing but the best but can’t imagine their grass is gonna be that much greener. https://tenor.com/view/money-crying-woody-harrelson-wiping-tears-with-money-gif-6945518 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akzipper Posted Tuesday at 01:29 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 01:29 PM 25 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said: Who cares when their bank accounts are greener? Not only bank accounts, but how can you blame a guy for wanting to play in front of a real fanbase in a real arena? Look we all love the Zips. But if we're being completely honest playing 90% of the home slate each season in front of a few thousand fans has to be deflating. These guys go to a bigger school and they get to experience a Akron-Kent crowd almost every game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted Tuesday at 01:40 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 01:40 PM 29 minutes ago, Westie said: Just read the Tavari article on ohio.com. I am really surprised at all these guys leaving. Wish them nothing but the best but can’t imagine their grass is gonna be that much greener. Their absolute best chance to win a championship and play in the NCAA Tournament was to stay in Akron. Their absolute best chance to make between $500,000 and $1.5 million was to transfer to a P5 program. Compare Nate's income next season to any UA graduate walking across the stage this May. His income will dwarf the next closest earner by a factor of 10X. Hell...he'll be making $1,000,000 more than Enrique Freeman's made with the Pacers this season! Nate's the #1 '25 UA earner, and no one else is even close. Okonkwo and Tavari will be second and third on the list of Class of '25 UA earners. Then, some schmuck with a Polymer Science Doctorate comes in 4th, pulling in around $150,000. Playing time, championships, etc. do not factor into the transfer equation. As Don Olmeyer famously said: "The answer to all your questions is 'money'". 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LZIp Posted Tuesday at 02:12 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 02:12 PM 31 minutes ago, Captain Kangaroo said: Their absolute best chance to win a championship and play in the NCAA Tournament was to stay in Akron. Their absolute best chance to make between $500,000 and $1.5 million was to transfer to a P5 program. Compare Nate's income next season to any UA graduate walking across the stage this May. His income will dwarf the next closest earner by a factor of 10X. Hell...he'll be making $1,000,000 more than Enrique Freeman's made with the Pacers this season! Nate's the #1 '25 UA earner, and no one else is even close. Okonkwo and Tavari will be second and third on the list of Class of '25 UA earners. Then, some schmuck with a Polymer Science Doctorate comes in 4th, pulling in around $150,000. Playing time, championships, etc. do not factor into the transfer equation. As Don Olmeyer famously said: "The answer to all your questions is 'money'". Yup. Sure is killing college sports fandom for the “have nots” though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akzipper Posted Tuesday at 02:24 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 02:24 PM (edited) 13 minutes ago, LZIp said: Yup. Sure is killing college sports fandom for the “have nots” though. I've mentioned it a million times, but it's just like the current MLB structure and being a fan of the Guardians. But so much worse. They will never win a World Series going against teams with payrolls 2-3x higher. Sure they can luck into the playoffs and maybe make a run every few years, but it will never be enough. Just like the Zips can make the tournament, but can never compete at the same level. In the end the "have nots" bring in talent, develop talent and those guys just get poached. But unlike professional baseball, we never get a return on our investments. We don't get compensation or the ability to trade a player for more capital. The system is beyond broken and nobody will say a thing because only the big schools matter. But I'll always be a fan even if I know we'll never have a fair shot. I'd rather cheer on my school than jump on a bandwagon of some school I have zero connection to like 90% of college sports fans. Edited Tuesday at 02:26 PM by akzipper 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkwgriswold Posted Tuesday at 02:49 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 02:49 PM 17 minutes ago, akzipper said: I've mentioned it a million times, but it's just like the current MLB structure and being a fan of the Guardians. But so much worse. They will never win a World Series going against teams with payrolls 2-3x higher. Sure they can luck into the playoffs and maybe make a run every few years, but it will never be enough. Just like the Zips can make the tournament, but can never compete at the same level. In the end the "have nots" bring in talent, develop talent and those guys just get poached. But unlike professional baseball, we never get a return on our investments. We don't get compensation or the ability to trade a player for more capital. The system is beyond broken and nobody will say a thing because only the big schools matter. But I'll always be a fan even if I know we'll never have a fair shot. I'd rather cheer on my school than jump on a bandwagon of some school I have zero connection to like 90% of college sports fans. The two professional sports organizations with the least self-insight-- NCAA and MLB. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy87 Posted Tuesday at 03:01 PM Author Report Share Posted Tuesday at 03:01 PM 35 minutes ago, akzipper said: I've mentioned it a million times, but it's just like the current MLB structure and being a fan of the Guardians. But so much worse. They will never win a World Series going against teams with payrolls 2-3x higher. Sure they can luck into the playoffs and maybe make a run every few years, but it will never be enough. Just like the Zips can make the tournament, but can never compete at the same level. In the end the "have nots" bring in talent, develop talent and those guys just get poached. But unlike professional baseball, we never get a return on our investments. We don't get compensation or the ability to trade a player for more capital. The system is beyond broken and nobody will say a thing because only the big schools matter. But I'll always be a fan even if I know we'll never have a fair shot. I'd rather cheer on my school than jump on a bandwagon of some school I have zero connection to like 90% of college sports fans. The gigantic difference between the Guardians and Zips is that the Guardians know exactly how long they have a player locked in, and can get compensated if they know they'll be leaving (either comp picks or trading them for prospects). The Zips got nothing in return for any of their players leaving. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreed5120 Posted Tuesday at 03:13 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 03:13 PM (edited) 1 hour ago, akzipper said: I've mentioned it a million times, but it's just like the current MLB structure and being a fan of the Guardians. But so much worse. They will never win a World Series going against teams with payrolls 2-3x higher. Sure they can luck into the playoffs and maybe make a run every few years, but it will never be enough. Just like the Zips can make the tournament, but can never compete at the same level. In the end the "have nots" bring in talent, develop talent and those guys just get poached. But unlike professional baseball, we never get a return on our investments. We don't get compensation or the ability to trade a player for more capital. The system is beyond broken and nobody will say a thing because only the big schools matter. But I'll always be a fan even if I know we'll never have a fair shot. I'd rather cheer on my school than jump on a bandwagon of some school I have zero connection to like 90% of college sports fans. College athletics is far worse than baseball for a number of reasons. 1) Baseball gives teams 6 years of control. If a Guardians rookie wins ROY, a Red Sox GM can't just slide into his DM and steal him after year 1. 2) Baseball actually has a draft so talent is disbursed in a way that struggling teams get the most hyped prospects. Hence why Skene is a Pirate, not Yankee. You wouldn't see Cooper Flagg in a Chicago State, NIU, or insert whatever other MEAC school jersey. The top schools are getting both the best incoming freshman and the top players at the mid-major level. 3) In addition to draft picks by record, MLB gives small market teams and non luxury tax paying teams additional compensation. Baseball is a little broken, but can be fixed with some tweaks. It's nowhere near the level of s*** show college athletics has become. Even a school like Baylor is turning over their entire roster. It's the wild wild west with no sheriffs. Edited Tuesday at 03:26 PM by kreed5120 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illini Zip Posted Tuesday at 04:59 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 04:59 PM I’m really sorry to report this, but I just heard that @clarkwgriswold has entered the portal. They’re even poaching our super-fans. Where does it end?! 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted Tuesday at 05:12 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 05:12 PM Looks like a commitment is incoming. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy5 Posted Tuesday at 05:19 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 05:19 PM or the staff just landed in Hawaii 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illini Zip Posted Tuesday at 05:58 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 05:58 PM 45 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said: Looks like a commitment is incoming. Or maybe we landed something big? 🤞 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted Tuesday at 06:02 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 06:02 PM 3 minutes ago, Illini Zip said: Or maybe we landed something big? 🤞 Hint? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkwgriswold Posted Tuesday at 06:23 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 06:23 PM 1 hour ago, Illini Zip said: I’m really sorry to report this, but I just heard that @clarkwgriswold has entered the portal. They’re even poaching our super-fans. Where does it end?! Prepare to be asked to respect my decision! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkronAlumnus Posted Tuesday at 06:33 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 06:33 PM Saw a post that TJ is withdrawing from the transfer portal and returning to UA. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkronAlumnus Posted Tuesday at 06:34 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 06:34 PM 6 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkwgriswold Posted Tuesday at 06:35 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 06:35 PM The following is a really bad article about Tavari's possibilities- https://www.sportskeeda.com/college-basketball/tavari-johnson-transfer-portal-top-5-landing-spots-akron-guard-ft-illinois Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted Tuesday at 06:40 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 06:40 PM 5 minutes ago, AkronAlumnus said: WOW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy5 Posted Tuesday at 06:41 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 06:41 PM LFG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy87 Posted Tuesday at 06:43 PM Author Report Share Posted Tuesday at 06:43 PM Interesting that it happened so quickly. Did he not get the offers he expected, or did UA pony up some more money to keep him? Either way, great news for Akron. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akzipper Posted Tuesday at 06:43 PM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 06:43 PM 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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