https://x.com/austinparks2023/status/1912516992344433018?s=46&t=mPlcG4M_xdzFZMdSX_jqFA
Toledo is putting together a nice portal class.
I think they managed to hang onto Sonny Wilson as well.
Is it official that Potter is back in the fold? If so, this (Parks to Toledo) does not bother me. But if not ā¦
Thereās no indication that Potter is coming backā¦thereās very little to no info if heās been in touch with other schoolsā¦same for Cooper. And thereās very little info on who we are reaching out to.
Portal closes in about a week
1 Like
The timing seems interesting. Parks supposedly visited Miami. Then we have a post that Potter is back and the next day Parks commits to Toledo.
Still havenāt seen anything official on Potter.
Maybe Potter is pulling a George Costanza.
Portal? You thought i was serious? 
2 Likes
The post about Potter being back was Eddie making a joke. It was never a serious link.
3 Likes
I donāt understand the humor.
Pretty weak.
3 Likes
I have to admit Iām surprised how little news thereās been about us being in on guys. Borderline concerned. I know weāre all excited about the freshmen class, but to expect them to come in and fill the holes on this roster is unrealistic. Some will, but thatās a big unknown at the moment. My hope is Steele is just being selective given what we have coming back, but we do have needs.
And letās be honest, I love Steele, but the biggest reason we took a jump last year wasnāt player development. That played a role, the primary reason we won 25 games was we nailed the portal. When you look around the rest of the MAC the other top tier teams are all adding impact guys (granted they lost some too.) I hope we plan to do the same because you can never have too many good players. Injuries and regression happen. Not that team chemistry doesnāt matter, but I donāt think the roster as presently constituted is good enough to beat Akron and thatās all we should care about.
All that being said we could add someone awesome tomorrow and all my worries will be assuaged.
1 Like
I donāt totally agree with the idea the players didnāt improve. They were monumentally better from their freshman year. Like not even close. And although I donāt have them in front of me, I think the numbers would support this as well if you look at stats.
4 Likes
Iām not arguing players didnāt improve. Both things can be true. Ipsaro was better. Reece Potter was better. Eian Elmer took a big step. All that was great. But the team went from below 500 to one possession away from the dance because we added Suder, Craft, and Woolfolk. I just think our eyes should be on Akron and right now I donāt think we have quite enough.
Also, letās be realistic about what weāre losing. Kam Craft was up and down, but in the tournament when it mattered most, he was nails. I think Potter was on track to make a big jump next year. Cooper I actually donāt think we miss as much (part of me wonders if the staff told him he would have a reduced role next year). But thatās three key pieces. Some of that production will be replaced by players on the current roster improving and the freshmen class. But you canāt sit on your hands in the current landscape of college athletics.
Not trying to steer us into a debate about the current roster. We have a lot coming back. Especially compared to the rest of the league. We came really close this year, and I think with what we have coming back, a couple portal additions could put us over the top.
Again, maybe Iām concern trolling and the staff has a couple guys in the pipeline. I just hope we see some movement soon.
3 Likes
I think we will be just fine. I have no inside info but I honestly feel that way.
1 Like
Cooper was gone the moment his ostensible backup had the ball in his hands with the season on the line. The writing was pretty clearly on the wall there.
Having a developing 7 footer that can shoot is nice, but I would also like another banger to complement Woolfolk because there are still some good traditional bigs in the league. Given his frame (and hopefully not but maybe, his back), Iām not sure Potter was ever going to be that.
Losing Kam sucks, I agree. We arenāt replacing his shooting percentage, and no one currently on this roster can hit the shots Kam hit against Kent. That said we still have a bunch of plus shooters, and Byers could turn out to be the knock down guy while also giving us more defensively.
3 Likes
Agreed. I like the returning core/freshmen class. I think the most obvious solution to replacing Kam is Byers taking a step up. Hell, there were times during the season he was playing over Kam, but he slots in pretty nicely in that role (and is a better defender I think) assuming normal season to season improvement. I guess I do think weāll miss Potter more than most. His last two months of the season he was playing over Woolfolk at times in crunch time.
Iām more just thinking/hoping the staff, in spite of the good stuff we have coming back/coming in, is looking to be aggressive in the portal. Because I think this roster is really close.
Byers is a better defender and deserves more minutes. However, itās a lot to ask him to keep his three point percentage constant at 41% and jump up from 1.6-3.8 to match Kamās at 2.9-6.6 3ās attempted a game. Kam took a lot of threes that are ābad shotsā in someone elseās hands. You can give the minutes to Byers but it would make sense to add a shooter as a back up to spread your minutes. If a freshman beats them in practice then play the freshman, but adding a guard minimizes some of the risk of losing Kam.
1 Like
Great point. More minutes/shot volume doesnāt always mean more production. Which is why it is so essential for us to be active in the portal to find guard/scoring help.
2 Likes
I think we can pretty effectively spread Kamās volume around, given we have 6 guys currently that other teams will need to put a hand in their face. Again, not a complete replacement but it certainly dampens the blow of Kam leaving.
Wow, thats a gut punch for Akron
Yeah, especially since he said he was back like 5 days agoā¦ unfortunately weāve been on that end before with football
1 Like