James "Dru" Joyce III (2019) - Hall of Fame - University of Akron Athletics

James "Dru" Joyce III

Induction:
2019
Class:
2016

2004-07
Guard

Dru Joyce

James “Dru” Joyce III had an outstanding career for Akron basketball. One of the Mid-American Conference’s most proficient guards, he boasted almost double the amount of assists compared to turnovers in his career.

A quiet leader who didn’t get rattled in pressure situations, Joyce earned starting point guard duties as a freshman and never looked back.

A member of Akron’s 1,000-point club with 1,046 career points in 123 games, Joyce established the school record for career assists (503) and earned All-Mid-American citations on two occasions. He ranks No. 3 all-time in assists per game. Joyce had a career-best was 11 assists at Buffalo (3-1-06) and still holds the record for the most double-digit assist games in Akron history (six times).

During his time at Akron, the Zips won 81 games, including tying the school record with 26 wins in 2006-07.

Following his career at Akron, Joyce played professionally in Europe for 12 seasons and became the all-time leader in assists in the German league.

All-State selection Joyce was a member of the three-time state and national champion St. Vincent-St. Mary High School team, which posted a 103-5 record during his four seasons. Joyce averaged 11.0 points and 8.0 assists during his prep career. Playing under coach Keith Dambrot for two seasons, Joyce was teammates with fellow Zip Romeo Travis and NBA phenom LeBron James. His father, Dru Joyce II, coached him his last two seasons.

An Akron native, Joyce earned his bachelor’s degree in multi-disciplinary studies in 2016.

"Thank you so much for this honor. That’s awesome I get to share this with Coach Dambrot as well! This honor means a great deal to me. Being born and raised in the city of Akron, I just wanted the city of Akron and this campus to embrace me as a player and a person– someone they took pride in someone who made them proud."