The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Miami (Ohio)
Akron Ready for Matinee Game Against the Miami RedHawks
January 13 | Men's Basketball
Follow Akron Basketball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram | Follow Coach Dambrot on Twitter
BOX SCORE PDFÂ | GAME NOTES (PDF)
Akron Zips (13-3, 3-0 MAC)Â at Miami RedHwaks (8-8, 1-2 MAC)
Saturday, January 14 •Millett Hall
Oxford, Ohio • 3:30 p.m. ET
TV/Video: WatchESPN/ESPN3 - Steve Baker (PxP) and Randy Hollowell (Analyst)
Live Stats:Â GoZips.com/Schedule - Live StatsÂ
Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network - Steve French (PxP) and Joe Dunn (Analyst) WARF 1350 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio, TuneIn.com/Akron Zips
Head Coaches
MU - John Cooper (Wichita State '91)
Overall Record: 99-137 (8th season)
Record at Miami: 56-87 (5th season)
MAC Record: 23-46 (5th season)
UA - Keith Dambrot (Akron '82)
Overall Record:Â 399-203 (19th season)
Record at Akron:Â 291-133 (13th season)
MAC Record at Akron: 144-61 (13th Season)
Career MAC Record: 154-85 (15th Season)
All-Time Series
Tied: 28-28Â |Â Dambrot vs Miami: 17-14 (17-10 UA)
Last Meeting: Miami 77, Akron 64 February 23, 2016 at James A. Rhodes Arena
Akron basketball Notes:
• Akron has won at least 21 games in 11-straight seasons under 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot, joining the likes of Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Ohio State. Over the last 12 seasons, the Zips have won 288 games, most by any team in the MAC.
• Head coach Keith Dambrot became Akron's All-Time Wins Leader on January 3, with an 89-84 win over Bowling Green. In his 13-year career at UA, Dambrot collected 289 wins in 422 games, replacing 19-year coach Russell Beichly's mark of 288 wins in 432 games (1941-59).
• The Zips finished the 2015-16 campaign as MAC Regular-Season Champions with a 26-9 overall record, including a 13-5 league mark and an undefeated 15-0 showing at James A. Rhodes Arena. Dambrot led Akron to its eighth MAC Tournament title game appearance in the last ten seasons and an unprecedented 11th-straight semifinals. The Zips' runs of consecutive title game and semifinal appearances are the longest streaks in MAC history.
• Akron owns the third longest home winning streak in the country behind Kansas (51) and Oregon (35). The Zips own a 170-23 (.881) at James A. Rhodes Arena and have been winners of 25-straight games at Rhodes Arena, dating back to the 2014-15 season.Â
• As of Jan.11, UA ranks in the NCAA's Top 100 in 12-of-32 statistical categories (347 teams), ranking No. 5 in the NCAA for 3-point FG's made per game (11.0), No. 10 total 3-point FG's made (176), No. 16 in 3-point FG's attempted (452), and No. 43 3-Point FG Percentage (.389). The Zips also rank No. 32 in Field Goal Percentage (48.3), No. 42 in rebound margin (5.7), and No. 57 in scoring Margin (+10.4).
What's Ahead
The Akron Zips are on the road, traveling to Oxford, Ohio to battle the RedHawks of Miami for their second Mid-American Conference road game. The Zips have won six straight games, including three consecutive league games and its first road win of the season. The Zips are scheduled to take the court at Millett Hall on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 3:30 p.m. ET. Fans can follow the action live on WatchEspn/ESPN3 with Steve Baker calling the action and Randy Hollowell providing analysis.
Fans can also follow the action on GoZips.com via Live Stats or by Zips' radio. The Zips' radio broadcast will air on the Akron-IMG Sports Network SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship) with Steve French calling the action and Joe Dunn providing analysis. The pregame show starts 30 minutes prior to the contest. The free audio stream is available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.
Akron opened MAC play with a pair of wins over Bowling Green (89-84) and Western Michigan (66-59) at Rhodes Arena, their home winning streak to 25 games, which stands as the third best active home court winning streak in the country behind Kansas (51) and Oregon (35). Akron secured its third MAC win on the road against Central Michigan (89-85) earlier this week, entering this game as one of two undefeated teams in league play.
The Akron-Miami Series
Saturday's game marks the 57th meeting in series history between Akron and Miami, and 28th meeting for a Dambrot coached UA squad. The series is tied at 28 apiece, while Dambrot holds 17-10 advantage at Akron and 17-14 overall. The Zips have won 12 of the last 17 games, but fell to Miami in the last meeting 77-64 at Millett Hall after winning the 2015-16 series opener 75-46 at James A Rhodes Arena. Last season's win over the RedHawks snapped a three-game losing skid, however, the Zips have not won a game in Oxford since February 9, 2013. Akron won 54-50. Akron is 17-7 against the RedHawks in Akron, winning 12 of the last 13 games at Rhodes Arena. UA is 9-20 on the road in the series, going 4-8 under head coach Keith Dambrot. The RedHawks won three of the last four games at Millett Hall.Â
Scouting the RedHawks
Miami enters the contest with an 8-8 overall record and 1-2 in MAC play. The RedHawks opened league play at home, defeating Northern Illinois 69-67, but dropped its last two MAC games to Toledo (91-76) and Ball State (85-74). The RedHawks are 8-2 at home and 0-6 on the road this season.Â
The RedHawks have two players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Michael Weathers with 18.2 points per outing. He is shooting 46.1 percent from the floor (94-of-204), and 31.1 from long range with 14 made 3-point field goals on 45 attempts. In addition, leads the team in assists (83), steals (30), and Blocked shots (23). Logan McLane follows with 11.5 points per night on 56.9 percent shooting (62-of-109) and pulls down a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game (89 rebs). Closely following the double-digit efforts are Jake Wright and Marcus Weathers with 9.3 and 9.2 points per game, respectively. Wright leads the squad from behind the 3-point arc, draining a team-best 37 trifectas on 105 attempts for a 35.2 percent effort. Marcus Weathers adds a 50.6 shooting performance from the field and 45.5 percent from downtown with 42 field goals, 10 3-pointers, 11 steals, and 11 blocks.
Defensively, Miami has allowed opponents to score 74.8 points a night on 42.2 percent shooting from the field and 34.7 percent from downtown with 8.8 made 3-pt FG per game. The RedHawks caused 244 turnovers (15.3 tpg) while collecting 111 steals (6.9 stl/g) and 70 blocked shots (4.4 blk/g). On the glass, the RedHawks have been outrebounded by its opponents 618-571 for a -0.7 margin.
Last Time Out Against Miami
The Akron Zips never recovered from a 9-0 Miami run, resulting in a 77-64 setback at Millett Hall. The back-and-forth battle featured 13 lead changes and nine stalemates before Miami broke a 50-50 tie at the 8:35 mark. The RedHawks surged for nine-straight points over four minutes, extending the lead to 59-50 until the 4:39 mark when UA's Antino Jackson finished at the rim. Miami quickly responded and pushed the lead to 65-54 with 2:03 left to play. Miami ended the game with free throws for the win.
Isaiah Johnson led Akron with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field. Jackson followed with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including a 2-of-3 effort from beyond the arc while Josh Williams buried 3-of-5 triples for nine points. Geovonie McKnight led the RedHawks with 20 points while Abdoulaye Harouna and Eric Washington added 16 and 13 points, respectively.
For the game, Akron shot 45.3 percent from the field (24-of-53) and 42.9 percent from deep (9-of-21) that included a 6-of-12 second half effort. Miami connected at a 46.3 percent rate from the floor (25-of-54) and 43.8 percent from long distance (7-of-16). The RedHawks added a 20-of-23, 87-percent performance from the charity stripe. The battle of the boards was deadlocked at 31 rebounds each while Miami used 10 steals to win the turnover battle, 8-16.Â
The Zips in the MAC
The Zips have posted a 40-17 mark (.702) in the last 57 games against the MAC East dating back to the start of the 2012 league schedule. Akron is 5-1 against the MAC East at the conference tournament during that stretch. Akron is 91-42 in the regular season against the West Division (.684), including winners of 34 of the last 42 regular-season contests since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season, and 64-25 under head coach Keith Dambrot (.810).Â
Akron is 43-7 at home in league play since the start of the 2011 MAC schedule (.860). UA has seen a ton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season, and is 143-61 overall (.701), including an 89-14 mark in MAC play at home (.864). The Zips' 143 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 63 of their last 88 MAC games (.716).Â
Akron is 25-9 in the MAC Tournament under head coach Keith Dambrot, going 19-5 in its last 24 tournament games. Under head coach Keith Dambrot, the Zips have won at least one game in the MAC Tournament every year and have made eight MAC Tournament title game appearances in the last ten seasons with an unprecedented 11-straight semifinal appearances. The Zips' runs of consecutive title game and semifinal appearances are the longest streaks in MAC history. The Zips own a 22-9 record at Quicken Loans Arena.Â
The Zips 1,000 Point ClubÂ
Senior center Isaiah Johnson leads the Zips' scoring efforts with 16.0 points per game, scoring double digits in 15-of-16 games including nine consecutive outings. He has scored 256 points to date and ranks No. 7 in the NCAA for field goal percentage at 65.1 percent. As a result, Johnson became Zips' 42nd member of Akron's 1,000 point club and the 12th member under head coach Keith Dambrot to enter this elite club. Johnson used a career-high 33-point performance against Central Michigan to eclipse the 1,000 point threshold, totaling 1,032 career points.Â
All-Time Wins Leader
Head coach Keith Dambrot became Akron's All-Time Wins Leader with his 289th career victory at Akron on Jan. 3, 2017. The Zips defeated Bowling Green 89-84 as they opened MAC play at James A. Rhodes Arena. In his 13-year career at UA, Dambrot has collected 289 career wins in 422 games, replacing the previous all-time win mark (288) held by Russell Beichly. Beichly coached the Zips from 1941 to 1959. In those 19 seasons, he reached 288 wins in 432 games. In addition, Dambrot is just two wins away from 400 career victories as a collegiate coach and 10 wins shy of his 300th all-time at Akron.
Akron Records First Road Win
Senior center Isaiah Johnson recorded a career-high 33 points and eclipsed the 1,000 career points threshold en route to leading the Akron Zips to an 89-85 win over Central Michigan at McGuirk Arena. The Chippewas had no answer for Johnson's relentless attack on the painted area as Big Dog took control of the game during the final six minutes, scoring 10 consecutive points. On the opposite side of the court, Johnson denied Marcus Keene's final attempt to tie the game, blocking the shot with 45 seconds remaining in the game, 85-83. Senior Kwan Cheatham, Jr. recovered the rebound.Â
The Zips gave the ball to Johnson for a seventh straight possession, as the defense collapsed, Johnson found junior Antino Jackson wide open in the corner. Jackson buried the trifecta to give the Zips' an 88-83 lead with 21 seconds remaining in the game. Cheatham iced the game with a free throw.
As a team Akron controlled the glass 41-34and forced 12 turnovers with a season-high nine steals and five blocked shots. The Zips shot 45.6 percent from the field, including a 42.9 percent effort from beyond the 3-point arc. Akron buried 15 triples for the third time this season. Â
For Central Michigan, Keene and Braylon Rayson combined for 60 of the team's 85 points. Keene matched Johnson's 33-point performance and Rayson added 27 points. The Chippewas finished shooting 50 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from downtown with 12 made 3-pointers.
Akron Wins 25th Straight at the JAR
Seniors Isaiah Johnson and Kwan Cheatham, Jr. led Akron to a 66-59 victory over the Western Michigan en route to extending the nation's third longest winning streak to 25 games at James A. Rhodes Arena. Johnson notched his third double-double of the season and second in three games, scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Cheatham followed with 14 points and buried the go-ahead shot from long distance followed by two free throws. Junior guard Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) also finished with double digits in scoring with 13 points. Thomas Wilder led the Broncos offense with 17 points, and Tucker Haymond had 13 points and seven rebounds.
For the game, Akron shot 25-of-56 (44.6 percent) from the field, but only hit 7-of-29 (24.1 percent) from beyond the arc. Western Michigan finished the game shooting 24-of-57 (42.1 percent) from the floor with a 6-of-16 (37.5 percent) showing from downtown.Â
Zips Continue to Feed the Dog
Last season, Isaiah Johnson was a force in the paint for the Zips, and this year, he is on pace to be even better. Big Dog has led the Zips' scoring efforts in 8-of-16 games, while averaging a team-high 16.0 points per game. He scored in double-digits 15-of-16 contests, including a career-high 33-point performance against Central Michigan. He posted his third double-double with 16 points and 13 boards while scoring 20, 19 (twice), 17, and 16 (three times), this season. Big Dog ranks No. 7 in the NCAA for FG percentage, shooting 65.1 percent from the floor (97-of-149), and pulled down a team-high 118 rebounds with 71 defensive boards and 47 on the offensive end. He owns a team-high 57 assists and 13 blocks with five steals. Big Dog earned the Savannah Invitational MVP award, MAC East Player of the Week (11/28), College Sports Madness Player of the Week, and Sun Bowl All-Tournament team honors.Â
Four Zips Averaging Double Figures
Four Zips are averaging double figures in scoring led by Johnson's 16.0 points per game while junior guard Antino Jackson follows with 11.1 points per game. Senior Kwan Cheatham, Jr. adds 10.4 points, while junior Jimond Ivey averages 10.2 points. Noah Robotham and Josh Williams follow closely with 9.9 and 8.9 points per game. Five players have scored in double figures five times this season, including the UMES game where all five starters contributed double-digits for the first time since March 10, 2009. Johnson ranks 10th overall in the MAC for scoring and Jackson is 29th.
Trifecta!
Five of Akron's players rank in the Mid-American Conference Top 15 for 3-point FG percentage, led by No. 6 ranked Kwan Cheatham, Jr. with a 42.9 percent effort on 33-of-77 shooting. Coming in at 11-13 are Noah Robotham (.419), Tavian Dunn-Martin (.408), and Antino Jackson (.403), while Jos Williams ranks 15th at 38.8 percent from deep with a team-best 40 made triples. Jackon is third on the team with 31 made 3-point field goals as Robotham and Dunn-Martin follow with 26 and 20, respectively.Â
The Zips rank among the nation's best from behind the 3-point arc. The Zips rank No. 5 out of 347 teams in the NCAA for 3-point FG made per game with 11.0 triples. In addition, Akron is No. 10 overall in total 3-pointers made with 176, and ranked 16th for 3-point attempts at 452. As a result, the Zips 38.9 long distance percentage ranks 43rd best.
Streaking Zips
Akron established a six-game winning streak early in the season, and is now on another six-game run. In addition, the Zips currently own a 25-game winning streak at Rhodes Arena. The Zips have rattled-off eight consecutive wins at Rhodes Arena over American, Radford, Georgia Southern, Adrian, Coppin State, Marshall, Bowling Green, Western Michigan. Akron's current home court winning streak is the third longest in the NCAA and dates back to the 2014-15 season. Akron won the final two home games that season over Ohio and Northern Illinois, and posted an unblemished 15-0 record in 2015-16 at Rhodes Arena. The Zips are 170-23 with an 88.1 winning percentage at the JAR and have not lost at home since Feb. 21, 2015 against Miami (57-52).
Thriving in A New ROLE
With the loss of two starters and a third key player from the Akron's 2015-16 MAC Championship run, more minutes have been available for junior guard Jimond Ivey, and he has made the most of his time on the court. Ivey has played himself into the starting lineup after three starts due to an injury to point guard Noah Robotham. Now, Ivey is thriving in his new role, making nine starts in 16 games. He has scored in double digits nine times, including a career-high 23 points and a personal best 11 rebounds. In addition, he posted his first career double-double against American that included 12 points and a career-best 11 boards.Â
In 16 games, Ivey averages 27.3 minutes with 10.2 points on 55.6 percent shooting from the field. He drained 55-of-99 shots and is third on the squad with 5.9 rebounds per game, 95 total rebounds with 73 defensive and 22 offensive boards.Â
Fire and Ice
We are not talking hot and cold, rather high intensity and fast play mixed with a methodical calculated approach to describe Akron's backcourt. The combination of junior guards, Antino Jackson and Noah Robotham, provide the Zips' with that type of leadership. Both, Jackson (Fire) and Robotham (Ice) are a threat with or without the ball in their hands.Â
Jackson, and his high-energy approach, is always in attack mode. He has the ability to beat an opponent off the bounce and uses a devastating step back to generate several different types of open looks. He is second in team scoring (11.1 ppg), and has buried 31 long distance field goals. He shoots 44.8 percent from the field and 40.3 from deep and has a second-best 12 steals, while adding 2.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game.Â
On the other hand, Robotham has a methodical approach to navigating the offense and picking apart defenses. His change of pace during play keeps defenders on their heels as he contributes a 9.9 points per outing following a career-high 27-point performance against Marshall. He has 30 assists and eight steals. He shoots 42.4 percent from the floor and a second-best 41.9 from behind the 3-point arc, burying 26 triples this season. Â
Starting the Season Off Right
The Zips are 70-46 (.603) all-time in season openers with a 56-12 (.824) home record and 14-34 (.292) on the road. UA is 8-5 (.615) when opening the season under Dambrot, standing 5-1 (.833) at home and 3-4 (.429) on the road. In addition, the Zips own a 95-21 (.819) home opening record at Rhodes Arena and have been winners in the last 15-of-16 home opening games. Akron is 18-7 in MAC openers, 10-1 at home since joining the league in 1992. Under 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot, the Zips are 11-2 in MAC openers and 7-0 at home. Akron has won the last eight straight MAC openers.Â
Fresh Start
The Akron Zips continue to improve its bench play this season with the help of five newcomers, two freshmen and three redshirt freshmen, whom are beginning to see more and more action. Playing in all 15 games are freshmen Tavian Dunn-Martin and Michael Hughes, while second-year freshmen, Emmanuel Olojakpoke, Daniel Utomi, and Craig Eubanks are starting to see their roles increase.
Dunn-Martin has made an immediate impact from the outside, draining 20-of-49 long distance shots for a 40.8 3-point FG shooting percentage. In 12.8 minutes a game, Dunn-Martin owns a 42.9 FG shooting percentage (30-of-70) en route to adding 5.8 points per game. As a backup point guard, Dunn-Martin has dished out 19 assists and made 16 trips to the charity stripe, draining 12 bonus buckets for an 75.0 free throw percentage.
Hughes has logged 8.4 minutes per game in the center position, second most of the newcomers. He has scored 33 points and pulled down 22 rebounds and has 10 blocked shots with four steals.
Olojakpoke is a rim protector who managed to block four shots against Coppin State. In 60 minutes played, he is shooting 66.7 percent on 12-of-18 shots from the field and has pulled down 19 rebounds with five blocks.Â
Meanwhile, Utomi has a knack for scoring the ball. He is 9-of-18 from the floor for a 50.0 shooting percentage, including a 36.4 percent effort from downtown. In 49 minutes of action, Utomi has connected with 4-of-11 shots from deep while adding seven rebounds, two steals, two assists, and a blocked shot.
Rounding out the newcomer play is Eubanks. He provided a spark in 26 minutes of work, knocking down 3-of-5 shots, including 2-of-4 from long distance with one rebound and one blocked shot.
Akron Opened MAC Play with a Win
The Akron Zips opened their 25th season of Mid-American Conference play with an 89-84 win over Bowling Green at James A. Rhodes Arena. With the win, 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot recorded his 289th win to become Akron's all-time winningest coach.Â
For the game, Akron (11-3, 1-0) shot 56.6 percent (30-of-53) and 45.5 (10-of-22) from beyond the 3-point arc, and the Zips defense limited the Falcons (6-8, 0-1) to shooting just 25.0 percent (4-of-16) from long distance. Akron won the battle of the boards 31-23 while recording 10 second-chance points and earning 21 points from the bench.Â
Junior guard Jimond Ivey led all scorers with a career-high 23 points, while senior Isaiah Johnson posted a career-best eight assists to go along with 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Ivey added six boards, two assists and two blocks. Also scoring in double figures for the Zips were senior Kwan Cheatham, Jr. and sophomore Josh Williams with 18 and 11, respectively. The Falcons' Demajeo Wiggins led BGSU with 21 points, while Zack Denny, Antwon Lillard, and Ismail Ali all poured in 16 points and Wes Alcegaire had 10 points.
Zips Don Haskins Sun Bowl Champions
The Akron Zips secured its second tournament championship this season, defeating Maryland Eastern Shore, 76-60, to be crowned the 55th Annual WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Champions at the Don Haskins Center. Junior guard Antino Jackson earned the Barry Kobren Most Valuable Player Award for leading the Zips to their second tournament title, while senior center Isaiah Johnson was named to the Sun Bowl All-Tournament Team. In addition, 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot recorded his 288th victory at Akron, tying former head coach Russell Beichly (1941-59) as the winning-est coach in program history.Â
Jackson used two stellar performances to lead the Zips at the Sun Bowl Invitational, scoring a career-high 23 points against UC Irvine and followed with 13 points, six assists and four rebounds in the finale. Against UMES, he shot 5-of-12 from the field with three long distance buckets in 32 minutes of work. Meanwhile, Johnson followed a 12-point, six-rebound tournament-opening performance with his second double-double of the season. Johnson scored a team-high 15 points and grabbed a team-best 13 rebounds. He shot 6-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from the charity stripe while dishing out four assists and blocking two shots.Â
All five starters scored in double figures for the first time since March 10, 2009 as junior Jimond Ivey, senior Kwan Cheatham, Jr., and freshman Tavian Dunn-Martin joined Jackson and Johnson with double-digit scoring performances. Ivey poured in 13 points with a second-best eight rebounds, while Cheatham and Dunn-Martin tallied 10 points each. It was Dunn-Martin's first career start.
2016 Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational All-Tournament Team: Antino Jackson (MVP), Isaiah Johnson (Akron), Bakari Copeland (Maryland Eastern Shore), Jaron Martin (UC Irvine), Dominic Artis (UTEP), Dante Caldwell (Maryland Eastern Shore - Don Haskins Award)
Jackson Named MAC East Player of the Week
Junior guard Antino Jackson was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week, announced by the league office on Dec. 27. In addition, Jackson is the third player from Akron to be recognized as MAC East Division Player of the Week this season, joining Isaiah Johnson (Nov. 28) and Noah Robotham (Dec. 19). Jackson earned the Barry Kobren Most Valuable Player Award for leading the Zips to their second tournament title defeating Maryland Eastern Shore, 76-60, to be crowned the 55th Annual WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Champions. For the tournament, Jackson logged 59 minutes, averaging 18 points per game on 56.5 percent shooting from the field (13-of-23) that included a 50.0 percent effort from beyond the 3-point arc (6-of-12). He was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line and averaged 4.5 assists (9) and 4.0 rebounds (8) per game.
Robotham Named MAC East Player of the Week
Junior guard Noah Robotham (Las Vegas, Nev.) was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week on Dec. 19. In addition, Robotham was selected as the Madness Mid-American Men's Basketball Player of the Week by collegesportsmadness.com. Robotham earned the honor after posting a career-high 27 points and leading the Zips to a 99-88 victory over Marshall on Saturday. The win marked Akron's 23rd consecutive victory at James A. Rhodes Arena. Robotham started the game on fire and never really slowed down. He only missed one shot in Akron's lone game of the week and was a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc in the first half. In 34 minutes of play, Robotham shot 6-of-7 (.857) from long distance and 8-of-9 from the field (.889). In addition, he made five trips to charity stripe and drained all five attempts. Robotham also contributed four assists and three rebounds.Â
BIG DOG Named MAC East Player of the Week
After securing the 2016 Savannah Invitational Most Valuable Player Award, senior center Isaiah Johnson was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week. In addition, Johnson was selected as the Madness Mid-American Men's Basketball Player of the Week by collegesportsmadness.com and Student-Athlete of the Week by the University of Akron. Johnson had a big week, leading the Akron Zips to the 2016 Savannah Invitational Championship. Akron defeated Georgia Southern, Air Force and Mercer to claim the inaugural title. Johnson led the Zips' scoring efforts in all three games. For the week, Johnson scored 58 points in three games to average 19.33 points. He shot 22-of-30 from the floor for a 73.3 shooting percentage and 14-of-23 from the free throw line for a 61-percent effort. Johnson finished with 15 rebounds (5.0 rebs/g), 10 assists (3.33 ast/g), and three blocked shots (1.0 blk/g).
Mr. Chairman
After serving three seasons on the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee, Akron men's basketball head coach Keith Dambrot was named the new chairman of the committee, starting with the 2015-16 season. Dambrot is currently in his second season as chairman, replacing former chairman and Belmont head coach Rick Byrd, who completed his term on the rules committee in August 2015. The NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee is comprised of 13 coaches and administrators, who assess both current and proposed rules to promote consistency and fair play in the game. The committee meets once a year and votes on changes every other May unless there's a pressing issue about player safety.
The Zips LeBron James Shoe Deal and New LOOK
Since June 2008, the Akron men's basketball program has been partnered with Nike under which the Zips' shoes, game uniforms, warm ups and accessories are licensed under the Nike and LeBron James Trademarks. The Zips are just one of two college programs in the country that are partnered with the LBJ line of Nike equipment, the other is Ohio State.Â
The Akron Zips men's basketball team will be sporting new uniforms in 2016-17. The new look represents a reinvigorated pride in our University, our City, and Zips Athletics. The new design for both home and away were inspired by the "Pride of the City" slogan that men's basketball will carry throughout the season. The goal is to strengthen the pride for the University of Akron within community.Â
The home uniforms are white with dark blue trim and accents, while the away are dark blue with white trim and accents. The "Pride of the UniverCity" uniforms display the name Akron in a prestigious old-style script font on the chest with the number(s) below. The script font and numbers are the same color as the jersey top (white/white or blue/blue) and outlined with the opposite color. The inspiration for the script writing and to use Akron on the chest stemmed from tradition and an overwhelming amount of pride for the city of Akron and its University.Â
The game shorts have three distinguishing marks. The right side of the shorts depicts the Zips' mascot Zippy, and her Fear the Roo head logo, while the left side dons the University's official seal. The final mark on the shorts is the notorious Z logo, which appears on the front waistband.
Zips Win Savannah Invitational
The Akron Zips won the inaugural 2016 Savannah Invitational Championship, defeating Mercer 65-63 on Saturday, Nov. 26, at the Savannah Civic Center. Senior center Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) earned the tournament's Most Valuable Player award, while junior guard Antino Jackson (Houston, Texas) was named to the all-tournament team. Akron led by as many as 12 points throughout the Savannah Invitational finale, but the Mercer Bears found their way to claw back into the game to be decided in the final minutes.
Akron finished the game shooting 20-of-43 from the floor for a 46.5 percentage, including a 50-percent effort from downtown on 10-of-20 triples. In addition, the Zips made 19 trips to the charity stripe, knocking down 15 shots for a 78.9 percentage. Mercer won the battle of the boards, 36-24, and the Zips held a slight 10-11 advantage in the turnover battle.
For the second-straight night, Johnson led the Zips' scoring efforts with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, including a 5-of-7 effort from the free throw line. For his efforts, Johnson was selected as the Savannah Invitational MVP. Also scoring in double figures in back-to-back games was Jackson. He poured in 15 points on Friday against Air Force and returned with a 14 point showing in the finale on 5-of8 shooting from the field, including a 2-of-5 showing from deep. Jackson added two rebounds, two assists, and a block. Cheatham finished with nine points, draining 3-of-4 3-pointers.Â
2016 Savannah Invitational All-Tournament Team: Isaiah Johnson, Akron, (MVP), Antino Jackson, Akron, Desmond Williams, FAMU, Derick Newton, Stetson, Ike Smith, Georgia Southern, Ed Polite Jr., Radford, Frank Toohey, Air Force, B.J. Tyson, East Carolina, Ria'n Holland, Mercer
Zips Selected to Win MAC
For the fourth consecutive year, the Akron men's basketball team was selected to win the Mid-American Conference East Division while ranking as the favorite to claim the MAC Tournament title, according to the 2016-17 MAC Preseason Men's Basketball Poll. The Zips received 15 first-place votes for 194 points, edging out Ohio, who finished second in voting with 190 points and 16 first-place votes. Buffalo (144 points, five first place vote) was picked third overall in the East followed by Kent State (116 points), Bowling Green (63 points), and Miami (49 points).Eastern Michigan is the favorite in the West Division.Â
In addition, the Zips were selected as the favorite to claim the season finale in March. Akron received 15 votes to be crowned champions at the MAC Tournament, holding a four-vote margin over Ohio (11). Eastern Michigan earned three votes, while Buffalo and Northern Illinois each had two. Rounding out the tournament voting were Central Michigan, Kent State, and Miami with one vote apiece.Â
Johnson Named to Preseason All-MAC Squad
Senior center Isaiah Johnson was named to the East Division Preseason All-MAC team by the 24-member MAC News Media Panel and 12 league head coaches. In 2015-16, he played in all 35 games, making nine starts and averaging 13.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.6 apg, and 1.3 bpg. He led the Zips' offensive and rebounding efforts en route to an All-MAC First Team selection, NABC All-District First Team honor, and the MAC Sixth Man of the Year award. Furthermore, Johnson was a three-time MAC East Player of the Week recipient while being named to the MAC All-Tournament team, the South Point Classic Most Valuable Player, and collegesportsmadness.com Madness Mid-American Men's Basketball Player of the Week.
Up Next
The Akron basketball team will continue Mid-American Conference play at James A. Rhodes Arena against Ohio on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 7:00 p.m. American Sports Network (ASN) will televise the game as Akron looks to extend its 25-game home court winning streak, which ranks No. 3 in the nation. Fans can follow the action on ASN, GoZips.com via live stats, or by Zips' radio broadcast on Akron-IMG Sports Network available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.
Zips Basketball Selected for Eight Television Appearances
As a result of the largest television package in Mid-American Conference history, the Akron men's basketball program enters the 2016-17 season with eight guaranteed television games on various regional and national sports networks. In addition, the Zips' current schedule allows for nine games to be selected as wildcard games for television. Six of the nine dates provide several TV opportunities that may involve a change in game dates and times and/or same date with time changes.Â
The MAC television package includes ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox Sports 1 (FS1), CBS Sports Network (CBSSN), American Sports Network (ASN), Buckeye Cable Sports Network (BCSN) and Time Warner Cable Sports Channel (TWCS). In addition, Akron can be seen on Fox Sports 2 (FS2) and ROOT Sports. ESPN3 broadcast are not considered when determining television appearances.
Last season, the Zips appeared in 17 televised games with an additional four games aired exclusively on ESPN3. Included in those contests were the MAC Championship (ESPN2) and National Invitation Tournament (ESPN). New to this season, CBS Sports Network agreed to air the MAC semifinal game in addition to the MAC season finale.
Zips Add Two Players in Early Signing Period
The Akron men's basketball program added a pair of student-athletes to the 2017-18 roster during the early signing period, announced by head coach Keith Dambrot. Signing national letters of intent to play for Akron were Eric Parrish (Cypress, Texas) and Jaden Sayles (Cincinnati, Ohio).
Parrish, a 6-6, 185-pound wing, played for Cypress Springs High School in 2015-16 and will spend the 2016-17 playing for Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kan. In 30 games during his senior season, Parrish nearly averaged a double-double from the wing position, scoring 18.4 points and pulling down 8.2 rebounds per game. In addition, he added three assists, two steals, and 1.6 blocks on average per night. During his four-year high school career, Parrish eclipsed the 1,000 point scoring threshold, recording 1,132 points while earning back-to-back team MVP awards. In addition, Parrish was a two-time all-district award winner as well as a two-time academic all-district recipient.
Sayles, a 6-9, 235-pound forward, plays Sycamore High School. As a junior, Sayles led the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game while shooting at a 53.6 percent clip from the field and 71.9 percent from the charity stripe. He pulled down a team-best 4.9 rebounds per game and averaged a team-high 1.5 blocks a night. Sayles finished the season ranked sixth in scoring, third in blocked shots and 14th in rebounds for Greater Miami Conference en route to a Second-Team ALL-GMC selection.
