The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
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Western Michigan
Akron Hosts Western Michigan, Looks for 25th Consecutive Home Win on CBS Sports Network
January 05 | Men's Basketball
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BOX SCORE PDFÂ |Â PHOTO GALLERYÂ |Â VIDEO HIGHLIGHTSÂ |Â Â GAME NOTES (PDF)Â
Akron Zips (11-3, 1-0 MAC)Â vs Western Michigan (4-9, 0-1 MAC)
Friday, January 6 • James A. Rhodes Arena
Akron, Ohio • 6:30 p.m. ET
TV/Video: CBS Sports - Dave Ryan (PxP) and Steve Wolf (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
WMU - Steve Hawkins (South Alabama '87)
Overall Record: 375-305 (24th season)
Record at WMU: 238-194 (14th season)
MAC Record:130-91 (14th season) MAC Record at Akron: 142-61 (13th Season)
UA - Keith Dambrot (Akron '82)
Overall Record:Â 397-203 (19th season)
Record at Akron:Â 289-133 (13th season)
MAC Record at Akron: 142-61 (13th Season)
Career MAC Record: 152-85 (15th Season)
All-Time Series
Akron Leads: 27-19 Dambrot vs WMU:Â 16-9 (16-5 UA)
Last Meeting: Akron 62, WMU 53Â |Â January 8, 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 has 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 semifinal. 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 (50) and Oregon (35).The Zips own a 169-23 (.880) at James A. Rhodes Arena and have been winners of 24-straight games at Rhodes Arena, dating back to the 2014-15 season.Â
• As of Jan. 4, UA ranks in the NCAA's Top 100 in 11-of-32 statistical categories (347 teams), ranking No. 4 in the NCAA for 3-point FG's made per game (11.0), No. 12 total 3-point FG's made (154), No. 25 in 3-point FG's attempted (388), and No. 31 3-Point FG Percentage (.397). The Zips also rank No. 23 in Field Goal Percentage (48.8), No. 44 in rebound margin (5.8), and No. 59 in scoring Margin (+11.1).
What's Ahead
The Akron Zips are back at James A. Rhodes Arena, riding the nation's third longest home court winning streak at 24 games. Akron is coming off a Mid-American Conference opening win, defeating Bowling Green 89-84 on Tuesday, Jan. 3. With the win, 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot became Akron's All-Time Wins Leader with 289 victories. The Zips are 7-0 at Rhodes Arena this season and have been winners of the last four consecutive games. Akron continues conference play, hosting Western Michigan on Friday, Jan. 6 at 6:30 p.m. CBS Sports Network will televise the game with Dave Ryan calling the action and Steve Wolf 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.
The Akron-Western Michigan
Friday's game marks the 47th meeting in series history between Akron and Western Michigan, and 22nd meeting for a Dambrot coached UA squad. Akron holds a all-time 27-19 series advantage while Dambrot is 16-5. The Zips have won four straight games against WMU and 16 of the last 19 meetings of the series, including last season's lone meeting on January 8. Akron posted a 62-53 win over the Broncos at James A. Rhodes Arena. The last time the Zips fell to the Broncos was in the MAC Tournament semifinals on March 14, 2014. WMU needed overtime to advance to the title game, defeating Akron 64-60 at Quicken Loans Arena. Akron is 6-2 in the MAC Tournament against WMU and 5-2 on a neutral court.
Scouting the Broncos
Western Michigan enters the contest with a 4-9 overall record and 0-1 in MAC play. The Broncos dropped their conference opener on the road to Ohio, 89-58. The Falcons ended non-conference action with an 80-50 win over Alabama A&M (Dec. 29). WMU averages 73.8 points per game on 43.1 percent shooting from the floor and a 33.2 percent effort from beyond the 3-point arc, draining 5.8 triples a game. In addition, the Falcons shoot 68.5 percent from the free throw line with 14.1 bonus buckets a night. Â
The Broncos have two players scoring in double figures, led by Thomas Wilder. He averages 16.2 points per game on 47.1 percent shooting from the field and 47.9 percent rate from beyond the 3-point arc with a team-high 23 made 3-pointers. Tucker Haymond follows with 12.8 points per game on 40.0 percent shooting from the field and 30.3 percent from deep with 10 triples. He owns a team-best 41 assists, while Wilder ranks second with 39. In addition, Bryce Moore adds a threat from deep for the Broncos. He scores 6.2 points per outing, connecting at a 42.2 percent rate from downtown with 19 made 3-pointers.
Defensively, the Broncos allow their opponents to score 79.1 points per game on 49.3 percent shooting from the floor and 39.4 percent from 3-point range, allowing 8.5 long distance buckets a night. WMU has caused 191 turnovers (14.7 to/g) with 87 steals (6.7 stl/g) and 26 blocked shots (2.0 blk/g). The Broncos have outrebounded their opponent 477-447, establishing a +2.3 margin on the glass.
Last Time Out Against Western Michigan
Despite struggling offensively in the second half, a strong first half performance and tough defensive play down the stretch was enough to propel the Akron Zips to their 10th consecutive victory, 62-53, against Western Michigan at James A. Rhodes Arena.
With the win, Akron improved to 13-2 overall, marking the best start for the Zips under the direction of Keith Dambrot and the Zips best start in the Division I era. In addition, the 10-game winning streak marked the second longest in Dambrot's tenure behind a 19-game run in 2012-13.
UA guard Antino Jackson scored a team-high 15 points with a career-high eight rebounds and four assists. Jake Kretzer followed with 13 points while Noah Robotham chipped in eight and four assists. Western Michigan's Thomas Wilder led all players in scoring with a game-high 26 points and nine rebounds. Anthony Avery Jr. posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
From the field, Akron shot 34 percent (18-of-53) in the contest, but shot just 22.7 percent in the second half. The Broncos shot at 31.8 percent clip on 21-of-66 from the floor. The Zips outshot Western Michigan from long distance as Akron went 9-of-29Â for a 31.0 percent showing while the Broncos shot a low 10.5 percent clip on 2-of-19.
The Zips in the MAC
Akron is 89-42 in the regular season against the West Division (.679), including winners of 33 of the last 41 regular-season contests since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season, and 62-21 under head coach Keith Dambrot (.747). 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 43-7 at home in league play since the start of the 2011 MAC schedule (.860). UA has seen aton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season, and is 142-61 overall (.700), including an 88-14 mark in MAC play at home (.863). The Zips' 142 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 62 of their last 87 MAC games (.713).
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.
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 three wins away from 400 career victories as a collegiate coach and 11 wins shy of his 300th all-time at Akron.
The Zips 1,000 Point ClubÂ
Senior center Isaiah Johnson leads the Zips' scoring efforts with 14.8 points per game, scoring double digits in 13-of-14 games including seven consecutive outings. He has scored 207 points to date and ranks No. 8 in the NCAA for field goal percentage at 66.7 percent. As a result, Johnson is rapidly approaching the 1,000 point plateau, needing only 17 points to be the Zips' 42nd member and the 12th member under head coach Keith Dambrot to enter this elite club.
Akron Opens 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. In addition, the Zips extended their home-court winning streak to 24 games, which is the third longest winning streak in the country behind Kansas (50) and Oregon (35).
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.
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.
Falcons started the game with an 8-0 run, but Akron quickly erased the deficit with a 10-0 run of its own. The Zips got on the board with a layup by Johnson, followed by a post move from Cheatham. Ivey continued the scoring with a triple from the corner, while Cheatham found the bottom of the net from long distance with the shot clock expiring.
The Falcons and Zips continued the back-and-forth battle through the first half. With 2:18 left, freshman Tavian Dunn-Martin dished an alley-oop to freshman Emmanuel Olojakpoke, pushing the Zips to regain the lead at 34-33. After a steal from Olojakpoke, Dunn-Martin fired a three adding to Akron's lead. Akron ended the half with a 37-35 lead over Bowling Green.
Akron carried the momentum into the second half as Ivey led the attack with 14 points. The seesaw battle continued until the 16-minute mark when a Johnson dunk sparked a 10-0 run. Johnson followed with two more buckets in the paint before Ivey buried two free throws and lifted an alley-oop pass to Cheatham, who finished on the rim for a 56-46 Zips' advantage.Â
The Falcons didn't go away that easy as BGSU used a 13-4 run to cut Akron's lead to one-point, 60-59, by the under-8 media break. A free throw by Antino Jackson and back-to-back lay-ins by Ivey ended the run and pushed the Zips' lead back to six points. Once again, Akron found their way back to a 10-point spread, 77-67, with 4:12 showing on the clock. BGSU's last effort to regain the lead fell short as Cheatham buried two free throws with 1:33 left to play, giving Akron a 83-77 advantage. The two teams traded buckets and Ivey iced the game with two additional shots from the charity stripe.
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.
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.
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.Â
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.Â
Four Zips Averaging Double Figures
Four Zips are averaging double figures in scoring led by Johnson's 14.8 points per game while junior guards Antino Jackson and Noah Robotham add 11.7 and 10.5 points a night, respectively. Rounding out the double figure scoring is Jimond Ivey with 10.3, while Kwan Cheatham, Jr. and Josh Williams follow closely with 9.6 and 9.1 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.
Trifecta!
Five of Akron's players rank in the Mid-American Conference Top 15 for 3-point FG percentage, led by No. 7 ranked Noah Robotham's 43.4 percentage on 23-of-53. Antino Jackson, Tavian Dunn-Martin, Kwan Cheatham, Jr., and Josh Williams follow in the No. 12-15 spots. Jackson hits 41.5 percent of his triples with 27 made shots, Dunn-Martin shoots 40.9 percent with 18 makes, Cheatham's 40.7 percentage includes 27 trifectas, and Williams sports a team-high 36 made 3-pointers on 40.4 percent shooting.Â
The Zips rank among the nation's best from behind the 3-point arc. The Zips rank No. 4 out of 347 teams in the NCAA for 3-point FG made per game with 11.0 triples. In addition, Akron is No. 12 overall in total 3-pointers made with 154, and ranked 25th for 3-point attempts at 388. As a result, the Zips 39.7 long distance percentage ranks 431st best.
Streaking Zips
Akron established a six-game winning streak early in the season, and the Zips currently own a 24-game winning streak at Rhodes Arena. The Zips have rattled-off seven consecutive wins at Rhodes Arena over American, Radford, Georgia Southern, Adrian, Coppin State, Marshall, and Bowling Green. 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 169-23 with an 88.0 winning percentage at the JAR and have not lost at home since Feb. 21, 2015 against Miami (57-52).
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 7-of-14 games, while averaging a team-high 14.8 points per game. He scored in double-digits 13-of-14 contests, including a season-high 20-point performance against Georgia Southern. He posted two double-doubles of 14 points and 10 boards and 15 points and 13 boards while scoring 19 (twice), 17, 16 (twice), 15 (twice), 14 (twice), 13, 12 and 11 this season. Big Dog ranks No. 8 in the NCAA for FG percentage, shooting 66.7 percent from the floor (80-of-120), and pulled down a team-high 96 rebounds with 56 defensive boards and 40 on the offensive end. He owns a team-high 51 assists and 11 blocks with four 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.
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 has taken full advantage of the new role, making seven starts in 14 games. He has scored in double digits eight 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 14 games, Ivey averages 27.0 minutes with 10.3 points on 56.0 percent shooting from the field. He drained 47-of-84 shots and is third on the squad with 5.9 rebounds per game, 82 total rebounds with 65 defensive and 17 offensive.
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.
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 (11.7 ppg), and has buried 27 long distance field goals. He shoots 46.2 percent from the field and 41.5 from deep and has a second-best 10 steals, while adding 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists 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 10.5 points per outing following a career-high 27-point performance against Marshall. He has 25 assists and seven steals. He shoots 43.0 percent from the floor and a team-best 43.4 from behind the 3-point arc, burying 23 triples this season.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 14 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 18-of-44 long distance shots for a 40.9 3-point FG shooting percentage. In 190 minutes, Dunn-Martin owns a 43.1 FG shooting percentage (28-of-65) en route to adding 6.1 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 130 minutes in the center position, second most of the newcomers. He has scored 31 points and pulled down 21 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per game. Hughes has 10 blocked shots and four steals.
Olojakpoke is a rim protector who managed to block four shots against Coppin State. In 57 minutes played, he is shooting 64.7 percent on 11-of-17 shots from the field and has pulled down 19 rebounds with five blocks.
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.
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. Â
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.
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.
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.Â
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 on the road, traveling to Central Michigan and Miami next week. The Zips are scheduled to play the Chippewas at McGuirk Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. followed by a midday showdown with the RedHawks on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 3:30 p.m. at Millett Hall. Fans can follow the action on 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.
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.
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