The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Eastern Michigan
Akron Looks for Win No. 21 at Eastern Michigan on ESPNU
February 09 | Men's Basketball
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Akron Zips (20-4, 10-1 MAC) at Eastern Michigan (13-11, 5-6 MAC)
Friday, February 10 • EMU Convocation Center
Ypsilanti, Mich. • 7:00 p.m. ET
TV/Video: ESPNU - John Brickley (PxP) and Adam Finkelstein (Analyst)
Live Stats: GoZips.com/Schedule - Live Stats
Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network - Steve French (PxP) and Joe Dunn (Analyst) WARF 1350 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio, TuneIn.com/Akron Zips
Head Coaches
EMU - Rob Murphy (Central State '96)
Overall: 104-91 (6th season)
Record at EMU: 104-91 (6th season)
MAC Record: 48-49 (6th season)
UA- Keith Dambrot (Akron '82)
Overall Record: 406-204 (19th season)
Record at Akron: 298-134 (13th season)
MAC Record at Akron: 151-62 (13th Season)
Career MAC Record: 161-86 (15th Season)
All-Time Series
Akron Leads: 26-20 - Dambrot vs. Ball State: 16-3 (19-4 Overall)
Last Meeting: Akron 70, Ball State 63 - January 20, 2017 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 298 games, most by any team in the MAC.
• Head coach Keith Dambrot became Akron's All-Time Wins Leader on Jan. 3, with an 89-84 win over Bowling Green. At UA, Dambrot collected 289 wins in 422 games, replacing Russell Beichly's mark of 288 wins in 432 games (1941-59). Dambrot earned his 400th collegiate career win on Jan. 14 at Miami.
• Akron owns the second longest home winning streak in the country behind Oregon (40). The Zips own a 174-23 (.883) at James A. Rhodes Arena and have been winners of 29-straight games at Rhodes Arena, setting a new Rhodes Arena's longest winning streak record.
• The Zips rode a 12 game winning streak into Ohio, which ranked fifth in the NCAA. As a result, Akron received five votes in the AP Top 25 poll and one vote in the USA Today Coaches' Poll (Week 13 – Jan. 30). In addition, Akron is ranked No. 9 on the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll and currently owns a 45 NCAA RPI and 109 Ken Pomeroy RPI.
• As of Feb. 8, UA ranks in the NCAA's Top 100 in 12-of-32 statistical categories (347 teams), ranking No. 7 in the NCAA for 3-point FG's made per game (10.4), No. 8 total 3-point FG's made (250), No. 9 in 3-point FG's attempted (663), and No. 65 3-Point FG Percentage (37.7). The Zips also rank No. 45 in Field Goal Percentage (47.7), No. 61 in Scoring Margin (+8.1) , and No. 78 in rebound margin (3.7).
WHAT'S AHEAD
The Akron basketball pursues its 12th consecutive 21-win season against Eastern Michigan on Friday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. in Ypsilanti, Mich. at the EMU Convocation Center. The Zips enter the contest after defeating Ball State 65-63 to keep the 29-game home-court winning streak intact. In addition, the Zips' run of consecutive home wins ranks No. 2 in the NCAA behind Oregon (40). Akron owns a four-game lead over the Mid-American Conference with a 10-1 MAC record and 20-4 overall mark. The Zips are 12-0 at home and 6-0 at the JAR in league play. Akron is 4-4 on the road and 4-1 when traveling to a MAC opponent. ESPNU will televise the game with John Brickley calling the action and Adam Finkelstein providing analysis.
Fans can also follow the action on WatchESPN/ESPN3, 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-Eastern Michigan Series
Friday's game marks the 47th meeting in series history between Akron and Eastern Michigan, and 20th meeting for a Dambrot coached UA squad. Akron holds a 26-20 all-time series advantage while Dambrot is 16-3 at Akron and 19-4 overall. The Zips have won 16 of the last 19 meetings. The Zips won the season opener this season 70-63 on Jan., 20, at Rhodes Arena as well as both meetings last season. Last season Akron opened with a 92-88 win at Rhodes Arena on Jan. 19 followed by a 65-63 come-from-behind victory in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament on March 10, at Quicken Loans Arena.
Scouting the Eagles
Eastern Michigan enters the contest with a 13-11 overall record and 5-6 in MAC play. The Eagles opened league play 4-1, but are 1-5 in the last six games, including three straight losses against Kent State, Northern Illinois, and Toledo. The Eagles are 8-3 (2-3 MAC) at home, 4-8 (3-3 MAC) on the road, and 1-0 at neutral sites this season.
The Eagles have five players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Willie Mangum IV with 15.6 points per outing. He is shooting 40.3 percent from the floor (127-of-315), and 35.9 percent from long range with a team-high 66 made 3-point field goals on 184 attempts. James Thompson IV follows with 14.2 points per night on 55.7 percent shooting (122-of-219) and leads the team with 10.8 rebounds per game (249 rebs) with 21 blocked shots. Ray Lee contributes 13.1 points per night on 37.4 percent shooting from the field and 31.3 from downtown with a second-best 26 made 3-pointers on 83 attempts. He also adds 50 assists and 30 steals. Rounding out the double-digit efforts are Ty Toney and Tim Bond with 10.4 and 10.0 points per game, respectively. Toney shoots 42.2 percent from the floor with 59 assists and 41 steals. Bond leads the team with 94 assists, 20 blocks, and 51 steals while shooting 44.5 percent from the floor and 35.0 percent from behind the 3-point arc.
Defensively, EMU has limited opponents to 71.6 points a night on 41.4 percent shooting from the field and 32.6 percent from downtown with 7.2 made 3-pt FG per game. The Eagles caused 422 turnovers (17.6 tpg) while collecting 249 steals (10.4 stl/g) and 115 blocked shots (4.8 blk/g). On the glass, the Eagles have outrebounded its opponents 884-875 for a +0.4 margin.
Last Time Out Against Eastern Michigan
The Akron Zips set the all-time longest winning streak at James A. Rhodes Arena with its 27th straight victory on Friday night, defeating the Eastern Michigan Eagles, 70-63. The Zips' run replaces the 26-game winning streak that spanned three seasons under head coach Bob Huggins from 1985 to 1987. The Zips are 172-23 at the James A. Rhodes Arena under 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot, boasting an 88.2 winning percentage and have not lost at home since Feb. 21, 2015 against Miami.
Isaiah Johnson led the way for the Zips with 21 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Antino Jackson added 11 points and six assists and Jimond Ivey chipped in 11 points. Senior Kwan Cheatham, Jr. scored seven points and pulled down seven rebounds. Ty Toney scored 17 points for the Eagles (12-7, 4-2 MAC) and Willie Magnum IV added 13 points.
For the contest, the Zips connected on 42.6 percent (23-of-54) of their shots from the floor and hit 26.9 percent (7-of-26) of their shots from behind the 3-point arc. The Eagles scored on 38.1 percent (24-of-63) of their attempts and hit 25 percent (4-of-16) of their shots from downtown.
Akron opened the game with an 8-0 run, and pushed the lead to 27-15 by the under-8 media timeout. Over the next four minutes, the Zips held the Eagles to 1-of-7 shooting and established a 34-22 lead. The two teams traded buckets, and Akron maintained a 38-28 lead heading into the halftime break.
The Zips and Eagles exchanged baskets to start the second half, and Akron maintained a nine-point lead with 15 minutes to play in the game. With just under four minutes on the clock. Eastern Michigan used a 5-0 run to cut the lead to six, 65-59, and forced Akron to use a timeout with 2:07 left to play. Toney followed layup, and the Zips saw their lead shrink to four points. Jackson split a pair of free throws before he collected a crucial defensive rebound and converted both of his next two foul shots to give the Zips a seven-point lead,68-61, with 45 seconds remaining.
The Zips in the MAC
Akron is 96-42 in the regular season against the West Division (.696), including winners of 39 of the last 47 regular-season contests since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season, and 71-25 overall under head coach Keith Dambrot (.740). The Zips have posted a 43-18 mark (.705) in the last 61 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 47-7 at home in league play since the start of the 2011 MAC schedule (.870). UA has seen a ton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season, and is 151-62 overall (.709), including a 93-14 mark in MAC play at home (.869). The Zips' 151 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 71 of their last 95 MAC games (.747).
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.
Streaking Zips
The Zips secured their 20th win for the 12th consecutive season thanks to a 12-game winning streak that recently ended and a buzzer-beater win over Ball State. In addition, the Zips currently own a 29-game winning streak at Rhodes Arena, setting the facility record which spanned three seasons from 1985-87 under head coach Bob Huggins. The Zips have rattled-off 12 consecutive wins this season at Rhodes Arena over American, Radford, Georgia Southern, Adrian, Coppin State, Marshall, Bowling Green, Western Michigan, Ohio, Eastern Michigan, Buffalo, and Ball State. In addition, Akron won 12 consecutive regular season MAC games, dating back to the 2015-16 season, second most in Dambrot's tenure.
Akron's current home court winning streak is the second 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 174-23 with an 88.3 winning percentage at the JAR and have not lost at home since Feb. 21, 2015 against Miami (57-52).
The win over Ball State moved Akron to 20-4 on the season, which ties the fastest UA team to reach 20 wins in Akron's Division I era. The 2012-13 team reached the 20-win plateau on Feb. 13, 2013 (20-4, 24 games).
Akron Sets Rhodes Arena Record with 70-63 Win Over Eastern MichigaN
The Akron Zips set the all-time longest winning streak at James A. Rhodes Arena with its 27th straight victory on Friday night, defeating the Eastern Michigan Eagles, 70-63. The Zips' run ranks as the third best home winning streak in NCAA Division I basketball behind Kansas (54) and Oregon (39). The streak also replaces the 26-game winning streak that spanned three seasons under head coach Bob Huggins from 1985 to 1987. The Zips have not lost at home since Feb. 21, 2015 against Miami.
Akron Zips Four Game Lead Over the MAC
The Akron Zips are 10-1 in league play, defeating Bowling Green, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Miami, Ohio, Eastern Michigan, Buffalo, and Northern Illinois before falling to Ohio and bouncing back with a win over Ball State. In league play, Akron averages 78.5 points per game in the MAC while shooting 47.0 percent from the field and 35.7 from long distance with 9.6 made 3-pointers a game. The Zips own a +1.4 margin on the glass, outrebounding the competition 375-360 Akron averages 14.4 assists (158), 10.5 turnovers per game (115), 5.7 steals (63), and 3.0 blocked shots (33) in league play.
The Zips won 12 consecutive regular season MAC games, dating back to the 2015-16 season, which was the second longest MAC winning streak in Dambrot's tenure. The 2006-07 Zips won nine straight games in a single season after dropping the MAC opener to Ohio. However, the 2012-13 Zips won 19-straight games and rattled off 13 consecutive league games during that run. Kent State owns the MAC regular season consecutive win record (21), and single season record (17-1).
Johnson Buzzer Beater LiftS Zips to 29th Straight Win at Rhodes Arena
Isaiah "Big Dog" Johnson continued his dominant season, hitting a 16-foot jumper from the wing as time expired to give the Akron Zips a 65-63 victory over the Ball State Cardinals. The victory marks the 29th consecutive win at James A. Rhodes Arena, which is the second-best home-court winning streak in the country behind Oregon (40).
Johnson led the way for the Zips, scoring 20 points and pulling down a game-high nine rebounds. Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) chipped in 10 points and Antino Jackson added eight points and five assists. Franko House paced the Cardinals in scoring with 18 points and seven rebounds and Ryan Weber added 16 points.
For the game, Akron converted 42.6 percent (26-of-61) of their attempts from the floor and shot 67 percent (8-of-12) from the charity stripe. Ball State shot 43.1 percent (22-of-51) from the floor and converted 76.9 percent (10-of-13) of their free throw attempts. The Zips outscored the Cardinals 40-24 in the paint and pulled down 11 offensive rebounds in the contest.
Johnson started the scoring for the Zips with a three-point play, and then used 12 straight points in the paint to take a 13-6 lead into the first media timeout. The two teams traded baskets over the following four minutes, with the Zips maintaining a 15-10 lead with 11:17 remaining in the first half.
The Cardinals held Akron from scoring for nearly four minutes and used a 10-0 run for a 22-19 lead with five minutes to play in the first half. Tavian Dunn-Martin (Huntington, W. Va.) came off the bench and buried a triple from the top of the key to tie the game at 22, and a layup from Johnson gave the Zips a 24-22 lead with three minutes left on the clock. Dunn-Martin and Ivey nailed back-to-back triples to give Akron a 30-28 lead heading into the halftime break.
Both teams struggled to find the bottom of the net to start the second half, and the two teams were knotted at 36 with just under 16 minutes to play in the game. The Zips came out of the timeout firing and used a 9-2 run to take a 45-38 lead with 13 minutes left in the contest. Two free throws from junior guard Antino Jackson (Houston, Texas) pushed the Zips lead to nine points at the 12-minute media timeout.
Akron continued to score in the paint with three consecutive layups, and held a 56-50 advantage with just over six minutes to play. The Cardinals continued to hit three-pointers, and cut the Zips lead to just four points with 4:39 in the clock. Emmanuel Olojakpoke threw down a monstrous alley-oop slam off a pass from Jackson to give Akron a six-point cushion and brought the Rhodes Arena crowd to its feet.
Ball State answered with another triple and two free throws, cutting the Zips lead to just one point, 62-61 with one minute left to play. Ball State held possession of the ball with 16.6 seconds on the clock, and scored to take the lead with 7 seconds remaining, but the Zips raced down the court and Johnson was fouled. Big Dog converted one free throw to tie the game at 63 apiece.
On the ensuing possession, the Cardinals turned the ball over, allowing the Zips one final attempt to take the lead with 2.3 seconds left. The ball was inbounded to Johnson on the wing, and Big Dog wasted no time before launching the shot and buried the 16-footer to give the Zips a 65-63 victory.
Akron BASKETBALL RAISED EYEBROWS
The Akron Zips men's basketball program grabbed the attention of the national media during their 12-game winning streak, the fifth longest streak in NCAA Division I basketball. The Zips' success began to attract the attention of several media outlets and analysts, including ESPN. On Jan. 20, after the Zips defeated Eastern Michigan at the JAR, ESPN's Kevin Connors selected Akron Zips Basketball as Kevin's Star of the night on ESPN SportsCenter.
In addition, ESPN personalities Dick Vitale and Seth Greenburg mentioned Akron when discussing mid-major bracket busters as reported by Mid-Major Madness, while NCAA.com had the Zips as one of five teams who were slowly making their way to March Madness. Also, ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi's NCAA tournament projections has Akron ranked as a 13 seed in the latest edition of ESPN Bracketology, while CBS Sports Network's Jon Rothstein mentioned the Zips in his weekly Rothstein Files release on FanRagSports.com.
In addition, Hero College Sports News reporters Daniel Reynolds and Jeff Ames highlighted the Zips as one of five mid-major programs to bust brackets in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Sports Illustrated's Molly Geary discusses how the Zips' 11-game run prepares them for March Madness.
After two straight weeks of receiving one vote for the AP Top 25 poll, Akron earned five votes in the poll (Jan. 30 - Week 13), sitting about 30th in the NCAA. Akron also received one vote in the USA Today Coaches' Poll. In addition, the Zips climbed one spot to a No. 7 ranking in CollegeInsider.com Men's Mid-Major Top 25 poll, receiving 501 points on Jan. 16, followed by 549 points on Jan. 23, and 577 votes on Jan. 30.
The Zips 1,000 Point Club
Senior center Isaiah Johnson leads the Zips' scoring efforts with 16.6 points per game, scoring double digits in 22-of-24 games including 16-of-the-last-17 outings. He has scored 399 points to date and ranks No. 12 in the NCAA for field goal percentage at 63.3 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. He now has 1,175 career points.
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 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 earned his 400th career victory as a collegiate coach and is two wins shy of his 300th all-time win at Akron.
Breakout Moment
Redshirt freshman Daniel Utomi received his first start on Saturday, Jan. 14, against Miami. The Houston, Texas native took full advantage of the moment, scoring a career-high 15 points. Utomi started the game on fire, knocking down five 3-pointers on five attempts in the first half. For the game, he went 5-of-7 from the field and 5-of-6 from deep with a career-best three steals and a rebound. He followed with three-straight games of at least five points, adding a 13-of-30 effort from the floor, 9-of-19 showing from deep, and 4-of-6 from the free throw line in the last seven games.
Chop-ing Up the Competition
Senior forward Kwan Cheatham, Jr. has emerged as one of the Zips leaders in all areas of the game. Cheatham scores a second-best 11.7 points per game and is third on the team in 3-point FG percentage and No. 12 in the MAC at 39.4 percent (50 attempts min.). He has buried a team-high 54 triples and connects from the charity stripe with a team-best 83.7 percent. In addition, he is the leader on the glass, pulling down 7.8 rebounds per game with a team-high 148 defensive boards and 38 offensive grabs. Cheatham is also the Zips' leading rim protector with 21 blocked shots while adding 44 assists and 13 steals. Cheatham Earned MAC East Player of the Week on Jan. 30.
Four Zips Averaging Double Figures
Four Zips are averaging double figures in scoring led by Johnson's 16.6 points per game while fellow senior Kwan Cheatham, Jr. is second with 11.7 points per game. Junior guard Antino Jackson follows with 11.6 points per game, and junior Jimond Ivey averages 10.0 points. Noah Robotham and Josh Williams follow closely with 8.7 and 7.8 points per game. Five players have scored in double figures six times this season, including the starters twice. In the UMES game, all five starters scored double-digits for the first time since March 10, 2009, and the Zips matched that feat as the starters did it again against Western Michigan (1/24). Johnson ranks No. 8 overall in the MAC for scoring while Cheatham and Jackson are 28th and 29th, respectively.
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. On Tuesday, Johnson buried a 16-foot shot from the wing as the buzzer sounded to lift the Zips to 65-63 home win over Ball State. Big Dog has led the Zips' scoring efforts in 12-of-24 games, while averaging a team-high 16.6 points per game. He scored in double-digits 22-of-24 contests, including a career-high 33-point performance against Central Michigan. He posted his fourth double-double against Buffalo, scoring 27 points with 10 boards. Big Dog ranks No. 12 in the NCAA for FG percentage, shooting 63.3 percent from the floor (150-of-237), and pulled down a second-best 177 rebounds with 107 defensive boards and 70 on the offensive end. He is second in assists (71) and blocks (18) with 10 steals. Big Dog earned the Savannah Invitational MVP award, MAC East Player of the Week (twice, 11/28 and 1/16), College Sports Madness Player of the Week, and Sun Bowl All-Tournament team honors.
Trifecta!
Three of Akron's players rank in the Mid-American Conference Top 15 for 3-point FG percentage and are shooting around 40.0 percent for the Zips. Antino Jackson leads the Zips, ranking No. 7 in the MAC with a 41.6 shooting percentage with 47 trifectas on 113 attempts, while No. 8 is Tavian Dunn-Martin with a 41.4 percentage on 24-of-58 shooting. Ranked 12th overall is Kwan Cheatham with a 39.4 percentage on with a team-high 54 triples on 137 attempts, while Noah Robotham (.375, 33-of-88). In addition, Josh Williams (.357, 51-of-143) and Daniel Utomi (.394, 13-of-33) are keys in Akron's perimeter game.
The Zips rank among the nations best from behind the 3-point arc. The Zips rank No. 7 out of 347 teams in the NCAA for 3-point FG made per game with 10.4 triples. In addition, Akron is No. 8 overall in total 3-pointers made with 250, and ranked 9th for 3-point attempts at 663. As a result, the Zips 37.7 long distance percentage ranks 65th best.
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 17 starts in 24 games. He has scored in double digits 14 times and 8-of-the-last-12 games, 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.
In 24 games, Ivey averages 27.9 minutes with 10.0 points and ranks fifth in the MAC with a 55.0 shooting percentage from the field. He drained 83-of-151 shots and leads the team with 28 steals. Ivey is third on the squad with 5.5 rebounds per game, hauling in 132 total rebounds with 104 defensive and 28 offensive boards.
The Zips Sixth Man
Sophomore Josh Williams is a career 39.1 percent shooter from long distance, knocking down 109-of-283 triples to date. The Akron, Ohio native started nine games this season, and now is the Zips' sixth man, leading Akron's second unit. He has buried a second-best 51 long distance buckets on 143 attempts while averaging 7.8 points per game. Williams matched a career-high 18 points against UC Irvine, burying six 3-pointers on nine attempts.
In 24 games, Williams averages 23.5 minutes while shooting 37.3 percent from the field, 62-of-166. In 17 trips to the charity stripe, Williams collected 11 bonus buckets while pulling down 54 rebounds (2.3 rebs/g) and dishing out 21 assists with 10 steals. He is ranked 11th in the Mid-American Conference for 3-pointers made per game (2.1).
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 third in team scoring (11.6 ppg), and has buried 47 long distance field goals. He shoots 45.9 percent from the field and 41.6 from deep and has a second-best 24 steals, while adding 3.1 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game.
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 8.7 points per outing following a career-high 27-point performance against Marshall. He has 56 assists and 13 steals. He shoots 40.9 percent from the floor and 37.5 from behind the 3-point arc, burying 33 triples this season.
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 24 games is freshmen Tavian Dunn-Martin. After 16 straight appearances, freshman Michael Hughes was sidelined with an injury, 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 24-of-58 long distance shots for a 41.4 3-point FG shooting percentage, that ranks 8th in the MAC. In 11.0 minutes a game, Dunn-Martin owns a 43.5 FG shooting percentage (37-of-85) en route to adding 4.7 points per game. As a backup point guard, Dunn-Martin has dished out 26 assists and made 18 trips to the charity stripe, draining 14 bonus buckets for a 77.8 free throw percentage.
After missing six games, Hughes returned to action against Ohio and buried two free throws. In 7.7 minutes per game in the center position, he has scored 35 points and pulled down 23 rebounds with 10 blocked shots and five steals. Olojakpoke is a rim protector who managed to block four shots against Coppin State. In 19 games and 6.4 minutes on average, Olojakpoke is shooting 65.7 percent on 23-of-35 shots from the field and has pulled down 31 rebounds with 15 blocked shots.
Meanwhile, Utomi has a knack for scoring the ball. He is 23-of-51 from the floor for a 45.1 shooting percentage, including a 39.4 percent effort from downtown. In 7.5 minutes per game, Utomi has connected with 13-of-33 shots from deep while adding 17 rebounds, six steals, three 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.
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 13 points in the finale. Meanwhile, Johnson followed a 12-point, six-rebound game with a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds.
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)
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.
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.
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
Up Next
The Akron basketball team will play back-to-back television games at James A. Rhodes Arena next week, beginning with Toledo on Feb. 14, at 7 p.m. Spectum Sports will televise the game, followed by a rivalry game with Kents State on Friday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. ESPNU will broadcast from the JAR as the Zips look to keep the home-court winning streak moving. Fans can also 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.
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.
Cheatham Named MAC East Player of the Week
Senior Kwan Cheatham, Jr. was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week, announced by the league office on Monday. In addition on Jan. 30, Cheatham was selected as the University of Akron's Student-Athlete of the Week.
Cheatham led the Zips through another undefeated week in Mid-American Conference play as Akron (18-3, 8-0) extended its winning streaks to 11-straight games on the season and 28-consecutive at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Cheatham scored 51 points last week, averaging 25.5 points. In a pair of wins over Western Michigan (90-80), and Buffalo (91-90), He shot 60.7 percent from the field (17-of-28) , 52.6 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (10-of-19), and a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe.
Against WMU, Cheatham poured in a team-high 20 points to go along with a team-best 11 rebounds for the double-double. In 33 minutes of work, he shot 63.6 percent from the field (7-of-11), 50.0 percent from downtown (3-of-6) and a perfect 3-of-3 from the free throw line, Against Buffalo, Cheatham had a career night with 31 points in 35 minutes of play. He shot 53.6 percent from deep, connecting with 7-of-13 long distance shots while shooting 58.8 percent from the floor (10-of-17). He was a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe and added seven rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
Big Dog Earns Second MAC Weekly Honor
For the second time this season, senior Center Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week, announced by the league office on Monday. In addition on Jan. 16, Johnson was selected as the University of Akron's Student-Athlete of the Week. Johnson became Akron's 42nd member of the 1,000 point club after a career-high 33-point performance against Central Michigan. For the week, Johnson scored 41 points on 59 percent (13-of-22) shooting from the floor and a 65 percent (15-of-23) performance from the free throw line. He added 14 rebounds (7.0 rebs/g), three assists (1.5 ast/g), two blocked shots (1.0 blk/g), and a steal (0.5 stl/g).
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.
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).
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.
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.
