Akron Basketball Adds Six Players to 2018-19 Roster

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Akron, Ohio – After signing local talent LePear Toles in November, the Akron Zips men's basketball program signed five additional players to a National Letter of Intent in Channel Banks, Tyler Cheese, Jeremy Roscoe, Xeyrius Williams, and Khadim Gueye, head coach John Groce announced Tuesday.

"Our incoming class is unique because all six players have collegiate playing experience," head coach John Groce said. "Channel, Tyler, Jeremy, and LePear are all arriving from good junior college programs and have the opportunity to make immediate impact on the floor. Xeyrius and Khadim will sit for a year with the opportunity to use their past experiences to enhance our program."

Banks, a 6' 4" guard from Las Vegas, Nev., earned NJCAA All-America honors at Sheridan College (Wyo.), and will have two years to compete for the blue and gold. As a sophomore, Banks started 28-of-29 games and led the Generals to a North Region IX Championship while earning first-team All-Region. He averaged 17.7 points per game in 23.3 minutes of work per night. Banks buried 49.0 percent (177-of-361) of his shots from the floor, including a 43.9 percent effort from behind the 3-point arc (54-of-123). Banks added 3.7 rebounds per game (106 rebs.), 3.3 assists (95 ast.), and 1.2 steals (35 stl.)

"Channel is a prolific scorer from all three levels," Groce said. "His versatility will make him a difficult matchup for our opponents and is a great addition to our style of play."

Cheese, a 6' 4" guard from Albany, Ga., was second in scoring with 15.1 points per game for Florida Southwestern State College. As a sophomore, he earned first-team All-Suncoast Conference and ranks No. 52 for JUCORecruiting.com's 2018 Top 100 junior college basketball player rankings. He played in 30 games with 20 starts, averaging 17.3 minutes per contest. He shot 44.7 percent from the field (164-of-367) and 32.7 percent from deep (35-of-107). Cheese pulled down 5.3 rebounds (5.3), dished out 6.6 assists (199), and swiped 1.5 passes (53) per game. Cheese has two years to play for the Zips.

"Tyler will be tremendous in our pick and roll offense," Groce said. "He has the ability to score and pass the ball at a high level and will make everyone around him better."

Roscoe is a 6' 3" guard from Chicago, Illinois with three years of eligibility to play at Akron. He was second in scoring for Panola College with 11.4 points per game. He made 19 starts in 31 appearances while shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from downtown. He buried 107-of-222 shots from inside the arc and 45-of-105 from beyond. Roscoe grabbed 4.0 rebounds (123) and 5.8 assists (179) per game while adding 18 steals.

"Jeremy is another versatile guard that will bring toughness to the backcourt," Groce said. "He has the ability to make an impact and contribute at both ends of the floor."

Williams, a 6' 8" frontcourt player from Springfield, Ohio, spent three seasons with the Dayton Flyers and has one year of eligibility remaining. Per NCAA rules, he will sit-out the 2018-19 season and will be eligible to play during the 2019-20 season. Williams played in 76 games with 13 starts in three years with the Flyers helping them advance to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons. He knocked down 44.0 percent of his shots from the floor (147-of-334), including a 35.7 percent showing from behind the 3-point arc (60-of-168). In addition, Williams pulled down 253 rebounds for a 3.3 rebound per game average while dishing out 62 assists and blocking 56 shots with 39 steals.

"Xeyrius will bring size, athleticism, length and NCAA tournament experience to our roster," Groce said. "He has two years to influence the team despite only having one year to make an impact on the court."

Rounding out the recent signees is Khadim Gueye. He is a 7' 0" frontcourt player that transferred from South Carolina with two years of eligibility left to play at Akron. He was a member of the Gamecocks' squad that advanced to the 2017 NCAA Final Four. Originally from Dakar, Senegal, he played two seasons with the Gamecocks and made 45 appearances. Gueye buried 50.0 percent of his shots from the floor (5-of-10) and grabbed 38 rebounds with eight blocks, four steals, and two assists. Like Williams, Gueye will sit the 2018-19 campaign.

"Khadim is going to bring elite size, strength, and rim protection to our frontcourt," Groce said. "He too will have a year to get acclimated to our style of play and will share his experience with the team."

During the early signing period, Toles joined the Zips basketball program. He is a 6'6" guard from Canton, Ohio. He started his prep career at Timken High School and finished at Canton McKinley High School following the merger of the two schools. After graduating high school as an academic qualifier, Toles decided to attend postgraduate school at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia and continued his career at State Fair Community College. He played 22 games for the Roadrunners with five starting appearances. Toles connected on 51.8 percent of his field goals (99-of-191) with eight made 3-point buckets for 287 total points. He added 6.1 rebounds (135), 2.0 assists (44), and 1.2 steals (27) per game.

The Zips are scheduled to compete against Youngstown State in the fourth installment of the Northeast Ohio Coaches vs. Cancer event that includes Cleveland State playing Kent State as well. The Vikings host this year's event as dates and times are to be determined.

In addition, Akron's schedule includes a trip to the second annual eight-team Cayman Islands Classic college basketball invitational Nov. 19-21, 2018. The field includes Akron, Boise State, Clemson, Creighton, Georgia, Georgia State, Illinois State, and St. Bonaventure.

The Akron Ticket Office is now accepting season ticket deposits for new season ticket holders. It is a non-refundable $25 deposit per seat. Season tickets start at $60 and include season parking passes. Renewal invoices for existing season ticket holders will be mailed out in early summer.

The University of Akron Athletics

Akron Basketball Adds Six Players to 2018-19 Roster

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