First Practice Opens 2021-22 Akron Basketball Season

First Practice Opens 2021-22 Akron Basketball Season
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2021-22 AKRON MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE | BUY SEASON TICKETS

POST PRACTICE COMMENTS FROM HEAD COACH JOHN GROCE

AKRON, Ohio- The Akron men's basketball team opened the 2021-22 season with the first official practice of the year at James A. Rhodes Arena on Wednesday, 41 days ahead of the Zips' first regular season game at Ohio State on Nov. 9 at Value City Arena.

Under the guidance of fifth-year head coach John Groce, the Akron basketball program embarks on the 122^nd season in program history. Coach Groce led the Zips to a 2020 regular season championship and owns a 70-49 overall record at Akron, including a 39-15 mark over the last two seasons. In league play, the Zips are 40-32 under Groce with a 26-10 MAC record the last two years.

Akron returns eight players from the squad that posted a 15-8 overall mark and 12-6 in MAC play and advanced to the MAC Tournament semifinal round, including junior Bryan Trimble, Jr. (Kansas City, Mo.), sophomore Enrique Freeman (Cleveland, Ohio), junior Michael Wynn (Albany, N.Y.), sophomore Ali Ali (Kendallville, Ind.), sophomore Mikal Dawson (Huntington, W.Va.), sophomore Greg Tribble (Cincinnati, Ohio), freshman Garvin Clarke (Euclid, Ohio), freshman Aziz Bandaogo (Senegal, Africa),

Trimble was a second team NABC All-District selection and earned All-MAC honorable mention in 2020-21 while leading the Zips' offensive attack from deep. He played in all 23 games with 20 starting appearances and averaged a second-best 12.0 points per game, scoring 277 total points while leading the team from beyond the 3-point arc with 74 made 3-point field goals. He finished the season shooting 39.8 percent from deep (74-of-186) and 39.5 from all areas of the court (92-of-233).

Freeman was tabbed to the All-MAC Defensive Team in a breakout year. He led the MAC in blocked shots (44 BLK, 1.9 BLK/G) and field goal percentage (.740, 77-of-104) while ranking second in total rebounds (211 REB, 9.2 REB/G) and defensive rebounds (146 REB, 6.3 REB/G). He played in all 23 games with 18 starting appearances and averaged 7.9 points per game.

Also joining the 2021-22 squad are seven newcomers consisting of two transfers and five freshmen. Graduate transfer K.J. Walton (Indianapolis, Ind.) is no stranger to the MAC. Walton arrived to Akron from Ball State and earned 2020-21 honorable mention All-MAC honors, averaging 16.4 points per game while draining a team-best 127 field goals with no made long distance buckets. He shot 54.3 percent from the field (127-of-234) and made 92 appearances at the charity stripe.

Junior Xavier Castaneda (Chicago, Ill.) averaged a fourth-best 8.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game in 20 games played with five starting appearances for South Florida. Castaneda shot 54-of-150 from the floor, including a 38.7 percent showing from beyond the 3-point arc with 24 made triples and ranked seventh overall in the American Athletic Conference (AAC).

The freshmen class includes Nate Johnson (Liberty Twp., Ohio), Sekou Kalle (Louisville, Ky.), Pat Mayfield (Elgin, Ill.), Kobe Mitchell (Cadiz, Ohio) and Evan Wilson (Noblesville, Ind.).

Akron's non-conference schedule is highlighted by a pair of Power 5 opponents and an appearance at the Gulf Coast Showcase. The Zips' 11-game non-conference campaign features six games at James A. Rhodes Arena and five games on the road.

Akron is scheduled to travel to Morgantown, W.Va. for a 7 p.m. charity exhibition game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at WVU Coliseum on Friday, Oct. 29. All proceeds from the game will benefit the Norma Mae Huggins Cancer Research Endowment Fund.

On Tuesday, Nov. 9, the Zips travel to Value City Arena in Columbus to battle Ohio State for the season opener. It marks the ninth meeting between the Zips and the Buckeyes as OSU holds a 7-1 series advantage and won the last meeting 72-63 in overtime to advance in the 2016 National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

Season Tickets

Season tickets are now on sale for the 2021-22 campaign, with ticket packages starting at just $75. The renewal deadline for existing season ticket holders is Oct. 1.

Also available is a $175 Alumni All-Sports plan that includes season tickets for all of our ticketed sports (men's and women's basketball, football, men's soccer, and volleyball).

Akron faculty and staff may purchase Upper Reserved season tickets for $175 and Lower Reserved for $360 plus an applicable Z-FUND commitment. The Zips also offer a family plan season ticket package for only $250.

New season tickets orders can be purchased anytime by calling or texting 1-888-99-AKRON (25766) or visiting The C.P. and Cornelia S. Chima Athletics Ticket Office at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET on Monday through Friday (located at 375 E. Exchange Street, near Gate 1 at the southwest corner of the venue, at the corner of E. Exchange and S. Union streets).

The University of Akron Athletics

First Practice Opens 2021-22 Akron Basketball Season

Players Mentioned

Ali Ali

Aziz Bandaogo

Xavier Castaneda

Garvin Clarke

Mikal Dawson

Enrique Freeman

Nate Johnson

Sekou Kalle

Pat Mayfield

Kobe Mitchell

Greg Tribble

Bryan Trimble, Jr.

K.J. Walton

Evan Wilson

Michael Wynn

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