Ali, Freeman and Castaneda Earn All-MAC Honors

Ali, Freeman and Castaneda Earn All-MAC Honors
Follow Akron Basketball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram | Follow Coach Groce on Twitter

CLEVELAND, Ohio – A trio of Akron Zips men's basketball players were honored among the league's best as the Mid-American Conference unveiled its 2022 All-MAC selections with sophomore forward Enrique Freeman (Cleveland, Ohio), sophomore wing Ali Ali (Kendallville, Ind.) and junior guard Xavier Castaneda (Chicago, Illinois) receiving recognition on Wednesday.

Freeman and Ali garnered second-team All-MAC honors, while Castaneda was tabbed All-MAC honorable mention. In addition, Freeman was named 2022 Defensive Player of the year and made his second-consecutive appearance on the All-MAC Defensive Team.

From walk-on to starter, and now, 2022 MAC defensive Player of the Year, Freeman may have one of the most unique collegiate basketball success stories in the country and certainly in Akron program history. Freeman is a two-time All-MAC Defensive Team selection and earned All-MAC Second Team honors this season. After 30 regular season games, Freeman registered 16 double-double performances and is 1-of-13 players in the NCAA to average a double-double in points (13.0) and rebounds (11.0). He ranks among the Top 16 players in the NCAA in six categories, including No. 3 in field goal percentage (64.5), No. 6 in rebounds per game (11.0), No. 7 in total rebounds (330), No. 9 in defensive rebounds per game (7.67), No. 9 in double-doubles (16) and No. 16 offensive rebounds per game (3.33). Freeman leads the MAC in 5-of-6 of these categories, ranking second overall in offensive rebounds per game.

Ali earned second-team All-MAC honors while leading the Zips' scoring efforts with 14.1 points per game, ranking 13^th in scoring in the MAC. Ali played in all 30 games with 28 starting appearances while shooting 46.5 percent from the floor (146-of-314), including 38.5 percent from deep with 40 made trifectas. He ranks sixth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage and 15^th in field goal percentage. In addition, Ali leads the team in assists and ranks 17^th in the MAC with 2.6 assists per game, totaling a team-best 80 helpers. On the boards, Ali grabs 2.9 rebounds per game with 88 total rebounds. Ali was named MAC Player of the Week on Jan. 7 after leading Akron to its first league win with a career-high 32 points. He scored in double figures 23 times with six 20-plus point performances. Ali was also highlighted twice on Sports Center Top 10 plays.

Castaneda was tabbed MAC honorable mention while leading the Zips from beyond the 3-point arc and third overall in scoring. The junior guard had an 11-game stretch tallying double-digits in points and has scored in double figures 23 times. He posted a career-high 29 points against Ball State (Jan. 11) and followed with a 21-point performance against Kent State (Jan. 14). Castaneda averages 12.9 points per game, ranking 21^st in the MAC. He ranks fifth overall in the MAC for free throw percentage, cashing in on 93-of-114 for an 81.6 percentage to lead the Zips. From deep, Castaneda ranks seventh in 3-point field goals made per game (2.2) with a team best 65 triples on 173 attempts for an 11^th MAC-best 37.6 percentage.

The fourth-seeded Akron Zips will be back in action at the 2022 MAC Tournament against the fifth-seeded Buffalo Bulls in Cleveland, Ohio at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Thursday, March 10 at approximately 1:30 p.m. Fans can follow the action on ESPN+, Akron Sports Radio Network on WHLO 640 AM with Dave Skoczen (PxP) and Joe Dunn (analyst) or live stats on GoZips.com.

2021-22 MAC Men's Basketball Postseason Awards

Coach of the Year
Rob Senderoff, Kent State

Player of the Year
Sincere Carry, R-Jr., G, Kent State

Freshman of the Year
Payton Sparks, Fr., C, Ball State

Defensive Player of the Year
Enrique Freeman, So., F, Akron

Sixth Man of the Year
Justyn Hamilton, R-Sr., F, Kent State

All-MAC First Team
Jeenathan Williams, Sr., F, Buffalo
Sincere Carry, R-Jr., G, Kent State
Mark Sears, So., G, Ohio
Ben Vander Plas, R-Sr., F, Ohio
Ryan Rollins, So., G, Toledo

All-MAC Second Team
Ali Ali, So., F, Akron
Enrique Freeman, So., F, Akron
Josh Mballa, Sr., F, Buffalo
Ronaldo Segu, Sr., G, Buffalo
JT Shumate, Jr., F, Toledo

All-MAC Third Team
Payton Sparks, Fr., C, Ball State
Daeqwon Plowden, 5th-Sr., G/F, Bowling Green
Jason Carter, 5th-Sr., F, Ohio
Setric Millner Jr., Jr., F, Toledo
Lamar Norman Jr., Jr., G, Western Michigan

Honorable Mention
Xavier Castaneda, Jr., G, Akron
Kevin Miller, Fr., G, Central Michigan
Malique Jacobs, R-Jr., F, Kent State
Dae Dae Grant, Jr., G, Miami
Keshawn Williams, So., G, Northern Illinois

All-Freshman Team
Payton Sparks, C, Ball State
Jaylin Sellers, G, Ball State
Kevin Miller, G, Central Michigan
Mo Njie, C, Eastern Michigan
Ra'Heim Moss, G, Toledo

All-Defensive Team
Enrique Freeman, So., F, Akron
Daeqwon Plowden, 5th-Sr., G/F, Bowling Green
Josh Mballa, Sr., F, Buffalo
Malique Jacobs, R-Jr., F, Kent State
Sincere Carry, R-Jr., G, Kent State

The University of Akron Athletics

Related News

Players Mentioned

Ali Ali

Xavier Castaneda

Enrique Freeman

Related Videos