The University of Akron Athletics
Akron Basketball Welcomes Ali, Scott and Thornton
April 28 | Men's Basketball
AKRON, Ohio – The Akron Zips basketball program signed former Zips transfer Ali Ali (Kendallville, Indiana), transfer Shammah Scott (Cleveland, Ohio) and graduate transfer Kaleb Thornton (Bolingbrook, Illinois) head coach John Groce announced on Wednesday.
"We always focus on building a recruiting class that fits our program and culture," Groce said. "I believe we were able to accomplish our goal by signing freshmen Darrion Baker (Chicago, Illinois) and Marvin Musiime-Kamali (Brockton, Massachusetts) in the fall and now by signing Ali, Shammah and Kaleb this spring."
Ali returns to Akron from Butler where he spent one season and played in 18 games. He missed 11 games due to injury. Prior to his stint with the Bulldogs, Ali played in 88 games for the Zips. He was an integral member of two championship teams – the 2020 MAC regular season champions and the 2022 MAC Tournament champions. Ali played 34 games in 2021-22 with 32 starting appearances, leading the squad in scoring (13.9 ppg), assists (2.59 a/g), field goal percentage (.460, 165-359) and 3-point field goal percentage (.407, 48-118). He was named second team All-MAC for his efforts. Ali has one year of eligibility remaining.
"Ali is a winner, and we are glad to have him back in our program," Groce said. "He played a key role on two of our MAC Championship teams, while also competing in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Ali is an elite scorer at all three levels and a multi-positional defender. He will seamlessly transition into our system, having played here previously for three seasons."
Scott is a 6-2, 180-pound guard from Cleveland, Ohio. In 2021-22, he helped lead Northwest Florida State College to the 2022 NJCAA Division I National Championship. Scott earned second team all-conference accolades, averaging 6.8 points per game while shooting 47.5 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. Last season, he played in 25 games at Wichita State, averaging 11.8 minutes per contest. Scott scored 66 points for the Shockers with 10 of his 24 made field goals coming from long distance. He added 29 rebounds and 20 assists. Scott has two years of eligibility remaining.
"Shammah is an explosive guard who has the ability to both pass and score the ball efficiently," Groce said. "He is an elite shooter who scores at all three levels and is comfortable playing with or without the ball. Shammah's toughness and competitiveness will make him an asset on the defensive end as well."
Thornton is a 6-0, 175-pound guard from Bolingbrook, Illinois who will have one year to don the Blue & Gold. He is no stranger to Mid-American Conference play. Thornton played three seasons and 76 games for Northern Illinois, averaging 28.0 minutes per game while scoring 591 points, dishing out 326 assists, grabbing 213 rebounds and securing 94 steals. During conference play last season, Thornton led the MAC in assists (6.7 a/g) and steals (2.2 s/g). Thornton was named honorable mention All-MAC in 2023 and is a two-time Academic All-MAC honoree.
"Kaleb is extremely skilled and makes everyone around him better," Groce said. "He is an elite playmaker on both ends of the floor with outstanding court vison and exceptional instincts to make winning plays."
"We always focus on building a recruiting class that fits our program and culture," Groce said. "I believe we were able to accomplish our goal by signing freshmen Darrion Baker (Chicago, Illinois) and Marvin Musiime-Kamali (Brockton, Massachusetts) in the fall and now by signing Ali, Shammah and Kaleb this spring."
Ali returns to Akron from Butler where he spent one season and played in 18 games. He missed 11 games due to injury. Prior to his stint with the Bulldogs, Ali played in 88 games for the Zips. He was an integral member of two championship teams – the 2020 MAC regular season champions and the 2022 MAC Tournament champions. Ali played 34 games in 2021-22 with 32 starting appearances, leading the squad in scoring (13.9 ppg), assists (2.59 a/g), field goal percentage (.460, 165-359) and 3-point field goal percentage (.407, 48-118). He was named second team All-MAC for his efforts. Ali has one year of eligibility remaining.
"Ali is a winner, and we are glad to have him back in our program," Groce said. "He played a key role on two of our MAC Championship teams, while also competing in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Ali is an elite scorer at all three levels and a multi-positional defender. He will seamlessly transition into our system, having played here previously for three seasons."
Scott is a 6-2, 180-pound guard from Cleveland, Ohio. In 2021-22, he helped lead Northwest Florida State College to the 2022 NJCAA Division I National Championship. Scott earned second team all-conference accolades, averaging 6.8 points per game while shooting 47.5 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. Last season, he played in 25 games at Wichita State, averaging 11.8 minutes per contest. Scott scored 66 points for the Shockers with 10 of his 24 made field goals coming from long distance. He added 29 rebounds and 20 assists. Scott has two years of eligibility remaining.
"Shammah is an explosive guard who has the ability to both pass and score the ball efficiently," Groce said. "He is an elite shooter who scores at all three levels and is comfortable playing with or without the ball. Shammah's toughness and competitiveness will make him an asset on the defensive end as well."
Thornton is a 6-0, 175-pound guard from Bolingbrook, Illinois who will have one year to don the Blue & Gold. He is no stranger to Mid-American Conference play. Thornton played three seasons and 76 games for Northern Illinois, averaging 28.0 minutes per game while scoring 591 points, dishing out 326 assists, grabbing 213 rebounds and securing 94 steals. During conference play last season, Thornton led the MAC in assists (6.7 a/g) and steals (2.2 s/g). Thornton was named honorable mention All-MAC in 2023 and is a two-time Academic All-MAC honoree.
"Kaleb is extremely skilled and makes everyone around him better," Groce said. "He is an elite playmaker on both ends of the floor with outstanding court vison and exceptional instincts to make winning plays."
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