The University of Akron Athletics
Zips Picked to Finish Second in MAC Preseason Poll - Gray Selected to Second Team All-MAC
October 22 | Men's Basketball
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Coming off a Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship last season, the Akron men's basketball team was picked to finish second in the 2024-25 MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll on Tuesday, October 22.
The Zips earned 106 points and one first-place vote. Ohio was selected to finish first with 121 points and the remaining 11 first-place votes while Kent State rounded out the top three with 99 points.
Senior guard Isaiah Gray was named to the All-MAC Preseason Second Team. Gray, a transfer from Cornell, averaged 9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 60 percent from the floor last season. He was second in the Ivy League with his .602 field goal percentage and ninth in the Ivy in assists, sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio and fourth in steals while having 12 double-figure scoring games.
The Zips begin the 2024-25 season on the road at Arkansas State for the first leg of the MAC-SBC challenge on November 4.
2024-25 MAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
(First Place Votes)
1. Ohio (11) – 121
2. Akron (1) – 106
3. Kent State – 99
4. Toledo – 95
5. Bowling Green – 73
6. Miami – 72
7. Ball State – 67
8. Central Michigan – 55
9. Eastern Michigan – 36
10. Western Michigan – 33
11. Northern Illinois – 24
12. Buffalo – 11
Tournament Champion: Ohio (8), Kent State (3), Toledo (1)
2024-25 MAC Men's Basketball Preseason All-MAC Teams
First Team
Payton Sparks, Senior, Center, Ball State
Anthony Pritchard, Senior, Guard, Central Michigan
VonCameron Davis, R-Senior, Forward, Kent State
AJ Clayton, Senior, Forward, Ohio
Javan Simmons, Sophomore, Forward, Toledo
Second Team
Isaiah Gray, Senior, Guard, Akron
Jalen Sullinger, Senior, Guard, Kent State
Shereef Mitchell, Graduate Student, Guard, Ohio
AJ Brown, R-Sophomore, Guard, Ohio
Isaiah Adams, Fifth Year, Guard, Toledo
