The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Central Michigan
Akron Travels to Central Michigan for First MAC Road Test
January 09 | Men's Basketball
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BOX SCORE PDFÂ |Â GAME NOTES (PDF)
Akron Zips (12-3, 2-0 MAC)Â at Central Michigan (10-5, 0-2 MAC)
Tuesday, January 10 • McGuirk Arena
Mount Pleasant, Mich. • 7:00 p.m. ET
TV/Video: WatchESPN/ESPN3 - Adam Jaksa (PxP) and Matt DeVries (Analyst)
Live Stats:Â GoZips.com/Schedule - Live Stats
Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network - Steve French (PxP) and Joe Dunn (Analyst) WARF 1350 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio, TuneIn.com/Akron Zips
Head Coaches
Keno Davis (Iowa '95)
Overall Record: 145-126 (9th season)
Record at CMU: 71-71 (5th season)
MAC Record: 30-47 (5th season)
UA - Keith Dambrot (Akron '82)
Overall Record:Â 398-203 (19th season)
Record at Akron:Â 290-133 (13th season)
MAC Record at Akron: 143-61 (13th Season)
Career MAC Record: 153-85 (15th Season)
All-Time Series:Â Akron Leads: 31-14 Dambrot vs CMU: 13-2
Last Meeting: Akron 92, CMU 87Â |Â February 5, 2016 at James A. Rhodes Arena
Akron basketball Notes:
• Akron has won at least 21 games in 11-straight seasons under 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot, joining the likes of Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Ohio State. Over the last 12 seasons, the Zips have won 288 games, most by any team in the MAC.
• Head coach Keith Dambrot became Akron's All-Time Wins Leader on January 3, with an 89-84 win over Bowling Green. In his 13-year career at UA, Dambrot collected 289 wins in 422 games, replacing 19-year coach Russell Beichly's mark of 288 wins in 432 games (1941-59).
• The Zips finished the 2015-16 campaign as MAC Regular-Season Champions with a 26-9 overall record, including a 13-5 league mark and an undefeated 15-0 showing at James A. Rhodes Arena. Dambrot led Akron to its eighth MAC Tournament title game appearance in the last ten seasons and an unprecedented 11th-straight semifinals. The Zips' runs of consecutive title game and semifinal appearances are the longest streaks in MAC history.
• Akron owns the third longest home winning streak in the country behind Kansas (51) and Oregon (35).The Zips own a 170-23 (.881) at James A. Rhodes Arena and have been winners of 24-straight games at Rhodes Arena, dating back to the 2014-15 season.Â
• As of Jan. 9, UA ranks in the NCAA's Top 100 in 12-of-32 statistical categories (347 teams), ranking No. 6 in the NCAA for 3-point FG's made per game (10.7), No. 21 total 3-point FG's made (161), No. 36 in 3-point FG's attempted (413), and No. 55 3-Point FG Percentage (.386). The Zips also rank No. 30 in Field Goal Percentage (48.6), No. 47 in rebound margin (5.6), and No. 51 in scoring Margin (+10.9).
What's Ahead
The Akron Zips are on the road, traveling to Mount Pleasant, Mich. to battle the Chippewas of Central Michigan for their first Mid-American Conference road game. The Zips have won five straight games, and are looking for their first road win of the season at McGuirk Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. ET. Fans can follow the action live on WatchEspn/ESPN3 with Adam Jaksa calling the action and Matt DeVries providing analysis.
Fans can also follow the action on GoZips.com via Live Stats or by Zips' radio. The Zips' radio broadcast will air on the Akron-IMG Sports Network SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship) with Steve French calling the action and Joe Dunn providing analysis. The pregame show starts 30 minutes prior to the contest. The free audio stream is available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.
Akron opened MAC play with a pair of wins last week over Bowling Green (89-84) and Western Michigan (66-59) at James A. Rhodes Arena. The Zips extended their home winning streak to 25 games, which stands as the third best active home court winning streak in the country behind Kansas (51) and Oregon (35). Against BGSU, 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot earned his 289th win to become Akron's all-time wins leader.Â
The Akron-Central Michigan
Tuesday's game marks the 46th meeting in series history between Akron and Central Michigan, and 16th meeting for a Dambrot coached UA squad. Akron holds an all-time 31-14 series advantage while Dambrot is 13-2 overall. Last season the two teams split the series with both teams protecting their home court. The Zips have won 16 of the last 18 meetings. UA is 12-9 on the road, 18-5 at Rhodes Arena, and 1-0 in neutral site games against CMU. The Chippewas opened the 2015-16 season series with a 92-81 win at McGuirk Arena on Jan. 12, snapping UA's 10-game winning streak. Almost a month later (Feb. 5), Akron responded with a 92-87 win to stay unbeaten at Rhodes Arena.
Scouting the Chippewas
Central Michigan hosts Akron for its MAC home opener, entering the contest 10-5 overall and 0-2 in MAC play. CMU closed out the non-conference schedule winning 6-of-7 games before falling to Eastern Michigan (85-63) and Northern Illinois (87-83). The Chippewas are 6-0 at home, 3-3 on the road, and 1-2 in neutral site contests this season.Â
The Chippewas have three players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Marcus Keene with 29 points per outing. He is shooting 47.0 percent from the floor (141-of-300), and 38.4 from long range with a team-best 53 made 3-point field goals on 138 attempts. In addition, Keene has visited the free throw line 125 times this season with 100 bonus buckets and leads the team with 79 assists. Braylon Rayson follows with 18.1 points per night on 34.6 percent shooting (84-of-243) and 31.3 percent from deep (36-of-115). He is second on the team in assists (43) and steals (21). Rounding out the double-digit scoring is David DiLeo with 10.1 ppg on 38.5 percent shooting from the floor (47-of-122) and 37.6 from downtown (36-of-115), while Cecil Williams tallies 9.3 ppg on 47.6 percent shooting (39-of-82) with a team-high 92 rebounds (6.1 rebs/g). In addition, Josh Kozinski gives the offense a boost with 40-of-43 made field goals coming from behind the 3-point arc. He averages 8.4 points per game on 34.2 percent shooting from deep.
Defensively, Central Michigan has allowed opponents to score 81.2 points a night on 43.4 percent shooting from the field and 30.5 percent from downtown with 7.1 made 3-pt FG per game. CMU caused 218 turnovers (14.5 tpg) while collecting 94 steals (6.3 stl/g) and 38 blocked shots (2.5 blk/g). On the glass, the Chippewas have been outrebounded by its opponents 646-606 for a -2.7 margin.
Last Time Out Against Central Michigan
The Akron Zips used a barrage of three pointers to down the Central Michigan Chippewas, 92-87, on Friday, Feb. 5, at the James A. Rhodes Arena.
UA guard Josh Williams led the Zips with a career-high 22 points, with 18 of those coming from behind the 3-point line. He notched a career-best six triples while only missing the mark once. Antino Jackson supporrted the effort with 19 points, while Noah Robotham added 13 points and eight assists.
Braylon Rayson and Luke Meyer led the Chippewas in scoring with 15 points apiece. Rayshawn Simmons and Chris Fowler both chipped in 14 points and John Simons contributed a 13 point, 10 rebound effort.
For the game, Akron shot 49.2 percent (30-of-61), and hit 64 percent (16-of-25) of their shots from the charity stripe. Akron buried a season-high 16 3-pointers in the contest, shooting 50-percent from downtown (16-of-32). The Chippewas shot 43.9 percent (29-of-66) from the field while hitting 82.6 percent (19-of-23) from the free throw line.CMU shot 31.3 percent (10-of-32) from outside.
The Zips in the MAC
Akron is 90-42 in the regular season against the West Division (.681), including winners of 34 of the last 42 regular-season contests since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season, and 63-21 under head coach Keith Dambrot (.750). The Zips have posted a 40-17 mark (.702) in the last 57 games against the MAC East dating back to the start of the 2012 league schedule. Akron is 5-1 against the MAC East at the conference tournament during that stretch.
Akron is 43-7 at home in league play since the start of the 2011 MAC schedule (.860). UA has seen a ton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season, and is 143-61 overall (.701), including an 89-14 mark in MAC play at home (.864). The Zips' 143 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 63 of their last 88 MAC games (.716).
Akron is 25-9 in the MAC Tournament under head coach Keith Dambrot, going 19-5 in its last 24 tournament games. Under head coach Keith Dambrot, the Zips have won at least one game in the MAC Tournament every year and have made eight MAC Tournament title game appearances in the last ten seasons with an unprecedented 11-straight semifinal appearances. The Zips' runs of consecutive title game and semifinal appearances are the longest streaks in MAC history. The Zips own a 22-9 record at Quicken Loans Arena.
The Zips 1,000 Point ClubÂ
Senior center Isaiah Johnson leads the Zips' scoring efforts with 14.9 points per game, scoring double digits in 14-of-15 games including eight consecutive outings. He has scored 223 points to date and ranks No. 6 in the NCAA for field goal percentage at 66.2 percent. As a result, Johnson has nearly eclipsed the 1,000 point plateau, needing only one point (999) to be the Zips' 42nd member and the 12th member under head coach Keith Dambrot to enter this elite club.
All-Time Wins Leader
Head coach Keith Dambrot became Akron's All-Time Wins Leader with his 289th career victory at Akron on Jan. 3, 2017. The Zips defeated Bowling Green 89-84 as they opened MAC play at James A. Rhodes Arena. In his 13-year career at UA, Dambrot has collected 289 career wins in 422 games, replacing the previous all-time win mark (288) held by Russell Beichly. Beichly coached the Zips from 1941 to 1959. In those 19 seasons, he reached 288 wins in 432 games. In addition, Dambrot is just two wins away from 400 career victories as a collegiate coach and 10 wins shy of his 300th all-time at Akron.
Akron Wins 25th Straight at the JAR
Seniors Isaiah Johnson and Kwan Cheatham, Jr. led Akron to a 66-59 victory over the Western Michigan en route to extending the nation's third longest winning streak to 25 games at James A. Rhodes Arena. With the win, Akron improved to 12-3 and 2-0 in Mid-American Conference play, while Western Michigan falls to 4-10 and 0-2 in league play.
Johnson notched his third double-double of the season and second in three games, scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Cheatham followed with 14 points and buried the go-ahead shot from long distance followed by two free throws. Junior guard Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) also finished with double digits in scoring with 13 points. Thomas Wilder led the Broncos offense with 17 points, and Tucker Haymond had 13 points and seven rebounds.
For the game, Akron shot 25-of-56 (44.6 percent) from the field, but only hit 7-of-29 (24.1 percent) from beyond the arc. Western Michigan finished the game shooting 24-of-57 (42.1 percent) from the floor with a 6-of-16 (37.5 percent) showing from downtown.
In a game that showcased 11 tied scores and 10 lead changes, Western Michigan controlled the scoreboard for the majority of the game. WMU led for nearly 19 minutes, while Akron held leads for a total of 14 minutes and the game was tied for a seven-minute span.Â
With 5:08 remaining in the game, Akron captured a one-point advantage, 55-54, on a layup by Johnson. Junior guard Noah Robotham (Las Vegas, Nev.) followed with a 3-pointer to push the lead to four points, but WMU battled back to tie the game, 58-58, at the 1:28 mark.Â
On the ensuing possession, Cheatham received the ball from Robotham on the left wing behind the 3-point arc. Cheatham's defender stumbled, creating an open look, and the senior knocked down the long distance shot for a three-point lead with 1:10 remaining in the game, 61-58.
Western Michigan's attempt to tie the game bounced off the rim, and Cheatham was there to recover the rebound. He was immediately fouled, and buried both free throws. Johnson followed with two made free throws to create even more separation with 28 seconds showing on the clock, 65-58. Both teams added a free throw before time expired.
Zips Continue to Feed the Dog
Last season, Isaiah Johnson was a force in the paint for the Zips, and this year, he is on pace to be even better. Big Dog has led the Zips' scoring efforts in 7-of-15 games, while averaging a team-high 14.9 points per game. He scored in double-digits 14-of-15 contests, including a season-high 20-point performance against Georgia Southern. He posted his third double-doubles of 16 points and 13 boards 19 (twice), 17, and 16 (three times), this season. Big Dog ranks No. 6 in the NCAA for FG percentage, shooting 66.2 percent from the floor (86-of-130), and pulled down a team-high 109 rebounds with 67 defensive boards and 42 on the offensive end. He owns a team-high 54 assists and 12 blocks with five steals. Big Dog earned the Savannah Invitational MVP award, MAC East Player of the Week (11/28), College Sports Madness Player of the Week, and Sun Bowl All-Tournament team honors.
Four Zips Averaging Double Figures
Four Zips are averaging double figures in scoring led by Johnson's 14.9 points per game while junior guards Antino Jackson, Jimond Ivey, and Noah Robotham add 11.3, 10.5, and 10.1 points a night, respectively. Kwan Cheatham, Jr. and Josh Williams follow closely with 9.9 and 8.5 points per game. Five players have scored in double figures five times this season, including the UMES game where all five starters contributed double-digits for the first time since March 10, 2009. Johnson ranks 13th overall in the MAC for scoring and Jackson is 29th.
Trifecta!
Four of Akron's players rank in the Mid-American Conference Top 15 for 3-point FG percentage, led by No. 8 ranked Tavian Dunn-Martin's 42.6 percentage on 20-of-47. Noah Robotham and Kwan Cheatham, Jr., are 10th and 11th at 42.1 and 42.0 percent, while Josh Williams ranks 14th overall with a 39.1 percentage. Robotham drained 24-of-57 long distance shots and Cheatham owns a second-best 29 made 3-pointers, while Williams sports a team-high 36 made trifectas. In addition, Antino Jackson adds a 28-of-73 effort, hitting at a 38.4 rate.
The Zips rank among the nation's best from behind the 3-point arc. The Zips rank No. 6 out of 347 teams in the NCAA for 3-point FG made per game with 10.7 triples. In addition, Akron is No. 21 overall in total 3-pointers made with 161, and ranked 36th for 3-point attempts at 417. As a result, the Zips 38.6 long distance percentage ranks 55th best.
Streaking Zips
Akron established a six-game winning streak early in the season, and is now on a five-game run. In addition, the Zips currently own a 25-game winning streak at Rhodes Arena. The Zips have rattled-off eight consecutive wins at Rhodes Arena over American, Radford, Georgia Southern, Adrian, Coppin State, Marshall, Bowling Green, Western Michigan. Akron's current home court winning streak is the third longest in the NCAA and dates back to the 2014-15 season. Akron won the final two home games that season over Ohio and Northern Illinois, and posted an unblemished 15-0 record in 2015-16 at Rhodes Arena. The Zips are 170-23 with an 88.1 winning percentage at the JAR and have not lost at home since Feb. 21, 2015 against Miami (57-52).
Thriving in A New ROLE
With the loss of two starters and a third key player from the Akron's 2015-16 MAC Championship run, more minutes have been available for junior guard Jimond Ivey, and he has made the most of his time on the court. Ivey has played himself into the starting lineup after three starts due to an injury to point guard Noah Robotham. Now, Ivey has taken full advantage of the new role, making eight starts in 15 games. He has scored in double digits nine times, including a career-high 23 points and a personal best 11 rebounds. In addition, he posted his first career double-double against American that included 12 points and a career-best 11 boards.Â
In 15 games, Ivey averages 27.0 minutes with 10.5 points on 56.4 percent shooting from the field. He drained 53-of-94 shots and is third on the squad with 5.7 rebounds per game, 86 total rebounds with 68 defensive and 18 offensive boards.
Fire and Ice
We are not talking hot and cold, rather high intensity and fast play mixed with a methodical calculated approach to describe Akron's backcourt. The combination of junior guards, Antino Jackson and Noah Robotham, provide the Zips' with that type of leadership. Both, Jackson (Fire) and Robotham (Ice) are a threat with or without the ball in their hands.
Jackson, and his high-energy approach, is always in attack mode. He has the ability to beat an opponent off the bounce and uses a devastating step back to generate several different types of open looks. He is second in team scoring (11.3 ppg), and has buried 28 long distance field goals. He shoots 44.2 percent from the field and 38.4 from deep and has a second-best 10 steals, while adding 2.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game.Â
On the other hand, Robotham has a methodical approach to navigating the offense and picking apart defenses. His change of pace during play keeps defenders on their heels as he contributes a 10.1 points per outing following a career-high 27-point performance against Marshall. He has 28 assists and seven steals. He shoots 42.9 percent from the floor and a second-best 42.1 from behind the 3-point arc, burying 24 triples this season.Â
Starting the Season Off Right
The Zips are 70-46 (.603) all-time in season openers with a 56-12 (.824) home record and 14-34 (.292) on the road. UA is 8-5 (.615) when opening the season under Dambrot, standing 5-1 (.833) at home and 3-4 (.429) on the road. In addition, the Zips own a 95-21 (.819) home opening record at Rhodes Arena and have been winners in the last 15-of-16 home opening games. Akron is 18-7 in MAC openers, 10-1 at home since joining the league in 1992. Under 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot, the Zips are 11-2 in MAC openers and 7-0 at home. Akron has won the last eight straight MAC openers.
Fresh Start
The Akron Zips continue to improve its bench play this season with the help of five newcomers, two freshmen and three redshirt freshmen, whom are beginning to see more and more action. Playing in all 15 games are freshmen Tavian Dunn-Martin and Michael Hughes, while second-year freshmen, Emmanuel Olojakpoke, Daniel Utomi, and Craig Eubanks are starting to see their roles increase.
Dunn-Martin has made an immediate impact from the outside, draining 20-of-47 long distance shots for a team-high 42.6 3-point FG shooting percentage. In 13.3 minutes a game, Dunn-Martin owns a 44.1 FG shooting percentage (30-of-68) en route to adding 6.1 points per game. As a backup point guard, Dunn-Martin has dished out 19 assists and made 16 trips to the charity stripe, draining 12 bonus buckets for an 75.0 free throw percentage.
Hughes has log 8.9 minutes per game in the center position, second most of the newcomers. He has scored 33 points and pulled down 21 rebounds and has 10 blocked shots with four steals.
Olojakpoke is a rim protector who managed to block four shots against Coppin State. In 60 minutes played, he is shooting 66.7 percent on 12-of-18 shots from the field and has pulled down 19 rebounds with five blocks.Â
Meanwhile, Utomi has a knack for scoring the ball. He is 9-of-18 from the floor for a 50.0 shooting percentage, including a 36.4 percent effort from downtown. In 49 minutes of action, Utomi has connected with 4-of-11 shots from deep while adding seven rebounds, two steals, two assists, and a blocked shot.
Rounding out the newcomer play is Eubanks. He provided a spark in 26 minutes of work, knocking down 3-of-5 shots, including 2-of-4 from long distance with one rebound and one blocked shot.Â
Akron Opens MAC Play with a Win
The Akron Zips opened their 25th season of Mid-American Conference play with an 89-84 win over Bowling Green at James A. Rhodes Arena. With the win, 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot recorded his 289th win to become Akron's all-time winningest coach. Â
For the game, Akron (11-3, 1-0) shot 56.6 percent (30-of-53) and 45.5 (10-of-22) from beyond the 3-point arc, and the Zips defense limited the Falcons (6-8, 0-1) to shooting just 25.0 percent (4-of-16) from long distance. Akron won the battle of the boards 31-23 while recording 10 second-chance points and earning 21 points from the bench.
Junior guard Jimond Ivey led all scorers with a career-high 23 points, while senior Isaiah Johnson posted a career-best eight assists to go along with 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Ivey added six boards, two assists and two blocks. Also scoring in double figures for the Zips were senior Kwan Cheatham, Jr. and sophomore Josh Williams with 18 and 11, respectively. The Falcons' Demajeo Wiggins led BGSU with 21 points, while Zack Denny, Antwon Lillard, and Ismail Ali all poured in 16 points and Wes Alcegaire had 10 points.
Zips Don Haskins Sun Bowl Champions
The Akron Zips secured its second tournament championship this season, defeating Maryland Eastern Shore, 76-60, to be crowned the 55th Annual WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Champions at the Don Haskins Center. Junior guard Antino Jackson earned the Barry Kobren Most Valuable Player Award for leading the Zips to their second tournament title, while senior center Isaiah Johnson was named to the Sun Bowl All-Tournament Team. In addition, 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot recorded his 288th victory at Akron, tying former head coach Russell Beichly (1941-59) as the winning-est coach in program history.
Jackson used two stellar performances to lead the Zips at the Sun Bowl Invitational, scoring a career-high 23 points against UC Irvine and followed with 13 points, six assists and four rebounds in the finale. Against UMES, he shot 5-of-12 from the field with three long distance buckets in 32 minutes of work. Meanwhile, Johnson followed a 12-point, six-rebound tournament-opening performance with his second double-double of the season. Johnson scored a team-high 15 points and grabbed a team-best 13 rebounds. He shot 6-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from the charity stripe while dishing out four assists and blocking two shots.Â
All five starters scored in double figures for the first time since March 10, 2009 as junior Jimond Ivey, senior Kwan Cheatham, Jr., and freshman Tavian Dunn-Martin joined Jackson and Johnson with double-digit scoring performances. Ivey poured in 13 points with a second-best eight rebounds, while Cheatham and Dunn-Martin tallied 10 points each. It was Dunn-Martin's first career start.
2016 Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational All-Tournament Team: Antino Jackson (MVP), Isaiah Johnson (Akron), Bakari Copeland (Maryland Eastern Shore), Jaron Martin (UC Irvine), Dominic Artis (UTEP), Dante Caldwell (Maryland Eastern Shore - Don Haskins Award)
Jackson Named MAC East Player of the Week
Junior guard Antino Jackson was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week, announced by the league office on Dec. 27. In addition, Jackson is the third player from Akron to be recognized as MAC East Division Player of the Week this season, joining Isaiah Johnson (Nov. 28) and Noah Robotham (Dec. 19). Jackson earned the Barry Kobren Most Valuable Player Award for leading the Zips to their second tournament title defeating Maryland Eastern Shore, 76-60, to be crowned the 55th Annual WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Champions. For the tournament, Jackson logged 59 minutes, averaging 18 points per game on 56.5 percent shooting from the field (13-of-23) that included a 50.0 percent effort from beyond the 3-point arc (6-of-12). He was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line and averaged 4.5 assists (9) and 4.0 rebounds (8) per game.Â
Robotham Named MAC East Player of the Week
Junior guard Noah Robotham (Las Vegas, Nev.) was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week on Dec. 19. In addition, Robotham was selected as the Madness Mid-American Men's Basketball Player of the Week by collegesportsmadness.com. Robotham earned the honor after posting a career-high 27 points and leading the Zips to a 99-88 victory over Marshall on Saturday. The win marked Akron's 23rd consecutive victory at James A. Rhodes Arena. Robotham started the game on fire and never really slowed down. He only missed one shot in Akron's lone game of the week and was a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc in the first half. In 34 minutes of play, Robotham shot 6-of-7 (.857) from long distance and 8-of-9 from the field (.889). In addition, he made five trips to charity stripe and drained all five attempts. Robotham also contributed four assists and three rebounds.
BIG DOG Named MAC East Player of the Week
After securing the 2016 Savannah Invitational Most Valuable Player Award, senior center Isaiah Johnson was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week. In addition, Johnson was selected as the Madness Mid-American Men's Basketball Player of the Week by collegesportsmadness.com and Student-Athlete of the Week by the University of Akron. Johnson had a big week, leading the Akron Zips to the 2016 Savannah Invitational Championship. Akron defeated Georgia Southern, Air Force and Mercer to claim the inaugural title. Johnson led the Zips' scoring efforts in all three games. For the week, Johnson scored 58 points in three games to average 19.33 points. He shot 22-of-30 from the floor for a 73.3 shooting percentage and 14-of-23 from the free throw line for a 61-percent effort. Johnson finished with 15 rebounds (5.0 rebs/g), 10 assists (3.33 ast/g), and three blocked shots (1.0 blk/g).
Mr. Chairman
After serving three seasons on the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee, Akron men's basketball head coach Keith Dambrot was named the new chairman of the committee, starting with the 2015-16 season. Dambrot is currently in his second season as chairman, replacing former chairman and Belmont head coach Rick Byrd, who completed his term on the rules committee in August 2015. The NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee is comprised of 13 coaches and administrators, who assess both current and proposed rules to promote consistency and fair play in the game. The committee meets once a year and votes on changes every other May unless there's a pressing issue about player safety.
The Zips LeBron James Shoe Deal and New LOOK
Since June 2008, the Akron men's basketball program has been partnered with Nike under which the Zips' shoes, game uniforms, warm ups and accessories are licensed under the Nike and LeBron James Trademarks. The Zips are just one of two college programs in the country that are partnered with the LBJ line of Nike equipment, the other is Ohio State.Â
The Akron Zips men's basketball team will be sporting new uniforms in 2016-17. The new look represents a reinvigorated pride in our University, our City, and Zips Athletics. The new design for both home and away were inspired by the "Pride of the City" slogan that men's basketball will carry throughout the season. The goal is to strengthen the pride for the University of Akron within community.Â
The home uniforms are white with dark blue trim and accents, while the away are dark blue with white trim and accents. The "Pride of the UniverCity" uniforms display the name Akron in a prestigious old-style script font on the chest with the number(s) below. The script font and numbers are the same color as the jersey top (white/white or blue/blue) and outlined with the opposite color. The inspiration for the script writing and to use Akron on the chest stemmed from tradition and an overwhelming amount of pride for the city of Akron and its University.Â
The game shorts have three distinguishing marks. The right side of the shorts depicts the Zips' mascot Zippy, and her Fear the Roo head logo, while the left side dons the University's official seal. The final mark on the shorts is the notorious Z logo, which appears on the front waistband.
Zips Win Savannah Invitational
The Akron Zips won the inaugural 2016 Savannah Invitational Championship, defeating Mercer 65-63 on Saturday, Nov. 26, at the Savannah Civic Center. Senior center Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) earned the tournament's Most Valuable Player award, while junior guard Antino Jackson (Houston, Texas) was named to the all-tournament team. Akron led by as many as 12 points throughout the Savannah Invitational finale, but the Mercer Bears found their way to claw back into the game to be decided in the final minutes.
Akron finished the game shooting 20-of-43 from the floor for a 46.5 percentage, including a 50-percent effort from downtown on 10-of-20 triples. In addition, the Zips made 19 trips to the charity stripe, knocking down 15 shots for a 78.9 percentage. Mercer won the battle of the boards, 36-24, and the Zips held a slight 10-11 advantage in the turnover battle.
For the second-straight night, Johnson led the Zips' scoring efforts with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, including a 5-of-7 effort from the free throw line. For his efforts, Johnson was selected as the Savannah Invitational MVP. Also scoring in double figures in back-to-back games was Jackson. He poured in 15 points on Friday against Air Force and returned with a 14 point showing in the finale on 5-of8 shooting from the field, including a 2-of-5 showing from deep. Jackson added two rebounds, two assists, and a block. Cheatham finished with nine points, draining 3-of-4 3-pointers.Â
2016 Savannah Invitational All-Tournament Team: Isaiah Johnson, Akron, (MVP), Antino Jackson, Akron, Desmond Williams, FAMU, Derick Newton, Stetson, Ike Smith, Georgia Southern, Ed Polite Jr., Radford, Frank Toohey, Air Force, B.J. Tyson, East Carolina, Ria'n Holland, Mercer
Zips Selected to Win MAC
For the fourth consecutive year, the Akron men's basketball team was selected to win the Mid-American Conference East Division while ranking as the favorite to claim the MAC Tournament title, according to the 2016-17 MAC Preseason Men's Basketball Poll. The Zips received 15 first-place votes for 194 points, edging out Ohio, who finished second in voting with 190 points and 16 first-place votes. Buffalo (144 points, five first place vote) was picked third overall in the East followed by Kent State (116 points), Bowling Green (63 points), and Miami (49 points).Eastern Michigan is the favorite in the West Division.Â
In addition, the Zips were selected as the favorite to claim the season finale in March. Akron received 15 votes to be crowned champions at the MAC Tournament, holding a four-vote margin over Ohio (11). Eastern Michigan earned three votes, while Buffalo and Northern Illinois each had two. Rounding out the tournament voting were Central Michigan, Kent State, and Miami with one vote apiece.
Johnson Named to Preseason All-MAC Squad
Senior center Isaiah Johnson was named to the East Division Preseason All-MAC team by the 24-member MAC News Media Panel and 12 league head coaches. In 2015-16, he played in all 35 games, making nine starts and averaging 13.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.6 apg, and 1.3 bpg. He led the Zips' offensive and rebounding efforts en route to an All-MAC First Team selection, NABC All-District First Team honor, and the MAC Sixth Man of the Year award. Furthermore, Johnson was a three-time MAC East Player of the Week recipient while being named to the MAC All-Tournament team, the South Point Classic Most Valuable Player, and collegesportsmadness.com Madness Mid-American Men's Basketball Player of the Week.
Up Next
The Akron basketball team will continue Mid-American Conference play on the road, traveling Miami on Friday for a matinee game. The Zips are scheduled to play the RedHawks on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 3:30 p.m. at Millett Hall. Fans can follow the action on WatchESPN/ESPN3, GoZips.com via live stats, or by Zips' radio broadcast on Akron-IMG Sports Network available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.Â
Zips Basketball Selected for Eight Television Appearances
As a result of the largest television package in Mid-American Conference history, the Akron men's basketball program enters the 2016-17 season with eight guaranteed television games on various regional and national sports networks. In addition, the Zips' current schedule allows for nine games to be selected as wildcard games for television. Six of the nine dates provide several TV opportunities that may involve a change in game dates and times and/or same date with time changes.Â
The MAC television package includes ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox Sports 1 (FS1), CBS Sports Network (CBSSN), American Sports Network (ASN), Buckeye Cable Sports Network (BCSN) and Time Warner Cable Sports Channel (TWCS). In addition, Akron can be seen on Fox Sports 2 (FS2) and ROOT Sports. ESPN3 broadcast are not considered when determining television appearances.
Last season, the Zips appeared in 17 televised games with an additional four games aired exclusively on ESPN3. Included in those contests were the MAC Championship (ESPN2) and National Invitation Tournament (ESPN). New to this season, CBS Sports Network agreed to air the MAC semifinal game in addition to the MAC season finale.
Zips Add Two Players in Early Signing Period
The Akron men's basketball program added a pair of student-athletes to the 2017-18 roster during the early signing period, announced by head coach Keith Dambrot. Signing national letters of intent to play for Akron were Eric Parrish (Cypress, Texas) and Jaden Sayles (Cincinnati, Ohio).
Parrish, a 6-6, 185-pound wing, played for Cypress Springs High School in 2015-16 and will spend the 2016-17 playing for Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kan. In 30 games during his senior season, Parrish nearly averaged a double-double from the wing position, scoring 18.4 points and pulling down 8.2 rebounds per game. In addition, he added three assists, two steals, and 1.6 blocks on average per night. During his four-year high school career, Parrish eclipsed the 1,000 point scoring threshold, recording 1,132 points while earning back-to-back team MVP awards. In addition, Parrish was a two-time all-district award winner as well as a two-time academic all-district recipient.Â
Sayles, a 6-9, 235-pound forward, plays Sycamore High School. As a junior, Sayles led the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game while shooting at a 53.6 percent clip from the field and 71.9 percent from the charity stripe. He pulled down a team-best 4.9 rebounds per game and averaged a team-high 1.5 blocks a night. Sayles finished the season ranked sixth in scoring, third in blocked shots and 14th in rebounds for Greater Miami Conference en route to a Second-Team ALL-GMC selection.
