2016–17 Akron Zips men's basketball team

The 2016–17 Akron Zips men's basketball team represented the University of Akron during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Zips, led by 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot, played their home games at the James A. Rhodes Arena as members of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 27–9, 14–4 in MAC play to win the MAC East Division and MAC overall regular season championship. They defeated Eastern Michigan and Ball State to advance to the championship game of the MAC Tournament where they lost to Kent State, losing in the championship game for the second consecutive year. As a regular season conference champion who failed to win their conference tournament, they received an automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Houston in the first round before losing to Texas–Arlington.

2016–17 Akron Zips men's basketball
Savannah Invitational champions
Sun Bowl Invitational champions
MAC East division champions
MAC regular season champions
NIT, Second round
ConferenceMid-American Conference
DivisionEast Division
2016–17 record27–9 (14–4 MAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaJames A. Rhodes Arena
2016–17 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
East
Akron144 .778  279  .750
Ohio117 .611  2011  .645
Buffalo117 .611  1715  .531
Kent State108 .556  2214  .611
Bowling Green711 .389  1319  .406
Miami (OH)414 .222  1121  .344
West
Ball State117 .611  2113  .618
Western Michigan117 .611  1616  .500
Toledo99 .500  1717  .500
Eastern Michigan711 .389  1617  .485
Northern Illinois711 .389  1517  .469
Central Michigan612 .333  1616  .500
2017 MAC Tournament winner

Following the season, head coach Keith Dambrot left the school on March 30, 2017 to accept the head coaching position at Duquesne.[1] On April 5, the school hired former Ohio and Illinois head coach John Groce to replace Dambrot.[2]

Previous season

The Zips finished the 2015–16 season 26–9, 13–5 record in conference, winning the East Division title as well as the overall regular season MAC championship. The Zips defeated Eastern Michigan and Bowling Green to advanced to the championship of the MAC Tournament where they lost to Buffalo. As a regular season conference champion who failed to win their conference title, they received an automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost to Ohio State in the first round.

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Jake Kretzer15G/F6'7"216SeniorBainbridge, OHGraduated
Reggie McAdams21F6'7"208SeniorElida, OHGraduated
Pat Forsythe34C6'11"245RS SeniorBrunswick, OHGraduated
Peter Agba42F6'5"210FreshmanGreensboro, NCTransferred to Rochester College

Recruiting

Class of 2016

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Isaiah Williams
SF
Dayton, OH Stivers School for the Arts 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Mar 1, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Tavian Dunn-Martin
PG
Huntington, WV Huntington High School 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Aug 4, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Michael Hughes
PF
Liberty, MO Liberty North High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 278 lb (126 kg) Oct 1, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Jordan Davis
PF
Canton, OH McKinley High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 250 lb (110 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 3, 2016.

    Class of 2017

    US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
    Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
    Jaden Sayles
    PF
    Cincinnati, OH Sycamore High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jul 30, 2016 
    Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
    Eric Parrish
    SF
    Houston, TX Sunrise Christian Academy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Oct 23, 2016 
    Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
    Overall recruiting rankings:
    • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
    • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

    Sources:

      Roster

      2016–17 Akron Zips men's basketball team
      PlayersCoaches
      Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
      G 0 Jimond Ivey 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)195 lb (88 kg) RS SoGlenville HS/Ginn Academy Cleveland, OH
      G 1 Josh Williams 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)185 lb (84 kg) SoSt. Vincent-St. Mary High School HS Akron, OH
      F 2 Kwan Cheatham 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)235 lb (107 kg) SrWinton Woods HS Cincinnati, OH
      G/F 3 Daniel Utomi 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)215 lb (98 kg) RS FrWestside HS Houston, TX
      G/F 5 Craig Eubanks (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)190 lb (86 kg) RS JrGlenville HS
      MSU-West Plains
      Cleveland, OH
      G 10 Aaron Jackson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)215 lb (98 kg) RS JrLincoln HS Gahanna, OH
      G 11 Tavian Dunn-Martin 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)160 lb (73 kg) FrHuntington HS Huntington, WV
      G 12 Marquelle McIntyre (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)175 lb (79 kg) RS FrGreensboro Day School Greensboro, NC
      G 14 Noah Robotham 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)165 lb (75 kg) JrBishop Gorman HS Las Vegas, NV
      G 20 Mark Noble (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)170 lb (77 kg) SrManchester HS Akron, OH
      C 21 Michael Hughes 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)265 lb (120 kg) FrLiberty North HS Liberty, MO
      F 22 Emmanuel Olojakpoke 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)205 lb (93 kg) RS FrCypress Springs HS Houston, TX
      C 23 Isaiah Johnson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)290 lb (132 kg) SrWalnut Hills HS Cincinnati, OH
      G 25 Carlitos Anderson (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg) SrWalnut Hills HS Cincinnati, OH
      G 31 Ty Dalton 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)200 lb (91 kg) FrSouth Kent School Houston, TX
      G 55 Antino Jackson 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)155 lb (70 kg) JrCypress Springs HS Houston, TX
      Head coach
      Assistant coach(es)

      Legend
      • (C) Team captain
      • (S) Suspended
      • (I) Ineligible
      • (W) Walk-on

      Roster

      Schedule and results

      Date
      time, TV
      Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
      city, state
      Non-conference regular season
      11/12/2016*
      7:45 PM, ESPN3
      at Youngstown State
      Northeast Ohio Coaches vs. Cancer
      L 82–90  0–1
      Beeghly Center (2,601)
      Youngstown, OH
      11/17/2016*
      7:00 PM
      American W 72–62  1–1
      James A. Rhodes Arena (2,785)
      Akron, OH
      11/20/2016*
      7:00 PM
      Radford
      Savannah Invitational
      W 88–41  2–1
      James A. Rhodes Arena (2,986)
      Akron, OH
      11/22/2016*
      7:00 PM
      Georgia Southern
      Savannah Invitational
      W 75–67  3–1
      James A. Rhodes Arena (2,457)
      Akron, OH
      11/25/2016*
      7:30 PM
      vs. Air Force
      Savannah Invitational semifinals
      W 84–75  4–1
      Savannah Civic Center (2,263)
      Savannah, GA
      11/26/2016*
      7:30 PM
      vs. Mercer
      Savannah Invitational finals
      W 65–63  5–1
      Savannah Civic Center (2,391)
      Savannah, GA
      11/30/2016*
      7:00 PM
      Adrian W 95–41  6–1
      James A. Rhodes Arena (2,868)
      Akron, OH
      12/03/2016*
      8:00 PM, FS2
      at No. 10 Creighton L 70–82  6–2
      CenturyLink Center (16,852)
      Omaha, NE
      12/07/2016*
      7:00 PM
      Coppin State W 87–63  7–2
      James A. Rhodes Arena (2,948)
      Akron, OH
      12/10/2016*
      8:00 PM, ROOT
      at No. 8 Gonzaga L 43–61  7–3
      McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
      Spokane, WA
      12/17/2016*
      7:30 PM, BCSN
      Marshall W 99–88  8–3
      James A. Rhodes Arena (3,598)
      Akron, OH
      12/21/2016*
      7:00 PM
      vs. UC Irvine
      Sun Bowl Invitational semifinals
      W 88–80  9–3
      Don Haskins Center (5,333)
      El Paso, TX
      12/22/2016*
      9:00 PM
      vs. Maryland Eastern Shore
      Sun Bowl Invitational championship
      W 76–60  10–3
      Don Haskins Center (4,633)
      El Paso, TX
      MAC regular season
      01/03/2017
      7:00 PM, ESPN3
      Bowling Green W 89–84  11–3
      (1–0)
      James A. Rhodes Arena (2,742)
      Akron, OH
      01/07/2017
      6:30 PM, BCSN
      Western Michigan W 66–59  12–3
      (2–0)
      James A. Rhodes Arena (2,760)
      Akron, OH
      01/10/2017
      7:00 PM
      at Central Michigan W 89–85  13–3
      (3–0)
      McGuirk Arena (2,302)
      Mount Pleasant, MI
      01/14/2017
      3:30 PM, ESPN3
      at Miami (OH) W 74–70  14–3
      (4–0)
      Millett Hall (3,334)
      Oxford, OH
      01/17/2017
      7:00 PM, ASN
      Ohio W 83–68  15–3
      (5–0)
      James A. Rhodes Arena (3,598)
      Akron, OH
      01/20/2017
      6:30 PM, CBSSN
      Eastern Michigan W 70–63  16–3
      (6–0)
      James A. Rhodes Arena (3,625)
      Akron, OH
      01/24/2017
      7:00 PM, ESPN3
      at Western Michigan W 90–80  17–3
      (7–0)
      University Arena (2,079)
      Kalamazoo, MI
      01/28/2017
      7:30 PM, ESPN3
      Buffalo W 91–90  18–3
      (8–0)
      James A. Rhodes Arena (4,884)
      Akron, OH
      01/31/2017
      8:00 PM, ESPN3
      at Northern Illinois W 76–73  19–3
      (9–0)
      Convocation Center (1,042)
      DeKalb, IL
      02/04/2017
      12:00 PM, CBSSN
      at Ohio L 70–85  19–4
      (9–1)
      Convocation Center (10,101)
      Athens, OH
      02/07/2017
      6:00 PM, ASN
      Ball State W 65–63  20–4
      (10–1)
      James A. Rhodes Arena (3,105)
      Akron, OH
      02/10/2017
      7:00 PM, ESPNU
      at Eastern Michigan W 87–76  21–4
      (11–1)
      Convocation Center (1,397)
      Ypsilanti, MI
      02/14/2017
      7:00 PM, BCSN
      Toledo W 71–65  22–4
      (12–1)
      James A. Rhodes Arena (3,365)
      Akron, OH
      02/17/2017
      7:00 PM, ESPNU
      Kent State L 67–70  22–5
      (12–2)
      James A. Rhodes Arena (5,500)
      Akron, OH
      02/21/2017
      8:00 PM, BCSN
      at Bowling Green L 65–66  22–6
      (12–3)
      Stroh Center (1,611)
      Bowling Green, OH
      02/25/2017
      3:30 PM, ESPN3
      at Buffalo W 89–83  23–6
      (13–3)
      Alumni Arena (6,598)
      Amherst, NY
      02/28/2017
      7:00 PM, ESPN3
      Miami (OH) L 75–79  23–7
      (13–4)
      James A. Rhodes Arena (3,646)
      Akron, OH
      03/03/2017
      9:00 PM, ESPN2
      at Kent State W 66–56  24–7
      (14–4)
      MAC Center (6,327)
      Kent, OH
      MAC Tournament
      03/09/2017
      12:00 PM, BCSN/ESPN3
      (1) vs. (8) Eastern Michigan
      Quarterfinals
      W 79–62  25–7
      Quicken Loans Arena (2,245)
      Cleveland, OH
      03/10/2017
      5:30 PM, CBSSN
      (1) vs. (4) Ball State
      Semifinals
      W 74–70  26–7
      Quicken Loans Arena (6,065)
      Cleveland, OH
      03/11/2017
      7:30 PM, ESPN2
      (1) vs. (6) Kent State
      Championship game
      L 65–70  26–8
      Quicken Loans Arena (10,376)
      Cleveland, OH
      NIT
      03/15/2017*
      7:30 PM, ESPNU
      (7) at (2) Houston
      First Round – California Bracket
      W 78–75  27–8
      Health and Physical Education Arena (1,928)
      Houston, TX
      03/20/2017*
      8:00 PM, ESPNU
      (7) at (6) UT Arlington
      Second Round – California Bracket
      L 69–85  27–9
      College Park Center (5,390)
      Arlington, TX

      *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
      All times are in Eastern Time

      Source[3][4][5].

      See also

      References

      This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.