Akron Team Report

GETTING INSIDE

   Granted the No. 5 seed in the MAC tournament last March, Akron swept four games to claim its first NCAA Tournament berth since 1986. Not only did the Zips finish their season in the promised land, but they retain all but one player from that squad. Doesn’t that sound swell?

Moreover, Akron filled that open scholarship with 7-foot freshman center Zeke Marshall, a McKeesport, Pa., product who was ranked as the nation’s No. 61 recruit in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index. Doesn’t that make the Zips’ prospects sound even better?

But before sixth-year coach Keith Dambrot starts dreaming about doing better than last year—when the Zips lost to Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament by 13 points after keeping it close most of the way—he wants to know who’ll provide all the things that the graduated Nate Linhart used to do. Not only did Linhart average 10.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, he posted 62 steals, guarded the other team’s best offensive player and won the MAC’s Defensive Player of the Year award.

Dambrot’s first choice to take Linhart’s small forward spot is junior Brett McKnight, the team’s top scorer last year (11.2 ppg) who mostly came off the bench. However, the 6-foot-6, 245-pound McKnight played virtually all of his minutes at the power forward and center spots. “He has to show if he can defend and rebound like Linhart,” Dambrot said.

If McKnight makes the conversion, then the Zips’ roster will be more evenly balanced between big guys and perimeter guys. But even if he doesn’t, the Zips are still going to be loaded with versatile talent. Dambrot’s trick will be finding a way to jam similar pieces into the puzzle. “It’s a little bit of a harder team to coach because a lot of our guys are the same,” Dambrot said. “We don’t really know who will start.”

An example of Akron’s depth? Sophomore Humpty Hitchens started 30 games at the point last year and made the MAC’s All-Freshman team. But when Hitchens’ ankle injury slowed him during the MAC Tournament, combo guard Steve McNees (46 3-pointers) took the controls and was named to the all-tournament team. If that’s not enough, sophomore Ronnie Steward will compete for time after suffering from compartment syndrome in his right leg.

NOTES, QUOTES

  —Senior Darryl Roberts and sophomore Brett McClanahan figure to battle for time at shooting guard. Roberts, a walk-on, started 26 games last season and contributed 8.3 points per game and a team-high 49 3-pointers. McClanahan didn’t take off his redshirt until a third of the way through the season, but he averaged 4.2 points in 13 minutes per game off the bench. “He’s a big ol’ country kid who looked pretty good during the spring and summer,” said coach Keith Dambrot.

• Freshman center Zeke Marshall (7-foot, 218 pounds) boasts a 7-foot-5 wingspan. That’s just one reason why he’s a national Top 100 recruit. Dambrot believes he can develop into one of the nation’s leading shot blockers.

   —Akron retains 84 percent of its scoring and 78 percent of its rebounding from the program’s first NCAA team since 1986. The Zips also limited opposing teams to just 40.3 percent shooting last year, including 29.1 percent from 3-point range.

   LAST YEAR: 23-13 overall, 10-6 in the MAC East; lost in first round of the NCAA Tournament.

   HEAD COACH: Keith Dambrot (career 223-121); 6th year at Akron (115-51).

   QUOTE TO NOTE: “If he gets it right, he’s going to be a pro.”—Akron coach Keith Dambrot on 7-foot freshman center Zeke Marshall.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

   SCOUTING THE NEWCOMERS: Akron lost just one player from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, so it had room to bring in just one player. But that player is the biggest recruit (literally as well as figuratively) in Akron annals. Seven-foot freshman Zeke Marshall was ranked as the Class of 2009’s No. 61 recruit according to the Recruiting Services Consensus Index. “He’s like a blank canvas,” said Zips coach Keith Dambrot. “He just gives us a dynamic that we haven’t had.”

   KEY EARLY-SEASON GAMES: After getting to the NCAA Tournament and retaining all but one player, the Zips discovered it hard to find teams who would schedule them. Nonetheless, there’s a trip to Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla., to face North Carolina State, Drake and Howard in the Glenn Wilkes Classic on Nov. 20-22. The Zips also visit Texas A&M on Dec. 4.

   PROGRAM DIRECTION: The Zips are riding four consecutive 20-win seasons—capped by last year’s NCAA Tournament appearance—so it’s hard to say they’re still on the rise. However, they have lots of young talent that figures to keep Akron at or near the top of the MAC for years to come.

   PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP: PG Humpty Hitchens, SG Darryl Roberts, SF Brett McKnight, SF Chris McKnight, C Zeke Marshall.

   ROSTER REPORT:

   —Sophomore G Ronnie Steward started three of the first six games last year, but he missed the rest of the year due to compartment syndrome in his right leg. Steward’s strong assist-to-turnover ratio (16-to-5) suggests he’ll be a legitimate contender for the point guard job during fall practices.

• While freshman C Zeke Marshall is the lone newcomer, Akron has a pair of redshirt freshmen who sat out last year to improve their games. Power forward Andrew Parrish is considered a solid shot blocker while shooting guard Alex Sullivan ranks with the team’s best athletes.