Akron

[Wolf]

Akron Zips
Mid American Conference

2004-05: 19-10, 11-7, 2nd East
by Joel Welser

At home last year Akron went 14-1. Away from the friendly confines of Rhodes Arena the Zips were just 5-9. A little consistency on the road will come with age and Keith Dambrot’s squad is still pretty young, but they have plenty of experience. Six players return who started at least ten games during the 2004-2005 campaign.

Who’s Out: Rick McFadden is the major loss for the Zips. The big man had a nice stroke from behind the arc and averaged 8.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest. Center Nick Meyers started five games but never saw too many minutes in Akron. Guard Mario Collins saw some back up duty at the point, averaging 3.6 points and 2.2 assists.

Who’s In: Nick Dials would have been the key newcomer, but the Ohio State transfer is likely out for the season with a torn ACL. Shooting guards Jimmy Conyers and John Rybak and small forward Nate Linhart won’t be forced into action as freshmen, but have the talent to contribute off the bench. Conyers averaged 24.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists at the National Christian Academy in Baltimore, Maryland as senior. Rybak is another big guard at 6-5, who can score and rebound. Linhart, a product of Gahanna, Ohio averaged 17 points and nine rebounds as a senior at Gahanna Lincoln High School.

Who to Watch: There is a ton of talent at the forward spot with Darryl Peterson, Jeremiah Wood and Romeo Travis, who are 6-5, 6-6 and 6-7 in height, respectively. Peterson is the go to scorer averaging a team high 12.9 points per game. Travis wasn’t far behind with 11.9 points and tacked on 7.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Wood added 10.7 points and a team high 8.1 rebounds in ten games before going down for the rest of the year with an injury. The trio will give Keith Dambrot plenty of options on the floor. If they want to go big, Peterson can move to the two and Matt Futch or Rob Preston can play center. If they want to go small, Travis can handle the center spot and Adam “Bubba” Walther plays at the two guard.

Projected Conference Rank: The team is talented, the bench is deep and the biggest issue might be who to put on the floor in crunch time. Dru Joyce III is a solid point guard, Cedrick Middleton and Adam Walther had solid freshmen seasons and Rob Preston and Matt Futch are senior leaders under the basket. The MAC, as usual, is wide open, but missing out on the postseason again will be very disappointing for Akron, even if Nick Dials isn’t available all year. With a 2nd place finish overall in the conference, the Zips will be easily into the NIT and even thinking about an at large bid for a trip to the NCAAs, earning their first postseason berth since 1989.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:
Dru Joyce III, Senior, Guard, 4.1 points per game
Adam Walther, Junior, Guard, 9.7 points per game
Darryl Peterson, Junior, Forward, DNP last season
Jeremiah Wood, Junior, Forward, DNP last season
Romeo Travis, Senior, Forward, 7.8 points per game

www.collegehoopsnet.com/preview/2005/71.htm

[Wolf]

Interview with Akron Head Coach Keith Dambrot

Keith Dambrot has been a fixture in the Northeast Ohio basketball community for many years. He has coached in the region on all levels, including his time mentoring future NBA star Lebron James at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. Now Dambrot enters his second season coaching the Akron Zips, a job he truly considers a dream.

1) Both you and your family certainly have strong ties to the University and the Akron community. Could you think of a better coaching job at this point in your life than the one you currently have?

If I had the choice of any college in the country, this is where I would want to coach. My late mother was a professor at Akron for 25 years, so every time I think of the University of Akron, I think of her. It's where I grew up and it's where my family likes to live. I'm really proud to coach here. Any time you have an opportunity to coach at your alma mater and at the place where your mother taught, that's special.


2) The team was dominant at home last year (14-1), but rather pedestrian on the road (5-9). What type of specific planning goes into getting set for games away from Rhodes Arena?


Our road record was typical of what you find in the Mid-American Conference. Generally in this league, teams that are around .500 on the road win their division. The conference race is always such a knock down, drag out thing that you have to have a near perfect record at home and get three or four wins on the road if you expect to contend. But, our game day schedule and preparation whether at home or on the road is the same.


3) I see you guys have a tough road game scheduled at Louisville in December. What will it take for the so called "mid-major" schools like Akron to get a school like Louisville to play away from their home court? Do you think the NCAA should do a better job of making rules which promote more even scheduling?


Our non-conference schedule is one of the toughest in the history of the program. Not only do we play at Louisville, but also at California the weekend prior to being at Louisville. Add that to the field at the San Juan Shootout, in which we could face both Mississippi State and Clemson, and our strength of schedule should rank up there. Sure, it would be nice if bigger name schools would be more willing to make trips to a gym our size, but there are lots of things that come in to play with that.


4) After sitting out a season after transferring from Ohio State, Nick Dials unfortunately will miss even more time after tearing his ACL and having surgery in June. Is there any chance he gets on the court before the season ends? Do you still see him being a major contributor to the program down the line?

At this point it's tough to make a determination about Nick's availability for this season. I will say, he is a hard-nosed and disciplined player who is working extremely hard to make a speedy recovery. He is a team-first type of guy and wants to return to the floor as quickly as possible and be able to help this team.


5) Many fans on our site might still remember you as Lebron James' high school coach. Do you still keep in touch with Lebron at all? Is this the year he finally leads the Cavs deep into the NBA playoffs?

Yes, LeBron and I keep in touch. Actually, I participated in a charity bike-a-thon he put on in Akron earlier this summer. He's also one of our biggest fans and tries to get to as many home games as he can. Two of our players, Dru Joyce and Romeo Travis, played with LeBron in high school and he is familiar with many of the other local guys on our roster. LeBron works as hard as any player in the NBA night after night. I know that he will do everything within his ability to make the Cavs contenders.

6) Lastly, I like to ask each coach a question that's a bit out of the norm. I was wondering if you ever spend free time reading books at all? What was the most recent book you read? Would you recommend it to our readers?

Unfortunately, I don't have as much time as I would like to be able to read, but the last book I read was The 8th Habit by Stephen Covey

www.collegehoopsnet.com/preview/interviews/keithdambrot.htm

[Wolf]

Akron Zips

There might be some teams in the MAC with more athletes than Akron, but there might not be team in the league with more depth than the Zips.

After losing just two seniors who averaged more than 10 minutes per game from a team that went 19-10 last year and 11-7 in the Mid-American Conference, there is guarded optimism around the Akron campus. The Zips return all three of their top scorers, most notably junior 6-foot-7 forward Romeo Travis. A high school teammate of LeBron James, Travis averaged 11.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game and shot nearly 53 percent from the field.

"We need Romeo to take another step forward in his progression," second-year Akron coach Keith Dambrot says. "I think he has taken a big jump in his shooting. He's a very smart kid that needs to just keep working at getting better."

While Travis' progression will be a big key, so will the health of junior forward Jeremiah Wood. The 6-6 post player missed the final 19 games with an ACL injury.

"The biggest thing with Jeremiah is obviously his health. And then, he has to rebound for us," Dambrot says.

Speaking of rebounding, Travis and Wood were the only two Zips to average over five rebounds per game last year. Hitting the boards will be a huge priority in 2005-06.

Nick Dials, a transfer from Ohio State, was expected to provide some outside shooting, but he will lost for most of, if not all, of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL in early June.

Forward Darryl Peterson led the team in scoring last year and will be counted on to take on a scorer's role again.

"Darryl disappeared a little bit for us down the stretch," Dambrot says. "He can shoot the ball very well and has a nice mid-range jumper."

Three new recruits will be added to the Zips' roster -- Jimmy Conyers, John Rybak and Nate Linhart -- and all three are expected to play.

"I probably go deeper into my bench than most coaches do in this conference," Dambrot says. "We know our margin of error is very small. I don't think we have anywhere near the best five players in the league, (but) we have a solid 13 and we try to beat you with numbers."

sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/ncaa/specials/preview/2005/teams/akron.html

[Wolf]

CBSsportsline.com Conference preview: MAC
Nov. 9, 2005
By Brian De Los Santos


The MAC was a secret gem last season with a tight regular-season battle and a conference tournament that was about as exciting as it gets.

Nine of its 13 teams finished with winning records. In the East, Miami (Ohio) won the regular-season crown by just one game over Buffalo, Ohio, Akron and Kent State. It was just as close in the West, where Western Michigan and Toledo tied for first just a game ahead of Bowling Green and Ball State.

The melodrama continued in the MAC Tournament, where Ohio rallied from 19 points down to stun Buffalo in OT in the championship game. The Bobcats nearly did the same to Florida in the NCAA Tournament, erasing a 20-point deficit before ultimately falling 67-62.

It should be much of the same in the MAC this season, though there will be a few changes. Bowling Green has moved to the East in place of Marshall, which left for Conference USA.

Team to beat
Ohio. Though they lost to Florida in the first round of last year's NCAA Tournament, the showing gave the Bobcats -- who featured two freshmen in the starting lineup -- a lot of confidence. A year older and wiser, Ohio just might knock off a team or two if it makes the NCAA Tournament again.

Senior guard Mychal Green, who averaged a team-high 15 points per game last season, will provide the leadership. Junior Sonny Troutman, second in the MAC with 2.3 steals per game, and sophomore Leon Williams, who averaged 11.9 points and 8.6 rebounds, complete the team's core.

"If we are healthy come March and we are in Cleveland, I would say we have a great shot to repeat (as conference champions)," said coach Tim O'Shea at the team's media day. "One, we have been through it. Two, we have got the talent.

"I don't think anyone would argue we have the best big man in the MAC in Leon Williams. We are very strong on both wing positions with Troutman and Green. We have got an outstanding point guard in (Jeremy) Fears. We've pretty much got all the bases covered. We have added to our talent through recruiting. We have all the pieces to have a very good season."


Watch out for
Akron. The Zips were a monster at home last season, posting a 14-1 mark at Rhodes Arena en route to a 19-10 overall record in coach Keith Dambrot's first season.

The Zips ranked fourth in the league in scoring last season and return their top four scorers. The frontcourt is Akron's strength, led by senior forward Darryl Peterson, who averaged 12.9 ppg while playing just over 22 minutes. Romeo Travis, a former high school teammate of LeBron James, averaged 11.9 ppg and 7.4 rpg and could have a breakout season. Akron ranked second in scoring defense with Travis and Jeremiah Wood protecting the post.

The Zips aren't the only team capable of challenging Ohio for MAC supremacy. Ball State, Buffalo, Kent State, Northern Illinois and Toledo are all talented enough to pull off an upset to win the automatic invitation to the Big Dance come conference tournament time. Player of the year
Leon Williams, Ohio. Williams, last season's MAC freshman of the year, has a huge upside. He has a great team around him and could very well average a double-double in the MAC this season.

There's a plethora of players who will challenge for the honor should Williams take a step back, including teammates Mychal Green and Sonny Troutman. Kent State's Kevin Warzynski is poised to end his career in style and is especially proficient on the offensive end. Ball State guard Peyton Stovall is electric and can get it done on both ends of the floor.

MAC Predicted Finish
EAST
1. Ohio
2. Akron
3. Buffalo
4. Kent State
5. Miami (Ohio)
6. Bowling Green
WEST
1. Northern Illinois
2. Ball State
3. Toledo
4. Western Michigan
5. Eastern Michigan
6. Central Michigan

First Team All-Conference
G - Peyton Stovall, Ball State
G - Mychal Green, Ohio
F - Romeo Travis, Akron
F - Kevin Warzynski, Kent State
C - Leon Williams, Ohio
www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/9033812

[Wolf]

Akron is 5-3 on the year. Their RPI is 96 and their SAG is 150.

Akron 67, Youngstown St. 62
Akron 79, Duquesne 61
California 89, Akron 75
Akron 123, Denison 52
Louisville 111, Akron 85
Akron 74, Mount St. Mary's 61
Akron 83, Mississippi St. 72
Clemson 66, Akron 59

[Wolf]

Official Site:
gozips.collegesports.com/sports/m-baskbl/akoh-m-baskbl-body.html

Message board:
zipsnation.org//index.php?showforum=2

[Wolf]

Pomeroy has Akron as 6 point favorites over WSU

www.kenpom.com/sked.php?team=Wright%20St.&t=p

[bballraider]

Former Moeller grad leaves Akron.

Men's Basketball's Walther Leaves Team
Sophomore guard averaged 8.9 points and 18 minutes a game this season.

Dec. 28, 2005

AKRON, Ohio - University of Akron men's basketball player Bubba Walther (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller HS) has left the team, head coach Keith Dambrot announced Wednesday.

"Young people today make decisions for a variety of reasons," Dambrot said. "Bubba wants to explore his options elsewhere, and our program wishes him the best of luck."

The 6-foot-4 sophomore guard averaged 8.9 points, 2.1 assists and 1.9 rebounds while playing an average of 18.3 minutes a game this season. Walther started in three of UA's eight games thus far this year, including at fifth-ranked Louisville on Dec. 10.

Named to the Mid-American Conference All-Freshman team last season, he closed out his Akron career averaging 8.8 points, 1.7 assists and 1.6 rebounds.


gozips.collegesports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/122805aab.html

Walther leaves Akron basketball team
12/28/2005, 5:10 p.m. ET
The Associated Press

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Sophomore guard Bubba Walther left Akron's basketball team on Wednesday.

"Bubba wants to explore his options elsewhere, and our program wishes him the best of luck," Zips coach Keith Dambrot said.

The 6-foot-4 Walther averaged 8.9 points, 2.1 assists and 1.9 rebounds this season.

www.cleveland.com/sportsflash/local/index.ssf?/base/sports-18/1135808349249320.xml&storylist=clevelandsports

[Big D]

I wonder if he would be interested in playing about 1 hour north of his hometown. We could use another 3 point threat next year. If he transferred in time for winter quarter, he would be eligible next year after fall quarter ends (beginning of December) and would have 2 1/2 years of eligibility left. To go along with what bballraider posted, he is shooting 40% from 3 pt range this year. Here is his player profile from Akron's website:

Perimeter-shooting threat... Comes from great basketball pedigree, with his father being a former high school coach and brother having played collegiately... Formal first name is Adam, but is affectionately referred to as "Bubba" by family, teammates and coaches - a nickname he has had since childhood.

2004-05 FRESHMAN: Named to the Mid-American Conference All-Freshman Team... Played in all 29 games, starting 14 times... Games played tied for fifth best all-time by a UA freshman... Led the team with 54 made 3-pointers after taking a team-high 147 attempts... Both three-pointers made and attempted ranked second best of any freshman in school history... Three-point field goals made also ranked 11th best in the league and was the best of any rookie in the conference... Hit a career-high six treys in the season opener at Drake (Nov. 19)... 21 points scored in that Drake contest was his career high... Nailed five shots from behind the arc twice, going 5-of-9 at Duquesne (Dec. 1) and 5-of-8 versus Toledo (Feb. 14)... Scored in double figures 12 times, managing 15 points or higher on six occasions... Led the team in scoring five times... Notched a 75.9 percent clip from the charity stripe (41-of-54).

HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio... Averaged 16 points-per-game, 6 assists-per-game and 3.5 steals-per-game as a senior, leading the squad to a 22-3 mark... First-team All-Greater Catholic League, all-city and McDonald's All-American nominee as a senior... Team was state champion his junior season, posting a 23-4 record... Scored 19 points in the title game, a 73-65 upset win over Columbus Brookhaven HS... That performance helped him earn a spot on the all-tournament team... Also a second-team All-Greater Catholic League pick as a junior.

PERSONAL: Son of Ginger and Jim Walther... Born Dec. 5, 1985... Both parents are high school teachers... Father is former boy's coach at Colerain HS and Northwest HS... Has participated in the Big Brothers program through his church in Cincinnati... Lists winning the 2003 state high school championship as his most thrilling sports moment... Brother, Jay, played basketball at North Florida and Ohio Dominican... Is undecided on a major.

gozips.collegesports.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/walther_bubba00.html

[Raider fan]

Funny BigD, after reading bballraiders post the first thought I had was he could play for WSU............he would be close to home and be joining a team that desperately needs a 3 pt threat.

Thanks for the info bball!

[Big D]

We have a completely different team when we have a legit 3 point shooter. With Scott in our lineup we are 4-1 this year. We already will be adding Todd Brown next year which will give us a couple of 3 point options, but I think we should use our last scholarship on another shooter. Bubba Walther would be a nice addition. He has already proved that he can play at this level. My personal choice for our last scholarship would be Scott Grote. He is a lights out 3 point shooter. He is local and his father is a WSU legend. With the year he has been putting together at his prep school, he might end up at a higher level than the HL. I think we have a pretty good chance of landing him IF we can get this OSU/NCAA mess behind us before the late signing period.

[bballraider]

I heard Coach B in a radio interview tonight and he said two players were pretty sick and didn't practice today and that they were so sick that they may not make the trip to Akron. He didn't elaborate on who the two were, and I was wondering if anybody else might have heard which two players are sick.

[Big D]

Akron's game notes:
gozips.collegesports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/122905aaa.html


WSU's game notes:
www.wright.edu/athletics/stats/notes/1135875936.pdf

[PapaRaider]

According to Dayton Daily News, one of the sick players is Scottie Wilson.

[Dayton Daily News]

www.daytondailynews.com/sports/content/sports/wsu/daily/1230raiderconnection.html?cxntnid=rc-123005

RAIDER CONNECTION

WSU's won three straight, but some predict Akron 'slaughter'
By Marc Katz

Dayton Daily News

FAIRBORN | Wright State has played plenty of games on Dec. 30 through its 36-year basketball history, but Saturday's game at Akron will be only the third on New Year's Eve day.

Previously, the 1988-89 team beat Liberty at home, 105-77, on New Year's Eve, and the 1995-96 team lost 62-46 at Virginia Tech on the same date.

Game time is 2 p.m., so the Raiders should be home in plenty of time to celebrate the date change. How happy they'll be to do that is another matter.

Despite Akron's losing 6-foot-4 sophomore guard Bubba Walther this week (he quit, even though he was averaging 8.9 points and playing more than 18 minutes a game), a blog on the Akron Beacon Journal Web site says, "Akron plays next on New Year's Eve against Wright State. It should be a slaughter."

And Akron, sitting at 5-3, is supposed to be the team leading the slaughter.

The Zips are averaging 80.6 points, and the Raiders will have to come up with a similar defense used against Northeastern on Wednesday that held the Huskies to 65 points, more than 20 below their average of 86.1.

It was the lowest point total of the year for Northeastern, which scored only 53 points against WSU a year ago, also a season low.

Akron has won the last two meetings between the teams, including 81-70 in Fairborn last season and 85-67 the year before that.

If the Raiders win, it will be the second time in three years they go into the new year with a .500 record. Two years ago, coach Paul Biancardi's first, the Raiders ended December 3-7 on the way to a 14-14 record. Last year, the Raiders were 6-6 on the way to a 15-15 record.

At the moment, WSU is 4-5 after starting out 0-4 and 1-5. Wright State has won three straight games, all at home.

Not only have the Raiders won three straight, they posted another victory Wednesday morning when they visited Children's Medical Center, providing a friendly break in the day for several patients.

Before they went into the rooms, Biancardi told his players they would probably have to initiate conversation as some of the patients would be too small or afraid to speak first.

That didn't seem to be a problem, and all of the players appeared to have a good time. Only Scottie Wilson, who had a bad cold, did not attend.

Five of WSU's next seven games are on the road, with three of them in the Akron area. The other two are at Cleveland State on Thursday and at Youngstown State on Jan. 12.