2023–24 Akron Zips men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Akron Zips men's basketball team represented the University of Akron during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Zips, led by seventh-year head coach John Groce, played their home games at the James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio as members of the Mid-American Conference.[1][2][3] They finished the regular season 21–10, 13–5 in MAC play to finish tied for 2nd place. They defeated Miami, Ohio, and Kent State to win the MAC tournament, earning them a bid to the NCAA Tournament as a 14-seed in the Midwest region.[4][5][6][7] They were defeated by Creighton in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, bringing their final record to 24–11.[8]

2023–24 Akron Zips men's basketball
MAC tournament champions
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceMid-American Conference
Record24–11 (13–5 MAC)
Head coach
Associate head coachDustin Ford (7th season)
Assistant coaches
  • Rob Fulford (7th season)
  • Robby Pridgen (7th season)
Home arenaJames A. Rhodes Arena
2023–24 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Toledo14–4 .77820–12  .625
Akron †13–5 .72224–11  .686
Ohio13–5 .72220–13  .606
Central Michigan12–6 .66718–14  .563
Bowling Green10–8 .55620–14  .588
Western Michigan9–9 .50012–20  .375
Miami (OH)9–9 .50015–17  .469
Kent State8–10 .44417–17  .500
Ball State7–11 .38915–16  .484
Eastern Michigan6–12 .33313–18  .419
Northern Illinois5–13 .27811–20  .355
Buffalo2–16 .1114–27  .129
† 2024 MAC tournament winner

Previous season
Main article: 2022–23 Akron Zips men's basketball team

The Zips finished the 2022–23 season 22–11 and 13–5 in MAC play to finish in third place.[9] As the third seed they defeated Buffalo in the first round of the MAC tournament before losing to Kent State.[10][11]

Offseason

Departures
Departures
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Garvin ClarkeG6'0"184SophomoreEuclid, OhioTransferred to Indiana (PA)
Kobe MitchellG6'2"190SophomoreCadiz, OhioTransferred to Walsh
Trendon HankersonG6'2"185Grad. StudentEuclid, OhioExhausted Eligibility
Xavier CastanedaG6'1"188SeniorChicago, IllinoisExhausted Eligibility
Prince MosengoF6'8"205FreshmanDemocratic Republic of the Congo

Transferred to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College

[12][13][14]

Incoming transfers
Transfers
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Shammah ScottG6'2180JuniorCleveland, OhioTransferred from Wichita State
Kaleb ThorntonG6'0175SeniorCadiz, OhioTransferred from Northern Illinois
Ali AliG6'8205SeniorKendallville, IndianaTransferred from Butler

[12][13]

Recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Darrion Baker
F		 Chicago, Illinois Hillcrest 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: NR
Zach Halligan
G/F		 Uniontown, Ohio Walsh Jesuit High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Marvin Musiime-Kamali
G/F		 Boston, Massachusetts Cushing Academy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 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:

  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster
2023–24 Akron Zips men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
F 0 Amani Lyles 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)226 lb (103 kg) SoBeechcroft Columbus, OH
G 1 Shammah Scott 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)180 lb (82 kg) JrWichita State Cleveland, OH
G 2 Greg Tribble 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)195 lb (88 kg) SrHuntington Prep Bolingbrook, IL
G 3 Kaleb Thornton 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)175 lb (79 kg) SrNorthern Illinois Cadiz, OH
F 4 Darrion Baker 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)225 lb (102 kg) FrHillcrest Chicago, IL
G 5 Tavari Johnson 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)155 lb (70 kg) SoLyons Chicago, IL
G 10 Ryan Prather Jr. 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) RS FrClarksburg Clarksburg, MD
G 11 Sammy Hunter 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)225 lb (102 kg) SrMississippi Nassau, Bahamas
G 12 Pat Mayfield 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)185 lb (84 kg) SrBurlington Central HS Elgin, IL
G 20 Evan Wilson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)200 lb (91 kg) JrNoblesville HS Noblesville, IN
G/F 20 Zach Halligan 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)205 lb (93 kg) FrWalsh Jesuit Uniontown, OH
G/F 22 Mikal Dawson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)222 lb (101 kg) SrHuntington Prep Huntington, WV
G/F 23 Marvin Musiime-Kamali 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)195 lb (88 kg) FrCushing Academy Boston, MA
G 24 Ali Ali 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)205 lb (93 kg) SrButler Kendallville, IN
F 25 Enrique Freeman 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)206 lb (93 kg) SrSt. Martin de Porres HS Cleveland, OH
G 34 Nate Johnson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)204 lb (93 kg) RS SoLakota East HS Liberty Township, OH
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 High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023*
9:15 p.m., SLN		 at South Dakota State W 81–75  1–0
  19 – Dawson  14 – Freeman  5 – Freeman  Frost Arena (2,617)
Brookings, SD
November 10, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Southern Miss
MAC-SBC Challenge		 W 72–54  2–0
  17 – N. Johnson  8 – Freeman  2 – Tied  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,432)
Akron, OH
November 14, 2023*
7:30 p.m., −		 Heidelberg W 114–56  3–0
  25 – Dawson  17 – Freeman  9 – Thornton  James A. Rhodes Arena (1,782)
Akron, OH
November 19, 2023*
7:30 p.m., FloSports		 vs. FIU
Cayman Islands Classic quarterfinals		 W 77–71  4–0
  27 – Freeman  14 – Freeman  3 – Dawson  John Gray Gymnasium (−)
George Town, Cayman Islands
November 20, 2023*
7:30 p.m., FloSports		 vs. Utah State
Cayman Islands Classic semifinals		 L 62–65  4–1
  25 – Freeman  13 – Freeman  3 – Tribble  John Gray Gymnasium (−)
George Town, Cayman Islands
November 21, 2023*
5:00 p.m., FloSports		 vs. Drake
Cayman Islands Classic 3rd place game		 L 59–79  4–2
  11 – Tied  5 – Scott  4 – T. Johnson  John Gray Gymnasium (−)
George Town, Cayman Islands
November 28, 2023*
10:00 p.m., MWN		 at UNLV L 70–72  4–3
  22 – Freeman  13 – Freeman  6 – Johnson  Thomas & Mack Center (4,702)
Paradise, NV
December 5, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Bradley W 67–52  5–3
  21 – Freeman  18 – Freeman  3 – Tied  James A. Rhodes Arena (3,100)
Akron, OH
December 9, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Northern Kentucky W 77–76  6–3
  21 – Freeman  10 – Freeman  5 – Tied  Truist Arena (4,163)
Highland Heights, KY
December 17, 2023*
2:00 p.m., −		 Miami-Hamilton W 88–45  7–3
  15 – Tied  17 – Freeman  5 – Thornton  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,605)
Akron, OH
December 21, 2023*
6:30 p.m., ESPN+		 Gardner–Webb W 94–90 OT 8–3
  29 – Ali  20 – Freeman  5 – N. Johnson  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,756)
Akron, OH
December 30, 2023*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+		 vs. St. Bonaventure
Legends of Basketball Showcase		 L 61–62  8–4
  20 – Ali  13 – Freeman  3 – Tied  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (−)
Cleveland, OH
MAC regular season
January 2, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Northern Illinois W 73–51  9–4
(1–0)		  21 – Freeman  10 – Freeman  5 – Thornton  Convocation Center (917)
DeKalb, IL
January 5, 2024
9:00 p.m., CBSSN		 Bowling Green W 83–67  10–4
(2–0)		  24 – Freeman  11 – Freeman  5 – Thornton  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,394)
Akron, OH
January 9, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Ball State W 80–76  11–4
(3–0)		  17 – Ali  13 – Freeman  3 – Ali  Worthen Arena (3,715)
Muncie, IN
January 12, 2024
7:00 p.m., CBSSN		 Buffalo W 76–59  12–4
(4–0)		  21 – Freeman  15 – Freeman  4 – Tribble  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,535)
Akron, OH
January 16, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Western Michigan W 77–66  13–4
(5–0)		  20 – Freeman  14 – Freeman  6 – Thornton  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,061)
Akron, OH
January 19, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPNU		 at Kent State W 77–71  14–4
(6–0)		  23 – Tied  9 – Scott  4 – Hunter  MAC Center (6,330)
Kent, OH
January 23, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Ohio W 67–58  15–4
(7–0)		  19 – Freeman  14 – Freeman  2 – Tied  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,604)
Akron, OH
January 27, 2024
1:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Miami (OH) L 68–70  15–5
(7–1)		  23 – Ali  12 – Freeman  3 – Tied  Millett Hall (1,408)
Oxford, OH
January 30, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Eastern Michigan W 77–46  16–5
(8–1)		  17 – Freeman  11 – Freeman  3 – Ali  George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,733)
Ypsilanti, MI
February 3, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Toledo W 77–70  17–5
(9–1)		  26 – Ali  14 – Freeman  4 – Freeman  James A. Rhodes Arena (3,151)
Akron, OH
February 6, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Central Michigan W 68–47  18–5
(10–1)		  17 – Tied  15 – Freeman  3 – Thornton  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,268)
Akron, OH
February 10, 2024*
6:00 p.m., ESPN2		 at James Madison
MAC-SBC Challenge		 L 59–73  18–6
  20 – Tribble  10 – Freeman  2 – Freeman  Atlantic Union Bank Center (6,454)
Harrisonburg, VA
February 17, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Buffalo W 73–62  19–6
(11–1)		  16 – Freeman  15 – Freeman  4 – Tied  Alumni Arena (2,721)
Buffalo, NY
February 20, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Toledo L 64–72  19–7
(11–2)		  19 – Tribble  15 – Freeman  2 – Tied  Savage Arena (5,547)
Toledo, OH
February 23, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Kent State W 83–70  20–7
(12–2)		  24 – Freeman  12 – Freeman  4 – Ali  James A. Rhodes Arena (5,160)
Akron, OH
February 27, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Ohio L 67–74  20–8
(12–3)		  16 – Ali  7 – Freeman  3 – N. Johnson  Convocation Center (5,753)
Athens, OH
March 2, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Northern Illinois W 80–73  21–8
(13–3)		  22 – Freeman  11 – Freeman  4 – Ali  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,331)
Akron, OH
March 5, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Eastern Michigan L 60–61  21–9
(13–4)		  15 – Freeman  13 – Freeman  3 – Tied  James A. Rhodes Arena (1,923)
Akron, OH
March 8, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Western Michigan L 84–90  21–10
(13–5)		  18 – Tribble  11 – Freeman  5 – Tribble  University Arena (1,636)
Kalamazoo, MI
MAC tournament
March 14, 2024
4:30 p.m., ESPN+		 (2) vs. (7) Miami (OH)
Quarterfinals		 W 75–63  22–10
  30 – Freeman  12 – Freeman  5 – Ali  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (7,854)
Cleveland, OH
March 15, 2024
7:30 p.m., CBSSN		 (2) vs. (3) Ohio
Semifinals		 W 65–62  23–10
  24 – Freeman  21 – Freeman  3 – Tied  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (7,802)
Cleveland, OH
March 16, 2024
7:30 p.m., ESPN2		 (2) vs. (8) Kent State
Championship		 W 63–62  24–10
  18 – Ali  9 – Freeman  5 – Ali  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (7,955)
Cleveland, OH
NCAA tournament
March 21, 2024
1:30 p.m., TNT		 (14 MW) vs. (3 MW) No. 11 Creighton
First Round		 L 60–77  24–11
  21 – Freeman  14 – Freeman  2 – Ali  PPG Paints Arena 
Pittsburgh, PA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[15][16]

References
  1. "John Groce". Akron Athletics. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  2. "MAC Men's College Basketball Standings - 2023-24". ESPN. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  3. "Athletics Facilities - JAMES A. RHODES ARENA". Akron Athletics. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  4. "MAC basketball tournament bracket set; Miami RedHawks face Akron in first round". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  5. "Akron 75, Miami 63". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  6. "Akron 65, Ohio 62". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  7. "Akron vs. Kent State". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  8. "Akron vs. Creighton". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  9. "MAC Basketball Standings - 2022-23". ESPN. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  10. "Buffalo 77, Akron 101". ESPN. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  11. "Akron 73, Kent State 79". ESPN. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  12. "2023-24 Men's Basketball Roster". Akron Athletics.
  13. "2023 D1 Basketball Transfers". Verbal Commits. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  14. "2022-23 Men's Basketball Roster". Akron Athletics.
  15. "2023-24 Men's Basketball Schedule". Akron Athletics.
  16. "Akron Zips Schedule 2023-24". ESPN.
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