2022–23 Akron Zips men's basketball team

2022–23 Akron Zips men's basketball
ConferenceMid-American Conference
Record22–11 (13–5 MAC)
Head coach
Associate head coachDustin Ford (6th season)
Assistant coaches
  • Rob Fulford (6th season)
  • Robby Pridgen (6th season)
Home arenaJames A. Rhodes Arena
Seasons
2022–23 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Toledo 16 – 2   .889 27 – 8   .771
Kent State † 15 – 3   .833 28 – 7   .800
Akron 13 – 5   .722 22 – 11   .667
Ball State 11 – 7   .611 20 – 12   .625
Ohio 10 – 8   .556 19 – 14   .576
Buffalo 9 – 9   .500 15 – 17   .469
Northern Illinois 9 – 9   .500 13 – 19   .406
Miami (OH) 6 – 12   .333 12 – 20   .375
Bowling Green 5 – 13   .278 11 – 20   .355
Eastern Michigan 5 – 13   .278 8 – 23   .258
Central Michigan 5 – 13   .278 10 – 21   .323
Western Michigan 4 – 14   .222 8 – 23   .258
† 2023 MAC tournament winner

The 2022–23 Akron Zips men's basketball team represented the University of Akron during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Zips, led by sixth-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] As the third seed they defeated Buffalo in the first round of the MAC tournament before losing to Kent State to finish 22–11 and 13–5 in MAC play[2][3]

Previous season

Main article: 2021–22 Akron Zips men's basketball team

The Zips finished the 2022–23 season 24–10 overall, 14–6 in MAC Play to finish in a tie for third place.[4] As the No. 4 seed, they defeated Buffalo, Toledo, and Kent State to win the MAC tournament.[5] They received the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 13 seed in the East Region, where they lost in the first round to UCLA.[6]

Offseason

Departures

Departures
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Ali Ali F 6'8 205 Sophomore Kendallville, Indiana Transferred to Butler
Aziz Bandaogo C 7'0 215 Freshman Dakar, Senegal Transferred to Utah Valley
Sekou Kalle F 6'10 224 Freshman Louisville, Kentucky Transferred to Evansville
Bryan Trimble, Jr. G 6'3 224 RS-Junior Kansas City, Missouri Transferred to Missouri State
Michael Wynn F 6'6 210 Junior Albany, New York Entered Transfer Portal

[7][8][9]

Incoming transfers

Transfers
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Trendon Hankerson G 6'2 185 Junior Novi, Michigan Transferred from Northern Illinois
Sammy Hunter F 6'9 228 Sophomore Nassau, Bahamas Transferred from Mississippi

[7][8]

Recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Amani Lyles
F 		Columbus, Ohio Beechcroft 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 226 lb (103 kg)  
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Tavari Johnson
G 		Chicago, Illinois Lyons 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 155 lb (70 kg)  
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Ryan Prather Jr.
G 		Clarksburg, Maryland Clarksburg 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Nov 15, 2021 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Prince Mosengo
F 		Democratic Republic of the Congo Keystone Academy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg)  
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   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:

  • "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2022–23 Akron Zips men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Amani Lyles 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 226 lb (103 kg) Fr Beechcroft Columbus, OH
G 1 Garvin Clarke 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 184 lb (83 kg) So Cleveland Heights HS Euclid, OH
G 2 Greg Tribble 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Huntington Prep Cincinnati, OH
G 3 Kobe Mitchell 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Harrison Central HS Cadiz, OH
G 4 Trendon Hankerson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) GS Northern Illinois Novi, MI
G 5 Tavari Johnson 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Fr Lyons Chicago, IL
G 10 Ryan Prather Jr. 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Clarksburg Clarksburg, MD
G 11 Sammy Hunter 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Mississippi Nassau, Bahamas
G 12 Pat Mayfield 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Burlington Central HS Elgin, IL
G 13 Xavier Castaneda 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 188 lb (85 kg) Sr South Florida Chicago, IL
G 20 Evan Wilson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Noblesville HS Noblesville, IN
G/F 22 Mikal Dawson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 222 lb (101 kg) Jr Huntington Prep Huntington, WV
F 23 Prince Mosengo 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Keystone Academy DR Congo
F 25 Enrique Freeman 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 206 lb (93 kg) Jr St. Martin de Porres HS Cleveland, OH
G 34 Nate Johnson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 204 lb (93 kg) So Lakota East HS Liberty Township, OH
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: September 13, 2022

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 7, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN3 		South Dakota State W 81–80 OT 1–0
  31 – Castaneda   14 – Freeman   7 – Castaneda  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,157)
Akron, OH
November 11, 2022*
7:00 p.m., Barstool Sports 		vs. Mississippi State
Barstool Showcase 		L 54–73  1–1
  20 – Castaneda   4 – Tied   6 – Castaneda  Wells Fargo Center (5,213)
Philadelphia, PA
November 15, 2022*
7:00 p.m., TBA 		Morgan State W 65–59  2–1
  17 – Freeman   13 – Freeman   4 – Tribble  James A. Rhodes Arena (1,759)
Akron, OH
November 21, 2022*
1:30 p.m., FloSports 		vs. Western Kentucky
Cayman Islands Classic quarterfinals 		W 72–53  3–1
  18 – Freeman   11 – Tied   3 – Tied  John Gray Gymnasium 
George Town, Cayman Islands
November 22, 2022*
1:30 p.m., FloSports 		vs. LSU
Cayman Islands Classic semifinals 		L 58–73  3–2
  28 – Castaneda   10 – Freeman   4 – Castaneda  John Gray Gymnasium 
George Town, Cayman Islands
November 23, 2022*
5:00 p.m., FloSports 		vs. Nevada
Cayman Islands Classic 		L 58–62  3–3
  21 – Johnson   9 – Freeman   4 – Johnson  John Gray Gymnasium 
George Town, Cayman Islands
November 30, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Marshall L 57–68  3–4
  16 – Johnson   14 – Freeman   4 – Johnson  Cam Henderson Center (4.012)
Huntington, WV
December 4, 2022*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Muskingum W 80–33  4–4
  17 – Castaneda   9 – Lyles   6 – Johnson  James A. Rhodes Arena (1,466)
Akron, OH
December 11, 2022*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Jackson State W 85–72  5–4
  23 – Castaneda   9 – Freeman   5 – Tied  James A. Rhodes Arena (1,385)
Akron, OH
December 14, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Wright State W 66–54  6–4
  19 – Castaneda   15 – Freeman   4 – Hankerson  James A. Rhodes Arena (1398)
Akron, OH
December 19, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Maine W 87–55  7–4
  33 – Castaneda   8 – Freeman   3 – Castaneda  James A. Rhodes Arena (1,424)
Akron, OH
December 22, 2022*
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Bradley L 55–74  7–5
  19 – Castaneda   10 – Freeman   2 – Castaneda  Carver Arena (3,530)
Peoria, IL
December 30, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN3 		Concord W 84–58  8–5
  18 – Freeman   10 – Freeman   6 – Hankerson  James A. Rhodes Arena (1,550)
Akron, OH
MAC regular season
January 3, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Northern Illinois W 76–51  9–5
(1–0) 		 27 – Freeman   15 – Freeman   4 – Hankerson  James A. Rhodes Arena 
Akron, OH
January 6, 2023
8:30 p.m., CBSSN 		at Ball State L 63–70  9–6
(1–1) 		 23 – Freeman   14 – Freeman   1 – Tied  Worthen Arena 
Muncie, IN
January 10, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Bowling Green W 74–70  10–6
(2–1) 		 21 – Freeman   15 – Freeman   5 – Castaneda  Stroh Center (1,844)
Bowling Green, OH
January 13, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPNU 		Eastern Michigan W 104–67  11–6
(3–1) 		 23 – Castaneda   9 – Freeman   9 – Johnson  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,177)
Akron, OH
January 17, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Central Michigan W 69–51  12–6
(4–1) 		 13 – Castaneda   9 – Freeman   5 – Castaneda  McGuirk Arena (1,509)
Mount Pleasant, MI
January 21, 2023
2:30 p.m., ESPN3 		at Western Michigan W 66–55  13–6
(5–1) 		 32 – Castaneda   11 – Freeman   4 – Tribble  University Arena (2,288)
Kalamazoo, MI
January 24, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Miami (OH) W 73–68  14–6
(6–1) 		 32 – Castaneda   8 – Freeman   4 – Tribble  James A. Rhodes Arena (1,620)
Akron, OH
January 28, 2023
2:00 p.m., ESPN3 		Ohio W 83–77  15–6
(7–1) 		 32 – Freeman   15 – Freeman   4 – Hankerson  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,234)
Akron, OH
January 31, 2023
TBA, ESPN+ 		at Buffalo W 81–64  16–6
(8–1) 		 32 – Castaneda   9 – Freeman   8 – Tribble  Alumni Arena (5,001)
Buffalo, NY
February 3, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN3 		Kent State W 67–55  17–6
(9–1) 		 24 – Castaneda   17 – Freeman   4 – Tribble  James A. Rhodes Arena (5,821)
Akron, OH
February 7, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Toledo L 74–84  17–7
(9–2) 		 23 – Castaneda   12 – Freeman   4 – Tribble  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,041)
Akron, OH
February 10, 2023[10]
7:30 p.m., CBSSN 		at Ohio L 81–90  17–8
(9–3) 		 34 – Castaneda   12 – Freeman   4 – Hankerson  Convocation Center (5,038)
Athens, OH
February 14, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Eastern Michigan W 78–51  18–8
(10–3) 		 22 – Freeman   15 – Freeman   4 – Castaneda  George Gervin GameAbove Center (2,122)
Ypsilanti, MI
February 18, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN3 		Buffalo W 86–66  19–8
(11–3) 		 30 – Castaneda   10 – Freeman   4 – Freeman  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,068)
Akron, OH
February 21, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Toledo L 63–84  19–9
(11–4) 		 18 – Freeman   9 – Freeman   4 – Castaneda  Savage Arena (5,677)
Toledo, OH
February 25, 2023
4:00 p.m., ESPN3 		Western Michigan W 81–64  20–9
(12–4) 		 23 – Castaneda   10 – Freeman   6 – Hankerson  James A. Rhodes Arena (1,739)
Akron, OH
February 28, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Ball State W 87–83  21–9
(13–4) 		 29 – Castaneda   12 – Freeman   3 – Hankerson  James A. Rhodes Arena (1,912)
Akron, OH
March 3, 2023
6:00 p.m.[11], ESPNU 		at Kent State L 84–89 OT 21–10
(13–5) 		 26 – Hunter   12 – Freeman   5 – Castaneda  MAC Center (6,327)
Kent, OH
MAC tournament
March 9, 2022
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		(3) vs. (6) Buffalo
Quarterfinals 		W 101–77  22–10
  31 – Castaneda   7 – Freeman   4 – Castaneda  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (3,852)
Cleveland, OH
March 10, 2022
7:30 p.m., CBSSN 		(3) vs. (2) Kent State
Semifinals 		L 73–79  22–11
  26 – Freeman   18 – Freeman   3 – Tied  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (9,295)
Cleveland, OH
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[12]

References

  1. ^ "John Groce". Akron Athletics. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  2. ^ "Buffalo 77, Akron 101". ESPN. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  3. ^ "Akron 73, Kent State 79". ESPN. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  4. ^ "MAC Basketball Standings - 2021-22". ESPN. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  5. ^ "Akron rocks rival Kent State 75-55 for MAC title, NCAA berth". ESPN. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  6. ^ "UCLA 57, Akron 53". ESPN. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  7. ^ a b "2022-23 Men's Basketball Roster". Akron Athletics.
  8. ^ a b "2022 D1 Basketball Transfers". Verbal Commits. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  9. ^ "2021-22 Men's Basketball Roster". Akron Athletics.
  10. ^ "Two MAC Men's Basketball Matchups Selected For Television".
  11. ^ "Three MAC Men's Basketball Matchups Selected For Television".
  12. ^ "2022-23 Men's Basketball Schedule". Akron Athletics.