Men's basketball
Top-10 recruit Adreian Payne is no longer considering Akron, an inside source tells me. Payne's focus has narrowed to Ohio State, Michigan State and Kentucky.
Before assistant coach Jeff Boals left for Ohio State, it was Akron on the short list and Ohio State on the outside looking in. Those teams have switched places. Michigan State, a Final Four team, and Kentucky, with new coach John Calipari, have also surged ahead of some early favorites, such as Akron, Dayton and Xavier.
Keith Dambrot is focusing on filling his vacant assistant coaching job. Once he does, the focus will shift to recruiting for 2011, when the Zips will have four scholarships to give.
- Here is a list of players to whom Akron has offered a scholarship…
Trey Burke, point guard, Columbus
Offers: Akron, Butler, Cleveland State, James Madison, Ohio and Stephen F. Austin
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 160
Notes: Rivals.com says that no player in Ohio has impressed people on the AAU circuit more than Burke, who is a tremendous shooter off the dribble or with his feet set. He will have to become stronger and a better defender at the next level. Burke was in Akron for the King James Classic.
Stevie Taylor, point guard, Gahanna
Offers: Akron, James Madison and Ohio
Height: 5-7
Weight: 150
Notes: Taylor hails from the same high school as Nate Linhart. He could use half a foot, but he makes up for his size with incredible quickness with the ball and dead-on shooting. Like Burke, Taylor is one of Ohio's most promising guards. Scout.com gives Taylor three stars.
Travis Trice, point guard, Dayton
Offers: Akron, Dayton, Butler, Cleveland State and Wright State
Height: 5-11
Weight: 160
Notes: Trice is a well-balanced guard who can score a bunch but also averages a lot of assists. He grew up rooting for Purdue, where his dad attended, and Butler, where his dad transferred. He
Traevon Jackson, shooting guard, Westerville, Ohio
Offers: Akron
Height: 6-2
Weight: 190
Notes: Jimmy Jackson's son has the pedigree to play Division I basketball. His greatest assets are strength and rebounding. With a father who was the No. 4 pick in the NBA Draft, Jackson will receive a lot of attention wherever he plays college basketball. As a 6-2 shooting guard who sometimes struggles with his shooting, however, Jackson probably won't receive many big-time offers. Xavier and Notre Dame are among the schools showing interest.
Markus Crider, small forward, Dayton
Offers: Akron, Dayton and Wright State
Height: 6-5
Weight: 190
Notes: He is teammates with Trice at Dayton Wayne High School. Each of the schools who have offered Crider have also offered Trice. Crider's athleticism gives him a high upside. He considers his ability to slash as his greatest strength, but he is working on becoming a more consistent shooter and a better ball handler.
Perry Henry, shooting guard, South Charleston, W.V.
Offers: Akron, Marshall, West Virginia and Xavier
Height: 6-4
Weight: 180
Notes: I can't find anything on Henry, which is unusual for a player with a BCS offer.
If it's any consolation, Dambrot finished fourth in the voting for best college coach in Ohio. As that story points out, Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports named Dambrot the nation's best mid-major coach.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
And people wonder why I detest the Buckeyes… (yes I know that Coach Boals was not the ONLY reason Payne lost interest in UA)
The only news here is that people thought Akron was ever seriously IN the Aderian Payne sweepstakes.
Hey Seriously,
I bet you had the same feelings last year and you were ready to come here to post the same crap about Zeke Marshall. But Zeke ruined it for you and signed with Akron.
I feel bad for you… you are so insecure you use nonsense as your screen name and you don't believe your team can attract good recruits. Well here at Akron we're different, we believe in our coaches, and they deliver.
Ignore Seriously.
Akron basketball is definitely up and coming. I want to see Akron still snag this kid. Until Zeke committed to Akron last year, everyone discounted UA. Expect to see the same here.
His loss, cant wait to heckle him when i get the chance.
GO ZIPS
That's funny because everywhere I read WVU is high on places he is considering.
Payne is nowhere near having a top 3 schools.
It's a shame if Payne doesn't at least put Akron on his list of final contenders but I do believe that would be his loss, especially from a playing time and coaching perspective.
On another note…Mike, heard anything about the Glenn Wilkes Classic in Daytona? There is a link posted over on Zipsnation about us being involved in the event and opening with Austin Peay at the JAR but nobody seems to know if we are actually going to Daytona Beach or not.
I saw that link, too. I haven't had a chance to see what's going on with the schedule though.