Men's basketball

Returning to the form of last season, Humpty Hitchens found a rhythm in the second half of today's game against Drake, scoring 17 points and dishing an assist to Darryl Roberts for the game-sealing jumpshot.

Akron won its first game of the season against Drake, 63-59.

The Bulldogs led by as many as nine in the second half before the Zips went on a 10-0 run. Neither team led by more than four the rest of the game.

Akron will conclude the Glenn Wilkes Classic in Daytona Beach, Fla., with an 11 a.m. game against Howard tomorrow.

Football

If you look at the stats from last night's game, it's hard to see how Bowling Green won by 16.

Two plays come to mind. First, Dale Martin's fumble on the Bowling Green 12-yard line. Second, the attempted onside kick that the Falcons returned for a touchdown.

Aside from that, Akron and Bowling Green each had 21 first downs. The Falcons held a slight edge in total yardage: 474 to 430.

This was far from the beatdown I envisioned. Akron hung in there, exchanged blows with a strong offense, but Bowling Green scored 28 points within a 13-minute span.

The most obvious positive from this game was the play of Patrick Nicely. Folks, you're watching a talented kid learn his trade and make progress every week. You can tell his timing is improving. His accuracy is getting better. And from Day One, he has possessed the poise to stay in the pocket and be patient for his receivers to open up.

Also look at Brian Wagner, who tallied another 15 tackles. He is the next in the line of great Akron linebackers, going back to Jay Rohr, John Mackey and Kevin Grant.

Broderick Alexander showed great bursts of speed at times. He reminds me of a young Alex Allen. A string of injuries is all that has kept Allen from his all-conference potential during his career. We also saw some good things from Nadir Brown and Anthony Meriwether at receiver.

This is not a team devoid of talent. Nor is it a team without experience. Perhaps what the team lacks is experienced talent — or senior leadership.

Next week, Akron will finish the season against Eastern Michigan. Is there a difference between 2-10 and 3-9? Not really. Is there a reason for the casual fan to attend? Not really. If there is some solace in a bad season, however, it's neat to see the next generation of Zips fight their way to the top of the depth chart and learn what it takes to be an elite college athlete.

I think there are several on the roster.

Football

Akron moved the ball, but a couple costly mistakes and an inability to stop Tyler Sheehan's passing attack led to a 36-20 Bowling Green win.

With tonight's loss, Akron's record is 2-9. I'll have more on the game tomorrow.

Men's basketball

N.C. State shot 65 percent in the Wolfpac's 66-45 win over Akron, which shot only 31 percent from the field.

Humpty Hitchens led Akron with 10 points. Zeke Marshall was 1-for-6 from the field, scoring two and grabbing four rebounds.

The Zips play again Saturday at 1:15 p.m. as the Glenn Wilkes Classic from Daytona Beach, Fla., continues.

Men's basketball

Keep refreshing your page for minute-by-minute updates…

This should be a busy afternoon on campus. The men's soccer team will play Hartwick for the MAC Championship at 4 p.m. at Lee Jackson Field.

I wonder how old the childish "Peay" jokes have gotten for Governors' fans. I can only imagine how creative Ohio Valley Conference fans can get with insults. At Akron, we clutch to the mildly creative "Can't State" moniker. Austin Peay opponents have a bevy of ammunition. And the worst thing is, the most common chant in sports is unavailable to Peay fans ("Let's go Peay!").

I overheard that Tim Carroll will start today. Zeke Marshall comes off the bench. I think it's fair to make Marshall earn his spot among a few regular season games before anointing him a starter. Like in the exhibition game, I will document Marshall's notable plays in the ZEKE WATCH.

This is technically the first game of the Glenn Wilkes Classic, which will continue Nov. 20-22 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

The Governors are 0-1, having lost Friday at No. 11 Tennessee 83-54 on Friday. Austin Peay got beaten in just about every aspect of the game. The team's 6-foot-6 swingman Anthony Campbell scored 17 to lead both teams.

The team will be presented its 2009 MAC Championship rings today. I got a picture of Joe Dunn's. It's posted below. My cell phone picture doesn't do this justice. The ring is absolutely stunning. If society permitted women to propose to men, that would be the ring to do it with.

Dunn gave me a catch phrase for when Marshall enters the game: "Zeke and Destroy." I fully expect that to be on an AK-Rowdies sign by the next home game on Nov. 27.

I had awesome Cavs tickets last night. Sixth row behind the Jazz bench. After letting Carlos Boozer hear it and cheering for the good guys, I must be careful not to break the No. 1 rule on press row: No cheering.

At that game, I was surprised to see a rookie get the ball in crunch time for the Jazz. That was Eric Maynor, who played twice against Akron. He was good then. He's almost as good in the pros.

Akron starters: Brett McClanahan, Darryl Roberts, Nik Cvetinovic, Carroll and Chris McKnight.

The big question on everyone's mind: Is today the day Keith Dambrot takes off Marshall's redshirt. Just kidding. But seriously, the PD's Elton Alexander confirms that Marshall looked very bad in the first few weeks of practice. Much to the coaches' delight, Marshall found a comfort level and began to improve.

You might be hearing Alexander shout "Give me them quarters." This is because he won a 25-cent bet about when Marshall would enter the game. He came in at 17:25, which was close to Alexander's guess of 17:34. I said 15:00. Tom Gaffney said 16:30.

Austin Peay has gotten in the paint for four straight layups. That is the reason we saw Marshall so soon. Akron is trying to work the ball into him, but the Governors are double-teaming. Brett McKnight and Humpty Hitchens made back-to-back 3-pointers based on Austin Peay's interior pressure.

The AK-Rowdies are well-represented. Having them here is a big difference in atmosphere. Not many showed up for the exhibition game.

Marshall has been on the floor for three minutes without much of an impact. … As I wrote that, Marshall score his first collegiate basket on a rebounded jumpshot. Big ovation from the fans.

Akron needs to settle down. Austin Peay is making the Zips look uncomfortable. The nervous jitters are tangible.

The Zips' defense is nothing more than a turnstile. The guards are getting beat off the dribble. The big men aren't in position to contest the shot. The Governors are carving a layup line right through Dambrot's proud defense.

I love how intense Cvetinovic is. After a Chris McKnight layup, he charged off the bench flexing his muscles and shouting in celebration. It's two points in the first half of the first game of the season, but the Serbian reacts like the Ultimate Warrior trying to rev up the crowd at WrestleMania.

Marshall swatted his first shot. It was a volleyball spike. He followed it up with a turn-around, fade-away six-footer. This kid is very skilled.

Akron has begun to pull away as the players worked up a sweat and some of the nerves wore off.

Hitchens found a cutting McClahanan, who lobbed an alley-oop attempt for Marshall, but the pass was a little off, so Marshall did not finish. It was a nifty play, but it requires good timing.

Hitchens ended the half with a 3. Score: Akron 44, Austin Peay 32.

I haven't really watched any of the last few minutes. I have been consumed with reading the blog of Mark Titus, a bench player at Ohio State, whose only goal in playing basketball is to register a "trillion." You might not understand a "trillion" unless you read box scores. It denotes that a player logs one minute, but compiles no other statistics. Nice stuff, Mark.

Akron just gave up five points in a three-second span. An Austin Peay player drove down Main Street for an easy layup. A Governor stole Akron's inbound pass and was fouled. He completed a three-point play.

Austin Peay only brought 10 players. It would be nice if some members of press row could be spread across their seats. We're packed in here like the old Rubber Bowl press box.

Marshall just attempted a 3-pointer. He air-balled it. I could feel the anger from Dambrot across the floor.

While I'm carrying on criticizing Marshall, I'll point out that he could be a much better rebounder if he moved his feet while the ball was in the air. Athleticism and size is a big part of rebounding, but the truly great rebounders are tenacious before the ball touches flesh. … As I typed that, Marshall got great position on a tip-back.

Akron has its best lineup on the floor: Hitchens, Roberts, McKnight, McKnight and Marshall. They extended the lead back to 14 with 12:18 to play.

Hitchens threw an inbounds alley-oop to Marshall. No dunk, but the lay-in is just as effective.

Carroll started, but he has only played three minutes. What's the point? And how long does this continue? What other coach would play a guy exclusively for the first few minutes of a game and during garbage time?

Marshall grabbed his 12th rebound. This confirms my suspicion from the exhibition game — that Marshall is the best player on the floor. He has a double-double in his first ever college game.

Austin Peay went on a 12-2 run because of Akron's sloppiness. The Zips will probably win this game, but there is a lot to work on. They have to find a way to get more points in the paint. Akron's lead is only two.

Marshall swatted a shot into the band.

Cvetinovic blew two free throws with the opportunity to extend the lead with 2:30 left. Austin Peay tied it on the next possession with an easy layup. Dambrot called time out.

Roberts drove and was fouled. He is a good guy to be shooting free throws, at least based on last season's performance. He missed one in the first half. He missed both just now. Akron got the rebound off the awful brick.

Brett McKnight missed a runner through the lane. After the rebound, his brother fouled Anthony Campbell, who went to the line and made both to give the Governors their first lead.

Brett McKnight weaseled into the paint and airballed a finger roll. After a foul, Austin Peay made both free throws to make it a two-possession game. Hitchens rattled out a 3-point attempt. Austin Peay got the rebound, and Duran Roberson made another free throw to ice the game.

Hitchens made a 3. There are 3.8 seconds left. Akron fouled Campbell, who split the pair. The Zips needed a 3-pointer in the last three seconds. Hitchens stumbled up the court and didn't get a shot off in time.

It was an ugly game. Akron deserved to lose. They didn't play very hard. It was sloppy. The coach was messing around with a ceremonial starting lineup.

Final stats of note: Akron made only 15 of 25 free-throw attempts. The Zips shot 30 percent from the field in the second half. Austin Peay won the points-in-the-paint statistic, 28-22.

Final score — Akron 77, Austin Peay 80

QUOTES:

Austin Peay head coach Dave Loos:

"Even though it's very early in the season, this is very significant for us. I have a lot of respect for Keith and this program. To win here is really big for us. Akron is going to win a lot of games and be a tournament team. We are very proud of this win. I'm proud of how our guys got down, way down, and fought back."

"We played a very good Tennessee team on Friday night. I think it probably did help to have played a game. I told our players when we left there that this team might not be as long as athletic, but they would be pretty close and pretty good. This game is funny because once the momentum is going, it's hard to turn it around. We were just about buried."

"He is going to be a handful. He is long. He is skilled. All that is missing is a little experience and body building. He is as-advertised. It would give Akron what most mid-majors are missing. There were times when I thought it was over-the-back, but it really wasn't. I was impressed."

"I was pleased with (our speed). When Channels gets the ball in his hands, he really pushes it."

Akron coach Keith Dambrot:

"When you're up 15 points with 7:36 to play, you should win the game. We can blame me, blame them. I thought today we did a very poor job of handling prosperity first and adversity second. We gave game after game after game away last year. I don't know why anyone would be surprised that we gave this one away."

"With 1:22 left, we shoot a reverse layup. We miss four free throws. We start the second half and show no toughness and let them back in the game."

"The big boy wasn't perfect but he was better than the older guys. He just needs to learn."

"We've had trouble all fall finding out who to play."

"If we give up 80, we're going to lose. We didn't have one guy who could guard anybody, except Zeke under the basket.

"That's probably one of the most disappointing games that I've had here. That is just absolutely ridiculous. You almost don't have to shoot a shot and you can win the game. You can hold it for 35 and take six 35-second violations. That's how pitiful it was."

"You try to build fanbase and you try to build excitement, and then you do that. We're not getting an at-large bid anyway. You have to win in March."

"This group is not tough. Until they get tough, they won't win. It's frightening. We didn't lose turning it over a lot. We gave up 40 percent from the field last year. We gave up 80 and I don't think they're great on offense. He's a good coach, but you can't lose that game."

"If you lose one like that, what do you do in the nip and tuck games? When the game's on the line, do you have enough toughness to win? Do you think Dru Joyce would let us lose that game? Or Cedrick Middleton?"

"We went through the same thing last year. When we give up 80, we'll lose. This group has to get with it. Part of it is figuring out who to play. You can't play as many as we did. I know the big boy has to play, even if he's not good. He doesn't know what he's doing yet, but he's going to do some good things."

"I didn't yell at them. I just said you have to play better. You can't go 0-4 at the line. You can't give up 3s late in the clock. You can't give up layups late in the clock. We didn't make one play when it mattered. We got the ball right in front of the rim."

"I didn't think we played great at the point. I didn't think we guarded. I think Humpty played hard. He was the best of the three."

On why Carroll started and played three minutes: "I didn't like the way we started so I didn't get back to him."

"I'm not scared of North Carolina State. We can play with anybody and we can lose to anybody."

"It's how they feel about themselves. We have to become more consistent than that. You saw very little enthusiasm."

"I think leadership is a lost art. It's time somebody steps up. It's hard to step up without knowing how much you'll play."

On Marshall: "By March, we'll be good because he'll know stuff. He'll be better than he is now. He's just playing on instincts now. Building for March, we might as well play him when it matters."

On the lack of post offense: "We just refused to throw it in. When we did, we didn't make the cuts we were supposed to."

"We're doing something wrong at the beginning of the year. We don't guard. For some reason, their mindset is offense early."

On Cvetinovic: "He has to play because he has good fire in his gut."

"We haven't practiced with the McKnights at the three spot. Brett McKnight has to play better. He's had a rough fall."

Football

Another week. Another beatdown.

Akron started with a loud burst of energy, which eventually dwindled to a soft hum. Any team can come out of the locker room with adrenaline and make noise. It is the disciplined, smart team, however, that sustains the momentum and plays for four quarters.

As a result, Temple scored 49 unanswered points. I don't think you'll ever see such a statistic in a game between two MAC teams.

Despite all of that, Patrick Nicely looked very sharp in the first half. I love the velocity at which he delivers the ball. Arms like Nicely's are rare. His accuracy has improved each week. It's such a relief that we don't have to worry about a quarterback for the next three years.

Overall, the offense and special teams made big mistakes. Temple took advantage by marching over the Zips defense, which had become demoralized. Before you knew it, a 17-7 lead turned into a 56-17 blowout.

This season has been disappointing. But until yesterday, I always saw the players fighting hard. Last night, I didn't see that. On Temple's extra point attempt before the half, Akron's line barely came out of their stance to contest the kick.

It doesn't matter if there is one year or five years on J.D. Brookhart's contract. When you invest $60 million into a facility that only one team will use (for the most part), you better go the extra mile and pay an extra $400,000 to get a coach with a track record of success. I hope that is one thing the board of trustees realizes.

We knew that attendance would be better this year. Most people understand that winning games is what puts butts in the seats in November, when the weather normally sours. Akron has had great luck with fantastic weather every week. Everything has been in place for a packed InfoCision Stadium except for the product on the field.

We are in our fourth consecutive season of a losing record. Every year, there have been injuries, adversity and a realm of other excuses. I buy Brookhart's excuses. Like I said, however, excuses can pass for a year or two. Eventually, the accountability falls on the coach, who serves as lead scout, general manager, head strategist, chief motivator, manager of personnel and sometimes the play caller.

Akron plays two more games this season — the season that seems like it will never end. Next week, the Zips are at Bowling Green. The Falcons do through the air what Temple does on the ground. The Tyler Sheehan-to-Freddie Barnes combination might be the nation's most productive.

Then Akron finishes the year at home against Eastern Michigan. It will be two of FBS's worst teams playing on a Friday at 2 p.m. in late November. If actual attendance breaks 5,000, I will be surprised. Go Zips.

Men's basketball

Humpty Hitchens was named an honorable mention All-American for mid-major schools, according to CollegeInsider.com.

Rodney Pierce of Buffalo, David Kool of Western Michigan and Jarrod Jones of Ball State are on the list as All-Americans. (I am looking forward to the Jones vs. Zeke Marshall matchup.)

The Zips will begin the regular season tomorrow vs. Austin Peay at 2 p.m. I will liveblog from Rhodes Arena.

Men's basketball

Both the men's and women's teams held media day today. Here are some notes I jotted down from each:

Keith Dambrot showed up with Jimmy Conyers and Chris McKnight, his seniors. In the crowd were Humpty Hitchens, Nik Cvetinovic and Zeke Marshall.

They served lunch, so the crowd was fairly large with people from the athletic department, maybe a dozen media members and a bunch of fans. It was a nice event, for sure. I think the women's program profited most, because Jodi Kest got her message out to people who primarily care about the men's team.

Dambrot spoke about Dakotah Euton, whom the Zips began to pursue after John Calipari took over for Billy Gillespie at Kentucky. Dambrot said it was common knowledge that Euton was back on the market after Calipari arrived because Euton would not fit Calipari's style. Dambrot dodged Tom Gaffney's direct question of whether Calipari no longer wanted Euton, but that is a fair assumption. (That doesn't mean, of course, that Euton was not good enough to play there.)

Dambrot compared Euton to a more physical version of Rob Preston, although not so bouncy. Both are tall white guys who prefer to play on the perimeter, so I guess that works. The coaches took notice of Euton when he was playing on the same AAU team as Josh Sewell, an Akron target who is headed for Miami (Ohio). Despite his guard-type skills, Euton will play power forward or center for Akron, Dambrot said.

Dambrot on recruiting: "We need to get guys that Ohio State, Xavier and Dayton want, but we can't beat them. For every guy like Zeke (Marshall), there are 50 who say 'no.' We have to look at guys who will get better and get on them early."

The coach answered a question about scheduling. Only five games are locked in for next year: Oakland, Niagara, Temple and Oakland on the road; Wyoming at home. He said, "No matter what we schedule, our league is going to drag us down (in RPI). You can't play the big boys in their gym with their referees, but you can play them neutral." He also criticized some of the MAC programs that have not invested in basketball as being a reason for the low league RPI. Dambrot suggested providing more NCAA Tournament revenue to the conference champion, in order to encourage more development in basketball.

Dambrot made a great point. Akron is No. 8 in the Mid-Major Top 25. The Zips are also the only team on the entire list that has a Division I-A football team. That says a lot about the athletic department and Dambrot's success here.

Ronnie Steward will start playing in a week. That will create a logjam at guard. Six players could conceivably see time: Steve McNees, Brett McClanahan, Darryl Roberts, Humpty Hitchens, Alex Sullivan and Steward. Dambrot asked Hitchens to stand up and explain his policy for rotating the guards in and out of the game. Hitchens said it will be a day-to-day process. Dambrot added that he will allow players to grab a spot in the rotation, which they will not relinquish.

My guard rotation would be: Hitchens, Steward and Sullivan at point guard. Roberts, McClanahan and McNees at shooting guard, with McNees also playing minutes at the point until Steward settles in.

Dambrot asked Cvetinovic to stand up from the crowd and tell what he's been working on. The Serbian center said he has worked to control his emotions and bond better with teammates. Dambrot asked Marshall to stand up and say how the transition to college has been. The 7-footer went on and on about how grueling Dambrot's practices are. Marshall nicknamed his coach, "El Diablo," which, of course, is Spanish for "The Devil."

Dambrot addressed attendance after a fan asked why the Beacon Journal and Plain Dealer do not cover the Zips on road games. After downplaying the newspaper's impact, he said, "We can't let Toledo outdraw us with a 7-59 record. We will never get to where we need to be without doing a better job (with attendance)."

I asked Dambrot to what extent he has had conversations about a new basketball arena. He conceded that there have been talks, but Tom Wistrcill is the best person to discuss that. However, an upgrade in facilities is necessary for recruiting, he said. "We don't have a 'wow' factor. We've done it with all people skills. We understand the economy, but we have an open window."

Women's basketball

Coach Kest was quite excited about her team's outlook this season, which will begin tomorrow at home with a noon game against IUPUI.

"We feel like this is our year," she said of her team, picked fourth in the MAC. "This is the most excited I've been in a long team."

The Zips return all five starters and three other rotation players. They also add true freshman Rachel Tecca from Hoban, a 6-foot-1 forward who provided a double-double in Saturday's exhibition against Ashland.

Along with the depth, especially in the front court, Kest is counting on a team that has improved its chemistry greatly since last season, when she released several players from the program. Kest has been seeking chemistry that urges players to fight for each other. "I think we have that finally," she said.

The Zips' weakness in years past has been rebounding. With a deep frontcourt, Kest believes that problem is solved. The coach also wants to average more points this year — in the 70-per-game range.

Football

I will preview the Temple game tomorrow morning.

Men's basketball

This time last year was a day of great celebration. Zeke Marshall signed with Akron, relieving fans and coaches from months of rumors about a possible defection.

This signing day is about capitalizing on Marshall's talent. Three recruits signed today, and it is obvious that Keith Dambrot is finding big men who can stretch the floor by shooting 3s, which will keep Marshall from being double-teamed.

Dakotah Euton is a 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward who made 40 percent of his 3-point attempts last season. Michael Green is another sweet-shooting forward, and at 6-6, he will force opposing forwards to guard him on the perimeter. These two players will accompany Marshall for three years and require opposing defenses to stay honest.

The third recruit is Josh Egner, an athletic 6-7 forward who excels in transition. As a whole, this recruiting class also will be responsible for filling gaps left by the McKnight brothers.

A side question is: Who leaves the program? Dambrot has promised three scholarships. Only two are presently available. Dambrot apparently has an understanding with some players, who intend to transfer if they cannot find a place in his rotation this season. Judging on playing time last night, it appears as if one of the big men will be the one left out — either Steve Swiech or Mike Bardo. Alex Sullivan is another possibility because of the crowded backcourt.

Note…

Akron is listed as a 13 seed on ESPN.com's Bracketology. I've been told that is subject to change before March.

Men's basketball

Keep refreshing your page for minute-to-minute updates…

Tomorrow is the beginning of the early signing period for basketball recruits. With my election whirlwind, I neglected to mention that Akron recently locked up a third recruit for 2010. Dakotah Euton is a 6-foot-8 power forward from Kentucky. In fact, he was a former recruit of Billy Gillespie at Kentucky. When UK fired Gillespie, Euton reopened his recruitment. More on Euton coming as the night goes on…

What I can tell you on the record is that Bowling Green is the team rumored to have turned in Reno Ferri for alleged recruiting violations. I would tell you what the supposed violation is, but I've learned the hard way too many times not to post rumors, even if this is only a blog.

Mount Union's logo is amateurish. The script "Raiders" could be done much more professionally. It looks like a high school design.

The Zips other potential signees tomorrow include Michael Green from Dublin and Josh Egner from Massillon. This recruiting class is heavy on can't-miss talent, but it lacks what you'd like to call a superstar. Fans want every center to be Shaquille O'Neal or Dikembe Mutombo. They want every forward to be Kevin Garnett or Lamar Odom. They want every guard to be Steve Nash. The truth is, teams need solid filler players, who can play a role. Look at the successful MAC teams over the years. Unless you have NBA talent, the best teams are the ones who are full of smart role players. Kent State mastered that process.

Akron's starters: Brett McClanahan, Darryl Roberts, Nik Cvetinovic, Tim Carroll and Chris McKnight. I had to laugh out loud when I heard Carroll's name. I will bet Keith Dambrot is sending a message to one of the guards by doing that.

Humpty Hitchens came off the bench. He appears to be walking a little tenderly on his ankle. McClanahan, meanwhile, has hit two 3-pointers.

With 15:17 left, Zeke Marshall entered the game. I'll document his every move or at least try. ZEKE WATCH: 1) He caught the ball in the low post and quickly whipped a pass out to the perimeter. He certainly looked comfortable with the ball. 2) Wow. He just brought the house down with a giant dunk. He took off from the baseline and literally left the ground from outside the paint. If you were afraid Marshall wasn't aggressive, that is a great sign. 3) He blocked a shot without jumping. 4) He made a nice interior pass, feeding Chris McKnight for an easy layup. And with that, Marshall went to the bench after 2:10 on the floor, tallying a dunk, a rebound, an assist and a blocked shot.

I am/was one of the people concerned that Marshall would be passive. I recall all sorts of praise for Jimmy Conyers, and I bought it. He is skilled and athletic but never has asserted himself enough on the floor. I'm probably overreacting, but Marshall just sold me that he will contribute in a big way this season.

Akron has already taken 11 3-pointers, making five. Mount Union is playing a zone, which lends itself to giving up 3s. Still, I'd prefer to see what kind of post game the Zips can establish with the McKnights and Marshall.

Back to Euton… He appears to be a skilled big man who can shoot. Rivals.com called him a combo guard in one article, which said Duke and Florida also were interested in him. Euton originally committed very early and felt he wouldn't fit in well with the new coaching staff.

Marshall is back on the floor. 1) He gathered an offensive rebound on a free throw and put it back in. 2) He got beat in a post situation by a quicker Mount Union player. 3) He made a nice pass out of the post to a cutting Carroll.

Mike Bardo didn't make his first appearance until 5:30 was left in the first half.

There is a curtain blocking off one endzone. Aside from that, I think attendance is great. Tom Gaffney and I counted only about 300 fans at last year's exhibition against Walsh.

No Ronnie Steward. He'll be out for at least a couple more weeks with a leg injury. A bearded Alex Sullivan has entered the game, however. So has Steve Swiech, the spelling of whose name I always have to double-check.

Chris McKnight swatted a shot to end the half. Score: 45-17.

I'm sitting in between two of my constituents. Gaffney and Steve French are both Stow residents. French told his radio listeners that he wants me to lower his water bill and get a rec center for the city. Gaffney was upset about the city's sidewalk program making his sidewalks look like a checkerboard. Not to discuss my campaign too much, but these gentlemen are examples of why I found it crucial to meet as many people as I could. How else will I know what Stowites want?

Marshall is back on the floor. 1) He caught a pass on the block and glided to the hoop, getting fouled and missing a layup. He showed a nice foul shot stroke and made both. 2) Marshall swatted another shot. 3) On the other end, he stepped into a 17-foot jump shot that went off the back rim. 4) Cvetinovic found Marshall on a short interior pass. Marshall streaked for the rim before a Raider fouled him. He missed both free throws following a timeout. 5) He committed his first foul with 15:37 left in the second half. 6) Marshall swatted three shots on a single possession! The first was a jump shot that Marshall sent into the press row. The second and third were off rebounds, almost one after the other. The fans loved it. I loved it. How often do you see me use exclamation points?! 7) On press row, we think Marshall deflected another shot. This guy is a cold-hearted assassin. 8 ) Marshall backed down a short post player and delivered a perfect baby hook. He is really working to get open down low. 9) There was another blocked shot down low, either belonging to Marshall or Bardo. Marshall left the court to a chorus of cheers.

For those who are reading this to get a scouting report on Mount Union, here are some thoughts: The Raiders are overmatched tonight in size, athleticism and skill, so there's no point in comparing apples to oranges. The team is very good at protecting the ball, however. It's the first game of the year, and they've committed only 13 turnovers to an aggressive defense.

The stat sheet credits Marshall with seven blocks, two assists, four rebounds and eight points. As I type that, he comes back onto the floor. Back to the Zeke Watch … 1) Conyers found Marshall's head poking over the rest and lobbed him a pass. Marshall wound up and slammed it. 2) Marshall was fouled while attempting to catch a pass. He made both foul shots. 3) Marshall blocked a shot without leaving his feet. The Mount Union player basically fed it to him. 4) He laid in another baby hook. Mount Union has made the mistake of letting him get too deep in the post without the ball. It's too easy for an entry pass, which is a guaranteed dunk or five-foot baby hook.

We interrupt this Zeke Watch to give a Swiech update. He blocked a shot and tossed an outlet pass to Hitchens for a layup.

After those few minutes of terror, Marshall returned to the bench. If he kept playing, a triple-double was likely.

Kyle Petersen entered the game for his first action. Dambrot is going with three guards (McClanahan, McNees and Petersen) and two centers (Bardo and Swiech) right now.

To put this all in context, Mount Union has only five players taller than 6-foot-5. The tallest Raider is 6-7. Marshall won't have it this easy against the Kenneth van Kempen's of the world (right, Elton Alexander?). But seriously, I'm happy to see Marshall is so aggressive and that he doesn't have any major deficiencies. Although you can't really ask for more from a true freshman in his first appearance, it's no guarantee that he will be the Freshman of the Year. It is a guarantee, in my opinion, that Marshall is going to be a major contributor to the reigning MAC Champions.

Alexander, by the way, is covering Cleveland State this year, as well as his usual duties on Akron and Kent State. He is a great writer and has forgotten more about basketball than I'll ever know. MAC fans are lucky to read him, whether they agree with his opinions or not.

Carroll stole the ball and went coast to coast for a dunk. He has six points and four rebounds. He holds the ball as the clock expires. Akron wins by 50. Marshall must be the story for people leaving Rhodes Arena.

Final stats of note: Marshall finished with 14 points, eight blocks, six rebounds, two assists, one steal, and he was 5-of-6 from the field. Chris McKnight led the team with nine rebounds and was second with 13 points. Swiech also had nine rebounds. Hitchens had five assists. Mount Union's leading scorer was Matt Weir with eight points.

Akron's 3-point percentage (52.9%) more than doubled Mount Union's field-goal percentage (19%). Akron won on the boards, 53 to 37. Akron had 20 assists compared to nine turnovers. Mount Union had four assists and 14 turnovers. The Zips outscored the Raiders in the paint, 34 to 12.

Quotes from Dambrot:

"That's a difficult game to judge. Physically, we're so much bigger and stronger. The past two days, we've shown more fight than the previous preseasons. I thought we played relatively unselfishly."

Marshall "is the best talent that I've had since LeBron. You can't really tell sometimes in practice, but he had good presence, he was very calm. I thought he would play a little better because of adrenaline, but he's such a great kid. He's so unselfish too. He's going to be a great talent once he puts 20 pounds of muscle on him. He's playing now on instincts. That was a very good performance. I don't care who it was against."

"I told our guys, when he's in the game, you have to play a tad bit differently. If you can sniff them around you, let them go, because he's going to block it. We have to use his ability to receive the ball to our advantage. Our best players are our fours and fives. You have to figure out how to get all four of them out there. that might mean Brett McKnight and Chris McKnight at the three spot."

"I told our guys that I'm judging him every day on performance. Before this season is over, he's going to be one of our best players.

On how the MAC will defend Marshall: "What's going to happen to Zeke? They're going to try to mug him, because he's physically not strong yet. It's our job to protect him. That's what's going to happen in our league. They're going to beat him up physically."

"They never threw him [Marshall] the ball much in AAU. When we recruited him, we told him we would throw him the ball. In the first few weeks in practice, he couldn't get a rebound. He has come on very quickly in the last week. He has the ability to be a pro — a first-round draft pick. He's going to have some peaks and valleys."

"The one thing he can do is, you're not getting it over him. It doesn't matter who you play against with that 6-5 wingspan."

"I like our versatility. I like that if one guy doesn't feel like doing it the right way, then fine, 'See ya.'"

"I thought McNees and Humpty didn't play as well as the other two at Cleveland State. It's achieve and receive. Ronnie will be back. Alex Sullivan has good talent. He just doesn't know anything. Bardo is caught a little bit, too. We're going to play the best guys by their performance."

"Nobody has grabbed a spot except Chris McKnight and Nikola. But Zeke is close. I've played young kids. I played LeBron when he was a freshman. Do we have a chance to be very good? Zeke gives us the ability to play with the big boys. As great as [Jeremiah] Wood and Rome[o] [Travis] were, we had to play a perfect game against the big boys because we were small. With him, we can get beat off the dribble and he'll knock one. We can use him to beat the press."

On possible jealousy of Marshall: "This team went to the NCAA Tournament and this guy comes in and gets all the publicity. Now all the writers want to talk to this guy. It's hard on the guys. They have to realize that if you win the big prize, everybody gets theirs."

On how the team will give out three scholarships tomorrow: "We have some guys that have told us that if they don't play, they will go somewhere else and play."

Final score — Mount Union 38, Akron 88

Men's basketball

The Zeke Marshall Era begins unofficially tomorrow.

The Zips will play Mount Union in an exhibition game Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Rhodes Arena.

The coaches are downplaying the impact Marshall will have in order not to place unreachable expectations on the true freshman center. The fact is, however, he will be the player everyone watches as Keith Dambrot unveils the 2009-10 Zips.

I don't expect Marshall to average more than eight or nine points this season, but I do expect him to swat a lot of shots. I do expect him to average as many rebounds as he does points.

This is only an exhibition game. If you remember last year's game against Walsh, you'll remember how ugly these things can be. The Zips avoided an upset to an NAIA team by the spin of a basketball off the rim.

Considering that performance, I don't think Akron will look anything near the MAC Champions of last season, but they should show cohesion and effort, for those were two of the attributes of last year's team that lost only one player.

I plan to liveblog from the game, as well as any other game that my schedule permits.

Jody Demling recently reported on www.courier-journal.com that Dakotah Euton has orally committed to play on scholarship for the University of Akron men’s basketball team.

Euton, a 6-foot-8 senior at Scott County High School, picked Akron over Eastern Kentucky University, according to the report by The Courier-Journal that covers news in Louisville, Kentucky and Southern Indiana.

Euton had originally committed to the University of Kentucky nearly two years ago when Billy Gillispie was coach. He changed his mind when Gillispie was fired and John Calipari was hired prior to this season. He is expected to sign with the Zips this coming week and according to reports weighs between 200 and 215 pounds.

“I had pretty much decided, I had it in my mind the last couple of weeks that I wanted to go to Akron,” Euton told Demling. “It felt like the right time, so I went ahead and did it. It just felt right.”

Euton said he felt comfortable with UA coach Keith Dambrot and his coaching staff.

“Both schools had great staffs and fit my style of play,” Euton told Demling. “But I really felt like coach Dambrot was one of those guys – kind of like Gillispie – who plays players for not just talent but also for how hard they play. Players that do the intangibles, people that work hard. I have just always liked coaches like that.”

Euton reportedly also had scholarship offers from Oregon State, Nevada, Wofford, Coastal Carolina, UNC Greensboro, High Point, Murray State, East Tennessee State and Morehead State.

Euton is reportedly a good shooter that make a three-pointer and a mid-range jumper. He also has the ability to pass, defend and drive to the basket and finish at the rim.

He received a two-star ranking by scout.com and rivals.com.

Men's basketball

The Plain Dealer's Elton Alexander picked Akron to finish third in the MAC East.

This is the defending MAC Championship team that only lost one player (not a franchise player, either) and brings in the preseason favorite for Freshman of the Year. Yet they'll finish third in the division, according to Alexander, behind Buffalo and Miami.

Miscellaneous

I took first place in my election for Stow City Council At-Large last night.

I appreciate everyone's well-wishes and support. It was a hectic four months, and I'm very excited to simplifying my life by watching Akron beat Kent State on Saturday.