Displaying items by tag: university of akron

Tuesday, 02 April 2013 18:42

AUDIO Akron Council Placing Hold On New Student Housing

Akron City Council is placing a 120-day hold on new student housing developments for the University of Akron while research on off-campus housing is being conducted.

At-large Councilman Jeff Fusco says developers and council members have expressed some concerns about an overabundance of new housing.

"We're concerned about the kind of impact it will have on the downtown neighborhood near the University of Akron," he says.

Fusco says 1,975 new student beds have been added within the last two years.

Council unanimously passed an ordinance Monday that prevents the city from offering any incentives for development or construction of any student housing facility.

Fusco explains how the city and the University Park Alliance will collaborate over the next couple of months.

"We're asking the Planning Department to move forward with the University of Akron and the University Park Alliance to study this student housing phenomenon," he said.

Councilman Fusco tells AkronNewsNow.com that while the 120-day moratorium is in place, developers can still develop property, but the city will not provide any incentives.

He says the primary goal for the city is to make sound decisions regarding downtown development.

Published in Local

Thursday, 28 March 2013 16:20

UA Basketball Attendance Increases

From The University Of Akron

As The University of Akron men's basketball team was making history on the court, Zips fans were making history in the stands as the program saw attendance increases across the board during the 2012-13 season.

In 16 home games this season, men's basketball attendance increased by 10 percent over last season, as well as seeing a crowd increase of 14 percent in Mid-American Conference contests. Student attendance proved to be one of the areas of greatest growth, jumping 28 percent overall from last year.

"The community support we saw this season was tremendous," ninth-year head coach Keith Dambrot said. "We would like to give a special thanks to the students this year as they did a great job coming out in record numbers. It is important to have a strong fan base as we continue to 'Think Bigger' and move forward as a program."
The Zips' average of 3,782 fans per home contest was the second-highest in Rhodes Arena history, trailing only the 1983-84 campaign, UA's first in the JAR. Akron's average attendance was the third-highest mark in the MAC while UA's 4,553 average for league contests was the second-highest in the conference. The Zips' 82.8 percent average capacity in league games was tops in the MAC, over 20 percent higher than the second-best mark (Ohio, 61.9 percent).

Published in Sports

Friday, 22 March 2013 11:17

UA's Abreu Back In Court

Suspended University of Akron point guard Alex Abreu has pleaded not guilty to drug charges before a magistrate this morning.

NewsChannel 5 reports he remains free on a 5000-dollar bond for the incident two weeks ago where an undercover cop arrested him after abreu answered a delivery of a five-pound bag of marijuana.

Abreu has another hearing set for April 3rd before Summit County Judge Mary Rowlands.

Abreu's case comes as the rest of his teammates were blown out in the NCAA tournament last night by VCU.

Published in Local

Friday, 22 March 2013 01:22

Akron Men, Women Fall Short

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- Akron knew it would be short-handed in the NCAA tournament, playing without suspended point guard Alex Abreu.......

Published in College

Monday, 18 March 2013 12:36

Who is Coach Dambrot Really Rooting for?

Zips Coach Keith Dambrot, wearing the opponent's colors

It was bittersweet for University of Akron Men's Basketball coach Keith Dambrot to be matched up with Virginia Commonwealth University Thursday night in the 2nd Round of the NCAA Tournament.

With his former Assistant coach Shaka Smart leading the Rams, the two remain great friends. Dambrot admitted that when he's not coaching his own Zips to victory, he's watching VCU.

So where do his loyalties lie with the big 2nd round game this week?

In a tweet posted by Dambrot's daughter last week , Keith is seen proudly wearing a VCU T-shirt. Alysse does mention the irony, and that he probably won't be wearing this shirt for a while.

Akron and VCU also met each other last season, with the Rams coming away with a win in Overtime.

This time, the matchup is at The Palace of Auburn Hills. While VCU hopes to get out in transition, the Zips look to ride the wave of their defensive powerhouse, shot-blocker Zeke Marshall.

Published in Local

Sunday, 17 March 2013 19:26

Akron Faces VCU In NCAA Tournament

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- After making plenty of noise as a low seed in the NCAA tournament each of the last two years, VCU is a No. 5 seed in the South Regional this time and opens Thursday against No. 12 seed Akron.......

Published in Local

Saturday, 16 March 2013 20:36

Akron Beats Ohio 65-46

There was no doublt in the second half as the University of Akron men's basketball team erased a close first half to cruise past the Ohio University Bobcats 65-46 at Quicken Loans Arena to snag their third MAC Championship and an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

Let the March Madness begin.

Demetrius Treadwell and Chauncey Gilliam both led the Akron offense with 13 points each; Nick Harney had 11 and Zeke Marshall scored 10 as four Akron players poured in double digits.

Ohio's Reggie Keely paced the Bobcats with 19 but he was the only OU player in double digits.

(University of Akron) The top-seeded University of Akron men's basketball team earned its second trip to the NCAA Tournament in three years, using a dominating second half performance to defeat second-seeded Ohio 65-46 in the FirstEnergy Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game on Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena.

Tournament MVP Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell paced four Zips in double figures with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. Treadwell was named to the all-tournament team as well as Zeke Marshall, who finished the night with 10 points and nine boards.

Nick Harney spent 18 minutes at the point guard position and turned in 11 points, four rebounds and a pair of assists in the effort. Chauncey Gilliam connected on 5-of-8 shots from the field for 13 points of his own and added three steals.

The Zips' defense held Ohio (24-9), which entered the contest averaging 35.7 percent accuracy from behind the arc, to a meager 1-of-20 from long range for the game and 18.5 percent shooting from the field in the second half.

Akron (26-6) fell into a hole in the first period, when Ohio compiled what would eventually become a 13-4 run in the early part of the half. The Zips were their own worst enemy during that stretch, shooting just 3-of-11 in the first 10 minutes and committing five turnovers.

UA led 8-6 before the Bobcats scored 10 unanswered points, pounding the paint and taking advantage of Akron's uncharacteristic miscues in the half court set. It was not until Treadwell broke the five-minute drought with a putback at the 11:37 mark that Akron began to chip away.

Harney's dunk in transition with 8:21 on the clock allowed the Zips to gain enough momentum to string together a 9-2 run, highlighted by a long 3-pointer from Jake Kretzer in front of Ohio's bench that cut the deficit to four at 27-23 with just over three minutes to play.

T.J. Hall got a floater to fall at the buzzer to give Ohio a 29-26 advantage at the break. The Bobcats finished the opening stanza shooting 48.1 percent from the field, but showed stretches of over 60 percent efficiency despite a 1-for-8 effort from long range. The Zips connected on 10-of-24 attempts in the first half and out-rebounded the Bobcats, 18-13.

Akron opened the second half on a 14-4 run, taking its first lead since 16:44 of the first half when Treadwell fought his way to the basket for a layup. Chauncey Gilliam marched down the court on the next possession and buried a three to add to the cause.

Carmelo Betancourt stepped in to take a charge from D.J. Cooper at 10:09 to reel in all the energy in the building, and things continued to look up from there.

Harney's 3-point play at the 6:44 mark of the second half all but sealed the victory for the Zips, putting them ahead by their largest margin to that point at 11.

Zips Notebook: Akron is the 18th No. 1 seed to win the MAC tournament ... the last No. 1 seed to win came in 2008, also the last time a team won at least a share of the regular-season title and the MAC Tournament in the same season (Kent State) ... ninth-year head coach Keith Dambrot is now 19-6 in the MAC Tournament, including three tournament titles ... Akron's 26 wins ties the school record for wins in a season (1971-72, 2006-07) ... Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell recorded his ninth double-double of the season, including his third-straight ... the 46 points by Ohio was the lowest for an Akron opponent in 33 tournament games.

- - -

Akron To Rally Sunday For NCAA Selection Party

(University of Akron) The University of Akron will hold an NCAA Tournament Selection Show Watch Party for its Mid-American Conference champion men's basketball team on Sunday, March 17, starting at 5 p.m. ET at James A. Rhodes Arena. The top-seeded Zips defeated second-seeded Ohio on Saturday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland to earn the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Fans can choose their seats on the west side of the arena to watch the 6 p.m. Selection Show broadcast on CBS, which will be shown on the videoboard and additional projector screens located on the court. Concessions stands will be open and parking is free.

Members of the men's basketball program, which is appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five seasons and fourth time in program history (1986, 2009, 2011), will be on hand to watch the Selection Show with Zips fans.

Representatives from the Zips Athletics Ticket Office will be at the Rhodes Arena Ticket Office to assist those interested in requesting tickets for the Zips' NCAA Tournament contest.

From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday, fans can request an order for NCAA Tournament tickets through the C.P. and Cornelia S. Chima Athletics Ticket Office via phone at 1-888-99-AKRON (25766). The ticket office located at InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field (375 E. Exchange Street, near Gate 1 at the southwest corner of the venue, at the corner of E. Exchange and S. Union streets) will re-open on Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to take additional orders.

Fans should be aware that these will be requests ONLY. Requests will be filled on a priority basis, in the following order – Zips Assist Club members, men's basketball season ticketholders who are Z-Fund members, men's basketball season ticketholders, Z-Fund members who are not men's basketball season ticketholders, sponsors and the general public.

Those who request an order will be contacted on Tuesday with confirmation that their order has been filled or that they have been placed on a waiting list. The Chima Athletics Ticket Office will make every attempt to secure additional tickets through other participating institutions. If successful, a ticket office representative will call and confirm orders at that time.

Student tickets will be available first to AK Rowdies members on Monday beginning at 9 a.m., via in person orders ONLY, at the Chima Athletics Ticket Office with valid University ID (one ticket per student). At 10 a.m. Monday, any remaining student tickets will be made available to current members of the general student body (one ticket per student with valid Zip card).

Please visit the #ZipsGameday page on GoZips.com for further details on Akron's NCAA postseason journey and how ticket orders will be processed and distributed.

Published in Local

Saturday, 16 March 2013 17:06

Akron Women Fall Short

Hanna Luburgh was one of five Akron players to score in double figures with 19,.

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Akron's women's basketball team ran out of magic and ran out of gas.......

Published in Local

Saturday, 16 March 2013 07:59

Zips Win KSU Rematch When It Counts

To end the regular season, Kent State's Golden Flashes handed the University of Akron Zips a rare 2012-13 season loss. Last night at Quicken Loans Arena, the Zips returned the favor but this time it ended KSU's dreams of postseason play.

- - -

(University of Akron) Behind Zeke Marshall's 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocked shots, top-seeded Akron defeated fourth-seeded Kent State on Friday night in the semifinal round of the FirstEnergy Mid-American Conference Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Zips (25-6) will make their seventh-straight league championship game appearance on Saturday against the winner of tonight's other semifinal contest between second-seeded Ohio and third-seeded Western Michigan. The championship tips off at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, with the winner earning the league's automatic NCAA Tournament bid.

Marshall shot 7-of-11 from the field, including making his only attempt from behind the 3-point arc. He also went 3-for-6 from the foul line. Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell tallied 14 points and 12 rebounds and four assists for UA, while Nick Harney scored 11 points on the strength of a 4-for-4 showing from the floor. Harney also had four assists as the Zips had 16 dishes on 22 made field goals.

Randal Holt led Kent State (20-13) with 19 points and was the Flashes' only double-digit scorer.

Akron opened the second half on a 7-3 run, including Marshall's second 3-pointer of the season, to take a 39-32 advantage. The next run would be made by Kent State as the Flashes closed to within one point (41-40) at the 14:03 mark. Harney ended the run with a bucket on Akron's next possession.

However, Kent State would take their first lead of the period at 44-43 with 12:54 left on the clock. It was the Flashes' first lead since the 13:07 mark of the first half, when the led 9-8. KSU would take a 46-43 lead into the under-12 media timeout while riding a 15-4 run.

From there, both teams traded buckets as the game went into the final eight minutes knotted at 50-all. The Zips would answer with four-straight points to open up a 54-50 lead with 5:57 left, but Kent State would use a 7-0 run to force an Akron timeout with the Zips down 57-54.

KSU would maintain its three-point advantage until Marshall closed the gap to one point (57-56) with a dunk with 1:58 remaining. A layup by Treadwell with 1:26 to go would give the Zips the lead for good as Akron closed the game on a 6-2 run.

Defense was the name of the game early on, as the contest saw just seven combined points scored by the 15:50 media timeout. Scoring would continue to be slow as the Zips would manage to grab a 10-9 lead by the under-12 media timeout (11:49). The lead came courtesy of an 8-2 run.

With the Zips ahead by three, Akron used its second 8-2 run to open up a 28-19 lead with 3:41 left, the largest advantage for either team in the opening frame. The Flashes would slowly close the gap, but the Zips would take a 32-29 lead into the intermission.

Treadwell and Reggie McAdams led the Zips' attack with seven points each as Akron shot 54.5 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from long range in the first half. UA finished with 11 assists on 12 buckets. Kent State won the rebounding battle 17-12.

Zips Notebook: Akron's run of seven-straight title game appearances is the longest ever in the MAC and is the second-longest active streak in the nation (Gonzaga, 16) ... the Zips are now 4-2 in the MAC Tournament against Kent State, including a 4-1 mark at Quicken Loans Arena ... with the win, the Zips earned a full point for Akron in the PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge and Akron leads 6.0-3.0 ... Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell now has eight double-doubles on the season while Zeke Marshall has six ... tomorrow's MAC Title game marks the ninth time in MAC Tournament history that both the men's and women's team from a single school made the finals in the same season ... the last program to do so was Kent State in 2006.

Published in College

Wednesday, 13 March 2013 18:37

UA Looking To Close Projected Budget Gap

The University of Akron is looking at ways to close a projected $26.7 million budget gap projected for 2014.

University President Dr. Luis Proenza discussed one of the main factors contributing to the budget shortfall.

"The changing demographics have meant slightly lower enrollment, which has the biggest impact on the budget," he explained.

Dr. Proenza also points to a $14 million loss in federal stimulus funding as a principal reason for the negative outlook.

Dr. Proenza addressed approximatley 200 faculty and staff members Tuesday to go over strategies to combat the shortfall.

UA is exploring options such as boosting the enrollment of "new traditional" students such as adult learners and veterans to find new sources of revenue.

"That means we have a very large cross-section of potential students we have not traditionally served, but we intend to do so now," Proenza said.

The university president also was looking at UA becoming in his words "more entreprenurial" in terms of finding new services to attract potential students to generate additional revenue for the school.

Proenza says these types of issues are not unusual in terms of higher education, but that the university would do what it could to right-size the budget.

Published in Local