Update in todays beacon journal by the Zips byTom Gaffney:
Coach Keith Dambrot believes the benefits are many for his University of Akron basketball team this weekend as one of the 10 participants in the third annual Glenn Wilkes Classic.
The Zips (0-1) will meet North Carolina State of the Atlantic Coast Conference on Friday, Drake of the Missouri Valley Conference on Saturday and Howard of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference on Sunday in Daytona Beach, Fla.
''First, it's good competition. Anytime you can play teams in the ACC and Missouri Valley, it's going to be good for you,'' Dambrot said. ''And playing three games in three days will help us. It speeds your process up . . . we will find out things about ourselves quicker. And it pushes you mentally and physically.''
The Zips opened their season Sunday with a home loss to Austin Peay 80-77 that was part of the Glenn Wilkes Classic. UA led 74-62 with 5:36 to play before the Governors went on a 17-0 run on their way to pulling an upset.
Dambrot said that the loss was disturbing for many reasons and that the games this weekend will help him and the coaching staff figure out a rotation and what combinations to utilize.
''We had a lot of things go wrong the last game,'' Dambrot said. ''This team will be a good team. I believe that. We just have to be more settled. We have to figure out who to play and when.''
The Zips used 11 players against Austin Peay, and that is too many for Dambrot. A further complication is the expected return of guard Ronnie Steward (compartment syndrome, which can cause nerve damage).
Dambrot was visibly upset in his postgame news conference, saying his team often played like they did last year. UA did win the Mid-American Conference championship and made an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2008-09, but it also had 13 losses, many of them close.
''We gave game after game away last year. I don't know why anybody would be surprised that we gave this game away because we did,'' Dambrot said after the Austin Peay loss. ''Our teams have always been pretty tough here, but this group is not tough. Until they get tough, they won't win.''
One of the bright spots against Austin Peay was the play of heralded freshman center Zeke Marshall, a 7-footer who had 10 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks in his college debut.
''He is going to be a handful. He is long. He is skilled. The only thing missing is some experience and a little body-building,'' said Dave Loos, who is in his 25th year as a head coach, 21 of them with Austin Peay. ''He is as advertised. He has a chance to be a really terrific player and give a program like Akron what most of us mid-majors are missing, a big, dominating guy inside.' ''
The Zips play a North Carolina State team that is not among the ACC elite. The Wolfpack were 16-14 last year and lost their top three scorers from that team.
N.C. State has only two seniors on the roster and opened Nov. 14 with a 69-53 victory over Georgia State in the Glenn Wilkes Classic, as 6-foot-8 junior forward Tracy Smith had 18 points and 11 rebounds.
''Are they going to win the ACC? Probably not. But they have ACC-quality athletes, so you know they are going to be good,'' Dambrot said.
Drake, the Zips' opponent on Saturday, opened with home losses to Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis 88-82 in the Glenn Wilkes Classic and to Iowa State 90-70. Drake has been hampered because its best player, senior guard Josh Young, has been slowed by a hip pointer.
On Sunday, UA will meet Howard, which lost at Indiana 83-60, and at Central Florida 68-59 in the Glenn Wilkes Classic. Sophomore guard Calvin Thompson led Howard in both games with 13 and 15 points, respectively.
After the three games in Florida, the Zips have a home game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 27.
