The University of Akron men's basketball team is at full strength with the return of Ali Ali .
The 6-foot-8 senior impressed in his season debut on Dec. 9 in a 77-76 win at Northern Kentucky , and did more of the same Sunday during a 88-45 win over Miami-Hamilton at Rhodes Arena.
Ali joined seniors Enrique Freeman , Greg Tribble and Sammy Hunter and sophomore Nate Johnson in the starting lineup in both victories.
"He brings an excitement level to our team," Akron coach John Groce said of Ali on Sunday. "They were so excited for him. Great teams are happy for their teammates when things go well for their teammates. Whether it is getting a waiver [from the NCAA to be eligible] or having a great game. We have got that disposition in our locker room. That is a real positive.
"... He knows these guys. He has played with a lot of them four of the last five years. He has been practicing. I think the biggest thing for him is not necessarily synchronization. I think the biggest thing for him is getting his cardio up. We practice and he has got good cardio, but to have elite cardio like Freeman has now at this juncture you need to play in games."
Ali totaled 10 points, four assists and three rebounds in 29 minutes Sunday in his first Akron home game since he returned after playing one season at Butler.
"It feels really good to be back," Ali said. "Obviously, this meant a little bit more to me than maybe others, my first game back in the JAR. I was glad to be out there with my teammates and be able to get the win."
Ali played at Akron for three seasons from 2019-22 before transferring to Butler for the 2022-23 season. He transferred back to Akron in the spring and missed the first eight games of the season before the NCAA declared him eligible.
Ali said he had "a mix of emotions" when Groce told him and his teammates that he was cleared by the NCAA on Dec. 8.
"I was happy, excited, emotional, thankful and grateful," Ali said. "Obviously, to be there with my teammates and see the love that they have for me being able to get back on the court with them was a crazy feeling. That helped us win that tight NKU game. That moment in the locker room brought us together."
Ali assisted on Freeman's game-winning slam dunk against Northern Kentucky, and finished with 13 points, five assists and two rebounds in 29 minutes
"Once we could see how they were guarding from the inbound, we kind of made eye contact," Ali said. "We have been playing with each other since 2019, so I think the connection is still kind of there. It proved itself at the end of the game. I am glad we were able to connect on that play.
"... I inbounded the ball to Rique and Rique threw it back to me. I acted like I was about to get downhill and Rique's guy jumped at me and I threw him a low bounce pass. I was thinking if he catches the ball, he is good. I was kind of worried about the pass, but I knew if you give Rique the ball, he is going to finish the play."
Freeman had 15 points, 17 rebounds, two assists and two steals in 28 minutes Sunday to lead the Zips (7-3) past the Harriers (5-6), a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association. He had 21 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes against NKU.
Johnson and Shammah Scott also scored 15 points apiece Sunday. Hunter added nine points, Amani Lyles had seven points and eight rebounds and Kaleb Thornton had five assists.
Ryan Marchal paced Hamilton with 15 points and Cory Davis had 14 points.
"Ali is a great player and a great teammate," Freeman said. "He brings scoring to the team and he brings defense to the team. He has been with us all summer and has been practicing with us the entire season. He has been helping us build as a team and has been a great addition to our team.
"... Ali and I have been playing together for four or five years now. Our chemistry together is unmatched."
Groce said he is "trying to continue to rev up Ali's conditioning" by playing him extended minutes.
"I left him out there a couple of times, quite honestly, when he was a little bit fatigued intentionally to try to get him to push through and he did," Groce said.
"... Ali is a great player. He is a two-way player. He plays both ends of the floor. One of the most intelligent players I have ever coached. He is very smart, very skilled, has good size and obviously he is athletic."
Freeman came into Sunday's game as one of five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending on Dec. 10. The U.S. Basketball Writers Association makes the selections.
The 6-7 Freeman led Akron to wins over Bradley and Northern Kentucky by shooting 76% from the field (19-for-25) as he recorded two 20-plus point and 10-plus rebound performances. Freeman is the first player from the Mid-American Conference to receive the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week honor.
Additionally, Freeman has been the MAC Player of the Week three times this season.
Sunday's performance gave him eight double-doubles in 10 games.
"Freeman is one of the best players in the country," Groce said. "He gets a double-double like you and I breath."
Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ali Ali happy to be back with Akron Zips men's basketball team
