Story by
Amani Lyles shines as starter with Akron Zips men's basketball team
- Story by
- Amani Lyles shines as starter with Akron Zips men's basketball team
Amani Lyles might be the next star for the University of Akron men's basketball team .
Lyles stepped into a starting role Nov. 3 and delivered an impressive performance in Akron's 85-71 season-opening win over James Madison at Rhodes Arena.
Advertisement
Lyles , a 6-foot-9 senior forward, was Akron's unquestioned star in the victory with a career-high 22 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, which matched his career high, in almost 28 minutes.
"He's been great," Akron coach John Groce said of Lyles. "He's had a week or two here in practice where he struggled a little bit with some shooting and some turnovers, but he cares. He watches film, he wants to correct it. He wants to be better. He's very appreciative of the opportunity that he has here.
"You want to talk about a guy that's a poster child for player development at the University of Akron . ... You didn't see the practices, him as a freshman, and what he's doing now, it's like night and day, and he's earned it. There's been no shortcuts. He's earned it. He's appreciative. He has a humility about him, a work ethic about him, the guys, he's a good teammate. He cares about winning."
Four of the five starters are gone from last season's Akron team that won Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament championships , but the cupboard isn't bare for the Zips , who host Princeton at noon Nov. 8.
Advertisement
"I thought [Marvin] Musiime-Kamali and [Sharron] Young's energy level and physicality and their motors [were] just contagious," Groce said. "Just changes the whole vibe in the gym, and credit to those two guys.
Akron Zips forward Amani Lyles shoots a 3-pointer over James Madison forward Gabe Newhof on Nov. 3, 2025.
"... I thought [Shammah] Scott's vertical at the end of the game was a good step in the right direction. I thought Evan Mahaffey on the top of the 1-3-1 [zone] was active and created a lot of disruption."
Lyles was one of Akron's top reserves last season, appearing in 34 of 35 games with seven starts.
Lyles said his focus during the summer was "shooting, being more efficient, being more certain with your moves, being more simple, slowing the game down and just getting comfortable, getting a lot of reps and shooting, a little handle work and more condition work, too, to be honest, to run teams out of the gym because that's our play style."
Advertisement
Lyles made 8 of 13 shots from the field, including 1 of 3 from beyond the 3-point arc, and 5 of 6 free throws Monday. He scored 10 points in the final 10 minutes as Akron ended the game on a 28-10 run.
Akron Zips forward Amani Lyles (0) blocks a shot by James Madison Dukes forward Justin McBride (21) on Nov. 3, 2025, in Akron.
"We are longer and more athletic this year," Lyles said. "We are very fast as a team. ... We have a lot of good defenders who can guard the ball one through five."
Lyles added "being disciplined and creating a routine and a schedule" has helped him develop along with putting in additional time "in the gym and in the weight room."
Increased production from Lyles is welcomed after Nate Johnson and James Okonkwo transferred out during the summer, to Kansas State and Utah , respectively, and Isaiah Gray and Seth Wilson completed their eligibility.
Advertisement
Johnson was named the MAC Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Tournament Most Valuable Player last season as Akron won its second MAC Tournament title in a row to advance to the NCAA Tournament .
Akron Zips forward Amani Lyles (0) blocks a shot by James Madison Dukes forward Justin Taylor (5) on Nov. 3, 2025, in Akron.
Scott, a 6-2 senior guard who was the MAC Sixth Man of the Year last season, has also stepped into a starting role and scored 17 points against James Madison. He scored 11 points during the 28-10 run to end the game, and finished 6 of 13 from the field, including 4 of 8 from 3-point range, and 1 of 2 at the free-throw line.
"Obviously, coach trusts us and everything like that, but it really didn't make a difference to me," Scott said. "I just wanted to come in the game and bring energy and impact the game as much as I can."
Advertisement
Senior Tavari Johnson , a 6-0 guard who was an All-MAC first-team selection last season, is Akron's lone returning starter. He contributed 14 points, three assists and two steals against JMU. Young, a 6-0 sophomore, scored 10 points.
"Sharron, Tavari and Shammah, those three guys are really good," Groce said. "I wouldn't trade them. I thought those three guys did a great job managing the game, and they didn't play perfect, they made some mistakes. But they have been there before, done that before and they kind of have a stick-to-itiveness about them."
Akron Zips guard Shammah Scott shoots a 3-pointer over James Madison guard Bradley Douglas on Nov. 3, 2025.
Akron's other two starters in the opener were brothers Evan Mahaffey , a 6-6 senior transfer forward, and Eric Mahaffey , a 6-6 redshirt freshman guard.
Advertisement
"Love Evan," Groce said. "Once again, a guy who cares about winning, cares about the right things. He's been well coached collegiately [at Penn State and Ohio State], he's been well-coached in high school [at Archbishop Moeller in Cincinnati]. Parents are great. ... [Monday night] you look at it and you're like, 'Oh, he's 2 for 7, four points, but six assists, six rebounds, four steals and two blocks. He's all over the place making winning plays.
"And then Eric just continues to get better. Unfortunately for you guys, you didn't go see him last year. He earned the right to start in the first scrimmage and then he obviously had the MCL injury that took him out for the year. So you get a feel for his athleticism and the way he moves. And sometimes you forget, like [Monday night] was Eric Mahaffey's first college game. It's like, wow, his upside's tremendous."
Eric Mahaffey contributed four points and five rebounds.
"I like our length and athleticism that we picked up," Scott said. "We got Evan Mahaffey, we got Eric Mahaffey, we got Oggie [Ognjen Stankovic] now, and we have got Amani Lyles back. We have more size and athleticism than I feel like we had in previous years. I feel like that can definitely help us as we make those deeper postseason runs."
Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Amani Lyles leads Akron Zips basketball into game with Princeton
