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With Nate Johnson leading way, key Zips expect to return. So March Madness again? | Ulrich
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- With Nate Johnson leading way, key Zips expect to return. So March Madness again? | Ulrich
SEATTLE — The Akron Zips had a good thing going until their 2024-25 season ended with a thud, but there are reasons to believe the UA men's basketball team will be back in the NCAA Tournament a year from now.
After 13th-seeded Akron suffered a 93-65 blowout loss Friday night to No. 4 Arizona in a first-round March Madness matchup in the East Region, five key Zips players who have NCAA eligibility remaining told the Beacon Journal they plan to be back with UA next season.
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The players who made their intentions known during locker room interviews at Climate Pledge Arena are redshirt junior guard Nate Johnson , junior guard Tavari Johnson, senior guard Shammah Scott, senior forward James Okonkwo and junior forward Amani Lyles.
"That's always the goal, and that's the plan," Nate Johnson , Akron 's top player, said when he was asked whether he expects to return to the Zips.
The transfer portal opens Monday and could produce curveballs, yet Akron is positioned to bring back the majority of its core. If the aforementioned players return along with freshman guard Sharron Young and junior guard Bowen Hardman, the Zips would welcome back seven of the nine regulars in their rotation.
Three Akron senior guards — Isaiah Gray, Seth Wilson and Evan Wilson — played for the final time in college. Gray, Seth Wilson, the Johnsons and Okonkwo were starters for the Zips during a historic season in which UA earned an NCAA Tournament berth in back-to-back years for the first time.
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Akron won the Mid-American Conference regular-season and tourney titles and finished 28-7, setting a school record for most victories. The Zips prevailed in 21 of their final 23 games. They also went 20-1 in the MAC, including 3-0 in the conference tournament.
Zips react to March Madness defeat: Akron basketball hurt by historic season ending with bruising loss in NCAA Tournament
John Groce is an excellent coach who has adapted well to the new landscape of college sports dominated by the portal and name, image and likeness deals. He has worked with the Fear the Roo Collective to give the Zips chances to attract and retain talent through NIL money.
There's a reason Kent State coach Rob Senderoff said this after a Jan. 31 loss to the Zips: "They get the best free agents in our league. They have an unbelievable coach who does a great job. I refer to John Groce as like Joe Torre."
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Players of the 7-foot variety may look like trees, but they don't grow on trees. The 6-foot-8 Okonkwo and 6-7 Lyles are forwards and the only big men the Zips had for the 2024-25 season. If Groce could just lure a skyscraper center to his team, imagine how many more MAC coaches would openly compare Akron to the dynastic New York Yankees .
Arizona Wildcats forward Henri Veesaar (13) shoots the ball over Akron Zips guard Nate Johnson (34) during an NCAA Tournament first-round game March 21, 2025, in Seattle, Washington.
Size proved to be a gargantuan difference between guard-dominant Akron and Arizona (23-12).
The Wildcats had advantages over the Zips in rebounding (53-22), points in the paint (48-20) and second-chance points (18-4), among other categories.
More Zips news: What will Akron basketball roster look like in 2025-26 after March Madness run this season?
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Arizona also shot much better than Akron — 56.5% from the field (48% on 3-pointers) versus 33.3% from the field (28% on 3s).
The MAC Player of the Year, MAC Defensive Player of the Year and MAC Tournament Most Valuable Player, Nate Johnson went 1-of-9 shooting from the field. He also went 11 of 12 from the free-throw line to cobble together 13 points, which placed him in a tie for the team lead in scoring with Tavari Johnson, an All-MAC first-team selection.
Akron Zips men's basketball set to look different as another player hits transfer portal
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Nate Johnson took responsibility for an inefficient outing the way a leader does — "I didn't do my job," he said — and explained he feels as if he has unfinished business with the Zips.
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Akron has won a MAC tourney title and gone to March Madness in three of its last four seasons. Johnson has been with the Zips for all of it, and he's aware Akron is still seeking its first Division I NCAA Tournament win, having gone 0-7 now.
"We went as far as he went, and he got us pretty far," Seth Wilson said. "That's a tribute to him, and I know he's going to have a hell of a year next year and beyond.
"I'm probably going to be calling him and texting him and talking to him during the offseason and during the season next year to make sure that he finishes the business and gets some vengeance for us."
As far as being armed with motivation goes, Johnson should have plenty of company, provided he and several Zips who expect to run it back follow through.
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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Nate Johnson, other key Akron Zips say they plan to return next season
