Courtesy: Cindy Shegan Keeley/McKeesport Daily News Zeke Marshall signs his NLI alongside coach Corey Gadson and mother Nicole Bozeman.

AKRON, Ohio – University of Akron head men's basketball coach Keith Dambrot announced on Wednesday that Zeke Marshall, a 7-foot, 218 pound center from McKeesport High School in McKeesport, Pa., has signed a national letter of intent to play at the school starting in the 2009-10 season.

A consensus top-100 recruit (ranked No. 39 by Rivals.com, No. 40 by Scout.com, No. 56 by Hoopmasters.com, No. 57 by PrepSpotLight.com, No. 68 by ESPN.com and No. 99 by HoopScoopOnline.com), Marshall is Rivals.com's highest-ranked player to ever commit to a Mid-American Conference school. According to Rivals, Scout, HoopScoop, ESPN and Hoopmasters he is the No. 7 center in the 2009 class, while PrepSpotLight ranks him as No. 11 at that position.

"To say we are excited about the addition of Zeke to our program is an understatement," Dambrot said. "He is someone who defines our recruiting philosophy of bringing in high character people, and high school players from winning programs, who are also good students. He could have signed with any school in the nation, but chose Akron for all the right reasons."

As a junior in 2007-08, Marshall averaged 11 points, 10 rebounds and nine blocked shots, while helping his team to a 20-5 record, a sectional championship and an appearance in the second round of the state tournament.

Marshall, who boasts a 7-foot-5 wingspan, also participated in the Nike LeBron James Skills Academy on the Akron campus in July and the Nike Amare Stoudemire Skills Academy in Phoenix in June. Both events are designed to showcase the nation's best high school players.

"Zeke's decision to sign with us is a direct reflection of the high-caliber program we are building," Dambrot said. "This means that the success we have enjoyed in recent seasons is not going unnoticed and we are now able to compete for the same players that the high-major schools are recruiting. Zeke understands that our program is something special, and that this team, coaching staff and University offer an opportunity for him to come in and make an immediate impact."

Today's signing completes the Zips' 2009-10 recruiting class.

Akron opens the regular season on Saturday, when it plays host to Canisius at 7 p.m. EST at Rhodes Arena.