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Wednesday, August 17, 2011 Tuesday, August 16, 2011 - 7 p.m. vs. Carleton University 10:05 p.m. - Zips Hang Tough, Down Carleton 80-76 OTTAWA, Quebec – The University of Akron men's basketball team closed out its 2011 Canada trip with an 80-76 victory over defending Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) national champion Carleton University on Tuesday night. Akron concluded its first foreign trip since 1999 with a perfect 5-0 record. The squad finished the trip averaging 87.2 ppg while holding five opponents to just 63.0 ppg (+24.2 ppg). The Ravens, winners of seven of the last nine CIS national titles, gave the Zips their toughest battle of the trip, trailing Akron by one point with 1:03 left in the game. Akron pushed the lead back to four points (76-72) before a 3-pointer made it a one-point game (76-75) with 20 seconds on the clock. The Zips would ice the game at the free throw line, making four attempts over the final 12 seconds. Sophomore guard Alex Abreu led the way with 15 points, eight assists and three steals. The eight-assist performance was his second of the trip (8, vs. Sheridan College). Junior forward Chauncey Gilliam and freshman forward Nick Harney chipped in with 12 points each while sophomore guard Brian Walsh had 11 points and freshman guard Demetrius Treadwell finished with 10 points. Carleton's Phillip Scrubb led all scorers with 27 points. Gilliam led the Zips during Akron's five-game trip, averaging 14.0 ppg while Harney averaged 11.5 ppg. Sophomore forward Josh Egner led the Zips on the glass, averaging 4.25 rpg. Akron will take Wednesday off before returning to Akron
on Thursday. Monday, August 15, 2011 8:45 p.m. - Get to know Akron junior guard Chauncey Gilliam as he talks about what he learned from sitting out last year, his thoughts on Montreal's Olympic Stadium and a fairly hidden talent. 7:00 p.m. - Dinner tonight at Baton Rouge. The team had a choice of steak, ribs or chicken and ribs. Pretty safe to say that everyone left full and satisfied. Dessert (picture below) included chocolate cake and a big glass of cold milk. Quincy Diggs (right) approves. 
1:00 p.m. - The team took a tour of the city today. The first stop took the team to Olympic Stadium, site of the 1976 Olympic Games. Next was a senic view area which gave visitors a great view of the Montreal Skyline. The final stop was one of the more intriguing locations, at St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal, the largest church in North America and the third largest dome in the world. Make sure to view the entire album HERE or by clicking the link below. 
11:35 a.m. - The team will have a noon lunch at the hotel before heading on a tour of the city given by our host, McGill Assistant Coach John Dangelas. Stay tuned for updates. Sunday, August 14, 2011 - 4 p.m. vs. McGill University 6:45 p.m. - Zips Improve to 4-0 in Canada with 85-57 Victory MONTREAL, Quebec – The University of Akron men's basketball team improved to 4-0 on its trip to Canada thanks to an 85-57 victory over McGill University on Sunday. The Zips shot 55.7 percent (34-for-61) for the game, and forced 26 turnovers to win their third game in the past 36 hours. The Akron defense held McGill to just 32.7 percent shooting (17-for-52). Junior forward Chauncey Gilliam led the way with 17 points, going 7-for-10 from the field in 16 minutes. Sophomore forward Josh Egner was the only other Zip in double figures, pitching in with 14 points and six boards. Egner was 6-for-8 from the floor. Playing under FIBA rules, the game had four 10-minute quarters. Akron opened the contest with a slim 14-11 advantage after the first 10 minutes, but used a 25-9 second quarter to lead 39-20 at the intermission. Both Gilliam and Egner had eight points in the half. The Zips pushed the lead to 33 (55-22) with 6:24 to go in the third quarter for their largest lead of the game and would cruise to the win from there. Akron gets a much-needed day off on Monday before closing out
play on Tuesday, Aug. 16, against Carleton University at 7 p.m. ET.
Carleton fell 93-84 to Central Florida on Aug. 12, but defeated
Illinois State 90-80 on Aug. 11.
Saturday, August 13, 2011 - 1 p.m. vs. University of Quebec • 7 p.m. vs. Champlain Alumni 9:00 p.m. - Game ends with Akron on top 83-68. Stats coming soon. After the game, players from both teams came together for a group picture. Very cool! 
8:00 p.m. - A familiar face in the stands tonight. Former Zips soccer goalie Evan Bush, who now plays for Montreal) was in attendance with former Akron volleyball player Colleen Dryja. 
7:00 p.m. - Good turnout for today's game against the Champlain alumni. Couple of interesting notes in regards to basketball in Quebec. 30-second shot clocks and uniform numbers. All player numbers are 1-15 including #'s 6, 7, 8 & 9, which are not allowed in NCAA play. 
6:15 p.m. - On the campus of Champlain College Saint-Lambert for a 7 p.m. game against the Cavaliers alumni. The most size we've seen in the three games we've played. Gym lacks air conditioning but is clean and gives a nice atmosphere. Should be competitive and we'll see how the team fares with the only double-header in the program's recent history. 
6:10 p.m. - Coach Dambrot with his iced tea replacement for the day ... after the game, he swore he would never do it again. 
5:00 p.m. - Before heading off to the game, take an opportunity to meet freshman forward Nick Harney as he talks about Akron, what he's working on in practice and why fans should be excited to watch him this year. 4:30 p.m. - Back to the hotel. Interesting note in regards to the hotel that some of the players notices. The elevator officially has a floor #13. On another note, Coach Weigand still in search of iced tea and BBQ sauce ... Team leaves for the tail half of the doubleheader at 5:15 tonight. 
4:00 p.m. - Zips Down Quebec 76-55, Improve to 2-0 in Canada MONTREAL, Quebec – The University of Akron men's basketball team improved to 2-0 on its foreign trip to Canada with a 76-55 victory over the University of Quebec on Saturday afternoon. It was the first game of the trip played under International Basketball Federation (FIBA) rules, which included four 10-minute quarters and a 24-second shot clock. Freshman forward Nick Harney led the way with 15 points while fellow freshman forward Demetrius Treadwell finished with 10 points. Junior forward Quincy Diggs added nine points and six boards while sophomore guard Alex Abreu added five points and five assists. The Zips lead by five at the end of the first quarter (22-17) before a slow second quarter by both teams cut the lead to 26-23 at the intermission. Akron would open the three of its first four buckets top open the second half. The Zips carried that momentum to take a 52-37 lead into the final quarter. Akron's 26 points in the third stanza tied its first half output. Harney would help the Zips to victory on with 10 second-half points. He is the only player to score in double figures in both games so far on the trip. The Zips have a short turnaround as they face the Champlain
Alumni tonight at 7 p.m. ET. Friday, August 12, 2011 6:30 p.m. - Off to a team meal at an italian restaurant downtown. Before we leave the hotel, we meet a couple of new Zips fans. The journey to the restaurant included a couple of interesting sights including half the team being stranded in the middle of the road and being stopped by the Monster Energy drink truck. On a lighter note, Coach Weigand and Coach Dambrot's quest for a decent supply of iced tea continues ... 
3:30 p.m. - Get to know freshman guard Adedeji Ibitayo in this interview as he talks about Canada, playing with the team and carrying weights ... 2:30 p.m. - Great tour of Montreal today. Walked for about 2 hours or so around the city. Entire team seemed to enjoy it. Went through China Town where street stands lined the entire block. After that, went through Old Montreal. Old brick streets and a lively atmosphere. Shops and restaurants everywhere. The team visited the oldest church in the city before heading down to the water front. A couple of team pictures here and there and some interesting gazes from other pedestrians looking up at a team with multiple players over 6'7". Dinner tonight at 6:15 p.m. at a restaurant downtown. Gearing up for 2 games tomorrow. Be sure to view the day's photo album HERE or by clicking the image below. 
11:30 a.m. - The team meets downstairs for breakfast and the day's itinerary. Tour of Montreal begins at 12:30 p.m. 
Thursday, August 11, 2011 • Game #1 @ 1 p.m. vs. Sheridan College 11:30 p.m. - Bus arrives at the Marriott hotel in downtown Montreal. The trip hit a minor snag in the city as the Britney Spears concert was just letting out next door at the Bell Centre, the home of the Montreal Canadians hockey team. Instructions given that wakeup tomorrow will be at 11 a.m. followed by a tour of the city. 
10:45 p.m. - Team arrives in Montreal for a meal prior to the hotel. Ribs and chicken on the menu. Guys getting restless on the bus. Two seperate card games break out in the center isle. Others taking naps or listening to music. (Note: because of international fees, most phones are off with the exception of texting. Not many phone calls or surfing the web.) 
7:30 p.m. - Quick rest stop on the way to Montreal. Traffic hampered most of the early drive. Two movies later and we discover we still have 3 more hours or so of driving ahead of us. 
4:45 p.m. - Men's Basketball Opens Canadian Trip with 112-59 Win BRAMPTON, Ontario – The University of Akron men's basketball team opened its eight-day tour of Canada with a 112-59 victory over Sheridan College on Thursday. Junior forward Chauncey Gilliam led the way with 21 points in his first action as a Zip while freshman forward Nick Harney had 14 points. Four other Zips scored in double figures, including sophomore forward Josh Egner (14), senior guard Brett McClanahan (13) and freshmen guards Blake Justice (11) and Adedeji Ibitayo (10). After a slow start, Akron picked up the pace to close out the first half with a 55-24 lead. The Zips kept the pressure on Sheridan College, scoring 57 points in the second half. The Zips will have the day off before playing two games on
Saturday, Aug. 12. Akron will face off against the University of
Quebec at 1 p.m. ET in Montreal before taking on the Champlain
Alumni at 7 p.m. ET in St. Lambert, Quebec.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
3 p.m. - The team exits the bus and all passports are cleared as the Zips enter into Canada. Players were asked to present passports and then had to clarify that they were not bringing in firearms or alchohol into Canada. 11:30 a.m. - After a quick morning practice,
the team hits the road for Toronto. Monday, August 8, 2011 The team practices together two days before heading to Canada. This is the eighth day of practice the Zips have had this August in preperation for the trip. Head Coach Keith Dambrot discusses the benefits of the 2011 foreign tour. |
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2011 Canadian Foreign Tour Game Schedule:Game 1: vs. Sheridan College Game 4: vs. McGill University
Newcomer Profiles:Blake Justice |
