NCDS: Keith Dambrot, Head Coach - Akron

It has certainly been an interesting ride since the season started. I see continual improvement every day and with the Mid-American Conference season looming, we need to continue to improve and push through a tough road stretch. In preparation for another run at the MAC Championship, we need to prevail during our December schedule which is taking us out on the road for seven of nine games. I think one of the most consistent ingredients for success is to play good defense and share the basketball.

After falling in a tough loss at home to Cleveland State, I was unsure how the guys would react to our current four-game road swing. However, they have handled adversity well by coming away with some tough wins against Detroit and Illinois-Chicago. UIC proved to be a real challenge as we were down most of the second half. Thankfully, we tied the game at 52-52 on a 3-point bucket with 1:00 on the clock. A steal gave us the ball with 36.8 left in the game and a quick layup provided us with our first lead since the first half for the eventual 54-52 win. Although a little to close for comfort, it was a good test for our team as we travel to Temple and Minnesota next.

We are set to play Temple on Dec. 12. We have played them twice during my tenure, coming away with victories in both meetings. The first time we met was in my second year in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament. The game also coincided with what turned out to be head coach John Chaney’s final game after a remarkable career at the helm of the Owls. It was the first time the program had been to the postseason since Bob Huggins coached the Zips in the 1988-89 season. One of my most memorable wins as a head coach, I was very pleased to come away with the 80-73 overtime win and start the trend of allowing Zips fans to expect postseason play every year.

Rounding out the hardest part of the road schedule will be our team’s annual trip to play in a tournament over the holiday break. This year we get to travel to Las Vegas for the Holiday Hoops Classic. I know that most of my family and the fans are happy we opted for warmer temperatures versus the Alaskan trip we took two seasons ago. It will be another challenging test for the young squad as we will face Arkansas-Little Rock, Stetson and Miami (Fla.).

The remainder of the non-conference schedule will be nice to finish out at home as we will face Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Oral Roberts before we open up the MAC season on our home floor facing our rival Kent State (Jan. 8).

Happy Holidays!

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