Dr Z Posted March 16, 2011 Report Posted March 16, 2011 Zeke Marshall was already at mid-court at Quicken Loans Arena to receive the trinkets that went along with the University of Akron's Mid-American Conference Tournament championship Saturday night. But when he heard the announcer call his name as the most valuable player, the 7-foot center staggered in his tracks. An unassuming sophomore from McKeesport, Pa., Marshall scored only 32 points in the Zips' four games. He downplayed his MAC Tournament single-game record of nine blocked shots in the final and his domination of Can't State's Justin Greene, the league's player of the year. So as Marshall cradled the wood and glass MVP trophy, it was clear it meant more to him than it might have to some other young men. It served as a reminder of his game-changing potential, a validation of two years of hard work and a confirmation of his decision to take a chance on a school like Akron where he would be given time to flourish. ''I can't even begin to describe how I did this,'' Marshall said. ''I was in foul trouble. My whole thing was winning this tournament. I just thank God for this. I thank God for what happened.'' For Akron (23-12) to have any chance on Friday in an NCAA Southwest Regional game against second-seeded Notre Dame (26-6) at the United Center in Chicago, it needs to happen again. Before the season began, Akron coach Keith Dambrot said, ''We are going to be as good as the big boy is,'' and he's been uttering something along those lines ever since. Dambrot knows that for Akron to take the next step as a basketball program, he has to land players like Marshall, ranked 43rd in the nation in his recruiting class. Winning 20 games for the sixth consecutive season and reaching the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years is one thing. Acquiring the talent to win in the Big Dance is another. Continue Reading Here Zeke Swats Flash Fans Hopes Away Quote
GoZips Posted March 16, 2011 Report Posted March 16, 2011 Zeke Swats Flash Fans Hopes Away Who was the Harriet who said, "no one in the MAC plays above the rim". Oh, that was youuuuu..... Elton. Quote
Blue & Gold Posted March 16, 2011 Report Posted March 16, 2011 Great article. I just left Marla a complimentary comment. I love how she quoted Momma Zeke!!! Also, I do appreciate how she drew a comparison between Zeke and Anthony Ampaipatakwong (sp?) - saying Anthony was Caleb Porter's first nationally-recognized recruit and how Marshall was KD's. Others followed Anthony shortly thereafter. I'm glad the ABJ has a sportswriter who believes that Akron can take this program to the next level. (Unlike George Thomas who thinks he has a better chance of gaining superpowers than Zips football has of gaining national recognition. Geez, talk about a presuppositional bias against a program you cover? Strange. Very strange indeed.) Go Zips! We believe in AKRON!!! Quote
Dave in Green Posted March 16, 2011 Report Posted March 16, 2011 Best story yet on Zeke. The more we learn about him as a person, the more reason to be impressed. Hopefully there will be fewer negative comments about Zeke's game performances seen on this forum in the future. He's obviously trying very hard to be the best that he can be, and he's slowly but surely getting there. Quote
scottditzen Posted March 16, 2011 Report Posted March 16, 2011 Great article. I just left Marla a complimentary comment. I love how she quoted Momma Zeke!!! Great idea B&G....I just left a little note too. Again, the media gauges interest by the number of comments left after articles. This is a way for us to let the ABJ know to keep the Zips coverage coming!!! Quote
Blue & Gold Posted March 16, 2011 Report Posted March 16, 2011 Great article. I just left Marla a complimentary comment. I love how she quoted Momma Zeke!!! Great idea B&G....I just left a little note too. Again, the media gauges interest by the number of comments left after articles. This is a way for us to let the ABJ know to keep the Zips coverage coming!!! I agree. I always try to leave at least a little something for any Zips' article, even if it's just a "Go Zips!" Quote
Sergeant Zip Posted March 16, 2011 Report Posted March 16, 2011 MCKEESPORT DAILY NEWS Akron hit it big with McKeesport's Marshall Quote
Zipmeister Posted March 17, 2011 Report Posted March 17, 2011 MCKEESPORT DAILY NEWS Akron hit it big with McKeesport's Marshall One thing the writer of this piece failed to mention: with Zeke Akron has reached the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. Now that's an impact player. Quote
Sergeant Zip Posted March 17, 2011 Report Posted March 17, 2011 MCKEESPORT DAILY NEWS Akron hit it big with McKeesport's Marshall One thing the writer of this piece failed to mention: with Zeke Akron has reached the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. Now that's an impact player. Miss Cleo's pen name is John Santa. John just glossed over the fact that UofA wins tomorrow. Zeke was just being a gentleman and didn't question John's prognosticating. Quote
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