If the Akron Zips need a clutch shot in March Madness, sticking with Cleveland native Shammah Scott’s hot hand would not be a surprising choice.
A graduate-student guard, Scott made a crucial 3-pointer with 1:50 left in the Akron men’s basketball team’s 75-68 win over rival Kent State during the semifinal round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament on March 13 at Rocket Arena.
The next night, Scott drained the game-winning 3-pointer with six seconds left as Akron prevailed 79-76 over Toledo in the MAC tourney championship game.
The dramatic moments were connected in Scott’s mind.
“Honestly, I feel like that shot [against Kent State] built me up for the championship shot,” Scott said. “Coach put me in a position. That was after a timeout. He drew up that play, and he trusted the ball to be in my hands in that moment. I made a play. The same thing happened in the championship game. He put the ball in my hands, and he trusted in me. I just appreciate it.”
And UA appreciates Scott’s contributions as the reigning two-time MAC Sixth Man of the Year.
“Shammah’s ability to sacrifice and make the commitment to make us a better team in that role, I think, speaks a lot about who he is,” Zips coach John Groce said. “And our guys know it, too. They respect it and appreciate it from him.”
A men’s MAC Tournament champion for an unprecedented third conscutive year, Akron is headed to the NCAA Tournament in part because of Scott’s late-game heroics. No. 12-seed Akron (29-5, 17-1) is scheduled to face No. 5 Texas Tech (22-10, 12-6 Big 12) in a first-round Midwest Region game at 12:40 p.m. Friday, March 20, in Tampa.
To pull off an upset, the Zips will need their top players to be at their best, and Scott has a pep in his step after a magical MAC tourney.
“We could build on that,” Scott said. “Me, personally, it’s just more confidence to myself, knowing what I’m capable of in those type of situations. And for our team, winning the championship in that type of fashion, being down 12 [points to Toledo] at the half, it just shows what type of grit and drive we have as a team, so I feel like we could definitely build off of it.”
In three seasons with Akron, Scott has gone 9-0 in MAC Tournament games, capturing three tourney titles with the Zips since he transferred from Wichita State. In this year’s tournament, he scored 12 points in a 73-70 quarterfinal win over Buffalo, 18 points against Kent State and 12 points against Toledo.
This season, Scott has appeared in all 34 games. He’s averaging 12.7 points on 44.9% shooting from the field (42.2% on 3-pointers), 2.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 26.6 minutes. The Zips are accustomed to seeing him produce off the bench.
“When he makes those shots, he does the same thing in practice, he’s done the same thing in games throughout his career, you’re not surprised,” Groce said.
Still, the most recent shot Scott made was the biggest of his life.
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron’s Shammah Scott enters March Madness with clutch shooting streak