Akron is led by first-year head coach Dustin Ford, who moved up from being an assistant when John Groce left the Zips in March to be the men’s basketball coach at the College of Charleston.
Ford was on Groce’s staff for the past nine seasons at Akron as the Zips won four Mid-American Conference Tournament championships, two MAC regular-season crowns and made four NCAA Tournament appearances over the last five seasons.
In total, Ford spent the past 18 seasons as an assistant coach on Groce’s staff, with a four-year stint at Ohio University and a five-year stint at Illinois before Akron. Groce and Ford led Ohio to two MAC Tournament championships, two NCAA Tournament appearances and a run to the Sweet Sixteen in 2012, and guided Illinois to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2013.
Here are five things to know about the Akron men’s basketball team:
Who is on the Akron men’s basketball roster?
Akron has seven transfers — redshirt senior guard Tahj Staveskie, senior guard Ty Pence, graduate guard Kamrin Oriol, redshirt freshman guard Exavier Wilson, junior forward Colin White, senior forward Buddy Hammer Jr. and redshirt senior center Max Burton.
The Zips have two freshmen — guard RJ Jones and forward Devan Christion.
Akron returns four lettermen with game experience from last season — graduate wing Evan Mahaffey, redshirt junior wings Marvin Musiime-Kamali and Zach Halligan and redshirt senior forward Halil “Chabi” Barre.
The Zips also return three players who practiced with the team, but did not appear in games last season — redshirt freshmen guards Tai Perkins and Josh Henderson and redshirt junior guard Cody Head.
“I want us being aggressive,” Ford said on Oct. 27 after host Akron won 92-76 over Youngstown State University in an exhibition at Rhodes Arena. “I'm not going to split hairs with guys on what shots we’re taking. What is going to be mandatory is when the ball is shot, go rebound it. When the other team gets the ball, get your ass back and play defense, guard somebody. Talk on defense.
"I'm not gonna debate what a good shot and what a bad shot is. We want to play with pace. We want to be aggressive.”
The eligibility of Mahaffey and Oriol is still not a certainty, although an Oct. 29 order filed by the Ohio Supreme Court kept them available to play by preserving a previous ruling made earlier in October. A final ruling is expected soon.
Who is off the Akron men’s basketball roster?
Akron bid farewell to Shammah Scott, Tavari Johnson, Amani Lyles, Bowen Hardman, Eric Mahaffey, Sharron Young, Ognjen Stankovic, Rich Brisco and Conner Groce.
Scott, a two-time MAC Sixth Man of the Year, is playing in the NBA G League with the Texas Legends. Johnson and Lyles, both All-MAC first team players last season, transferred to Charleston and Cincinnati, respectively, and are subject to the same Ohio Supreme Court order while awaiting a final decision.
Also transferring out were Eric Mahaffey (Cincinnati), Young (Western Kentucky), Stankovic (Manhattan), Brisco (Rider) and Conner Groce (Charleston).
Who will be the Akron men’s basketball starters?
Staveskie, Pence, Barre, White and Evan Mahaffey started in the exhibition against YSU. Staveskie totaled 28 points, five assists, five rebounds and five steals in 26 minutes. Evan Mahaffey contributed 18 points, six rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes. Oriol scored 18 points in 24 minutes as a reserve.
“I felt great,” Staveskie said. “It’s easy to play with a group of guys like this. We were talking about it out there, like in transition, everybody can pass, dribble and shoot. So, I can get off it [the basketball] and then go get it back and not even worry about scoring. A lot of my points come off of these guys.”
Ford said Staveskie “clearly is a really good player and I'm really, really glad he's here.”
“I love him,” Ford said of Staveskie. “Everybody nowadays says they want to be coached hard and held accountable, Tahj does want to be coached hard and held accountable. When you coach him hard and hold him accountable he doesn't give you an excuse. … Tahj is talented. He's like the other guards we've had here that are capable shot-makers, playmakers, big-shot makers.”
Hammer, Perkins and Musiime-Kamali also played double-digit minutes as reserves.
“I think we got probably 7-8 guys that have earned the right to start in some capacity,” Ford said. "I think that it'll vary night to night, depending on matchups and who we're playing, but that's always hard early in the year, man, trying to find rotations.”
Akron men’s basketball players dealing with injuries
Ford said Burton has been sidelined for six weeks with an ankle injury, Henderson is dealing with a lower body injury and Halligan is dealing with a foot injury.
“Halligan was more of a precaution,” Ford said. “He could have played [against YSU], but clearly with it being a scrimmage and he didn't play for three to four days. I didn't want to throw him out there because Zach's the type of kid as we all know and we've been around, he is a tough kid. He's a full go all the time and I didn't want him being out there. … He will be ready to go [Monday] for sure.”
Akron men’s basketball transitions from John Groce to Dustin Ford
Evan Mahaffey said "I love the passion that we play with" and that "this is a Ford team."
"How hard we play," Mahaffey said. "How we practice. Diving on loose balls, rebounding the heck out of the ball. That's the type of energy that I think you'll be able to see from this team day in and day out.
“… Ford had such a big role last year. A lot of our baseline stuff is similar to the things that he taught us and stuff like that, but I think there's a lot more profanity I could say coming out. I think the intensity that he has day in and day out is very consistent. Honestly, that's one of the reasons I'm so excited because I love the passion that he coaches with. It's like he's out there with you, especially somebody that played in the MAC at OU. He played at the Division I level in this conference. It’s awesome having a coach like that."
Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Five things to know about Akron men's basketball ahead of 2026-27 season