Akron Reporter

On March 12th, Hillcrest High School Forward Darrion Baker’s collegiate team the Akron Zips were invited to the NCAA tournament as a 14 seed.

The Akron Zips ended the regular season with a 24-10 record. They are paired against the Creighton Bluejays who are a 3 seed. The game will take place on Thursday, March 21 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Akron Zips Coach John Groce (2024) | Akron Zips

The table below shows other former Illinois basketball players currently on rosters competing for the 2024 National Championship.

Name	Hometown	College Team	Seed in tournament
Ethan Roberts	Arlington Heights	Drake Bulldogs	10
Malik Hall	Aurora	Michigan State Spartans	9
Kaleb Thornton	Bolingbrook	Akron Zips	14
Tatiana Thomas	Bolingbrook	Kent State Golden Flashes	15
Kennedi Perkins	Bolingbrook	Syracuse Orange	6
Joseph Yesufu	Bolingbrook	Washington State Cougars	7
Shae Littleford	Charleston	UT Martin Skyhawks	16
Darrion Baker	Chicago	Akron Zips	14
Tavari Johnson	Chicago	Akron Zips	14
Skylar Jones	Chicago	Arizona Wildcats	11
Jordan Wood	Chicago	Duke Blue Devils	7
AJ Redd	Chicago	Illinois Fighting Illini	3
Justin Harmon	Chicago	Illinois Fighting Illini	3
Max Williams	Chicago	Illinois Fighting Illini	3
Terrence Shannon Jr.	Chicago	Illinois Fighting Illini	3
Sydney Affolter	Chicago	Iowa Hawkeyes	1
Antonio Reeves	Chicago	Kentucky Wildcats	3
Aneesah Morrow	Chicago	LSU Lady Tigers	3
RJ Walson	Chicago	Marquette Golden Eagles	2
Bri McDaniel	Chicago	Maryland Terrapins	10
Christian Shumate	Chicago	McNeese State Cowboys	12
Cameron Williams	Chicago	Michigan Wolverines	9
Ahron Ulis	Chicago	Nebraska Cornhuskers	8
Cam Lawin	Chicago	San Diego State Aztecs	5
Kay Kay Green	Chicago	Texas A&M Aggies	11
Maliyah Johnson	Chicago	Texas A&M Aggies	11
Angela Dugalić	Des Plaines	UCLA Bruins	2
Kate Martin	Edwardsville	Iowa Hawkeyes	1
Max Scharnowski	Elgin	Alabama Crimson Tide	4
Taylor Charles	Elgin	Princeton Tigers	9
Jeffrey Grace III	Elmhurst	Nebraska Cornhuskers	8
Lance Jones	Evanston	Purdue Boilermakers	1
Nate Santos	Geneva	Dayton Flyers	7
Braden Huff	Glen Ellyn	Gonzaga Bulldogs	5
Danny Wolf	Glencoe	Yale Bulldogs	13
Alyssa Latham	Glenwood	Syracuse Orange	6
Addie Budnik	Highland Park	Richmond Spiders	10
Emily Klaczek	Hoffman Estates	Rice Owls	14
Kennise Johnson	Joliet	Iowa Hawkeyes	1
Jeremy Fears Jr.	Joliet	Michigan State Spartans	9
Asa Thomas	Lake Forest	Clemson Tigers	6
Janelle Allen	Lake in the Hills	Holy Cross Crusaders	16
Nate Ferguson	Lemont	Drake Bulldogs	10
Lauren Huber	Libertyville	Holy Cross Crusaders	16
Emily Fisher	Libertyville	Maryland Terrapins	10
Lenée Beaumont	Lisle	Indiana Hoosiers	4
Conor Enright	Mundelein	Drake Bulldogs	10
Mackenzie Hare	Naperville	Marquette Golden Eagles	10
Greta Kampschroeder	Naperville	Michigan Wolverines	9
Chris Conway	Naperville	Oakland Golden Grizzlies	14
John Poulakidas	Naperville	Yale Bulldogs	13
Janae Kent	Oak Forest	LSU Lady Tigers	3
Sami Osmani	Oak Lawn	Creighton Bluejays	3
Justin Cross	Oak Park	Kansas Jayhawks	4
RayJ Dennis	Plainfield	Baylor Bears	3
Haleigh Timmer	Rapid City	South Dakota State Jackrabbits	12
AJ Storr	Rockford	Wisconsin Badgers	5
Jordan King	Rockton	Marquette Golden Eagles	10
Chris Hodges	Schaumburg	Wisconsin Badgers	5
Terrion Murdix	Springfield	Western Kentucky Hilltoppers	15
Kylie Feuerbach	Sycamore	Iowa Hawkeyes	1
Sarah Cernugel	Westmont	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	2
Kendall Moriarty	Wheaton	Nebraska Cornhuskers	6
Jaden Schutt	Yorkville	Duke Blue Devils	4