MAC Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

18. Isaiah Johnson

A 6’10 center from Cincinnati, Johnson found himself a great place in his home state, starring at Akron during Keith Dambrot’s final four seasons with the program. Arriving in Akron in 2013, Johnson was a decent contributor early in his career, but really developed into a star for the Zips at the tail end of his career.

His individual numbers improved with each season, helping the Zips win at least 20 games in all four of those seasons. By his junior year, he was up to 13.6 points and 7.6 rebounds a game. During a great senior season, Johnson had a 33-point effort against Central Michigan, took the Zips to the NIT, and had a number of double-doubles as well.

It was a great step forward in his final two seasons, and Johnson’s First Team All-MAC awards are proof of that. Furthermore, he was MAC Player of the Year in 2017 in his senior year, leading the Zips to a 27-win season. He led the MAC in effective field goal percentage and was a great rebounder and shot blocker as well. Johnson did great work in his career with the Zips and was quietly a monster in that frontcourt.