Bio
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2004-05: Named one of team’s captains, along with Rob Gogerty...had surgery for a sports hernia in early October, but recovered to start the opener vs. Navy...scored in double figures with 10 points vs. Towson...posted 8 rebounds in non-conference win at Delaware...0/9 from the floor at Hartford and did not start for the first time last year at Boston University, coming off the bench to score 5 points and add 4 rebounds in 16 minutes...also used in reserve at Northeastern (January 15) and responded with season highs in P-R-A (17-8-5), field goals (8) and minutes (30)...the 5 assists tied a season and career high... “Mr. Saturday” led UMBC with 14 points (7/11 fg) in 24 minutes vs. Binghamton (January 22) and 14 more vs. UNH (January 29), making him 20 of 30 (66.7%) in the three Saturday contests in January ...was averaging 9.6 ppg in his first ten games as a reserve...his 96 points in that span was the most on the team...suffering from the flu, only played 3 minutes at Binghamton...competed in all 29 games in ‘04-’05, marking the first year he played in all games during a campaign...posted season highs in rebounds (114) and assists (44). ..UMBC’s active career scoring (599) and rebounding (297) entering his senior season.
2003-04: For the second straight year, an injury curtailed Zito’s effectiveness, although he managed to put up solid numbers...was averaging 11.8 ppg through the first 13 games, but a muscle (groin) strain vs. Boston University knocked him out of action for the next four games and hampered him the rest of the season...hit 62 of 131 field goal attempts (47.3%) before the injury, and just 26 of 75 (34.7%) in his final 11 appearances... scored in double figures in both contets of hte Battle of Baltimore Touranament, but his streak of scoring in double figures (nine straight dating back to ‘02-’03) was snapped with a six-point effort vs. Princeton...became the first Retriever to score 20 in a game when he netted 20 at Towson...was held scoreless in 19 minutes of action at USF...bounced back with a team-high 17 points and season-high 8 rebounds vs. Santa Clara......led UMBC with 15 points (6/11 fg) vs. Delaware, but made just 3 of 9 from the charity stripe...has a pair of four-steal games (Miami, Santa Clara) this year...the 48 minutes logged by Zito vs. Santa Clara is the third most in a game in school history...tallied a career high 21 points (8/12 fg) in the win over Hartford...hit a career best 3 trifectas in the game, but suffered the groin strain in the next game vs. Boston University....played 13 minutes at Vermont, his first action since the BU contest...UMBC was 1-3 with Zito not in the lineup... reclaimed starting spot, but averaged 5.8 ppg and 3.2 rpg in the first six games back...tallied 10 points vs. Albany, but free throw woes continued with a 2/9 performance...sparked UMBC’s 13-0 run vs. Stony Brook with 8 straight points, including 6 in a row from the free throw line...previously, was just 7 of 27 from the stripe in AEC games, but has improved to hit 18 of his last 26 attempts of the campaign...recorded team-highs of 19 points and 7 boards vs. Maine.
2002-03: Played in both games of the Battle of Baltimore Tournament, but suffered a broken bone in his foot in the title game and did not dress for the next eight games...had scored six quick points to spark UMBC in the title game vs. Loyola...returned to play 4 minutes vs. Robert Morris, then scored 13 points (5/11 fg) and added 4 rebounds and 3 assists in 22 minutes vs. St. Francis (PA)...added 8 points and a team-high 9 rebounds in 32 minutes vs. St. Francis (NY)...started his first game in place of Andrew Feeley (family illness) vs. Monmouth ... in his next start three games later, scored a season high and team-best 19 points (6/7 fg) and added 9 rebounds at Mt. St. Mary’s...recorded first career “double-double” with 17 points and 10 rebounds vs. St. Francis (PA) and followed up with his second, an 11-point, 10-rebound effort vs. Robert Morris...scored in double figures in each game since being inserted into the starting lineup and averaged 16.0 ppg and 8.5 rpg in that eight-game span...went to the free throw line 19 more times than second-place Kareem Washington in NEC games, despite playing seven minutes less per game...excels at scoring while absorbing contact and uses the glass well inside.
BACKGROUND: Attended The St. Thomas More School this past year…according to Coach Jere Quinn, Zito was one of the "hottest players on the prep school circuit" late in the season…he ended up averaging 16.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, and 4.0 apg for a school which had nine players sign Division I scholarships this year…earned All Tournament Team honors at the Sun Youth Christmas Tournament and at the West Point Prep School Tournament and helped his squad to a 24-9 record and a spot in the semi-finals of the New England Prep School Championships…while at Windsor HS, he was a First Team All State selection by The Hartford Courant and The New Haven Register as a senior…was also a First Team All Conference selection as a junior and a senior…the Warriors won back-to-back state titles in his freshman and sophomore seasons…his best game was a 39-point, 17-rebound effort vs. Bloomfield to get Windsor into the state tournament…chose UMBC because "the campus is nice, and the people here help and want you to succeed"…fast learner who adapted quickly to UMBC's summer strength and conditioning program…an admirer of Magic Johnson, for his all-around basketball abilities…has a pair of younger siblings, Drew, 15, and Kayla, 12…son of Pam and John, Sr., …born December 20, 1982.
CAREER HIGHS
Points: 21 vs. Hartford, 1-10-04
Rebounds: 10, 2x, latest v. RMU, 2-15-03
Assists: 5, 4x, latest @ N’eastern, 1-15-05
FG Made: 9 at Towson, 12-13-03
FT Made: 7, 3x, latest vs. at Santa Clara, 12-22-03
Blocks: 3 vs. St. Francis-PA, 2-13-03
3-pt. FG: 3 vs. Hartford, 1-10-04
Minutes: 48 at Santa Clara, 12-22-03