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Groce was rumored as a speculative candidate early on for Boston College. Another door closed.

I think this would be a good pickup for Akron. https://x.com/i/status/2037212125890740506

There was also pretty clear family tie to Duquesne for Dambrot. His leading his dad's former team to a tournament win was awesome to watch. That move made total sense to me. Groce going to Butler or Indiana or somewhere else close to home would make sense to me for the same reasons. I don't think he's making a lateral move unless there's a reason outside of basketball.

I think you can alleviate some of those other (valid) points if this one is accomplished. It's not a short term fix, unfortunately

Once again I don't think anyone thought he was going to the College of Charleston. @NWAkron was clearly being facetious and some took the bait.

Last year or the year before, we were worried about groce leaving for the Indiana Hoosiers. I think all the talk about USF, College of Charleston, and depaul if it got there is crazy. If groce is somehow a finalist for UNC then I’d be worried, but I really have my doubts about these lateral moves after he has had so much success here and signed a contract extension last year

Well deserved

What's the solution? Well, if this is the case, stop competing against NFL teams, OSU and high school football. Akron already doesn't play on Sunday. HS football is on Fridays. Make Akron football benefit the athletes, students alumni fans and general community around Akron. Make game day a great experience for everyone. Play on a date and at a time that is most convenient for people to attend games. Produce a game that people will be willing to miss or schedule around the OSU vs Purdue,Northwestern, UCLA, Illinois, Iowa, yes.... Penn State is trash, Minnesota, Michigan State, Rutgers, Maryland, Ball State and Kent games.

Despite their lack of athleticism, they ranked 114th in 3P defense. I totally get there will be trade-offs, hence my season-long take that Akron's focus should be forcing teams to keep up with them in a high-octane offense because they weren't built for legitimate defense. I think many would be ok with increasing the overall average height, sacrificing a bit of the post-play still, and finding more of a happy medium across all styles.

Yeah if that conversation happened, hopefully the Toledo guy told Steinbrecher "I can schedule my other four games however I want, thank you very much."

Yes, and I would say Miami sacrificed athleticism for perimeter height. They were also very undersized in the post, as can be seen by how they were bullied by UMass and Tennessee, so not sure if that's a terrific example. I don't disagree that height is important. Just that other schools with deeper pockets are going to pay a premium for it. IMO if Tavari was 6'3" he probably gets similar offers to Nate in the portal when he put his name in. Maybe it's still worth sacrificing athleticism if it means we get taller. I'm more pointing out there will be trade-offs.

I think that's too broad of a take. You and a few others have been clambering for better defense, which more length would most likely lead to. Miami OH was long so it's possible to get longer. I'm simply saying this should be a focus.

According to a guy on Reddit, Steinbrecher met with Toledo's Deputy AD who made those comments and scolded him over them. I hope Whelan (the Deputy AD) told Jon he can kiss his butt if he takes issue with the comments. Steinbrecher is a spineless rat that has been horrendous for the MAC. I'm surprised he had enough time to meet with Whelan while he gets dog walked everywhere by his Power Conference owners.

I thought the same thing about Duquesne. Lateral move at best. But the A10 is significantly better than the CAA or whatever.

I feel a big part of the problem is we're not going to be able to afford a 6'4" Tavari or a 7' Lyles. We would have to sacrifice skill for height.

This is an area Akron needs to focus on.

Thanks for the thread rename BTW 👍

If he leaves for "College of Charleston", we have bigger problems than we thought.

Yes, salary is also likely comparable once you adjust for cost of living as well. Groce I believe got a combined $100K bonus for winning the MAC Tournament and making the tournament. That would have brought his total compensation to like $950K.

Totally agree in that sense. Nothing Groce could achieve there that he couldn't at Akron.

I mean in terms of competitiveness. Lateral move at best.

CoC was paying Chris Mack more than Groce annually.

I can't fathom that one. Definitely a step down from Akron.