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Groce is a serious candidate and is very interested in coming here.

If Gonzaga wins the National title will teams be more eager to schedule us since we played Villanova last year?

We should know who our new coach is within 24-48 hours.

I would say the primary things working against Rick McFadden are: 1.) He's never been a head coach at any level. If you recall - Coleman Crawford was an assistant to Bob Huggins. That staff continuance didn't help the Zips. In fact, it was really really bad. 2.) This is THE hire for Larry Williams. It's his chance to make a splash/impact hire that takes him to the next AD level. If I'm Larry Williams, do I want to turn my nationally recognized top mid-major program over to a completely untested/unproven assistant? 3.) I haven't seen any comment from Rick McFadden that he wants the job. He's out-of-site-out-of-mind. He's already listed as a Duquesne assistant. If he wants the job, he needs to pick up the phone and call the PD and Beacon...get on the local talk shows...he needs to campaign for it. 4.) Rick is a Youngstown kid. He knows Jim Tressel from Tressel's days at OSU and Akron. He served on the same Akron staff as former YSU HC Dan Peters. Yet he wasn't really even considered for that lowly job. Yeah, YSU's preference isn't the best barometer for determining a D1 basketball Coach's merit...but the fact that he is a local kid with such close ties to Tressel, yet was never a serious candidate, is a concern. 5.) Even if McFadden is "The Second Coming of Keith Dambrot," is he the best available Head Coach candidate in the nation? 6.) Dambrot's last couple recruiting classes have been disappointments. If Big Dog blew an ACL, we'd have been at the bottom of the MAC. In the past 2 seasons we've essentially seen a mix of transfers, and projects. I would disagree. But if it is indeed not a good job, it's because there have been too many recent BJ Gladden's and Peter Agba's. We need some pillars to allow projects like Olijapoke to grow, and we haven't seen any pillars recruited for a couple seasons. What role does McFadden play in that dry spell? 7.) In this era of athletes Tweeting every thought that pops into their head...I haven't seen one existing Zips player stumping for Rick McFadden? I recall when Lee Owens left (football), the players universally clamored for Paul Winters to get the job. Typically when a HC departs, if there's a beloved assistant, the players let you know it. 8.) Dambrot had his prejudices against the MAC. A lot of fans became tired of hearing about the JAR facilities...the "1-bid league" complaints. Maybe Dambrot is right. Maybe it is impossible to win at a level beyond what he accomplished. But maybe he's wrong? Maybe there is a better coach out there who can recruit a little better...assemble a little better staff...strategize a little better...take us to another level? Obviously not a "Gonzaga of the East" level...I think we all realize we don't have the $$$ to play in that game. But we can be an "MTSU". I would say the primary things working FOR Rick McFadden are: 1.) He dropped a football scholarship at OSU to play basketball for the Zips. That alone should make him a UA folk hero. 2.) He's been around the Program for over a decade, and I've never heard a bad word spoken about his character. He's a solid guy. 3.) He brings continuity to a program that's been very successful at the MAC level. He knows the bus trips, the hotels, the opposing coaches and players...he basically just needs to move into KD's bigger vacant office and he's ready to go. There's a lot of value in continuity. 4.) If successful, he'd likely be here for 10 years. He's obviously not a job-hopper. 5.) I'd like to be a fly-on-the-wall in his interview, so I'd know what he states he'd do differently than Coach Dambrot. If he says "Hey Larry...I'm going to give you exactly what you've had for the past 12 years," I probably wouldn't hire him. If he gave a convincing, fresh, passionate plan for the next 10 years I'd be intrigued. I see Rick McFadden as a viable candidate to interview. But do I really think he's the best available mid-major HC candidate in the nation? Probably not. If becoming a HC is his goal, he needs to break free from Dambrot and coach at Tiffin...Wittenberg...Wooster...Hiram...somewhere and cut his teeth at the HC level before taking-on a nationally-respected mid-major program like Akron. Build a staff. Grow something. Then, interview at UA. But that's just one man's opinion.

I have never before considered posting on zipsnation, in fact I rarely ever visit the site (only occasionally to see what fans are complaining about). But after reading some of these conversations since the MAC tournament I finally had to register to make a post. I have plenty to say and doubt I can effectively communicate everything I would like to say, but I will give it a try: The first thing I can't believe I haven't seen is people wanting us to hire from within. Coach Dambrot just finished an unparalleled run of success all while pretty much keeping his staff in tact- so to me the obvious thing to do is promote one of his long time assistant coaches (Rick McFadden). Would this guarantee success? No, not necessarily, but it seems more likely to me that he would continue to be successful than someone else. For those of you who want "something new" I'm not sure why? I mean if it's a more exciting playing style that you are looking for, ok fine- Just look at some other programs in the league who play what you may think is "more exciting basketball" (Central, Toledo, or even BG who wants to play fast). Now look at their history of success, it doesn't look anything like what Coach Dambrot and his staff have done. If you are looking for something more, once again I understand. We all would like to win MORE MAC championships, and win in the NCAA tournament (Nobody wanted that more than Coach D). But please remember that we DID win more than anyone else in the conference- Just look at the last 9 years: 3 MAC Tournament Championships and 4 MAC Regular Season Championships. And as for more we were obviously a shot here or there from winning more Tournament Championships, which then gives you more opportunities in the Big Dance where it is all about matchups. As for the NCAA tournament our best chance was lost when our best team had just lost its starting point guard, and then Walsh and Forsythe got the flu the night before the game. Luck is a huge part of NCAA tournament runs (buzzer beaters, injuries, officiating, or matchups) as a fan all you can ask is to put yourself in position to win. And Coach Dambrot and his staff have done that better than anyone else, so why not keep the same old boring 20 wins, regular season championship, tournament finals and then roll the dice? The next thing that I see is complaining about the schedule, whether it be about the way Coach D scheduled, of the way you want the next coach to schedule. Once again, I understand- I would rather see a few more tough games and a few less Ark Pine Pluffs. But the reality is our schedule has provided opportunities against high major teams (all on the road) as well as quality mid major teams. If you want a tougher schedule it will mean going on the road and giving up home games- and I have recently seen some of you bring up Coles Miami teams and their scheduling. It is often mentioned how those tough games get you ready for tournament play, and one person said of those Miami teams "They were always prepared for tournament play, MAC or NCAA". Well guess what if you look at the previous paragraph our "soft schedule" that you complain about has gotten us prepared BETTER THAN ANYONE in the league for the MAC tournament. Now finally for those of you thinking that Akron is a good job- IT IS NOT. Now I am sure that we will be able to hire a good coach who has good experiences on their resume, but not because of anything about our program. Coaches will want this job because it offers them a chance to be a head coach, or because it offers a pay raise, but not because it offers more potential than other schools in the league (look at facilities, financial situations etc). Akron has won, not because we have more to offer, but because we had a better coach/coaching staff, so why not keep it going with someone who not only knows the blueprint, but has helped design and implement it?

I want someone old and set in his ways. I want no in game adjustments and a commitment to run the same offense and defense regardless of the talent or opponent. He should also be awful with the press and alumni.

Susan Lucci had an even harder time getting to the next level than KD. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soap-star-susan-lucci-wins-first-emmy-after-19-nominations

Looks like Kato Nelson was putting some work in over spring break:

Backlash? Really? Like the 1000 season ticket holders (for either sport) will walk away and that will really cause a big issue? I think the baseball backlash was more because of how it was handled rather than a huge constituent group supporting UA baseball (remember Scarphoon days... it was announced suddenly with no plan for the athletes and then it came out he wanted to build a walkway through the baseball field...after that it's just a hazy morass of olive jars, tweeting angry children, polytechnic and name changes, and offending peer universities and the community as a whole. Amazing what can be accomplished in just 24 months...). a-zip, your post is spot on in terms of raising this question, which is the same one I have harped on for several years-- does it really make sense for UA to spent $38 million on sports? Does it really make sense for the other 3 state universities to spend another $60 million every year? Is there ANY return on that collective investment for Akron or NEO or Ohio? Do we actually face that question, take it head on, or just keep doing the same thing every year? As I said in a post the other day, these 4 state universities will blow almost $1 billion in this decade on sports. That's real money. To what end and for what purpose? I think it has to be asked. Dropping down a division in football saves some money, but not all that much (I seem to remember someone offering up an annual savings of $2 million). So we go from $38 million to $36 million in annual spend. The only thing that changes this equation is increasing revenue-- that means either ticket sales or fundraising (and really both)--while holding costs relatively level. What would make that possible? Well, winning certainly helps, but BB shows clearly we can have the winningest team in the MAC over the last 8 (or whatever) years, and not have a big (meaning gamechanging) increase in either tickets sales or donor dollars.

From what I've been told Williams is waiting for the outcome of the Boals Ability to Recruit Debate before he moves on. He is absolutely paralyzed until that piercing question is answered. As we all know he depends inordinately on ZNO and he wants the full debate completed before making a move. Unfortunately that will mean most of us will die from self-inflicted gunshot wounds rather than see it out. Bye cruel world.

Somebody that has more than one inbounds play in his repetoire of coaching skills!

Zach- you could at least take a position and stop being so wishy washy.

That's pushing it

I thought this was a reference to something happening in Athens. Nope! It's an actual earthquake! https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us10008dxn

Did you all just feel that earthquake centered in the Hocking Hills?

The thing with the search firm is that pretty much everyone uses them. It's a low hanging fruit to argue with

Actually, Anthony Stewart and Jim Christian brought in N'Dour. And depending on whom you believe, Stewart almost got OU in trouble with the NCAA as a result. My read on the coaching search is that the longer it takes, the more likely the target is a high-profile/expensive coach with complex contract requirements. And as the price goes up, the school will need to get "creative" in how it finds funding - which takes time. Important to show fiscal responsibility in light of budget concerns. As an Ohio fan, I was obviously thrilled with the Sweet 16 run but it had little to do with John Groce. The Bobcats simply had a couple of players who got unbelievably hot at the right time. Groce never finished higher than third in the MAC East.

And don't forget about Bassett. He was the MVP in the tourney in 2010, and a huge part of their first run when Cooper was still just a freshman.

He was ESPN's 30th best player that year. Groce also recruited N'Dour and Kellogg

DJ Cooper carried that team by transforming into Steph Curry before anybody knew who Steph Curry was, pulling off circus shot after circus shot. Groce hasn't won anything without Cooper. He basically stumbled onto a "diamond in the rough".

well then... Welcome to Akron, Coach Groce!!!!!!!!!!

Yes. I can just enjoy the game although it's been difficult watching the same style of stuck in the mud MAC Zips play for these last few years. It takes me longer than 30 seconds to determine if it's zone or man to man and by then the possession is over.

Ewing is a solid choice for Georgetown. He's a Hall of Fame NBA player, and he's been an NBA assistant for some time. His hire keeps the John Thompson loyalists...many of whom are former NBA players with deep pockets...happy. He might actually do a good job...who knows? FYI - If we hired Loyer, we'd be getting someone with more NBA HC experience than Patrick Ewing.

What about the A-10 or American Athletic Conference? Does Anyone think they would take a soccer-only Akron member?

I still have this game on my DVR. The charge drawn by Melo with about 10 minutes left in the game is one of my all time favorite Zips basketball moments. It eliminated any fight that OU had left. Sure the kid was thrown in the deep end in more ways than one .. but when push came to shove, he made a play. A defensive play. A Zips basketball play. I believe Betancourt is still the only starting Zips PG to beat OU in the MAC Tournament .. and he did it twice. Go Zips!

Georgetown now off the list.

Loyer intrigues me. An outside the box hire. Has a tie to UA basketball, though not the recent string of successes. You could play up his experience in NBA circles and scouting to show that we're thinking differently to advance the program. Older donors would probably embrace him due to the history, and LW can point to doing a "nationwide search to find a candidate that gets Akron, and has a vision for moving upwards and onwards." Helps LW establish that UA Hoops isn't just defined by only the past 12 or 13 years .. it has a long, rich history of success, as the rafters demonstrate. If he's truly in the mix, I'm comfortable with how this search is being handled. Bring in Loyer, {name your senior assistant from the college ranks}, Dials, Futch .. and then get to work defending the MAC title! Go Zips! P.S. Would Mrs. CK attend more or fewer games in this case?

A lot of my UNCW friends were clamoring for Jamion Christian to be their new coach and didn't get their wish. He would bring the high intense defense some posters here want. He was an assistant at VCU under Shaka and took the scheme with him.

Remember, This person didn't have Jack Owens in his list of names for the Miami job. So there still is a chance that our next head coach is not in that tweet. However, I think McDevitt might be staying at UNC-A or might be going to Furman. Russell Turner is a former coach at Wake Forest and is the current head coach at UC-Irvine. I much rather have McDevitt than Jamion Christian, but I understand what Jamion has done at Mount St. Mary's is enticing. If I had to rank that list, it would have to be this: John Groce Russell Turner Jamion Christian Anthony Stewart John Loyer Me Jim Christian

The heating and cooling guy, right?

I'm surprised you even know who Keith Dambrot is.

In 2016, we needed the auto bid.

This is what I said back in December after he committed. Posted December 30, 2016 (edited) · Report post I think we got a good one here. Strong arm, nice touch on his passes, athletic and sees the field well finding the open receiver. Based on what I see so far, I would say he is potentially one of the best QB's we've landed in a long time. After watching this most recent workout video, I have not changed my mind!

I mean, he was pretty bad at Illinois. It's not that crazy to think he isn't going to get a great offer until he's successful at a place like UA. The way the Indiana writers frame it (I have a feeling they have put a little more effort into this than our media, so I'll trust them somewhat), he'll be their assistant if he doesn't get the Akron job. Not if he turns down the Akron job. Sounds like his hat's in the ring. But we'll see.

To clarify... "some random person"= some unknown dickwad like iCoach whose only qualification was being the buddy of the person doing the search. Groce is not that-- he's a known quantity and knows Akron well. While I wish he had an Akron connection--like Boals-- I would be totally comfortable w him because we saw directly what he was able to do down in the 'holler. My point was I do not want some buddy of Williams whose only qualification is that friendship-- been there, done that w Tom Wistrcill and iCoach.

Here's a few...

In my opinion, the Akron connection is meaningless. So is all the LeBron nonsense. If Calipari calls and wants the job we should at least seriously consider it.

JD Brookheart was still the head coach when Infocision Stadium opened. The stadium opened 2009, his he was fired at the conclusion of the season.

@UAZip0510 Has stated he will not be coming here and I have to take his word for it as he seems in the know. Multiple reports are saying Paris is close to taking the job at UT-Chatanooga.

I harbor no ill will for KD leaving. I do feel the way he left destroyed the feel-good Akron story he preached and lived ..... until it did not suit him. Like Skip I got to know him but my way was thru away soccer games as he watched Roby. He was impossible not to like and I still feel he is a good person. He handled his leaving the wrong way; he refused to admit he was the biggest factor in this team not going deeper in the NCAA tourney. Forget the arena, attendance, budget, resources. It was there for him to do it and he didn't. That's hard to take. It's easier to leave. KD raised the level of our progrum. The next guy needs to take it further before he too leaves. I've read some great posts about who are next coach should be. But that decision is up to Larry Williams and Matt Wilson. I'm giving them my faith that they will find the best replacement. By then I'll stop feeling bad and start building up the Zips. The JAR will be improved, someday, and a new arena is a target of this new regime. Let 'em do their job. For us the measure of a man, or fanbase, isn't how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get back up.