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I often wonder how much of this stuff is spread by agents and friends of the "candidate."

How funny that USF wanted Groce and then settled for Mack. And then CoC gets USF 1st choice to replace Mack. It’s honestly a bit of a head scratcher. And this timeline makes me think Groce is leveraging these offers to hopefully get Akron to commit more money. my prediction is he Stays!

If this happens (and I still think it's a big "if") I agree I would full much better about it if Ford becomes the new HC. He would have player and alumni buy-in, support from Wentz/FTR, give us continuity, and would already have a relationship with existing recruits.

@dirty-sanchez-thighmaster is listing Bobby Hurley and Keith Dambrot as leading candidates to replace Groce.

Should this turn out to be true, I'm actually excited for all parties. For Groce, Charleston is beautiful and I think that would be a big draw as he gets up there in age. CofC is similar to Akron/MAC and he should be able to continue down a dominant path in a different conference. There's no football to detract from his available resources. For Akron, I love the idea of Ford as our HC. Keep in mind the first ever assistant Groce hired was Chris Holtmann. Ford joined the staff the following year and has been with Groce ever since. If Ford is anywhere near Holtmann as a HC, we'll be just fine. LCJ's support for Ford is everything I need to know, in addition to Bud Wentz being a big Ford believer. To boot, this is really going to tick off the Ohio fans who have wanted Ford for years. When Buffalo lost Hurley, they got Oats who ended up being even better. Here's to hoping we're on the same trajectory. GO ZIPS!

It doesn't look great, obviously, but I don't consider Groce gone until someone credible confirms it. Right now, we know: - He was a finalist at Butler, per the IndyStar - He was rumored to have been offered the USF job, but they moved on when he wouldn't commit - He is the top target at Charleston, but both sources - Jeff Goodman and Jeff Borzello - qualified their reports by saying a deal wasn't done, with Borzello adding "steps remain for both sides in the next 24 hours" Now, I'm not saying this is what is happening here, but just last year Rob Senderoff (a close friend of Groce's) was reportedly close to leaving Kent for Fordham, only to stay put with a new contract and increased commitment to the basketball program. Why would Groce not take the USF job if it was truly about the best chance to win? Why would these reports come out today that it was close but not done, right as speculation was increasing that it was done? I'm just saying...let's let this play out.

100%. If the reports are true, why wouldn’t he have taken USF? CofC isn’t anywhere near as good of job as that with the money they are putting into sports.

I wasn't going to go too deep into personal politics with my post, but what you say is definitely true. It is astounding and sad to me. Thanks for being a voice of reason.

Good news. Bad news. Good news, I haven’t heard anything more about over-inflated basketball balls. Bad news, the horn was stuck for a long time during the Illinois vs Iowa game. 🙄

I took the time to read it. He basically lumps in Akron with Kent and Central State. Then he talks about getting programs to make schools central to one field of study. Think we aren't at or near the top of his list? This guy will gut Akron down to a shell of itself and what will follow will be the elimination of sports at Akron and Kent. If you care about UofA, you will vote for his opponent and let things play out for four years.

I dunno man. This doesn't feel lateral to me, but a slight step down. The Coastal is just as much a one-bid league as the MAC is, and he'd be moving from an elite mid-major to a pretty good mid-major. Yes, it does seem like CofC can pay him more, but I dunno...is this really the first time in his tenure someone has offered him more money to go elsewhere? With Dambrot, it was "I want to coach in a league that can get more than one bid," but assuming a) Groce doesn't feel that way and b) he isn't a lot more bullish on the CAA than I am, I really don't understand why he would do this. I've always sort of thought that I'm not going to hold it against an Akron coach if he leaves for a high major, but for the second time in a row (if it happens), this is not that, and just like I rooted against Dambrot and Duquesne I'm gonna root against Groce and CofC if this comes to pass.