Zippy87

I snapped this photo of Groce during warmups prior to the MAC Championship game. He sat alone for most of it, watching his players, but also looking around a bit, seeming to take it all in. Maybe he has done this before other games and I missed it, but he seemed to be different. I even told my wife it looked like a man who knew this was his last time playing Saturday in Cleveland.

Just received this email: Dear Zips Nation, Today, I write to share some bittersweet news about our friend, John Groce as well as lay out the plan for the future leadership of our beloved Men’s Basketball program. You may have heard that John made the decision to accept another coaching position. It’s true that we will miss his smile and positive attitude which helped us have so much success on and off the court. We are incredibly grateful for everything that he and his family have done here at The University of Akron. We understand that seasons pass, times have changed, and we wish him and his family the absolute best as he continues his basketball coaching journey. As we look forward, I believe the future for Akron men's basketball is as bright as ever. Built upon the success of the Dambrot era, and now the Groce era, we look forward to the next era of championship level basketball. We acknowledge and understand that rules regarding transfer portals and revenue share budgets have changed the game of college basketball, but principles like work ethic, preparation, and the drive to play for others and something bigger than ourselves remain the bedrock for championship programs. As we seek our next trusted leader, we will place a priority on finding someone who loves Akron, who has a demonstrated history of winning championships, who loves working with young people, who listens as well as he leads, who continues to help us raise our standards, all the while maintaining an unyielding belief that anything is possible at the University of Akron when we all work together. Luckily for us, we found that person right here in Dustin Ford. Dustin’s impact on our men’s basketball program is immense. Our Associate Head Coach for the past nine years, Dustin helped craft our championship winning strategies, assisted our young men develop leadership skills on and off the court, and has proven to be a great teacher of the game of basketball. Dustin along with his wife Marcie, have developed a great network of friends in Northeast Ohio and have robust recruiting ties throughout the State of Ohio. While Dustin is the perfect person to take us to the next level, he will not be able to do it alone. As our peers in the MAC aim to end our championship streak, their fans are investing more and more in season tickets and gifts to their revenue share and operational budgets. We implore you to join us and “MAKE THE CLIMB” as we aim to not only continue to win MAC Championships, but to earn NCAA Tournament victories as we continue to dream big championship dreams. A formal press conference to introduce Dustin will be scheduled at some point in the near future so that he can focus his time, efforts, and energy and developing a roster, hiring a staff, and mapping our fundraising strategies with our friends at Fear the Roo, and internally with the Akron Competitive Excellence (ACE) Fund. Best wishes and Go Zips! Dr. Andrew T. Goodrich Director of Athletics at The University of Akron

Which high-major teams did we beat during the JG Era? Personally, and I can't speak for others, I'm OK with being a program that is at or near the top of the MAC every year. A tourney win would be incredible and while I don't agree with people who say it isn't possible anymore, I do think it is far less likely than the pre-NIL era of college basketball. Being one of the last two teams left standing in Cleveland on Saturday night is still a thrill to me, and I think turning the program over to Ford - if he wants it - may be the best way to do that.

The LeBron hate is so tired. The man does tons of wonderful work in the Akron community. I'm not going to hate on him for not donating to our NIL fund. I would be surprised to see Dru leave Duquesne, too. And honestly, while I respect him as a great Akron player, I'm not really impressed with him as a head coach.

I think KD is the most important coach in Zips basketball history. But I don't think his style works at all in today's game. I also think he ended his career in the best way possible.

Groce's teams were really fun and I appreciate the high character of the guys he brought in. The last 5 years have been especially fun. He didn't do what everyone said he would, though, in taking this program to levels KD couldn't, so that is disappointing. I often wonder what the program may have looked like if a skinny kid didn't decide to attend an open tryout...but you also have to credit the player development, too (Ford seemingly had a huge role in that). He's a good man and I wish him the best.

Did we? What did Groce accomplish that KD didn't?

He was grandfathered in with the old walk-in rules, so he didn't count against the 15 roster spots. I don't think that transfers to a new school, though.

Hopefully our next coach can finally get us over the hump neither KD or Groce could.

https://x.com/i/status/2038642631823999401

A bit different, obviously, but Ryan Gosling recently said this regarding theater-goers - "It’s not your job to keep them open, it’s our job to make things that make it worth you coming out.” Seems fitting anytime we talk about Akron and attendance.

Did something get finalized?

Why?

Bud Wentz retweeted these...interesting...

This is 100% true, but don't underestimate the subsection of that base that also engages in bigotry and will sit the election out before voting for Vivek.

The threat is absolutely real. If it wasn't, Groce/his team could've squashed the rumors. Now, whether or not that turns into reality, we will see.

Oh for sure, don't get me wrong - I get all of the non-financial reasons he would do it. I would do it if I were in his position. He loves Akron basketball. I was just responded to someone saying he may stop if he isn't getting a financial return.

Local station in Charleston quoting the AD as saying no offer has been made to Groce (also a hilarious pronunciation of "Akron")

This. A lot of talk about how wonderful Charleston is but not enough about what he has in Akron. - Basically a lifetime contract. The only way he would ever lose his job here is if he did something immoral off the court. - One of the best NIL budgets in the conference, a NIL Collective that has grown considerably in it's participation and impact in recent years, and a great relationship with the person who leads it. - Excellent relationships in the community he has built over many years. - A history of consistent winning gping back 20+ years surely recognized by potential recruits. - A proud tradition of success for players post-graduation playing professionally. I'll also push back on the "he's done all he can do at Akron" stuff. We were in that game with Texas Tech until it unraveled with a few minutes left. We almost beat UCLA. The MAC was a two-bid league for the first time in a long time. There's a lot of momentum here to keep climbing.

I'm not quite sure how any NIL donor is going to make money off of their donations?

I don't really think it's a factor at all. If he really leaves, I think it is because he is not content with the financial support his program receives in Akron from the university.

The more I look at Charleston, the more I feel it's pretty darn similar to Akron. - One bid league - Similar conference strength: CAA - 15th NET, MAC - 17th NET - Similar NCAA Tournament seeding: CAA seeds, last 5 years: 16, 15, 12, 13, 14 MAC seeds, last 5 years: 13, 13, 14, 13, 12

100% believe the Goodman/Borzello reports came from Groce's agent, especially considering the tweets came within 9 minutes of each other. Charleston doesn't really gain anything by leaking that.