Let'sGoZips94

Officially offered or not, McDermott said no to something. I'm not saying McDermott is a better choice at all. I don't really care who OSUcks hires from a resume standpoint - I hate that school, hence why I'm posting on an Akron board and find it funny that McDermott said no. It's being talked about because it does affect Akron, especially if Holtmann is hired and we start seeing OSUcks on Akron's schedule.

Yeah, after McDermott told them no. Looks like Holtmann at least played on the same team as Groce, if not graduated with him. Both are 45 and attended Taylor University. Maybe we can finally get OSU on the schedule? If Holtmann is indeed their next head coach, I wish him nothing but good health and failure.

Notice the logo above the "Duquesne Dukes Basketball"?

Definitely something to consider. However, who is out there? OSUcks isn't a desirable job by any means unless you're from the Matta coaching tree or grew up an Suckeyes fan. I don't see any coach at the P5 level leaving their current gig for the Suckeyes gig at this point. They're most likely going to have to target a Mid-Major coach or an unemployed candidate.

Thad had overstayed his welcome at OSU by several years. With that being said, I hope his health improves. As an OSU loather, I'm actually disappointed that they went their separate ways, because he was horrific for the program at this stage of his career. At the same time, I'm glad we snagged Groce so quickly. Being a product of the Matta coaching tree would've made him a favorite I would assume at this stage of the game. Crean is an obvious choice for them, but I want them to slip up on this hire and have to endure another 8 years of mediocrity.

He has a fantastic build - 6'3" 220 lbs. I like how he hits receivers in stride, and seems to place it in the right place where only the receiver can get it. Looks composed in the pocket as well. Interestingly enough, it looks like he was set on going to Butler (tweeted that he will be attending Butler to further his academics and football career on April 24th). The more competition for a position, the better. Best man plays. Period.

My comment was directed towards the relatively slow pace of Dambrot's offenses over the years.

Again?

Where is the heart-eyes emoji when you need it? I think I'm in love. By the way, to everyone fretting about this kid's size, DJ Cooper (whom thrived under Groce) was 6' 175 lbs... in boots and soaking wet. Let's see what the kid can do.

Anything around 6' is solid, average height. His body looks like it has some maturing yet to do, so I'm not worried. Get him in a college weight room, and let him go to town. I'm most excited about his selflessness and vision on the hardwood. He looks like a real facilitator.

Canton is working on building up the HoF and surrounding area. The plans for the retired player village will be a HUGE economic boost. They're also aiming to host the NFL Draft in the upcoming years (which is where it should be held EVERY year in my opinion). Nearly every penny they put into the area is well-warranted in my opinion. Not sure Akron would have NEAR the ROI if they built a new arena. Now, if the program starts winning some of these NCAA Tourney games and such, then we'll talk.

Amen.

If that's the type of player we target, I'd want to use 4 years on him. It was an honor to have all 3 in an Akron uniform. They all represented the University VERY well.

Anybody have any insight on who Groce is still in contact with?

Bummer.

I would agree... if this were Noah Robotham or Antino Jackson. Neither of those guys had the physical tools to take over a game or make a real impact around the basket. Their impact was either via a pass/assist or a jump shot, and neither one had exceptional vision to earn them the title floor general (Robotham was a floor general his freshman year, but was never the same after his injury). Malcolm has the physical tools to take over a game inside the paint. He can drive and has the physique to bang with the bigs, still putting up the And-1. In the sense of a true floor general, I would agree with you that enough team chemistry cannot be built in a single season for a floor-general-PG to have a real effect. We'll see what he brings compared to the rest of the MAC, but put me on the side that says he'll be a game-changer.

Here are his 2014-15 Game Log stats. He had multiple double-digit performances against bigger schools. Who knows what the reason was for the statistical decline the following season, but the kid can play. Oregon St. might be a lower program performance wise, but they play MUCH better competition and have actually won some big games. As far as the writer's claim that he has MAC First Team potential, this kid is a physical 6'2" guard coming from a major conference. We're talking about the MAC here, which just had a mass exodus of talent, and is already a middle-of-the-road mid-major conference at best. Who knows what he's been doing since the 2014-15 season, but to predict he's a potential First Team MAC player isn't far-fetched.

This was a HUGE get by Groce.

And with the mass exodus of talent in the MAC, I think I'd rather hold the remaining scholarships for 2018-19. I think we'll be quite competitive this year with the roster he has assembled, although I still want to add Duvivrier (or however you spell his name).

Very cool video.

With Aaron Jackson leaving, we have a spot for Duvivier, right?

Wow...

It's not just that some of us wanted to make the tournament, it's that we expected to make the tournament. For some of us, the ultimate goal is the NCAA Tournament, and preferably an NCAA Tourney WIN. Barring injuries, anything short is a failed season in my eyes. The regular season wasn't locked up until late February due to us leaking oil. And by "struggle to lock that up" I mean not only did we leak oil down the stretch, but we didn't blow teams out. Too many close games for my comfort. A win is a win, but we struggled to win a lot. Our front line was Big Dog, and only Big Dog. Kwan faded further and further towards the perimeter as the season went along, and became "3" happy. He didn't have much of a post presence - eventually not having much of a presence at all. I think we'll be just fine moving forward. Again, the reason you noticed Big Dog so much was because of the day-in-day-out same old Dambrot strategy - inside/outside. He fit that system well, but that system didn't get us very far.

Praying he and Ivey don't tear their ACLs having a dunk contest.

I don't think anyone is trying to downplay Big Dog's importance to the team last year. The point that is trying to be made is Big Dog was the best player on a team that LARGELY underachieved (due to the coaching/style of play) in a conference that was down, a conference in which we didn't win the MAC Tournament, and struggled to win the regular season title. If Dambrot were still here, yes, he would be a huge loss. But with Groce, Big Dog's production can easily be replicated due to a different style of play. With Big Dog/Kwan, we didn't make the NCAA Tournament once, and struggled in the MAC Tournament. Whether that's due to coaching, surrounding talent, etc., who knows.