Let'sGoZips94

I know I've previously stated that I'm not a fan of Groce's explosive antics on the court, but I would love for him to go off on our marketing/video department.

LeBron's Coach.

I thought Zach tweeted that he was done supporting Akron basketball? Groce has had a couple players with questionable character, but Dambrot had his share too. Harney, Tree, Diggs, Abreu are the 4 that come to mind.

I will say this. Groce is coming to a program with a connection to arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, and one that has had 12 years of consistent success. If this kid truly committed to Illinois because of Groce, and has an interest in following Groce, Akron would seem to be a pretty attractive option. Especially with the current state of Missouri basketball. I'd say Akron, especially led by Groce, would give Missouri a game if not beat them. Edit: Plus, how often have we said Akron would be a great place for a kids to make a name for themselves? With that being said, I'm not holding my breath. Ok, maybe the NEO sports fan inside of me is. Disappointment coming in 3...2...1...

That bottom one looks like an imitation of Groce breaking the clipboard against Akron years ago.

I do. If you don't expect that, then why hire him?

Which is more of a sad statement than a positive one. Dambrot - 13 seasons = 3 NCAA tournament appearances & 0 wins. Groce - 4 seasons = 2 NCAA tournament appearances & 3 wins. Groce has more NCAA tournament wins than any MAC school in the last 15 years. Not to mention what he was about to do to the MAC with LeVert and Bradds. As someone else previously mentioned in either this thread or another thread: Groce was on the cusp of making the MAC his b*tch.

Welcome to Akron, John and family! This time around, your welcome is more friendly.

I edited this to only show the ones I'm interested in, which is quite a few. Three thoughts... 1. Not a gauntlet, but good, solid competition. 2. Seems to have the mentality of "You won't come here? Ok, I'll go there and beat you." Lots of road games. 3. Wondering if any further connections/relationships were built while at Illinois, and if he'll have some more pull to get some better home games at Akron.

At least one recruit has already said they will honor their initial commitment to Illinois. I hope he doesn't try to pull the players to Akron. I admired in that press conference video that he said to the recruits to continue to go to Illinois. Now, if they make the decision to follow him on their own, I won't complain.

That video actually erases much of the "antics" that I dislike about Groce. Very humbling, and makes me kind of excited for him to come here.

Well, he found a way to get there, and found a way to have NCAAT success, all within 4 years. 13 years of "wins" got us 3 NCAAT appearances, and 0 NCAAT wins.

Yes, and I've been through 300+ games of MAC success with nothing to show for it but a bunch of Participation Trophies such as consecutive 21 win seasons. I would've traded a 21+ win season for a 19 win season that included some upsets and an NCAAT win. I. Want. Tournament. Wins.

So he took Tim O'Shea's players and got them to win a NCAAT game over Georgetown? That's a Helluva feat. Then took his own players and went to the Sweet Sixteen two years later.

Didn't he beat Georgetown in the First Round 2 years prior to their Sweet Sixteen run? I'd say that's hardly "lightning in a bottle" if he had NCAAT success in his 2 appearances, not to mention the recruiting success he was about to have before leaving for Illinois.

If he brings talent in like Caris LeVert and Bradds, and schedules teams like Butler instead of North Carolina Alphabet Soup, then goes on to have NCAAT success, I would consider it a major upgrade. Still not crazy about his demeanor/antics, but I do think he is a good hire for the program as far as recruiting and potential postseason success is concerned.

Amen.

I think a majority of those critical of Dambrot also believe Duquesne to be a lateral move. Not to mention he did a good job of kicking us while we are are down a bit with some of his departure comments. MSM to Akron would be a vertical move. While the MAC may be a 1 bid league, at least our 1 bid isn't guaranteed to be in the Play In Game. With all of that being said, nothing about Christian excites me.

Source?

Impressive. Apparently, he also recruited well at Illinois. There were people clamoring for the University not to fire him out of fear of losing their recruits. Like I said, I'm torn. I don't like his coaching style, but I'd also take a Sweet Sixteen run, or even Elite 8 just to tick off the OU fans even more.

To add to my earlier post as I sit here bored at work, pondering a John Groce-led Zips program, Groce is part of the reason I came to dislike OU so much. With that being said... With a trip to the Sweet Sixteen, I'd consider going out and getting a beet-red John Groce tattoo. The fact that Caris LaVert had committed to OU (de-committed when Groce left, correct?) speaks volumes. Then again, Dambrot had a commitment from Dylan Ennis. I don't know. I'm torn.

Never cared much for Groce's demeanor on the court. You can tell he comes from the Thad Matta coaching tree, as his face gets just as red as Thad's.

Kieth/Akron His similarities - not good similarities - to LeBron amaze me. Might as well have had an hour-long TV special to announce he's taking his "talents" to Pittsburgh.