Staying Close to John Groce - Coach-related News and Views

[dirtyolcrowe]

Groce mentioned as a candidate for the UC bearcats job.  Now that they fired Miller.  Groce has done well recruiting in the cincy area!!

[Let'sGoZips94]

10 minutes ago, dirtyolcrowe said:

Groce mentioned as a candidate for the UC bearcats job.  Now that they fired Miller.  Groce has done well recruiting in the cincy area!!

 

Steele would be a prime candidate for that job. Already lives in NW Kentucky. 

[Zippy87]

45 minutes ago, dirtyolcrowe said:

Groce mentioned as a candidate for the UC bearcats job.  Now that they fired Miller.  Groce has done well recruiting in the cincy area!!

 

I bet Jerrod Calhoun gets Cincy. 

 

You never know what a person is thinking of feeling, but I don't know if Groce would be as successful with his culture-building style at a P4 school. Most P4 recruits are about the paycheck and not much else. Not that money doesn't matter here, because we've seen it does. I just think you can team-build more at an Akron than you can most P4 schools. 

[Illini Zip]

I don’t see Groce going anywhere for one. But he’s not a good fit for Cincinnati. Not the right vibe. I see someone like Shaka Smart taking that job. 

[Let'sGoZips94]

Senderoff would be a perfect fit for Cincy. They love punks. 

[clarkwgriswold]

15 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

Senderoff would be a perfect fit for Cincy. They love punks. 

Oh no, it is imperative that he remain at PCCC.  I'll even start a Go Fund Me.

 

As for Groce-  (covering ears and humming) I'm not listening...I'm not listening... I'm not listening...

[kreed5120]

13 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

Oh no, it is imperative that he remain at PCCC.  I'll even start a Go Fund Me.

 

As for Groce-  (covering ears and humming) I'm not listening...I'm not listening... I'm not listening...

 

Frank Solich of MAC basketball.

[ZippyRulz]

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/48167700/coaching-carousel-tracker-firings-openings-candidates-hirings-buzz-2026

 

What names will be in the mix? (Cincinnati)

There are three sitting head coaches who stand out as potential options: Utah State's Jerrod Calhoun, Miami (Ohio)'s Travis Steele and Akron's John Groce.

Calhoun is considered the favorite and checks a lot of boxes. He's from Ohio, he was a student assistant under Bob Huggins at Cincinnati and an assistant under Huggins at West Virginia, and he has had varying levels of success at three different schools. He led Utah State to the NCAA tournament last season and won the Mountain West regular-season title this season. He was Kansas State's top target before the Wildcats were forced to move on, but Cincinnati is a more appealing job to Calhoun.

Steele is plenty familiar with the area. He spent 14 years at Xavier, first as an assistant coach then as a head coach, and has been at Miami (Ohio) since 2022. He led the RedHawks to a remarkable campaign, going 31-0 in the regular season before losing in the MAC tournament quarterfinal.

Groce is another name with success as a head coach and ties to the state. He was an assistant at Xavier and Ohio State, a head coach at Ohio -- and after five seasons at Illinois, he has been at Akron since 2017, leading the Zips to three NCAA tournaments in four years.

[roopride]

123 all for one

456 Family

789 Community/alumni NEED TO SUPPORT THIS COACH AND PROGRAM!!!!!

[GP1]

10 hours ago, ZippyRulz said:

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/48167700/coaching-carousel-tracker-firings-openings-candidates-hirings-buzz-2026

 

What names will be in the mix? (Cincinnati)

There are three sitting head coaches who stand out as potential options: Utah State's Jerrod Calhoun, Miami (Ohio)'s Travis Steele and Akron's John Groce.

Calhoun is considered the favorite and checks a lot of boxes. He's from Ohio, he was a student assistant under Bob Huggins at Cincinnati and an assistant under Huggins at West Virginia, and he has had varying levels of success at three different schools. He led Utah State to the NCAA tournament last season and won the Mountain West regular-season title this season. He was Kansas State's top target before the Wildcats were forced to move on, but Cincinnati is a more appealing job to Calhoun.

Steele is plenty familiar with the area. He spent 14 years at Xavier, first as an assistant coach then as a head coach, and has been at Miami (Ohio) since 2022. He led the RedHawks to a remarkable campaign, going 31-0 in the regular season before losing in the MAC tournament quarterfinal.

Groce is another name with success as a head coach and ties to the state. He was an assistant at Xavier and Ohio State, a head coach at Ohio -- and after five seasons at Illinois, he has been at Akron since 2017, leading the Zips to three NCAA tournaments in four years.

Cincinnati is in a tough spot if these are their choices. 

 

Calhoun makes sense, but is Cincinnati that much better of an opportunity than his current job and could be do better. At 44, he needs to do better quickly before he turns 50.

 

Groce is 54. If I was an AD at a school like Cincy, I don't think I'd be looking for someone in his mid 50s. The older you get, the faster you get old. 

 

The guy from Miami makes the most sense. Young guy. Good energy. Undefeated regular season. Plays an exciting style for the fans to get behind. 

[Illini Zip]

29 minutes ago, GP1 said:

Cincinnati is in a tough spot if these are their choices. 

 

Calhoun makes sense, but is Cincinnati that much better of an opportunity than his current job and could be do better. At 44, he needs to do better quickly before he turns 50.

 

Groce is 54. If I was an AD at a school like Cincy, I don't think I'd be looking for someone in his mid 50s. The older you get, the faster you get old. 

 

The guy from Miami makes the most sense. Young guy. Good energy. Undefeated regular season. Plays an exciting style for the fans to get behind. 

Travis Steele can’t go to Cincinnati, he’s too busy drawing up plans for a new arena. 

[a-zip]

Coach Groce and this program deserve a new arena.  We could actually be special in Bball if we gave them some love.  The JAR is a dump.  I don't know how he has been so successful recruiting with it.

[roopride]

They need NIL. Not an arena 

[AkronAlumnus]

Just now, a-zip said:

Coach Groce and this program deserve a new arena.  We could actually be special in Bball if we gave them some love.  The JAR is a dump.  I don't know how he has been so successful recruiting with it.

I don't think the JAR is necessarily a dump.  Nonetheless - if I were a player I'd rather play in a "dump" with a bag than a new arena without one.  I don't think UA can pat their head and rub their stomach and do both with all the recent financial problems.  Like someone else said, there is just better ROI in NIL. 

[akzipper]

A city the size of Akron should have a decent arena, plain and simple. Even completely ignoring the Zips there's no reason that the JAR is the only thing that exists in the decades since the Coliseum closed and it's seen no significant renovations. It's a joke. Both the city and UA deserve better. 

 

It's controversial, but a portion of the Ohio unclaimed funds should be going to Akron. If the Billionaires up in Cleveland get a big chunk, why can't we?

 

If UA wants to keep Groce around they need to make some moves. 

Edited 2 hours ago by akzipper

[GP2]

I wish UA could just get an estimate of what a decent renovation to the seating at the JAR would cost, then ask for donations. I’m sure most of this forum would be willing to chip in a little, at the very least. If we ever get want to look like a bigger program, we’ve gotta get rid of those wooden bleachers.

[kreed5120]

Just now, GP2 said:

I wish UA could just get an estimate of what a decent renovation to the seating at the JAR would cost, then ask for donations. I’m sure most of this forum would be willing to chip in a little, at the very least. If we ever get want to look like a bigger program, we’ve gotta get rid of those wooden bleachers.

 

A few years before covid there was one done I believe. I believe renovation costs were projected to be in the 10s of millions of dollars range.

[AkronAlumnus]

Just now, akzipper said:

A city the size of Akron should have a decent arena, plain and simple. Even completely ignoring the Zips there's no reason that the JAR is the only thing that exists in the decades since the Coliseum closed and it's seen no significant renovations. It's a joke. Both the city and UA deserve better. 

 

It's controversial, but a portion of the Ohio unclaimed funds should be going to Akron. If the Billionaires up in Cleveland get a big chunk, why can't we?

 

If UA wants to keep Groce around they need to make some moves. 

Have you ever been to Ohio State facilities—the Schott or the Shoe? The latter is very underwhelming considering how many national championships Ohio State football has won. The stadium still has cart-style concessions that aren't built into the concourse, troughs in the restrooms, and parts of the foundation are actually crumbling.  You could make a similar argument that Columbus deserves a stadium on par with the rest of the B1G.  I actually think our stadium is nicer. 

 

I see your point about unclaimed funds, but UA is already a state school and already receives support from the state. The Browns main argument is that the new stadium has a dome and will generate a lot of economic activity for Northeast Ohio by hosting year-round events—WrestleManias, Final Fours, and whatever else.  I don't think a new arena in Akron would generate anything comparable to what they expect from Cleveland. 

[exit322]

9 minutes ago, AkronAlumnus said:

Have you ever been to Ohio State facilities—the Schott or the Shoe? The latter is very underwhelming considering how many national championships Ohio State football has won.

 

This is the argument for "is the JAR really that bad?"  Because the Shoe is...kindly...kind of a dump.

[kreed5120]

If your employer offered you 2 options which are you taking?

 

1) Build new office with on-site gym, nice green space, and insert a few other amenities but have a pay freeze on all employees for 5 years to help fund.

 

2) 25% immediate pay bump with 10% annual pay increase, but you have to keep working in your functional ~40 year office building.

 

I don't think people realize the players have a nice locker room and practice facility. In fact, in an article in the Toledo Blade multiple coaches on other MAC teams said they were envious of Akron's facilities. The wooden bleachers is a fan problem, not a player or coach one.

Edited 1 hour ago by kreed5120

[AkronAlumnus]

9 minutes ago, exit322 said:

 

This is the argument for "is the JAR really that bad?"  Because the Shoe is...kindly...kind of a dump.

Nope I'm moreorless saying that despite not having the greatest stadium or arena, both teams are wildly successful and not held back by their "bad/dumpy" stadium/arena.   (even though I never called either bad or dumpy)

 

Edit: Maybe this is a fan issue but it's not a player issue.  Like @kreed5120 just said - the important stuff, that matters to the players (i.e. locker rooms and practice facilities) have recently been improved. 

Edited 1 hour ago by AkronAlumnus