Danny Nee "deserted" OU in the 80s yet many OU fans continued to follow him the rest of his career because of his time here in Athens. I don't think the feelings will be as deep or as long lasting for Groce but I think there will be many who will do the same thing for him. Granted he's now at another MAC school but his short tenure here will be remembered for many years in a positive light.

I think it's simple - he's coaching one of OUr most significant rivals. If he were at, say, NIU, or EMU, it would be much different in my mind. I cheered him on for all the years he was at Illinois, and wore Orange into the Schott the day they played Ohio State for the first time. Now, while I'm not going to wish him ill, I'm sure as heck not rooting for him at Akron. The apparent idolization of him, and the living in the past, by a select few on here is truly fascinating. I wish I had the Danny Nee experience to use as a comparison, but I was a bit too young to know much about his teams other than what I read, or what I learn here on BA.

Just a brief primer on the reverence shown Coaches Danny Nee and John Groce. This might help explain why the two are so revered at our beloved Alma mater. I may miss the mark a bit here, bit at least in the case of Coach Nee it might help some of our younger alums out.

Coach Nee came to town when the university had been through some doldrums, not only with basketball but with its academic reputation in general. The school doubled its size from when I began my Freshman year until I returned in some ten year later for graduate school. Under the guidance of President Charles Ping, the university was slowly clawing its way back when I came to Athens in the 1980s. I was the first in my family to go to college and I am sure I am not alone in having those close to them wondering why Ohio University instead of somewhere else. Having scored fairly well on the statewide History test the university gave high school seniors at the time, and meeting the chairs of the History and Political Science Dept I chose our beloved Alma mater. This was due in part, because between what my parents could afford to pay and the scholarship money I got from the History test, I was only taking out loans on about half of my tuition, room and board payment which I believe at the time of my Freshman year all together totaled a little more than $5,000.

The Convo was electric in the early and mid 80s under Coach Nee. The Crazy Cats were an organic student group that sprung up and cheered on the Cats and they recruited future fans right from the dining halls. As has been reminisced here before, games against DePaul, Miami and Ohio State were the most electric I have ever seen in Athens. Danny Nee was real, he couldn't be accused of using cookie cutter coach speak. However, that doesn't mean he was always lovable and he certainly wasn't a saint. The Voice of the Bobcats, the late Dick Schorr certainly found that out. He put up with a lot, as Coach Nee would let him know that this wasn't football, when ask a question not to Danny Nee's liking. To give you an idea of the differences in personalities, at Sunday Mass at Christ the King Church Coach Nee would leave as soon as the first notes of the concluding hymn began. Nee's successor Coach Billy Hahn (who wasn't Catholic, but I believe his wife was) would hold the door as everyone was leaving church and chat about previous or upcoming games.

Nee's remarks that he would have never left Ohio for the then Big 8 and Nebraska, if he thought he could have won a National Championship were later amended to state on hindsight he should have never left, because he could have won a National Title in Athens. Those words were music to the ears of those like me who came of Bobcat age in the 1980s.

Coach Groce came after Coach O'Shea seemed rumored to leave for many a mid- major school, and seemingly even places like Billy Buck Tech and Cindy Lou Who Trade School. The TOS moniker became a way of coping after a while. Those in Athens during the Coach Groce Era will probably have more to add, including all of those who were ready to pull the plug on Coach Groce, until his miraculous tourney run that led to him leaving for Champaign-Urbana. However, those are my thoughts on why the two are held in such high esteem.

My time in Athens was during the O'Shea era, but I understand the hype and love for Groce. O'Shea's teams always just seemed like they were missing...something. Save for 2005 when Fears/Williams came in and led the team to the MAC title, most of the O'Shea teams I remember were just never a complete team. Tons of talent came through for sure, but for whatever reason could just never put it all together.

I think that's why the 2005-06 season is the ultimate "what if" when it comes to Ohio basketball; at least for me. Perhaps just as much as the 2012-13 squad, which had Groce stayed would have been great in its own right. But that 2005-06 team, had O'Shea been able to keep the team together would have been something special as well.

So when Groce came in and took Ohio basketball to that next level by winning NCAA Tournament games, it (the fan base) was almost like a volcano that had been dormant and finally erupted.

Akron is going to win this one. Von Sossan and Wymer taking control with Thompson II getting an offensive foul and a tech for the wave off following the call. Murphy always seems to have one of those high character guys to shoot themselves in the foot.

Groce gets em ready. "best ball in March" is the mantra.

I wouldn't root for Akron, not even with JG there. Nice job EMU.

Perhaps, Groce's "March Magic" only works in Athens. Didn't work tonight when coaching Akron. Never seemed to work at Illinois. Left his basketball karma in the Convo? ;-)

Might want to bookmark this post. I have a feeling in the coming years you'll regret this one.

Thinking the same thing. Casual drive by comment. The winking emoji implies it may be sarcasm but it comes off as someone knowing very little about hoops/rebuilding and not being informed about how he is setting up a culture and getting them ready. Not that there are not fans there that are not happy with him on the Zip board

" This is what we get with Groce ball

Hope yall are satisfied "

"F You and anyone else who defends any coach allowing a 39-10 run on basically their home floor
Grow a pair "

Looks like some in Zipnation are off the reservation in the opposite direction of some here that think he should be called Sir John, or Saint John. Always gonna be extremes with reality in the middle.

I didn't get to watch it, but that's one tremendous collapse by Akron. What happened? Turns? Did EMU get crazy hot from three?

Swing . . . . and a miss.

I viewed it more that he can maximize what Illinois owes him.