Bobcat Attack - Ohio Basketball

Ohio Basketball Topic

Topic: GROCE TO AKRON

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cc-cat

4/5/2017 4:15 PM

I wish him zero success. Hope he flames out.

I agree with Optimist in another thread.
Groce is dead to me. As is little Ford and the rest of his staff.

At Illinois I'd follow him and look for them to win. Now, I will continue to root against Akron regardless of who they play. Personally I think his (at times) living too close to the fire with some recruits will be encouraged/tolerated at Akron and may lead to crash and burn.

Nothing personal. Simply can not and will not root in anyway for Akron. Just as I would not root for Miami had he ended up there.

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cc-cat

4/5/2017 4:25 PM

And Groce should be booed and heckled by the student body upon his return to Athens. They owe him nothing and he means nothing to them. Most were not following the team back then. Still in middle school. They should treat him as they would dambrodt. I expect the old guard to stand and applause and the students to flip him off.

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MedinaCat

4/5/2017 4:34 PM

The vast majority of students in the stands next year would have been what, juniors in HS when he last coached us? Freshman would have been in junior high. I doubt they possess the vitriol that many here are expressing.

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OhioStunter

4/5/2017 4:41 PM

This would have been more fun if Jim Christian had been named head coach at Miami.

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cc-cat

4/5/2017 4:42 PM

But as students at Ohio they should have and show disgust for anything Akron regardless of who coaches them. Hence they should boo and heckle as they should ANY visiting coach (and players)....in relatively good taste of coarse. Groce'a past affiliation should have no influence on them.

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MedinaCat

4/5/2017 5:04 PM

cc-cat wrote:expand_more

Yes, agree and true!

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ZIPsCAT

4/5/2017 5:07 PM

Hey everyone, it's certainly been awhile since I've written here. TBH there's been a lot of division over the past two years over KD on Zipsnation, like what's the point of being the best team in the regular season, have consecutive 20+ win seasons if you can't finish with winning the MAC C. Since 2013 it seems like the Zips have just been spinning their tires.

I for one am hoping that now the Ohio-Akron rivalry will now be hot again. The last couple of years it has seemed to have lost some luster. Time to polish that rivalry up again.

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perimeterpost

4/5/2017 7:44 PM

bleh. Groce to Fiami excites me, Groce to Akron leaves me feeling unsatisfied.

My prediction is now that Akron has a head coach that doesn't have to pad his wins totals with cupcakes every Nov/Dec we will continue to see more Akron vs Ohio MAC Finals but the difference will be when Akron loses they'll have a better chance of getting an at-large bid.

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perimeterpost

4/5/2017 7:50 PM

OhioStunter wrote:expand_more

This would have been more fun if Jim Christian had been named head coach at Miami.

no- Groce to Miami, JC to Akron and next year Hurley to Bowling Green and you've got a MAC East with more drama than a season of Real Housewives of Wherever.

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Obc2

4/5/2017 8:35 PM

First Convo game Groce deserves a warm welcome. Respect.

After that he's Grunkenmeyer to me.

As much as i dislike fiami i never rooted against charlie. What a dude. But Groce to akron is pretty much pitino to louisville. Aint no uk folk wishing him well face to face.

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lovebobcat

4/5/2017 9:02 PM

Mark Lembright '85 wrote:expand_more

I do find curious the comments on Groce's MAC regular season record. I'm now more in line with FlashGary's (is that the correct BA poster?) opinion that the only thing that matters for MAC basketball teams is the MAC tournament, not the regular season. OK, so Groce's regular season record at Ohio was middling at best. So what? His record in the Big Dance was 3-2 and those 3 wins are the only MAC wins in the tournament the last 14 years. The guy took the then ranked #1 team in the country to OT and came within a hair of making the Elite 8. Think any of us were thinking of Groce's regular season record when we were watching Ohio reach the Sweet 16 after watching 2 wonderful games in St. Louis?

On the other hand, Dambrot had a spotless regular season record. What did that get him? 13 years of frustration and the desire to leave the MAC.

Amen to this. To anyone underwhelmed by Groce's tenure at Ohio: He won two MAC titles and three NCAA Tournament games in four years. Our school had won a grand total of one (ONE!) NCAA Tournament game the previous 46 years.

The guy can win big in this conference, and he's going to again. I fear the 'Roo.

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cc-cat

4/5/2017 9:48 PM

perimeterpost wrote:expand_more

My prediction is now that Akron has a head coach that doesn't have to pad his wins totals with cupcakes every Nov/Dec we will continue to see more Akron vs Ohio MAC Finals but the difference will be when Akron loses they'll have a better chance of getting an at-large bid.

There is absolutely nothing in Groce's past that indicates Akron will be in an atlarge position. He never sniffed one here and never had Iin season success at Illinois either.

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perimeterpost

4/5/2017 10:07 PM

cc-cat wrote:expand_more

perimeterpost wrote:expand_more

There is absolutely nothing in Groce's past that indicates Akron will be in an atlarge position. He never sniffed one here and never had Iin season success at Illinois either.

I said better chance, as in better than Dambrot with his cupcake OOC.

You're right, Groce never sniffed an at-large bid, of course earning the auto-bid 2 out of 4 times has something to do with it.

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MonroeClassmate

4/5/2017 10:14 PM

Appears quite a few posters are rationalizing for us with the Groce is an underachiever narratives.

Let's say Saul had skipped town a few weeks ago--who among you complainers wouldn't of had a little swell of exuberance at the news Groce was coming back to Athens? Doubtful a peep that Groce would be undeserving and welcomed back as the Prodigal Bobcat Son.

Okay to have emotions about Groces choices but keep the BS that he isn't an outstanding MAC coach so you do not show us your foolish temperament.

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BobcatSports

4/5/2017 10:42 PM

For those who question/underplay Groce's attributes as a coach and recruiter do so at their own peril his regular season records be damned.

Look at his class of DJ, Reggie, Ivo, Kinney and Horne. Yea Horne was an early flame-out and Kinney was immaturely misguided but both were players and Kinney proved to be a true D1 talent. Throw in LeVert who now starts in the NBA and although Groce wasn't overly successful at Illinois, I expect he will have Akron ultra successful at the MAC level in short order.

Enjoy the coming show, I highly doubt Saul is cowering in the corner. He's proven to be a competitor and I think he and his kids will welcome the challenge.

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OhioCatFan

4/5/2017 11:26 PM

A guy calling himself "OU Dude" posted the following on ZipperNation:

Saul Phillips said today that he sent Groce a text that said "I guess we have to hate each other now. ;)" he went on to say how gracious Groce had been to him and how their wives have become friends. Needless to say, its going to be interesting when the Zips come to Athens next year.

I hope Groce becomes the coach that gets you guys all of the at-large bids you could ever want. B)

===========

I thought this interesting, and worth putting on here.

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FearLeon

4/5/2017 11:56 PM

I continue to be baffled by folks on this board who criticize Groce's MAC record at OHIO. Who cares? I remember that John Groce won 3 NCAA Tournament games and took a team to the Sweet 16 and was one missed FT away from the Elite 8. That is something I'll remember for the rest of my life. Those 3 NCAA tourney wins alone make him head and shoulders above the Larry Hunter's and Jim Christian's of the world. In a one bid league, you only remember MAC Tournament titles and NCAA wins.

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colobobcat66

4/6/2017 8:16 AM

Groce will do quite well in the MAC, I have no doubt about that. He is one heck of a recruiter.

I have to laugh about all the hate about the JAR. I've never been there, but I'm guessing it is at least as good of a basketball venue as Peden is as a football one.

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Mark Lembright '85

4/6/2017 9:14 AM

OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more

Great story and as we all well know by now, we have a coach with a lot of class; how do you not like Saul Phillips?

I personally think Coach Phillips is more than up to the task and is looking forward to competing against Groce. While I think Groce is one heck of a coach, any coach who can take North Dakota State to the Round of 32 is no slouch himself! Not that it ever left but the Ohio-Akron rivalry is really back! This will be fun.

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Recovering Journalist

4/6/2017 9:18 AM

FearLeon wrote:expand_more

I continue to be baffled by the folks on this board who are pining for a coach who left Athens for greener pastures FIVE YEARS AGO. It's a pathetic obsession with a guy who will never coach here again.

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FearLeon

4/6/2017 9:26 AM

Recovering Journalist wrote:expand_more

FearLeon wrote:expand_more

Not pining for Coach Groce at all. Showing respect for what he accomplished. Saul is our guy and I like him, but don't think for one moment he won't feel extra pressure if Groce wins quickly in Akron.

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MedinaCat

4/6/2017 9:53 AM

colobobcat66 wrote:expand_more

I have to laugh about all the hate about the JAR. I've never been there, but I'm guessing it is at least as good of a basketball venue as Peden is as a football one.

Funny, I almost posted the same thing.

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Recovering Journalist

4/6/2017 10:16 AM

MedinaCat wrote:expand_more

colobobcat66 wrote:expand_more

I have to laugh about all the hate about the JAR. I've never been there, but I'm guessing it is at least as good of a basketball venue as Peden is as a football one.

Funny, I almost posted the same thing.

The fact that Ohio's football venue is crappy (note: not nearly as crappy as the JAR) doesn't make us wrong for pointing out how bad the JAR really is.

The JAR is an irredeemable dump. Even Akron fans admit it and know it. It's a minus in the recruiting column and the university has no funds to substantially improve it. The bleachers are a chiropractor's dream. It has all the charm of a bag of dead mice. The track and railing running through the middle ruin sight lines. It's ugly. Finally, despite only 5,500 seats and a winning team, it's virtually never full and rarely has a good atmosphere.

Last Edited: 4/6/2017 10:17:22 AM by Recovering Journalist

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OU_Country

4/6/2017 10:25 AM

FearLeon wrote:expand_more

Recovering Journalist wrote:expand_more

FearLeon wrote:expand_more

Re: the pressure, I disagree, with the hypothetical that Ohio was winning as much as Akron. The only pressure on Saul, and the AD, will come from the fans when Ohio isn't winning. What Akron is doing doesn't or shouldn't have anything to do with it.

If two years from now Akron wins the MAC East, and Ohio is 5th, then the pressure will be on. If they finish close together, and end up as the top 2-3 seeds, the pressure will only come from those making a big deal out of comparing to Coach Groce.

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allen

4/6/2017 10:31 AM

FearLeon wrote:expand_more

Recovering Journalist wrote:expand_more

FearLeon wrote:expand_more

+1
Saul has a headstart, he should get us to the promise land first.