Groce Watch Day Two:

Someone check the charter jet schedule from Champaign to Athens.  I will review all Megabus manifests.  It may also be a good idea to place a BA rep. at all highway weigh stations between Athens and Champaign.  Let's get to work.

It just depends. It's not like Ohio is hard to sell, even with a wavering coach. 

Great arena, great campus, the best fan support in the MAC, recent NCAA success, etc., etc.

The life of a good mid major school is having constant speculation regarding your coach, It just is what it is. 

Will it deter some guys? Sure. Will it deter everyone? I don't think so. At smaller programs, it is not uncommon to play for more than one coach. 

There's probably a good argument for bringing in "the new guy" this year instead of next but I don't think it is to the point where you move on. Now if Groce has the Illinois job fall through and immediately jumps to interviewing for Kansas State, then sure, tell the guy thanks and move on. 

"ALL recruits know they will not be playing for the same coach when they leave....that is why you sign with a school and not a coach."

Bornacat, I agree with you-the situation I'm envisioning is one where Groce accepts the Illinois job, things fall through for whatever reason and he's left with coming back to Ohio, sort of like a tail-between-his-legs situation. You're right-recruits have a good idea that the coach sitting in front of them in their living room might not be at the school in 4 years; it's probably a different situation when the coach is recruiting for a school where everyone knows he had actually tried to leave from but ultimately came back to. That can't be optimal in the recruiting wars.

Less cryptic tweet from Walter Offutt.  It appears players are just as in the dark as us at this point.

"All of this is stressing me out I wish somebody would tell me what's really going on don't I deserve it d***."

Can we pump the brakes on the "Groce just needs to take the job!" talk? It's been a day and they're not obsessing over this like we are. Decisions of this nature are not to be taken lightly. And, again, it's been a day.

Plus, LOLinois hasn't even offered him the job yet. Or they have and rescinded it. Or they're JUST about to. Who can tell?

True


the Butler SYSTEM is what kept recruits. THis is not Calipari vs Gillespie who had different systems....and we are not bringing in a TOS who really did not run a system and recruited "best available Player" rather than players to a system.

That is why I am envisioning coaches who are similar and understand what is in place and what recruits are in place. THe groundwork is laid and OHIO is on the map. THis fanbase needs to chill and ask great questions but not back recruits into a corner and assume they know how those 18 year olds think....I been around them for 25 years from the 80's on and I have no idea from one to the next. Recruiting has changed in that time from in home visits only to AAU tourneys and a myriad of other ways....the only thing that has not is a kids expectation of PT and will to be with a winner....when Swank put up here a post intimating that TOmmy would transfer I laughed....based on that post I had many folks ask about him leaving....my answer "he loves Athens, you could not drag him out of there with wild horses.." Like I said the fanbase can do more damage than what actually transpires....


Unless you are a one and done recruit you are playing for a school. THe transfer list Jeff GOodman puts out each year is growing larger because of many factors ....I have NEVER seen anyone transfer FROM Butler. (GOnzaga and St Marys keep their coaches in place and X just recruits over them and ships them out....would hate to be a recruit at X).. At this level the AD has to put a coach in place that will propogate the success.....I am confident if JG is back or gone the result will be the same and if he does stay following this he will do everything possible to ensure that when he does leave there is a plan. I said it before and I will continue to beat the drum....this program is read y to ascend to the next level.... we need to do it with humility and with out the fanbase losing their collective minds.....

Doubt there will be any official news today (i can go back to work)... they are having a press conference for the women's head coach at noon. I don't think they they would want to overshadow that announcement with naming a men's coach on the same day.

But then again, the way the PR team has handled this for Illinois, anything is possible.

With all of the talk about trains, planes and automobiles, I tried to Google on old picture of Doc Bobcat's Solich Soarer and came up with this!

Doc, I had no idea you were such a stud: http://www.google.com/search?q=solich+soarer&hl=en&qscrl=1&nord=1&rlz=1T4GGLL_enUS384US384&si...

^ Agree completely.

Director of Athletics job open at Minnesota...

Hardy har har......that AT & T icon has Wannamaker's name on it.....maybe he stole my Solich Soarer......if he has an orange and blue ninja suit then he's the guy.

C'mon Coach Groce... just wait til Friday night to see if someone on Bobcat Attack wins the mega millions so we can up your salary

I know I will pledge some of my winnings to pay for Coach Groce!

I almost registered for the board to refute that... but then realized their board is horrible as it is blocked at my work and I don't feel like posting on that board using my smartphone and then keeping up with that 500+ page thread.