110, good point about us not even having a chance at a sweet 16 if we lose to Akron. Very true and the very reason he had to leave. The coaching profession is all about who the hot guy is, not necessarily who the best coach is at the moment when the hiring takes place. 8811 makes some good points, but that's what it comes down to. Like it or not, there is a pecking order and we are somewhere down the list. Our program would revert to the MAC mean at some point and then we would fire him. Good opportunity he had to take. Good luck.

Groce didn't leave a professional team behind him but a group of young amateur college basketball players.  The corporate analogy doesn't work for me.

Do we still have a a problem?  We initially got a commitment from Greene before Goard left the program, so I was assuming that we were getting the scholarship back this year.....can anyone confirm this?

Anorris you hit the nail on the head. Even this year we needed a win at Miami in the final regular season game of the year to get the 3rd seed and a bye into Cleveland. A loss in Oxford and we were facing having to play and win in Athens on Monday, play and win in Cleveland on Wednesday, play and win in Cleveland on Thursday, play and win in Cleveland on Friday and yes, play and win in Cleveland on Saturday. Try running that gauntlet.

I'm amused at some of the rancor directed at Groce's leaving on this board. Are thest not some of the same posters that just a few short weeks/months ago were railing at the WORST 12-2 team ever, or the WORST 16-3 team ever, that had hoped Groce missed the team bus or better yet got run over by the team bus back from the Toledo/Eastern Michigan debacles? That we had a coach who had NO clue how to beat a zone much less beat UNC.

Sorry guys, I'm in the camp that thinks Groce got the Godfather in this one. An "offer he couldn't refuse". I also don't get this whole "loyalty" angle either. Groce came here from OSU what 4 years ago? He wasn't born in Athens. His kids didn't graduate from Athens public schools. He didn't star or have his jersey hanging from the Convo rafters. Was he "disloyal" for leaving Matta? Should he have stayed with Matta "forever" out of "loyalty" with the expectation that the OSU job would be his sometime IF he continued to be the good servent and stay "loyal". That's what Guthrie did at UNC with Dean Smith didn't he?  It wasn't supposedly about money at OSU, hasn't it been reported he took a pay CUT to take the OHIO job?  It makes about as much sense as this wailing and gnashing going on, in this most scared of seasons, comparing Groce to Judas.

Had Groce stayed and his fortunes turned sour and say we got knocked out in Rd1 in Cleveland next year and strung together some 20+ season losses, would you same "loyalists" be clamoring to give Groce a big raise and a nice contract extension because he's been "loyal"? Yea, thought so.

I'm certain Groce had ZERO expectation on that Saturday in Oxford a month ago that his life was about to be turned upside down. A month of exhilirating, heart stopping basketball victories were parlayed into what was probably a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Groce. I've been in business for over 40 years. Through-out that time I have had a good many employees come to me and explaining that were leaving for better opportunity be if for money or for the chance at working for a bigger company with the possiblility of more career challenges, etc. In each instance I early on resigned myself that the professional thing to do was to wish said employee well and part company.

Some of these situations have worked out well for said employee. Some of them haven't. I learned also early on another Godfatherism. It's "not personal, just business". Groce made a "business" decision in taking the Illini job. Life's too short, I wish him well.

Go Bobcats!!!!!!

I sure hope Arkley is right! How much breathing room do we have?

Last time I checked the Convo address isn't 1 Loyalty Lane, Athens, Ohio. If it were, wouldn't "Loyal" Larry Hunter still be coach? It works both ways Sportsfans.

Maybe you never worked in a corporate environment? As a 20something we had bosses leave and move on. These kids are 19-22 years old. We weren't traumatized when a boss left. We knew what our repsective jobs were just as the guys on the team do. They're not 9 year olds playing unorganized pee wee basketball.

It is what it is. No reason a new coach can't come in and possible achieve more than Groce would have.

I think he left for the $$. I wish him well. That said I think he'll not achieve the level of success he needs to at Illinois to keep that job long term. More pressure there and alums will call for a coaches head the minute they feel they're being shortchanged as far as post season bids go. And the big guys can toss around millions of $ to pay a guy to go away.

Do you have any idea how many coaches move on each year? Basketball? Football? Kids adjust.

Moving on is part of the game. Coaches are not the Jim Snyder type anymore just as corporate loyalty is a thing of the past. People jump around, both professionally and in the coaching profession. These players are young and although they may have had some emotions a few days ago they'll be ready to get back to the grind when a new coach comes on board.

Save the Groce loyalty debate for old men to discuss over early morning coffee at McDonald's. At the very least he had a legal obligation to coach this team next year.

I'm not a finance guy, so it's difficult for me to fully construct a corporate analogy. But, what if you signed a 2 year contract with a cell phone provider, the one YOU chose. And then one day, out of the blue, they decided to stop providing you service, they just packed up and left. Here's the kicker, the reason the operation folded is because the provider's CEO left to follow his dreams, be closer to his family, and make more money. YOU are left scrambling to find a new cell phone provider, because YOU find it necessary to have one.

Do you feel all warm inside because CEO is now following his dreams? Do you shrug it off that he/she completely disrespected you and the commitment he/she made to provide you service? I have a hard time believing the same posters that support Groce's departure would turn a blind eye to the cell phone provider that screwed them over.

At the very least the dissenters on this board should be given some breathing room when presenting an opinion contrary to majority.

No. Ohio is the small cell phone company. Its CEO just left to go to run AT&T. Instead of whining and crying, Ohio hires a new CEO and keeps delivering cell phone service.

What some of you are overlooking is the fickleness of college fan bases.  The same people singing the praises of Groce's performance in the post season might be the first to turn on him and demand his ouster if next season was underachieving.  People have to take the opportunities to move up when they have it.  Coaches leave before their contracts expire all the time.  I haven't heard of any plans by Ohio Athletics to take legal action against Groce for moving to Illinois.  

DJ Cooper, as well as any intelligent basketball player, knows the risk when he signs on with a program like ours.   He, unlike you, has wished John Groce nothing but the best.   It's the business.  And your analogy is nice an all if John Groce wanted to stay in that quaint little shop.   But you can count the number of college basketball coaches on one had that aspire for a situation like Athens and don't want to go any further.  And you'll have to get used to it.  Hopefully in four years we'll have to read another hold-my-breath-until-I-turn-blue diatribe from someone who doesn't understand the business and wants to equate it to an ad agency.