Latest news with #JohnGroce
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Akron Zips men's basketball coach John Groce agrees to another contract extension
John Groce has parlayed his success as the University of Akron men's basketball coach into another contract extension. Groce agreed to a one-year extension to be added to a previously approved 10-year extension to be the Zips coach through the 2034-35 season, the school announced in a release Tuesday morning. The extension must be approved by the board of trustees. Advertisement Akron's announcement comes a week after the Beacon Journal submitted a public records request April 1 for any updates to Groce's contractual status. "Coach Groce has demonstrated remarkable leadership and an unwavering commitment to excellence throughout his tenure at The University of Akron," UA President R.J. Nemer said in the release. "His success on the court is matched by his dedication to developing student-athletes who excel academically and represent our university with integrity and pride. We are thrilled to continue this journey with Coach Groce as he leads our basketball program to new heights." Groce has compiled a record of 168-88, including 97-49 in the Mid-American Conference, since he was hired as Akron's coach on April 6, 2017. Groce is ranked fourth in program history for most wins, trailing only Akron native Keith Dambrot (305-139 from 2005-17), Russell Beichly (288-144 from 1941-59) and Tony Laterza (178-59 from 1960-68). "I want to thank the Board of Trustees, President R.J. Nemer and Interim Athletic Director Dr. Matt Juravich for the commitment they have shown our program," Groce said in the release. "The extension reflects the contributions of many. We are very grateful and blessed by the extraordinary efforts of our student-athletes, staff, support staff, athletic department, alumni/donors/fans and the Fear the Roo Collective. We are beyond excited to continue building on the tradition of excellence and to compete for championships. Go Zips!" Advertisement Akron set the single-season program record for wins in 2024-25, when the Zips finished 28-7. They also went 17-1 in the MAC, tying Kent State's 2001-02 team for the best single-season record in conference play during the modern era. The Zips have won two MAC regular-season championships (2020 and 2025) and three MAC Tournament titles (2022, 2024 and 2025) to advance to the NCAA Tournament three times under Groce. Akron lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament each time — 57-53 to fourth-seeded UCLA as a No. 13 seed in 2022, 77-60 to third-seeded Creighton as a 14 seed in 2024, and 93-65 to fourth-seeded Arizona as a 13 seed this year. "Coach Groce exemplifies Akron in every way," Juravich said in the release. "He has built an all encompassing championship culture and we look forward to continued growth and success in the program." Akron beat Kent State 75-55 in the 2022 MAC Tournament final and 62-61 in the 2024 MAC Tournament final, and topped Miami 76-74 in the 2025 MAC Tournament final. Akron Zips coach John Groce lifts the Mid-American Conference championship trophy after beating Miami, Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Cleveland. John Groce's coaching record Groce, 53, has been a college head coach for 17 seasons, compiling up a career record of 348-219, including 4-6 in the NCAA Tournament. He was named the Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year in 2025. Advertisement Before Akron, Groce coached Ohio (85-56 from 2008-12) and Illinois (95-75 from 2012-17). Groce led Ohio into March Madness twice and Illinois once. In 2012, Ohio advanced to the Sweet 16 as a No. 13 seed, defeating Michigan 65-60 and South Florida 62-56 before losing 73-65 to North Carolina. In 2022, Akron extended Groce's contract through the 2029-30 season. His base salary was $650,000. Akron Zips coach John Groce celebrates during the first half of the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game March 15, 2025, in Cleveland. Akron basketball has received numerous MAC awards under coach John Groce Groce was named MAC Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2025. Three of his Akron standouts have been named MAC Player of the Year: Loren Cristian Jackson in 2020, Enrique Freeman in 2024 and Nate Johnson in 2025. Freeman was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. Advertisement Freeman was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 and Johnson earned the honor in 2025. Also this past season, Akron's Shammah Scott was the MAC Sixth Man of the Year and Sharron Young made the All-MAC freshmen team. Akron Zips coach John Groce reacts as his team struggles during the second half of the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game March 15, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio. At Akron, Groce has coached one three-time All-MAC selection (Freeman), four two-time All-MAC honorees (Jackson, Daniel Utomi, Xavier Castaneda and Ali Ali) and seven one-time All-MAC players (Tyler Cheese, Xeyrius Williams, Bryan Trimble Jr., Greg Tribble Jr., Nate Johnson, Tavari Johnson and Isaiah Gray). Groce has coached six players to All-MAC first-team honors: Jackson and Freeman twice apiece, and Castaneda, Ali, Nate Johnson and Tavari Johnson once apiece. Advertisement Additionally under Groce, Akron has had four players earn All-MAC defensive team honors: Freeman four years in a row, Tribble twice and Channel Banks and Nate Johnson once each. Groce's oldest son, Conner, joined the Zips as a walk-on last season after graduating from Revere High School in 2024. Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron Zips basketball coach John Groce agrees to contract extension
Axios
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Axios
March Madness is back in Cleveland
Northeast Ohio will be a hub for March Madness over the next few days. State of play: Eight teams, and thousands of their loyal fans, will be in town for NCAA Men's Tournament games Friday and Sunday at Rocket Arena. Meanwhile, the No. 13 Akron Zips — our region's lone team in the tourney — take on the No. 4 Arizona Wildcats Friday in Seattle. Catch up quick: For the uninitiated, the annual tournament starts with 68 teams divided into four regions and competing to win a national championship. The action began Tuesday and Wednesday with four play-in games and continued with first-round action Thursday. Friday's games: East Region No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 15 Robert Morris at 12:40pm and No. 7 Saint Mary's vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt at 3:15pm. From the South Region, No. 7 Marquette faces No. 10 New Mexico at 7:25pm, while No. 2 Michigan State takes on No. 15 Bryant at 10pm. The winners of those regions' games will face each other Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16. If you go: Tickets for games at Rocket Arena are available. Prices for Friday''s afternoon and evening sessions start at $20; prices for Sunday's games start at $126. Zoom in and out: The Zips (28-6), who won the MAC Tournament but are 0-6 all-time in March Madness history, face a tough Arizona team 2,000 miles away on the West Coast. That game airs at 7:35pm on truTV. What they're saying: After Sunday's selection show, Akron coach John Groce praised Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd and the Wildcats, who won 22 games this season.
Fox Sports
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Akron returns to March Madness after retooling offense around 3-point shooting
Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Akron coach John Groce didn't even wait for last season to end before he started talking about changing his team's approach on offense. He knew the Zips were about to lose three of the four post players on their roster to graduation, including Mid-American Conference Player of the Year Enrique Freeman and two others who averaged over 10 points per game. Meanwhile, they were set to return four experienced guards. It didn't matter that Akron had reached the NCAA Tournament in two of the past three seasons while focusing on the post. Something was going to have to change. 'He was walking around the gym and yelling out, 'I want you to shoot 30 3s next year,'' senior Nate Johnson said. 'And, I mean, a couple of those guys definitely were not believing that (after) the way we just played. They were looking at him like he was crazy. 'Thirty 3s, coach?'' The Zips didn't quite reach that number, averaging 29.8 3-point attempts in 34 games this season. They made 369 3s, ranking fifth in the country, and their effective field-goal percentage rose from 101st (.523) to 32nd (.557). On Friday, the 13th-seeded Zips — who won the MAC regular-season and tournament titles — face fourth-seeded Arizona in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament's West Region. 'I'm just thankful that we've got a bunch of guys that believed in us, the staff, and the system that we were going to play, because it was different than the past five years,' Groce said. Last season, when the Zips also made the NCAA Tournament, three of their top four scorers were forwards. This time, Akron's four highest scorers are guards. Reserve Bowen Hardman leads the team with 1.9 3s per game, and six Zips behind him all average at least one. Akron regularly starts four guards, and there's more to the new style than just taking more shots. 'A lot of guys think playing fast means shooting quick,' Groce said. 'That's part of it. First of all, you have to work really hard to get good shots at that pace, and you've got to be in phenomenal cardiovascular condition. They don't think about that sometimes.' Better conditioning has been worth it for the Zips, who have had their two best shooting nights in the month of March, including a MAC Tournament semifinal win over Toledo in which they finished 55.6% from downtown. Now that he's persuaded his returning players to change their style, Groce said it may pay dividends in recruiting. 'Obviously when you hear some of those things — tempo, 3s, sharing, moving the ball, high assist rate — those things tend to be fairly attractive,' he said. 'It wasn't like pulling teeth to sell that.' ___ AP March Madness bracket: and coverage: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. recommended in this topic
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Akron returns to March Madness after retooling offense around 3-point shooting
SEATTLE (AP) — Akron coach John Groce didn't even wait for last season to end before he started talking about changing his team's approach on offense. He knew the Zips were about to lose three of the four post players on their roster to graduation, including Mid-American Conference Player of the Year Enrique Freeman and two others who averaged over 10 points per game. Meanwhile, they were set to return four experienced guards. It didn't matter that Akron had reached the NCAA Tournament in two of the past three seasons while focusing on the post. Something was going to have to change. 'He was walking around the gym and yelling out, 'I want you to shoot 30 3s next year,'' senior Nate Johnson said. 'And, I mean, a couple of those guys definitely were not believing that (after) the way we just played. They were looking at him like he was crazy. 'Thirty 3s, coach?'' The Zips didn't quite reach that number, averaging 29.8 3-point attempts in 34 games this season. They made 369 3s, ranking fifth in the country, and their effective field-goal percentage rose from 101st (.523) to 32nd (.557). On Friday, the 13th-seeded Zips — who won the MAC regular-season and tournament titles — face fourth-seeded Arizona in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament's West Region. 'I'm just thankful that we've got a bunch of guys that believed in us, the staff, and the system that we were going to play, because it was different than the past five years,' Groce said. Last season, when the Zips also made the NCAA Tournament, three of their top four scorers were forwards. This time, Akron's four highest scorers are guards. Reserve Bowen Hardman leads the team with 1.9 3s per game, and six Zips behind him all average at least one. Akron regularly starts four guards, and there's more to the new style than just taking more shots. 'A lot of guys think playing fast means shooting quick,' Groce said. 'That's part of it. First of all, you have to work really hard to get good shots at that pace, and you've got to be in phenomenal cardiovascular condition. They don't think about that sometimes.' Better conditioning has been worth it for the Zips, who have had their two best shooting nights in the month of March, including a MAC Tournament semifinal win over Toledo in which they finished 55.6% from downtown. Now that he's persuaded his returning players to change their style, Groce said it may pay dividends in recruiting. 'Obviously when you hear some of those things — tempo, 3s, sharing, moving the ball, high assist rate — those things tend to be fairly attractive,' he said. 'It wasn't like pulling teeth to sell that.' ___ AP March Madness bracket: and coverage: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. Josh Kershenbaum, The Associated Press
Associated Press
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Akron returns to March Madness after retooling offense around 3-point shooting
SEATTLE (AP) — Akron coach John Groce didn't even wait for last season to end before he started talking about changing his team's approach on offense. He knew the Zips were about to lose three of the four post players on their roster to graduation, including Mid-American Conference Player of the Year Enrique Freeman and two others who averaged over 10 points per game. Meanwhile, they were set to return four experienced guards. It didn't matter that Akron had reached the NCAA Tournament in two of the past three seasons while focusing on the post. Something was going to have to change. 'He was walking around the gym and yelling out, 'I want you to shoot 30 3s next year,'' senior Nate Johnson said. 'And, I mean, a couple of those guys definitely were not believing that (after) the way we just played. They were looking at him like he was crazy. 'Thirty 3s, coach?'' The Zips didn't quite reach that number, averaging 29.8 3-point attempts in 34 games this season. They made 369 3s, ranking fifth in the country, and their effective field-goal percentage rose from 101st (.523) to 32nd (.557). On Friday, the 13th-seeded Zips — who won the MAC regular-season and tournament titles — face fourth-seeded Arizona in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament's West Region. 'I'm just thankful that we've got a bunch of guys that believed in us, the staff, and the system that we were going to play, because it was different than the past five years,' Groce said. Last season, when the Zips also made the NCAA Tournament, three of their top four scorers were forwards. This time, Akron's four highest scorers are guards. Reserve Bowen Hardman leads the team with 1.9 3s per game, and six Zips behind him all average at least one. Akron regularly starts four guards, and there's more to the new style than just taking more shots. 'A lot of guys think playing fast means shooting quick,' Groce said. 'That's part of it. First of all, you have to work really hard to get good shots at that pace, and you've got to be in phenomenal cardiovascular condition. They don't think about that sometimes.' Better conditioning has been worth it for the Zips, who have had their two best shooting nights in the month of March, including a MAC Tournament semifinal win over Toledo in which they finished 55.6% from downtown. Now that he's persuaded his returning players to change their style, Groce said it may pay dividends in recruiting. 'Obviously when you hear some of those things — tempo, 3s, sharing, moving the ball, high assist rate — those things tend to be fairly attractive,' he said. 'It wasn't like pulling teeth to sell that.'
