BobcatAttack.com - For Fans of Ohio University Sports

Welcome Guest!
Create an Account

site search

about us

advertise with us

help

BobcatAttack.com Message Board

Ohio Basketball

Topic: If Groce does decide to stay/he gets the Illinois job pulled out from under him....

Topic: If Groce does decide to stay/he gets the Illinois job pulled out from under him....

Author

Message

AudioCat'13
General User

Member Since: 9/30/2007
Location: Nowheresville, OH
Post Count: 164

Status: Offline

If Groce does decide to stay/he gets the Illinois job pulled out from under him....

Posted: 3/27/2012 7:25:47 PM

Do you think there might be some kind of backlash so to speak? Personally I understand Groce looking at options, but with the +300 response thread and everyone being in panic, frustration, confusion, etc on this board do you think it will be life back to normal for bobcat nation or will there be some lingering hard feelings? A lot of students were buzzing about it today on campus also as well as the emotional roller coaster I'm sure the players have gone through I wouldn't want any possible hard feelings going on with our hopeful out look for next season. I know this is probably putting the cart way before the horse, but with the turmoil going on at Illinois I thought this could become an interesting conversation.

athena
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 710

Status: Offline

RE: If Groce does decide to stay/he gets the Illinois job pulled out from under him....

Posted: 3/27/2012 7:26:53 PM

Come back, John!! All is forgiven!

OhioCatFan
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 14,764

Status: Offline

RE: If Groce does decide to stay/he gets the Illinois job pulled out from under him....

Posted: 3/27/2012 7:33:04 PM

athena wrote:

Come back, John!! All is forgiven!

The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA

"It is better to be an optimist and be proven a fool than to be a pessimist and be proven right."

Note: My avatar is the national colors of the 78th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, which are now preserved in a climate controlled vault at the Ohio History Connection. Learn more about the old 78th at: http://www.78ohio.org

intrpdtrvlr
General User

Member Since: 7/8/2010
Post Count: 177

Status: Offline

RE: If Groce does decide to stay/he gets the Illinois job pulled out from under him....

Posted: 3/27/2012 7:49:26 PM

I think anyone - player, fan, administrator, whoever - who holds this against Groce, especially if it is wrapped up neat and tidy without a prolonged uncertainty, is absolutely nuts. He owes it to himself and his family to hear what Illinois has to say. Anybody who pulls the "I want Groce to want Ohio and only Ohio, in all situations, in all times, under any circumstances" is making ridiculous and probably hypocritical demands.

If Coach Groce sticks with Ohio, let's come back next year and do some damage.

BA - Michigan State '03, MA - Ohio '05, PhD - Ohio '15

Big Willy
General User

Member Since: 12/29/2004
Post Count: 195

Status: Offline

RE: If Groce does decide to stay/he gets the Illinois job pulled out from under him....

Posted: 3/27/2012 7:55:28 PM

There shouldn't be any hard feelings at all. 99% of mid-major coaches aspire to get to the "next level." There are very few mid-major coaches who stay at their school for 10 or 15 years or more. He is probably going to leave at some point. I don't see why anybody should hold it against him for exploring all opportunities. I don't think any of us would not look into an opportunity that would more than double our salary, move us upward in our profession, give us more prestige, and provide us with a better place to live.

Pataskala
General User

Member Since: 7/8/2010
Location: At least six feet away from anybody else
Post Count: 9,365

Status: Offline

RE: If Groce does decide to stay/he gets the Illinois job pulled out from under him....

Posted: 3/27/2012 9:13:40 PM

Everybody knows that it's life in the "mid-majors." Those who might hold a grudge would have 8 months to get over it.

We will get by.
We will get by.
We will get by.
We will survive.

KC Bobcat
General User

Member Since: 11/22/2006
Location: Norfolk, VA
Post Count: 260

Status: Offline

RE: If Groce does decide to stay/he gets the Illinois job pulled out from under him....

Posted: 3/27/2012 9:21:23 PM

Of course other coaches will use it against him when recruiting.

Chicken George
General User

Member Since: 1/2/2005
Post Count: 765

Status: Offline

RE: If Groce does decide to stay/he gets the Illinois job pulled out from under him....

Posted: 3/27/2012 10:04:39 PM

Can't blame JG for listening, or aspiring to reach a higher level.

While I didn't feel this way yesterday, I began to half way through today. I think this debacle, as much as it may have not been his fault but UI, really causes me to think it's now best for all involved that he move on. Sounds like it's pretty much a mute point and it's not a bridge he'll have to cross, but today most likely ensured trust with this players is tainted and recruits now know it's not a matter of "if," but "when." You can hear the jokes right now, "so much for 'All In.'"

And while I'd love to have one more run with JG and our Seniors, this probably helps us move forward. I'm hoping this group, since they're mostly upperclassman, will hold things together as compared to a younger squad. Secondly, it suddenly becomes a way more attractive job to candidates with the cupboard full now, versus next year when we graduate a significant portion of the team. The key of course is the next hire. I hope we don't fall into the trap WVU did when RichRod left and hire a coach from within simply for the upperclassman, unless of course they're the best choice. I could see us falling into the thought process of "it worked great this past season, let's keep things the same next year" mentality, when in fact we need to search for the best long term coach, not the simply the best coach for next year.

So as much as I loved and appreciated all that JG did for OHIO, I think it's best that press conference simply move forward tomorrow and OHIO move forward as well.

mf279801
General User

Member Since: 8/6/2010
Location: Newark, DE
Post Count: 2,472

Status: Offline

RE: If Groce does decide to stay/he gets the Illinois job pulled out from under him....

Posted: 3/27/2012 10:40:25 PM

In my book he's welcome here as long as he wants the job. I don't think that this exactly took the current team by surprise. Heck, Walt even addressed it in an interview during the NCAA tournament. They're smart guys, and they hear the kind of money being talked about, they understand that he HAS to explore his options. Whether he's been doing so with an eye toward leaving now, to get his name out there in case he wants to make a move after his first class graduates, or to use Illinois's offer to leverage a better offer out of our department, these guys seem to know that its part of the business. As for recruits: yea, this will be used against him. But the same line of attack was going to be used against him even had he taken the Chris Peterson approach and preemptively declared himself a non-candidate for every job in the country. Remember how upset we got when Dambrot said after the MACC that JG would be gone next year? I'm sure he was saying it to recruits as well. Like others have said, part of the business.

In the near-long term, I can think of nothing better than JG staying to coach these returning players. Sure, it'd be easier to hire a new coach with 4 returning seniors off of a 29-7 sweet16 team, but think about the sort of season we could, COULD have if the scenario described in the thread's subject plays out: lock in strong STRONG student support from this years underclassmen and and next years freshmen, record setting attendance (or attendance back to the peaks we were seeing before my time) boost national reputation, alumni support, etc.

If JG decides to leave, I'll be sad but wish him the best, and continue to (silently) root for his teams. I can't blame him for taking the kind of money that is being talked about, and he's built a stong base for the program to build on. But I'm hoping he stays, for 1 year or for a long time.

bobcatinmichigan
General User

Member Since: 2/13/2006
Post Count: 22

Status: Offline

RE: If Groce does decide to stay/he gets the Illinois job pulled out from under him....

Posted: 3/27/2012 11:08:56 PM

I don't see a grudge being the issue. I see having a lame duck coach trying to recruit being the issue.

OUVan
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Bethesda, MD
Post Count: 5,580

Status: Offline

RE: If Groce does decide to stay/he gets the Illinois job pulled out from under him....

Posted: 3/27/2012 11:39:52 PM

bobcatinmichigan wrote:

I don't see a grudge being the issue. I see having a lame duck coach trying to recruit being the issue.

That's an easy enough issue to get around. "I was offered $2M a year to coach at a Big Ten school and I turned it down. I'm here for the long haul and more importantly I'm here for you!"

bornacatfan
General User

Member Since: 8/3/2006
Post Count: 5,716

Status: Offline

RE: If Groce does decide to stay/he gets the Illinois job pulled out from under him....

Posted: 3/28/2012 12:01:59 AM

I think I would question him not going on hte interview and doing the due diligence.

He is going to leave here. That is a fact. We, as a fan base just need to be at peace with that. I am glad he went and hope he sees the writing on the wall that Illinois is everything I said it was the last couple of weeks. If not, that's on him but if he does then he will have to start the process of defining his dream job and that starts with seeing what other programs have to offer.

He is going to have to define himself and the job he is seeking. We all do it.....it is part of finding the next level and in a guy as competitive as JG he will ffind the next level...with or wothout our blessing.

If he stays he will be re engaged and our guys will work like hell to get every last mile out of his presence......and he will be motivated to succeed.....it is who he is and what he does.....no way he is a lame duck...he built it and he will drive it and nothing anyone says will deter him.

I may be wrong but I still say he stays one more year and waits for a better situation.

never argue with idiots, they bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Winter comes and asks how you spent your summer.....

The game loves and rewards those who love and reward the game

FearLeon
General User

Member Since: 3/12/2005
Post Count: 4,708

Status: Offline

RE: If Groce does decide to stay/he gets the Illinois job pulled out from under him....

Posted: 3/28/2012 4:27:55 AM

bornacatfan wrote:

I may be wrong but I still say he stays one more year and waits for a better situation.

Your gut feelings are usually spot on. Hope it holds true here.

#BleedGreen #TrentIsGOAT

OU_Country
General User

Member Since: 12/6/2005
Location: On the road between Athens and Madison County
Post Count: 8,370

Status: Offline

RE: If Groce does decide to stay/he gets the Illinois job pulled out from under him....

Posted: 3/28/2012 9:08:43 AM

FearLeon wrote:

bornacatfan wrote:

I may be wrong but I still say he stays one more year and waits for a better situation.

Your gut feelings are usually spot on. Hope it holds true here.

I hope so too. Maybe I'm wrong, but yesterday I said I was surprised with all the back and forth on Illinois end, that John would consider this at this point. Assuming he has another year like this year in the 12-13 season, his options are likely to be even better than this year. Along those lines, there are some truly ELITE programs that will probably have coaching vacancies in the next 2-5 years that with established success at Ohio, he could jump directly into.

Showing Replies:	1 - 14 of 14 Posts
Jump to Page:	1

View Other 'Ohio Basketball' Topics

There are 166 Active Visitors on BobcatAttack.com

164 Guests
2 Registered Users:
	AlexBobcats, Jonesy1017

There are no other users looking at this page.