@NIUHuskie2021 @ColeBenjaminH They may well be able to maintain that in the MAC… as nobody but maybe UMass has any money. It’s just going to be hard for the MAC vs. other conferences going forward from the looks of it
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David Evert
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@davidcevert @ColeBenjaminH They very well may but Akron has had more success than CoC. I'd bet on Akron to continue to do well even if they lost Groce. Akron has 17 seasons with 21+ wins and 7 tournament appearances in last 20 years. Very similar to USU who a lot of people consider a program on auto.
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If this goes through I’m sure there will be ppl who wonder why or call it a lateral move but it’s a no brainer IMO. CoC has no fball, the last two guys have won & have elevated themselves making it a plug & play spot, better resources & $$$ in a growing market
Jeff Borzello@jeffborzello
NEWS: Akron’s John Groce has emerged as the top target in Charleston’s head coach search, sources told ESPN. Nothing is done and steps remain for both sides in the next 24 hours, but there’s mutual interest. Groce has led the Zips to four of the last five NCAA tournaments.
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@KaizenUSA76 This would be the cost effective move. Groce was near the top of the MAC pay scale… more than 2x many MAC coaches. Worth the money, but budgets are already stretched. Likely would get mid-scale, which saves Akron needed $
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This is a win/win in my eyes. Groce established Akron on a new level. Now he gets to go be happy in a beautiful location, and we get to see what Dustin Ford can do. Been a long time coming for him as a HC.
Samurai Hoops@samurai_hoops
Expecting Akron to promote AC Dustin Ford if Groce leaves for Charleston
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@NIUHuskie2021 @ColeBenjaminH CoC probably has more money to pay players though. As we found out after getting our roster cleaned out of our best football players in 2024….if you don’t have money to defend against poaching or to poach yourself…you can’t have a good roster
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@ColeBenjaminH @davidcevert And Akron has 22+ wins five years in a row. CoC has been to three tournaments in 25 years. Akron has been to four in five years.
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@NIUHuskie2021 @ColeBenjaminH Mack was like 1.1 plus incentives from what I can find. Charleston homes are $$$…but it’s a great town and it should be no problem to resell for what he pays for it or more in a few years. So that part isn’t a big negative really
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@davidcevert @ColeBenjaminH I gotta think more of the salary comes from incentives. Most schools want a lower base because if you need to fire a coach it is predicated on the base salary. People should look up how much homes are near CC campus. It isn't cheap in Charleston like Ohio.
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@NIUHuskie2021 @ColeBenjaminH I would be stunned if CoC paid him less than $1.25 million base. I doubt Akron can come close to matching that. He is already close to the top of the MAC b-ball pay scale and Akron’s athletic department bleeds $ as it is
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@ColeBenjaminH Groce was already elevated and was fired from Illinois to end up back in the MAC. He's got a good thing going in Akron. Moving from a one-bid conference to another one-bid conference is pretty lateral, especially when Akron is probably willing to increase his $850k salary.
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@ChucktownHoops Football has made money in the past and potentially could again. Especially, if the MAC can re-work their media rights deal. Basketball isn’t ever making Akron money… or at least in the foreseeable future
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@ChucktownHoops It’s not a head scratcher when you run the numbers and realize that Akron loses money on both football and Men’s basketball. However, despite having a ton more success with Basketball they lose MORE money on men’s basketball than football. It’s just the economics
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It’s not a head scratcher when you have the option of coaching at a school in Akron Ohio who allocates 60% of their money to a football team that sucks ass or a school in Charleston South Carolina that goes all in on their basketball team
professional Zip@ProfessionalZip
IF Groce goes to CoC that would be a head scratcher, and one where I would question some behind the scenes stuff. We’ll see
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That wasn’t a “bug”…it’s a feature of the MAC as it is. MAC schools are going to lose nearly every bidding war for coaches and players these days.
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Watching Akron and Toledo fans losing it over b-ball off-season moves clearly shows that this particular group of fans hasn’t been paying any attention to the financial situation of the MAC. Albin won the MAC (Ohio football 2024) and then left for Charlotte who paid 200k more!
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@ZipsBarstool Sorry to report, but you guys would probably need to pay him almost 2x what his current base is. CoC’s last coach had a base salary of $1.1 and that contract was from a couple years ago
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@JackMcCurry08 They can easily offer around 2x Groce’s base salary. Will probably be around $500k more than what he would make even with max incentives @ Akron
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Charleston has to be offering some serious $ for John Groce to leave Akron 😔
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This just ruined my whole day wtf man
Jonathan Givony@DraftExpress
NEWS: Toledo's Leroy Blyden Jr. will enter the transfer portal, agents Brandon Grier and Rob Murphy of Equity Sports told DraftExpress. The MAC Freshman of the Year averaged 16.5 points and 4.3 assists per game, shooting 40% from 3. Expect significant high-major interest.
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@Rtwenty1A @RexonFootball @GoodmanHoops @TheFieldOf68 Exactly…. He will probably make around 2x the money at CoC. The MAC just can’t compete on salary these days
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Charleston has targeted Akron head coach John Groce, source told @TheFieldOf68.
No deal is done, but Groce - who has taken the Zips to three of the last four ncaa tournaments - is the frontrunner to replace Chris Mack - who left for South Florida this past week.
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@RexonFootball @GoodmanHoops @TheFieldOf68 Looks like CoC’s last coach signed a contract for $1.1 million a year….in 2024. In 2025 Groce signed with the Zips for 650k base…up to 850k with incentives.
Maybe the piece you are missing is that currently all the MAC schools football programs all operate at a net loss.
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@davidcevert @GoodmanHoops @TheFieldOf68 The colonial athletic association has more money than the MAC? I’d like to see that spreadsheet. Where does the money come in without football
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NEWS: Akron’s John Groce has emerged as the top target in Charleston’s head coach search, sources told ESPN. Nothing is done and steps remain for both sides in the next 24 hours, but there’s mutual interest. Groce has led the Zips to four of the last five NCAA tournaments.
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@EPlourdeIV @jeffborzello Charleston will pay him 2x the base salary Akron did
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@jeffborzello Charleston a better job than Akron, please. No way
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@iownjakesadly @jeffborzello @PeteThamel Wrong… last Charleston Coaches contract (signed in 2023 I believe) was $1.1 million… Groce is only pulling in $650k base with 200k of incentives. So maybe 1.3 million in 2026 is the figure. I expect roughly 2x the base he is at now. The MAC is poor people!
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@jeffborzello @PeteThamel No way Charleston has the pull for that surely
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@KentuckyNet @jeffborzello $$$ plain & simple. People outside the MAC have little concept of just how financially poor programs in the MAC are.
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@RexonFootball @GoodmanHoops @TheFieldOf68 It will pay more $$$. People outside of the MAC have little idea of just how poor the MAC is. Pretty much every other conference has more $. So, it mostly can’t even keep coaches or players from making otherwise lateral or even downgrade moves that pay more
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@GoodmanHoops @TheFieldOf68 Honest question. Is that a better job ?
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