John Groce Now a
Bobcat
Rumors were just as often heard about John Groce leaving the
Ohio State Basketball Buckeyes as about Head Coach Thad Matta leaving for a
different job. Finally the rumors came true as Ohio University
picked Groce as their new head coach.
By Steve Patterson
Matta and Groce
Groce
followed Matta from Butler to Xavier and finally
to Ohio State and is given much the praise for
all three programs success while Matta was the head coach. Groce is sometimes
considered to be the tactical mind behind Matta’s winning teams, calling the
play sequences from the sidelines.
This is Groce’s first time as a
head coach and he should be able to continue performing at a high level at one
of the better MAC programs. Both coaches Matta and Groce have the ability to
get the most out of their players and to recruit well which was evident in the
Buckeye’s quick turnaround from the Jim O’Brien era to the Matta era.
Mid-West Roots
The Ohio
Bobcats were looking for a local coach from either the Mid-West or Ohio. Groce like Matta
is an Indiana
guy. Groce grew up in Muncie and played college
ball in Upland, Indiana
at Taylor University. Groce turned down a previous
opportunity to be the head coach at Murray
State in 2006 because he
wanted to continue coaching in the Mid-West where he has ties to many of the
high school programs that produce the best talent.