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'It speaks volumes about our culture': John Groce on Akron basketball players returning
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- 'It speaks volumes about our culture': John Groce on Akron basketball players returning
John Groce didn't make any guarantees Monday evening about his future as the University of Akron men's basketball coach , but Groce emphasized he loves guiding the Zips , and he's thrilled the vast majority of the players on the roster have publicly committed to returning to UA next season.
"I think it speaks volumes about our culture," Groce said during a phone interview with the Beacon Journal. "I think it speaks volumes about winning. I think it speaks volumes about player development."
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Akron is also armed with the Fear the Roo Collective, giving the Zips chances to attract and retain talent through name, image and likeness money.
"That initiative was primarily in mind from the jump to be able to retain players," Groce said. "Retention was at the forefront of our minds. To have obviously that incredible resource with the winning, with the culture, with the player development ... I think those are the reasons the guys in large part enjoy and love being here."
Nate Johnson, Tavari Johnson and other Zips players announce they plan to return to Akron men's basketball team next season
Akron's historic 2024-25 season ended Friday when the 13th-seeded Zips fell 93-65 to the No. 4 Arizona Wildcats in a first-round NCAA Tournament game in the East Region.
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After the game at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, redshirt junior guard Nate Johnson, junior guard Tavari Johnson, senior guard Shammah Scott, senior forward James Okonkwo and junior forward Amani Lyles told the Beacon Journal they planned to come back to the Zips next season .
Then on Sunday night, those five players and six others posted "Back to Work" graphics on social media to indicate they'll return to Akron for the 2025-26 season.
The other players who announced they expect to be back at UA are junior guard Bowen Hardman, freshman guard Sharron Young, sophomore wing Zach Halligan, redshirt freshman wing Marvin Musiime-Kamali, freshman forward Rich Brisco and freshman guard Eric Mahaffey.
Guard Nate Johnson and 10 other Akron Zips players posted graphics on social media Sunday announcing they plan to return to the UA men's basketball team next season. Johnson is the reigning MAC Player of the Year, MAC Defensive Player of the Year and MAC Tournament MVP.
When does transfer portal open? When does the transfer portal close?
The transfer portal opened Monday for college basketball transfers and won't close until April 22.
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The only Zips players with remaining NCAA eligibility who did not announce they expect to return are junior wing Josiah Harris and freshman guard Conner Groce , a Revere High School graduate and John Groce's eldest son who redshirted this past season.
"We'll speak about that at the appropriate time relative to both those guys," John Groce said. "But, yes, I'm aware."
Akron basketball column: With Nate Johnson leading way, key Zips expect to return. So March Madness again?
Will Zips coach John Groce stay at Akron?
Meanwhile, Groce's name is circulating on social media because some fans and media members have been pointing to his success in eight seasons at Akron and wondering whether he'll land another job this offseason.
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"When that stuff happens, I mean, it's flattering, right? And more than likely it means that people think you've done a decent job," Groce said with a laugh. "But, for me, I kind of just take it one day at a time."
Groce and his staff met with Zips players Sunday. So as the players made decisions about their futures with the program, what did Groce tell them about the status of his job?
"It didn't even really come up," Groce said. "I mean, we don't deal in speculation. I mean, I don't do that. Hey, if this, if that, if this — we don't do that. So they know, obviously, how I feel about them and our program and what we're building, and that's how we handle it.
"That stuff, I don't deal with speculation, either way — them to us, us to them. I say, 'Here's where we're at. Here's what it is. Here's where we're attempting to go. Here's the strategy in order to do that. Here's our vision.' So I think the communication is important between player and coaches and coaches and player."
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What is John Groce's contract with the Akron Zips ?
Groce, 53, received a contract extension in 2022 through the 2029-30 season. His base salary remained $650,000, but ESPN reported at the time of the agreement retention bonuses of $75,000 on July 31, 2025, and $75,000 on July 31, 2028, were part of the deal.
In eight seasons at Akron, Groce has compiled a record of 168-88, including 97-49 in the Mid-American Conference. Before joining the Zips, Groce had head coaching jobs at Ohio (85-56 from 2008-12) and Illinois (95-75 from 2012-17). He is 4-6 in NCAA Tournament games.
Zips in March Madness: Akron basketball hurt by historic season ending with bruising loss in NCAA Tournament
The Zips have won the MAC Tournament championship and thereby earned the conference's automatic bid to March Madness in three of the last four seasons (2022, '24 and '25). Akron is now 0-7 in Division I NCAA Tournament games (1986, 2009, '11, '13, '22, '24 and '25).
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The Zips are coming off a season in which they finished 28-7 and set a single-season program record for most wins.
"I enjoy being here," Groce said. "I do. Our family does as well. That's really important to me. And I've always said this: As long as we continue to be supported and feel like that we add value to the community and the university and the athletic department, and there's a commitment there, I think this is obviously a great place to be. But, for me, I've learned just to kind of take it, I do, I take it literally one day at a time with the way this whole thing is.
"I love being here. I've loved building our culture. I'm proud of it. Obviously, it's only as good as the players' character that are inside that locker room, and so give them a lot of the credit. And I always give their parents a lot of credit, obviously, too, or the people that were involved in their lives in a meaningful way prior to them coming."
Groce said he plans to give Zips players a couple of weeks off before resuming an offseason weightlifting program. He is also pondering roster changes.
Akron Zips coach John Groce has a moment to himself in an empty Rocket Arena before the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game March 15, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
As Akron men's basketball constructs roster, will Zips add players through the transfer portal?
Akron senior guards Isaiah Gray, Seth Wilson and Evan Wilson played for the final time in college Friday. Last year, the Zips signed two incoming freshman guards from Ohio, Josh Henderson (Westerville Central High School) and Tai Perkins (Westerville North High School).
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"What we're thinking is OK, obviously, we had the meetings. [We need to make] sure we've got the right team composition and roster construction as we put it together," Groce said. "I think that's really important as we put a team together. I always tell people it's like a puzzle. Obviously, I love the fact that we've been able to retain, and that's been a big thing for us.
"[But] you can't assume anything just because everybody's back. And what happened this year, we're not entitled to that, or even moving forward, we're not entitled to that next year. You've got to start the climb of the mountain all over again. It's a different year, different team. ... As soon as you have deletions or additions to your locker room and to your roster, it becomes a different team. It creates almost a ripple effect."
For the Akron players who intend to return, Groce said he hopes they learn from their lopsided loss to Arizona , which advanced to a Thursday night Sweet 16 matchup against top-seeded Duke.
Groce stressed discipline and attention to detail are necessary on every possession against an opponent as formidable as the Wildcats.
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"I thought our defensive fight in the second half needed to be better," he said. "I thought our rebounding obviously needed to be better. And then just our rim decisions in the first half [when Arizona blocked six shots], I thought needed to be a little bit better."
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron men's basketball coach John Groce reflects on portal, his job
