'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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
“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.”
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.
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).
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.
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 Sunday. Last year, the Zips signed two incoming freshman guards from Ohio, Josh Henderson (Westerville Central High School) and Tai Perkins (Westerville North High School).
“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.
“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
-
Akron returns to March Madness after retooling offense around 3-point shooting
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. It didn’t matter that Akron had reached the NCAA Tournament ...Yahoo Sports - 4d -
What Akron Zips basketball fans should know about the University of Arizona Wildcats
Akron Zips men's basketball will play against the University of Arizona Wildcats in March Madness. Here's what fans should know about the other UA.Yahoo Sports - 5d -
MAC Tournament | Brothers lead Akron, Miami men's basketball teams into championship game
The 2025 MAC Men's Basketball Tournament championship features brothers John Groce of Akron and Travis Steele of Miami coaching against each other.Yahoo Sports - Mar. 15 -
Akron Zips basketball hurt by historic season ending with bruising loss in NCAA Tournament
The Akron Zips reflected on what went wrong in their first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Arizona and how they're processing a historic season ending.Yahoo Sports - 3d -
Akron beats Miami Ohio in MAC tournament on last-second layup as coach Josh Groce bests brother Travis Steele
Akron's Nate Johnson hit a game-winning layup in the final two seconds to beat the RedHawks and send the Zips dancing.Yahoo Sports - Mar. 16 -
'A special player': Nate Johnson leads Akron into NCAA men's basketball tournament
'She wants him coached, she wants education': Mother of MAC Basketball Player of the Year Nate Johnson encouraged Zips coaches to challenge her son.Yahoo Sports - 5d -
Akron men's basketball | MAC Player of the Year Nate Johnson comes up big in semifinal win
Mid-American Conference Player of the Year Nate Johnson of Akron scores a career-high to lead Zips basketball into the MAC Tournament title game.Yahoo Sports - Mar. 15 -
March Madness: Rick Pitino's curious coaching decisions prove costly for St. John's in NCAA tournament loss
Pitino kept his best player on the bench in crunch time, and the Johnnies are out of the tournament after their loss to Arkansas. The St. John's coach wasn't exactly contrite about it after the ...Yahoo Sports - 3d -
Akron vs Arizona Prediction: Odds, Expert Picks, Betting Trends and Stats for 2025 March Madness
Akron Zips vs. Arizona Wildcats Game PreviewYahoo Sports - 5d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
2025 NFL free agency: Best players available list headlined by Amari Cooper, Keenan Allen
There are still several big names left on the market. Will they end up with your team?Yahoo Sports - 14m -
2025 NFL free agency: Best players available list headlined by Amari Cooper, Keenan Allen
There are still several big names left on the market. Will they end up with your team?Yahoo Sports - 14m -
Oregon State Guard Nate Kingz Enters Transfer Portal
USA TODAY PROMO: Join BeaversEdge.com and get 30 DAYS FREE!MORE: Rataj & Craig Entering Portal | Preview: Beavers vs Huskies | Beaver Baseball Ranks | Reser Files: Scouting Report DL Noah ...Yahoo Sports - 14m -
Oregon State Guard Nate Kingz Enters Transfer Portal
USA TODAY PROMO: Join BeaversEdge.com and get 30 DAYS FREE!MORE: Rataj & Craig Entering Portal | Preview: Beavers vs Huskies | Beaver Baseball Ranks | Reser Files: Scouting Report DL Noah ...Yahoo Sports - 14m -
'Carry on Mason's legacy.' HSE's Mason Alexander remembered by friends, family, mentors
Mason Alexander, just 18 years old, died March 1 when a car he was riding in struck a tree and caught on fire in Fishers.Yahoo Sports - 16m
More in Sports
-
Ferrari's Shanghai debacle: Explaining Hamilton, Leclerc DQs
Why were both Ferraris disqualified in China, and how costly could that be in the constructors' title fight?ESPN - 10m -
Red Bull's Lawson predicament is a mess of its own making
Red Bull had a Sergio Pérez replacement in house. Instead, it chose Liam Lawson, who's underwhelmed in 2025.ESPN - 10m -
'Gotta carry it like a battle scar': Can Yankees bounce back from fifth-inning World Series nightmare?
Starting with their historic Game 5 meltdown, the road to Opening Day in the Bronx has been a rough one.ESPN - 13m -
2025 NFL free agency: Best players available list headlined by Amari Cooper, Keenan Allen
There are still several big names left on the market. Will they end up with your team?Yahoo Sports - 14m -
2025 NFL free agency: Best players available list headlined by Amari Cooper, Keenan Allen
There are still several big names left on the market. Will they end up with your team?Yahoo Sports - 14m