Charleston hired Akron's John Groce as its next men's basketball coach, the school announced Monday.
“John Groce is one of the most decorated head coaches in the country. He and his staff made a tremendous impact on the Akron community during his nine seasons at the helm. The victory speaks for itself, but his leadership of the men and his passion for the people is what impresses us the most,” athletic director Matt Roberts said in a statement. “We are excited to welcome John, his wife Allison and their three children Conner, Camden and Cate to the Charleston community. It's a great day to be a Cougar!”
Groce, who informed his Akron team of his departure on Monday, has been one of the most successful mid-level coaches over the past five years, leading the Zips to four NCAA tournament berths. They have won one Mid-American Conference regular-season title in those five years, but have a notable 13-1 record in conference tournaments with four championships.
During that span, Groce went 127-45, including 57 wins and a 34-2 record against MAC opponents the past two seasons. He has been in Akron for nine seasons and also won a regular-season title in 2020 before the conference tournament was canceled due to the pandemic.
Before replacing Keith Dambrot in 2017, Groce coached at Illinois for five seasons. He won 20 games three times and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2013, his first season at the helm.
Groce also spent four seasons coaching at Ohio from 2008 to 2012, leading the Bobcats to a pair of NCAA Tournaments. He began his coaching career on the staffs of NC State, Butler, Xavier and Ohio State, the last three schools under Thad Matta.
In Charleston, Groce replaces Chris Mack, who left last week to fill the vacancy in South Florida. The school said Groce's contract is for five years.
