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There is a fire that burns inside John Groce, a determination to succeed at the highest levels. In more than a decade working for some of the titans of the college basketball world, he earned a reputation that included traits such as passionate, driven, tireless and bright.
The work that Groce has put in over the last 15 years has given him an ample taste of that success. He has reached the postseason 13 times in his 15 years on the collegiate sidelines, helping guide teams to a Final Four, two Elite Eights, a National Invitation Tournament championship and numerous conference titles. As he enters his second season as head coach at Ohio University, Groce has wasted no time instilling that same fire into every facet of the Bobcat program. Immediately upon his hire as the 16th head coach in program history, Groce set about laying the foundation of his trademark offensive style, a high-powered, aggressive system that paid tangible dividends in 2008-09. Six Ohio players met or exceeded their previous career-high scoring averages and five shot better than 40 percent from the field in Groce's initial season, as the Bobcats paced the Mid-American Conference with an average of 13.63 assists per game. Groce's high-octane style also led to a banner year for the Bobcats from beyond the arc, as Ohio took advantage of open looks created on the break to lead the MAC in three-point field goal percentage for the first time in program history. Ohio finished the season with a 36.3-percent mark from long distance, matching the ninth-best single-season output in school history, while its 208 trifectas equaled the fifth-best total by a Bobcat squad. While Groce's attacking style of play undoubtedly led to results on the court, it also benefited the Ohio players when it came time for the 2009 postseason awards. The Bobcats sent three representatives to the All-MAC teams following Groce's first campaign on the sidelines, as Jerome Tillman was named to the first team, Michael Allen was an honorable mention selection and Steven Coleman earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team. The All-MAC status wasn't the only honor bestowed upon Tillman after a year in the John Groce system, as he also picked up NABC All-District 14, MAC Report Online Player of the Year and MidAmPub.com Player of the Year accolades after finishing third in the league in scoring and second in rebounding.
Already known as one of the premier recruiters in the college game, Groce and his staff enjoyed an off-court success of a different kind during the 2008-09 season as their five-player 2009 recruiting class was regarded as the 10th-best in the country among mid-majors and one of the top-70 in the nation overall by Hoop Scoop Online. Two members of the class - point guard D.J. Cooper and small forward Marquis Horne - were named the best incoming players at their position in the MAC by Rivals.com, while all five were nominated for McDonald's High School All-America status during their final prep campaigns. Since his first day on the job, Groce, a former teacher, has also placed great importance on the academic success of the Ohio program. Each of Groce's first two quarters on the job saw the Bobcats post team grade-point averages that rank among the five-best in the 15 academic quarters since the beginning of the 2004-05 school year. Under his tutelage, seven Ohio players have earned an individual GPA of 3.00 or better for a quarter a combined 13 times. Prior to his arrival in Athens, Groce spent four seasons on staff at Ohio State, the final two as associate head coach. During his tenure, he helped the Buckeyes to 105 victories, including a school-record 35 wins in 2006-07, a pair of outright Big Ten regular-season titles, two NCAA Tournament appearances, a berth in the 2007 NCAA National Championship game and the 2008 NIT title. Groce was also heavily involved in recruiting at Ohio State and played a vital role in bringing future first-round NBA draft-picks Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Jr., and Daequan Cook to Columbus, earning him the title of Rivals.com Recruiter of the Year in 2006. His 2007 class at OSU, which featured a five-star prospect and two four-star recruits, was also ranked sixth in the nation. Groce's talent didn't go unnoticed at the national level during his time at Ohio State, as Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com recognized him as one of the top-10 high-major assistant coaches in the country in May of 2008. The previous summer also saw Groce receive praise from the national basketball media, as Bob McClellan of Rivals.com anointed him the assistant coach from across the country most ready to lead his own program. The Danville, Ind., native began his coaching career in 1993 as an assistant at his alma mater, Taylor University, in Upland, Ind. During that time, Taylor posted a 71-28 record and earned a pair of trips to the NAIA national tournament. He helped the Trojans to a 29-5 record and a No. 1 national ranking in 1994. Groce broke into Division I basketball as a member of Herb Sendek's staff at NC State in 1996, ultimately serving as an assistant with the Wolfpack from 1996-00. NCSU earned postseason bids in each of his four years on the sidelines, including a trip to the 2000 NIT semifinals. With his hiring at Ohio, Groce became the eighth former Sendek assistant to ascend to the Division I head coaching ranks. In 2000-01, Groce moved on to Butler, where he joined Thad Matta's staff for the first of his eight years working with the current Ohio State head coach. With Groce on the bench, the Bulldogs captured both the Midwestern College Conference regular-season and tournament crowns, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Groce accompanied Matta to Xavier in 2001, helping lead the Musketeers to a 78-23 overall record and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament in each of his three seasons on staff. The crown jewel of Groce's time in Cincinnati was a berth in the 2004 NCAA Elite Eight. After starring for current Iowa head coach Todd Lickliter at Danville High School, Groce played basketball for three years at Taylor, helping the Trojans to a composite 86-18 record and three trips to the NAIA Tournament, including an NAIA Final Four bid in 1991. He earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Taylor in 1994. Born on Sept. 7, 1971, in Muncie, Ind., Groce and his wife, Allison, have two sons,Conner and Camden.
THE GROCE FILE
NBA DRAFT PICKS COACHED BY JOHN GROCE
MAC STATISTICAL CHAMPIONS UNDER JOHN GROCE
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