Lily Maxwell
John Groce has parlayed his unprecedented success at the University of Akron into another college basketball coaching job.
On Monday, March 30, Groce told Zips players he will become the new men’s hoops coach at the College of Charleston, a person familiar with the situation confirmed for the Beacon Journal.
Groce’s exit from UA is not stunning, yet his move to another mid-major program will raise some eyebrows. The Field of 68 first reported Groce’s decision to join Charleston.
In 2017, Groce succeeded Keith Dambrot at the helm of UA and spent the past nine seasons guiding the Zips. Like Dambrot, Groce will leave behind big shoes to fill at Akron.
A longtime Groce disciple, Akron associate head coach Dustin Ford is expected to receive strong consideration for UA’s head coaching job, multiple sources told the Beacon Journal.
John Groce’s coaching record with Akron Zips basketball
With the Zips, Groce compiled a record of 197-94, including 114-50 in the Mid-American Conference. He is ranked third in UA men’s basketball history for most wins. Akron native Dambrot (305-139 from 2005-17) and Russell Beichly (288-144 from 1941-59) hold the top two spots.
Akron captured four MAC Tournament titles (2022, ’24, ’25 and ’26) and thereby advanced to the NCAA Tournament four times in a span of five years under Groce. The Zips lost in the first round each time, falling 57-53 to fourth-seeded UCLA as a No. 13 seed on March 17, 2022, 77-60 to third-seeded Creighton as a No. 14 seed on March 21, 2024, 93-65 to fourth-seeded Arizona as a No. 13 seed on March 21, 2025, and 91-71 to fifth-seeded Texas Tech as a No. 12 seed on March 20.
No other coach has led Akron basketball to as many Division I NCAA Tournament berths as the 54-year-old Groce.
This past season, Akron became the first men’s team to three-peat as the MAC Tournament champion and only the second to seize four MAC tourney crowns in five years. Buffalo also accomplished the feat (2015-16 and 2018-19).
Akron established the single-season team record for wins in 2025-26, when the Zips finished 29-6. They also went 17-1 in the MAC for the second consecutive season.
Groce has been a head coach for 18 seasons. His career record is 377-225, including 4-7 in the NCAA Tournament (0-4 with Akron).
John Groce’s resume as college basketball head coach
Groce lived in Summit County throughout his Akron tenure. His oldest son, Conner, joined the Zips in 2024 as a walk-on after graduating from Revere High School.
Prior to John Groce’s arrival at UA, he coached Ohio (85-56 from 2008-12) and Illinois (95-75 from 2012-17).
With Ohio, Groce went 3-2 in two trips to the NCAA Tournament. In 2012, Ohio advanced to the Sweet 16 as a No. 13 seed. With Illinois, Groce went 1-1 in one March Madness appearance.
John Groce’s salary with Akron and contract buyout details
Akron extended Groce’s contract several times during his employment. His most recent contract extension was scheduled to run until June 30, 2035. His base salary and supplemental compensation combined for $850,000 a year.
The buyout agreement in Groce’s contract states he would owe Akron a lump-sum payment of $350,000 if he were to terminate the deal this year.
Why did Charleston basketball hire John Groce?
Charleston had a coaching vacancy after Chris Mack recently left the school to become the head coach at the University of South Florida. Mack, who previously coached at Xavier and Louisville, went 45-20 in two seasons at Charleston.
In the 2025-26 season, Charleston went 21-11, including 14-4 in the Coastal Athletic Association. Charleston’s season ended with an 81-56 loss to Towson in the quarterfinal round of the CAA tournament.
Mack’s predecessor at Charleston, Pat Kelsey, coached the Cougars to back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. Kelsey is Louisville’s coach.
Who is Dustin Ford?
A native of Cambridge, Ohio, Ford is a logical internal candidate for Akron because he knows Groce’s blueprint for success inside and out. Ford has been on Groce’s coaching staff for 18 seasons — all four at Ohio, all five at Illinois and all nine at UA.
Before uniting with Groce, Ford spent three years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Western Carolina (2006-08) after working as a head coach at Jackson High School (2002-05) in Jackson, Ohio.
Ford played basketball at Ohio (1997-01) and posted career averages of 7.5 points, 2.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals with the Bobcats.
Ford’s older brother, Geno Ford, who used to be at the helms of Kent State (2008-11) and Bradley (2011-15), is the head coach at Stony Brook. Geno Ford was also an Ohio assistant when Dustin Ford played for the Bobcats.
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
