The Ohio-Akron rivalry changed dramatically this offseason.
It peaked last year when then-Akron coach Keith Dambrot downplayed then-Ohio guard Jaaron Simmons’ career game against the Zips.
The two left their respective programs a few months later, and what looked to be a juicy storyline for 2017-18 dried up. The focus in Athens has shifted from old coach to another old coach.
John Groce, who coached the Bobcats from 2008-2012, is the new coach at Akron. And while many fans in the area hold grudges against an old favorite for joining the enemy, players and coaches don’t seem to care the same way.
“For us, none of these guys care,” coach Saul Phillips said. “I know the guy. I like the guy. There just isn’t a whole lot of animosity there.”
Groce counseled Phillips on the Ohio program’s identity and recruiting strategies when Phillips first earned the job in 2014. Their wives spoke on the phone about the best restaurants, schools and shopping centers in the area. Phillips even said that someone from his church said to wish Groce the best on their behalf.
The aggression toward Groce might be overblown. But the competition during the game will remain fierce.
Junior Gavin Block has played through the intense years of the rivalry, when both teams have been near the top of the Mid-American Conference standings.
This year is different. Eight of the 14 players that played 10 or more minutes in the most recent matchup won’t play Tuesday. The Bobcats are tied with Akron for last place in the MAC-East division.
But Block made sure to tell the new guys (Teyvion Kirk, Zach Butler, Kevin Mickle and A.J. Gareri) about the meaning behind playing Akron.
“I don’t know how (the hype) will be with all the changes this year,” Block said. “But I think (the new guys) understand that it’s a pretty big game for this university.”
At least Ohio’s freshmen and grad transfer won’t be behind on the scouting report. More than half of Akron’s rotation from last year is gone. Jimond Ivey is the only returning starter.
Couple those losses with a new coach, and you see that Phillips’ assistants completed a sizable task in scouting the new Akron.
“It is ripping the scouting report from last year completely up,” Phillips said. “We’ll see how we did.”
The Bobcats aren’t much different in that regard. They lost three starters from last year, and the presumed replacement for Antonio Campbell is sidelined. Phillips also changed offensive philosophies to accommodate his young point guards.
And even the players that remain have changed.
Ohio forward Doug Taylor is playing the best and most energetic basketball of his career. Block said Taylor has the best lateral quickness of any big man in the MAC, a key component to defending a team like Akron that spreads the floor with 3-point shooters.
Akron's lone returning starter improved his game, as well. Phillips said he used to tell his players not to guard Ivey at the 3-point line. Now, Ivey is Akron’s third leading scorer and shooting 35 percent from 3-point range.
Despite all the changes, the rivalry is still the same in one regard: Both teams badly want to beat the other —
regardless of how friendly the coaches are.
“I’ve coached against really good friends, and I’ve coached against people who I know didn’t like me,” Phillips said. “I didn’t want to win the game any less or any more because of that.”
