There is going to be a new face roaming the sidelines this upcoming season at the James A. Rhodes Arena.
Dustin Ford takes over for the departed John Groce as the new head coach of the team.
He joined us on on WAOH-TV to talk about his journey in basketball, the expectations for his players, and the grind that is the Mid-American Conference.
He said that he learned from a lot of great coaches throughout the years, having played for his father in high school, legendary college basketball coach Larry Hunter at Ohio University, and the aforementioned Coach Groce, who he worked with at Ohio, Illinois, and Akron.
He said coaching was in his future from an early age, growing up in a basketball family.
“I couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” he explained.
Ford said the tradition of Akron basketball is a good selling point for potential Zips basketball players.
“Obviously it’s a place that’s won championships, and that’s the expectation,” he said.
Ford says fans can expect to see more of the uptempo style that they’ve been used to in past seasons. The same toughness and tenacity that fans are accustomed to seeing from the Zips’ men’s basketball team will be present this season, just as it has been in past seasons.
“We’re going to play fast, we’re going to play aggressive,” Ford said. “We’re going to have guys that are going to be competitive and guys who are going to be unselfish.”
Groce went on to become the head coach at the College of Charleston (South Carolina), and Ford was promoted to the top job in late March.