Disney World really is the place where dreams come true.

It was at Mouse Central when I got the text message: O’Shea is gone. I stared at it for about five minutes, unsure if I wanted to believe it or not. Because I was at the Happiest Place on Earth, I wasn’t keeping up with news of any kind. So, to be sure, this came as a shock. I needed details. Where did he go? “Bryant.” My initial reaction was, “and Stratton?” This isn’t even a joke; it really was what I thought. At the risk of sounding like a terrible sportswriter, I hadn’t heard of Bryant University.

You likely haven’t heard of it either, 2008 marking the first year of Division I play for the Rhode Island school. But… really? O’Shea left Ohio to go to a neophyte D-I school that won’t be in the NEC for another four years and is ineligible for postseason for the same period of time. Everyone in Bobcat Nation heard about how much he disliked Athens and pined to return home. Any job in the New England area that became available soon had his name linked to it. Even places like Quinnipiac and Brown seemed to attract his interest. I didn’t believe it. Surely he wouldn’t take a step down just to move back home, right? Who would do that?

Well, as it turned out, he would. While the move seems a bit like a slap in the face, we’re too busy smiling to notice the sting. We were free. Free from the frustrating losses, the impotence on the road, the unfulfilled promise. While most teams in the MAC would love to win 79 games in four seasons, it seems like underachieving to us because we saw the potential for so much more. Think about it: How often did Ohio seem like a viable threat? They would look like world-beaters for one game then completely disorganized and uninterested for the next two. They were a cinch for the middle of the conference every year. They weren’t able to play competent defense for more than three minutes.

What made it all the more worse is we saw those flashes of brilliance. When he really focused his energies and knowledge, Ohio could beat just about anyone. The 3-0 record against the ACC, nearly toppling Florida and UK in 2005 were no coincidences. The man has talent. The maddening part is he didn’t feel the need to employ that talent 30 times a year, just for the “big” games. He didn’t feel Eastern Michigan was as important as Maryland. He didn’t seem to realize that you have to prepare fully for every opponent, that bad losses can be more harmful than big wins are helpful.

He didn’t have his players’ respect, and he didn’t have the respect of the other coaches in the league or even that of his assistants. He was a man, essentially, on an island. He put himself there, and no one desired to visit him there.

So, yeah. We were happy to see him go. If he really wanted to be home that badly, bless him. We had bigger things to worry about, such as who would now steer the ship. John Rhodes? Great guy. Fantastic guy. Super assistant. Not the man. I love him, and I want him to forever be a part of the program, but he just wasn’t it. The great thing about new Athletic Director Jim Schaus is his track record of hiring basketball coaches. The man knows his stuff, and he has as many contacts as anyone. I had full confidence we were going to find the right man, and we were going to find him quickly.

But… man, did I expect that to take just a couple days? He had John Groce signed, sealed, and delivered in half a week. Incredible. We went from Captain Can’t Give a Crap to one of the brightest, hottest assistants in the nation. Forget a home run, that’s Bobby Thompson-esque. The praise from all corners in the basketball world was staggering: We had a guy everyone is sure is going to succeed. Is it possible he’ll fail? Sure, but I’ll take the odds on this. His work at Ohio State is impressive, and Thad Matta was preparing him for helming his own program. He may not be here for more than a few years, but if he’s gone quickly, it means he’s done great things for us in all likelihood.

I’ve gone from slightly dismay to out-and-out excitement for the coming season. I’m looking at the game at the Cintas Center with great anticipation. I suddenly believe my Bobcats are capable of anything.