In another bizarre coaching move, Tim O’Shea has left Ohio University to become the head coach at Bryant University in Rhode Island. On the surface, it’s strange that a coach would leave a solid mid-major job for a school that will be playing their first year in Division I.
However, when you look closely you will see a couple of good reasons to make the move. First, he would have had a new boss at Ohio University. Jim Schaus was hired as the new athletic director a couple of months ago, which isn’t a good thing for a coach who only has a couple of years left on his contract. Also, he is a New England guy who has a home in Newport News, Rhode Island.
With O’Shea’s departure, Schaus should just walk over to the office right next door and hire Associate Head Coach, John Rhodes.
Rhodes is a former OU player who has been an assistant for both O’Shea and Larry Hunter. He has played in the NCAA tournament and coached in them while working for the Bobcats. He is one of the top recruiters in the country and an excellent teacher of the game. The current players and people in the community would rally around such a choice. But most importantly, he would produce championship teams both on and off the court.
Here’s hoping Schaus makes the right decision.
