Committment Prevails with Buckeye Coaching Staff – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/1/1998 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
December 1, 1998
In the sports world of today, loyalty has become a forgotten ideal. Free agents chase big contracts from team to team, professional franchises desert supportive towns for new stadiums and underclassmen leave school early to enter the professional ranks.
But for Jim O’Brien’s coaching staff, loyalty has become a way of life. The current staff has been together for eight years under O’Brien, starting at Boston College and following the coach to Columbus nearly two years ago. “I feel very fortunate that when I had the opportunity to come to Ohio State they all decided that this was something they would like to do as well,” O’Brien said.
Rick Boyages, Paul Biancardi and Dave Spiller saw how successful they could be as a unit under O’Brien in their first year together at Boston College. After three consecutive losing seasons, the Golden Eagles enjoyed a 17-14 record and a trip to the National Invitational Tournament in the coaches’ inaugural season in 1991-92. They went to the NIT the following year and in 1994, reached the NCAA Regional Finals en route to a 23-11 record and No. 11 ranking. In three of their last four years at BC, the coaching staff led the Golden Eagles to the NCAA tournament, including their last year when they finished No. 23 in the nation with a 22-9 record.
Much of that success was because of their recruiting, spearheaded by Spiller and Biancardi. Their recruiting classes were ranked nationally at BC; No. 20 in 1992, No. 5 in 1993, and No. 17 in 1994. Their success has continued at Ohio State, the 1998 class was ranked 20th in the nation and the Buckeye class of 1999 is poised to be even better. “Paul and Dave know the kind of guys that I’m interested in coaching and they know what types of personalities might be a good fit for our program,” O’Brien said. “I have a lot of confidence in their ability to evaluate players.” Spiller also is responsible for instruction of the low post players and puts together basketball highlight films to motivate the team. “Dave is a real good people guy and he relates very well to the kids he recruits and the kids we have in our program,” O’Brien said.
Biancardi was with O’Brien two years prior to the arrival of the other two coaches and has played a big role in attracting athletes to Ohio State as well as contributing to on-court coaching during games and practices. O’Brien said he delegates a lot of special projects to Biancardi because he knows they will be done right.
“Paul is a getting-it-done type of guy,” O’Brien said. “He does a terrific job of finding players, developing relationships with recruits and also having a very good repore with the kids we have in our program.”
Biancardi left his hometown of Boston, where he had lived all of his life, to follow O’Brien to Columbus. In Boston, he was discovered by O’Brien as an assistant coach for rival Boston University, where he helped guide the Terriers to an NCAA tournament berth in 1989.
Another Massachusetts native who left home with O’Brien is his right hand man, associate head coach Rick Boyages. At 36, Boyages already has a coaching resume that would rival many career records. After becoming the youngest head coach in the nation at 24 in 1987 (at Bates College), the Wakefield, Mass., native joined O’Brien’s staff in 1991. He has coached numerous international teams including an NCAA All-Star team in the summer of 1998 which placed second in the Acropolis Cup Tournament in Athens. Boyages spends much of his time scouting opposing teams through video analysis. Boyages said the move to Columbus was an individual decision for all the coaches. “We never really all sat down and talked about it together, but I think that individually we all felt the same,” Boyages said. “It was just a great opportunity for all of us; Ohio State has a great environment with its strong tradition and the support of the fans and administration.”
O’Brien also commented on the support he and his staff has received at Ohio State and said that it has meant a great deal to him to have his staff stay with him over the years. “I think the fact that I don’t have anyone on my staff who’s been with me less than eight years really says a lot,” O’Brien said. “I have a very high regard for every one of them. The relationship that has developed between us is one of a personal nature because they are my friends every bit as much as they are my associates.”
Aaron McLear, OSU Athletics Communications
