Committment Prevails with Buckeye Coaching Staff – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/1/1998 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
December 1, 1998
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%^$ 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%^$the professional ranks. %^$
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%^$But for Jim O’Brien’s coaching staff, loyalty has%^$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. %^$
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%^$Rick Boyages, Paul Biancardi and Dave Spiller saw how%^$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%^$the nation with a 22-9 record. %^$
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%^$Much of that success was because of their%^$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. %^$
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%^$Biancardi was with O’Brien two years prior to the arrival of the other%^$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%^$will be done right. %^$
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%^$”Paul is a getting-it-done type of guy,” O’Brien said.%^$”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.” %^$
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%^$Biancardi left his hometown of Boston, where he had lived all of%^$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. %^$
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%^$Another Massachusetts native%^$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.” %^$
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%^$O’Brien%^$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.”
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%^$Aaron McLear, OSU Athletics Communications %^$
