Post by timholycross on Sept 3, 2020 19:40:01 GMT -5
(former Bryant head coach...interesting comments about the marked increase in transfers)
Tim O’Shea has coached numerous college basketball games throughout his 34-year career.
The 1980 Wayland High alum and Newport, R.I., resident was a graduate assistant coach and then an assistant coach at both Rhode Island and Boston College. He served as an assistant at Yale and head coach at Ohio University and Bryant University.
He retired from college coaching in 2018 after a decade at Bryant.
“When I left Ohio to take the job at Bryant I knew it was going to be my last coaching job,” said O’Shea, a member of the Wayland High Hall of Fame. “It was for 10 years. I was at peace with that. We had some great experiences.
“At the end of the day, I wanted to live back here. My daughter was in grade school and I got to send her to St. Michael’s and then she went to Portsmouth Abbey. She just graduated from Boston College. It worked out exactly as we hoped.”
Although O’Shea left college coaching behind, he still wanted to be involved with coaching at some level and contacted Navy head coach Ed DeChellis about the basketball program at the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport.
“I reached out to Ed to see if I could help out. I still wanted to stay involved,” O’Shea said. “I live a mile away in the Point section and can take my scooter or walk to work.”
NAPS head coach Greg Miller welcomed the 58-year-old O’Shea as an assistant coach. But this year, after five years as head coach, Miller left because of family reasons and O’Shea became the NAPS head coach.
“It sort of just fell into my lap. I couldn’t have dreamed up a better job,” O’Shea said. “It gives me the ability to have a relationship with young people doing something they love. They bring a kind of energy. Coaching them makes me feel young. I’m lucky.”
The scenario offers O’Shea a refreshing change from coaching a NCAA Division I team.
“No parents, no recruiting, all the kids are on one-year deals,” O’Shea said. “They’re here for one year and I try to make them better players. I try to get the ones going to Annapolis ready for Division I competition and the kids going to Coast Guard prepared for Division III.
“The kids here are high quality who generally are doing something bigger than themselves. They’re committed to their country. It’s a challenging year for them because they’re committed to the military.”
When O’Shea coached at Bryant, he was charged with taking the Bulldogs from a Division II program to Division I. Many things besides Bryant’s division status changed in the 10 years O’Shea was there, and one key modification was when the NCAA altered its transfer rule.
“I like to say it’s a mercenary mentality,” O’Shea said. “When I first started coaching, a kid who was scoring 20 points a game was probably the happiest in the program. That started to change with transfer rules. They start to think, ‘I can trade up.’ All the loyalty goes out the window.
“Your best players — almost 90 percent of them — use their success at the lower Division I level to get to a bigger program. The low and middle Division I schools just can’t compete with the upper Division I schools and what they have to offer.
“I just couldn’t be a part of it anymore. I can’t be critical of the kids, but it’s not what I signed up for. The stress levels for Division I coaches has really changed.”
Players now jump from school to school on a whim. According to the NCAA, 54 percent of Division I basketball players (about 360 players) in the transfer portal switched to a different Division I program last season. And in Division I, not all teams are created equal.
“One year I took Bryant to play at UConn and the players there had a catered steak dinner. The perks at that level are so much more than those at smaller schools.”
O’Shea certainly will not have to worry about such things at NAPS. Academics clearly come before athletics as most basketball games are played on weekends so as to not interfere with classwork.
“Without the grades, they don’t go to Annapolis and they don’t go to Coast Guard,” O’Shea said.
NAPS plays what O’Shea calls a “hybrid schedule” against New England prep schools and junior college teams such as CCRI and Mitchell.
“We’re not in a league. We can play anybody. Last year we played 18 games,” O’Shea said.
O’Shea drove one of the team vans to away games last season and — if there are games this season — he’ll be driving again. Clearly he’s comfortable with his role.
“I like the whole setup. It’s a neat place,” O’Shea said. “My favorite part of coaching is working with the kids. They’re all great kids and that’s what makes it fun.
“Their work ethic is great. They have respect for me as a coach. They’re always on time. And when we leave a road game the locker room is always immaculate. I couldn’t be happier.”
Tim O’Shea has coached numerous college basketball games throughout his 34-year career.
The 1980 Wayland High alum and Newport, R.I., resident was a graduate assistant coach and then an assistant coach at both Rhode Island and Boston College. He served as an assistant at Yale and head coach at Ohio University and Bryant University.
He retired from college coaching in 2018 after a decade at Bryant.
“When I left Ohio to take the job at Bryant I knew it was going to be my last coaching job,” said O’Shea, a member of the Wayland High Hall of Fame. “It was for 10 years. I was at peace with that. We had some great experiences.
“At the end of the day, I wanted to live back here. My daughter was in grade school and I got to send her to St. Michael’s and then she went to Portsmouth Abbey. She just graduated from Boston College. It worked out exactly as we hoped.”
Although O’Shea left college coaching behind, he still wanted to be involved with coaching at some level and contacted Navy head coach Ed DeChellis about the basketball program at the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport.
“I reached out to Ed to see if I could help out. I still wanted to stay involved,” O’Shea said. “I live a mile away in the Point section and can take my scooter or walk to work.”
NAPS head coach Greg Miller welcomed the 58-year-old O’Shea as an assistant coach. But this year, after five years as head coach, Miller left because of family reasons and O’Shea became the NAPS head coach.
“It sort of just fell into my lap. I couldn’t have dreamed up a better job,” O’Shea said. “It gives me the ability to have a relationship with young people doing something they love. They bring a kind of energy. Coaching them makes me feel young. I’m lucky.”
The scenario offers O’Shea a refreshing change from coaching a NCAA Division I team.
“No parents, no recruiting, all the kids are on one-year deals,” O’Shea said. “They’re here for one year and I try to make them better players. I try to get the ones going to Annapolis ready for Division I competition and the kids going to Coast Guard prepared for Division III.
“The kids here are high quality who generally are doing something bigger than themselves. They’re committed to their country. It’s a challenging year for them because they’re committed to the military.”
When O’Shea coached at Bryant, he was charged with taking the Bulldogs from a Division II program to Division I. Many things besides Bryant’s division status changed in the 10 years O’Shea was there, and one key modification was when the NCAA altered its transfer rule.
“I like to say it’s a mercenary mentality,” O’Shea said. “When I first started coaching, a kid who was scoring 20 points a game was probably the happiest in the program. That started to change with transfer rules. They start to think, ‘I can trade up.’ All the loyalty goes out the window.
“Your best players — almost 90 percent of them — use their success at the lower Division I level to get to a bigger program. The low and middle Division I schools just can’t compete with the upper Division I schools and what they have to offer.
“I just couldn’t be a part of it anymore. I can’t be critical of the kids, but it’s not what I signed up for. The stress levels for Division I coaches has really changed.”
Players now jump from school to school on a whim. According to the NCAA, 54 percent of Division I basketball players (about 360 players) in the transfer portal switched to a different Division I program last season. And in Division I, not all teams are created equal.
“One year I took Bryant to play at UConn and the players there had a catered steak dinner. The perks at that level are so much more than those at smaller schools.”
O’Shea certainly will not have to worry about such things at NAPS. Academics clearly come before athletics as most basketball games are played on weekends so as to not interfere with classwork.
“Without the grades, they don’t go to Annapolis and they don’t go to Coast Guard,” O’Shea said.
NAPS plays what O’Shea calls a “hybrid schedule” against New England prep schools and junior college teams such as CCRI and Mitchell.
“We’re not in a league. We can play anybody. Last year we played 18 games,” O’Shea said.
O’Shea drove one of the team vans to away games last season and — if there are games this season — he’ll be driving again. Clearly he’s comfortable with his role.
“I like the whole setup. It’s a neat place,” O’Shea said. “My favorite part of coaching is working with the kids. They’re all great kids and that’s what makes it fun.
“Their work ethic is great. They have respect for me as a coach. They’re always on time. And when we leave a road game the locker room is always immaculate. I couldn’t be happier.”
