Jim O'Brien is headed back into coaching

Usually, head coaching changes are D-III schools in Boston wouldn't exactly interest us.

How many of you knew that Emerson College was in Boston, anyway? That's my point.

But those coaching changes do pique out interest when the new hire happens to be a former high-major head coach. The name Jim O'Brien ring a bell? Once a rising star in the profession, O'Brien was a head coach at St. Bonaventure, Boston College, and Ohio State -- taking the Buckeyes to the 1999 Final Four -- before being fired in 2004 for giving $6,000 to Yugoslavian recruit Aleksandar Radojevic. He was given a two-year show-cause penalty by the NCAA, although he did eventually win a $2.4 million lawsuit against Ohio State for wrongful termination.


"I am excited to be the next men’s basketball coach at Emerson College," O’Brien said. "During the past few years, I have become familiar with Emerson while watching other friends coach in the GNAC. Emerson is a great school and seems like a great fit for me at this time in my life. It affords my wife and I an opportunity to continue to live in Boston, a city that we love, while allowing me to focus on what I enjoy most: being in a gym and coaching a team."

You wanna talk about recruiting tools?

How about being able to tell a kid at the D-III level he's the best shooter he's recruited since Michael Redd. You know, NBA all-star Michael Redd? That's a lot cheaper than handing out Ricky Roe duffel bags.