Current Job: Is the head coach at Ohio State, where he has posted a 68-42 record in three-plus seasons and led his team to the 1999 Final Four and the 2000 Big Ten regular season co-championship.
Background: O'Brien was the head coach at his alma mater, Boston College, from 1986-97. The Eagles made six postseason appearances, including three trips to the NCAA Tournament, and won 168 games in his 11 years. Prior to his stint at BC, O'Brien was the head coach at St. Bonaventure, where he went 67-51 from 1982-86 and led the Bonnies to the 1982 NIT.
First Job: Landed his first job in 1977 as an assistant to Dom Perno at Connecticut.
As a player: Jim was a three-year letterman at Boston College (1968-71) and was team captain in 1970-71, and he still holds the school single-game assist record of 18. O'Brien was elected to the BC Hall of Fame in 1976. He then spent five seasons in the ABA, playing for the Pittsburgh Condors, Kentucky Colonels and San Diego Conquistadors.
Hoops accolades: Was elected to the BC Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1976 and was named to both the 1960s and 1970s BC all-decade teams. As a coach, he has earned Big Ten (1999), Big East (1995-96) and Atlantic-10 (1983) Coach of the Year honors,and was the 1999 NABC National Co-Coach of the Year.
Smarts: Earned a bachelor's degree in marketing from Boston College in 1971. In his 11 years at BC, all 30 players who completed their eligibility also earned their degrees.
Connection to basketball royalty: O'Brien was coached by Bob Cousy and Chuck Daly at Boston College and played under the late Wilt Chamberlain in San Diego.
Quotable: "There is tremendous opportunity at Ohio State. All the pieces are in place. There is a major commitment to success."
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Current Job: Takes over Monday night as interim head coach of the Celtics, inheriting a team that is currently 12-22 and in 12th place in the Eastern Conference.
Background: Before coming to Boston as an associate coach with Rick Pitino in 1997, O' Brien spent three seasons (1994-97) with Pitino at Kentucky. The Wildcats won the NCAA Championship in 1996 and lost in overtime in the 1997 championship game. Before landing on Pitino's staff at Kentucky O'Brien was the head coach at Dayton from 1989-94, leading the Flyers to the MCC Tournament Championship in his first year, and served on Pitino's staff with the NY Knicks from 1987-89. His career has also included a head coaching job at Wheeling Jesuit College (1982-87) and assistant jobs at Oregon, Maryland and Pembroke State.
First Job: Broke in to the coaching ranks as an assistant at Wheeling Jesuit in 1974.
As a player: O'Brien was a three-year starter at St. Joseph's University from 1972-74 and was named co-MVP his senior season.
Hoops accolades: Earned induction as a player into the St. Joseph's Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Big Five Hall of Fame in 1989.
Smarts: Earned a bachelor's degree in management and marketing from St. Joseph's in 1971 and received his MBA from Maryland in 1981.
Connection to basketball royalty: O'Brien's wife, Sharon, is the daughter of Hall of Fame coach, and ESPN analyst, Dr. Jack Ramsay.
Quotable: "Coaching is all I've ever wanted to do. The basketball environment is special and I am very lucky to have been a coach since I graduated from college. It has been gratifying to be a part of some great organizations."
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