By Mark Blaudschun
Globe Staff / December 18, 2010
SMITHFIELD, R.I. — Ron Machtley was sitting in the stands last winter watching the Bryant University men’s basketball team endure another loss in what would end up a woeful 1-29 season. Machtley was there as a fan and as a supportive arm for a program, like all varsity sports at Bryant, making the transition from Division 2 to Division 1 — a quantum leap in college athletics.
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| Director of Athletics Bill Smith, Beth O'Shea, daughter Madeleine and President Ron Machtley (far right) welcome Tim O'Shea to the Bryant family in June, 2008. |
Sitting next to Machtley, Bryant’s president, was Beth O’Shea, the wife of basketball coach Tim O’Shea.
“We’re going to go to dinner after this,’’ Machtley told her. Knowing her husband’s mood as well as anyone, Beth O’Shea told Machtley that her husband would not be in a “dinner mode.’’
And when Machtley approached Tim O’Shea after the game, he received an initial rejection, the coach saying he needed to break down some film.
“Tim,’’ said Machtley with a smile. “I’ve seen the movie. I know the ending. We’re going to dinner.’’
Tomorrow afternoon at Conte Forum, Bryant will take on Boston College. The expected result is the Bulldogs’ ninth loss in 10 games this season. But for O’Shea, who played at BC and served as an assistant under former BC coach Al Skinner, the journey is more comfortable now. Progress is being made in small steps, including a Nov. 14 victory over Iona, regarded as an upper-tier team in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. And though O’Shea might see the same conclusion each game, there is increasingly less certainty of the outcome.
With a minute left against Harvard Nov. 24, Bryant held a 4-point lead. It lost by 3.
“A year ago, we were down by 29 in the first half [against Harvard],’’ said O’Shea, who came to Bryant from Ohio University three years ago. “So you can tell the difference. We’re making progress. It might not show in W’s and L’s, but we are.’’
O’Shea, who grew up in Wayland, did not come to Bryant for the money. In fact, he took a pay cut. He came for the challenge and for the quality of life. He also came knowing it will take time to become an even respectable program, which is why he asked for, and was given, an eight-year contract.
Machtley had to do that across the board four years ago when decision was made to move upward. Although Bryant thrived at the Division 2 level in almost all sports, the landscape of the Northeast-10 Conference was changing.
“There were a lot of issues swirling around,’’ said Machtley. “It looked like we might not have some of our traditional rivals such as Bentley, Stonehill, and Saint Michael’s. We explored dropping down to Division 3 or going to Division 1.’’
