Former Boston College and University of Rhode Island head coachAl Skinner enters his second season with theBryant University men's basketball coaching staff as Associate HeadCoach in 2014-15.
Skinner brings more than 20 years of head coaching experience tothe Bryant sideline and will share the title of Associate HeadCoach alongside third-year coach Happy Dobbs.Skinner will fill the hole left by the departure of assistant MikeKelly, who has spent the last five seasons with the Bulldogs. Kellyleaves Smithfield for the prestigious IMG Academy in Bradenton,Fla.
"It's a bittersweet time for us," said O'Shea. "We are losing acoach in Mike Kelly who has been with us since the beginning of ourDivision I transition, and his commitment to our program is a majorreason we enjoyed such success last season.
"Mike is one of the finest assistant coaches I have had theprivilege of working with in my 13 years as a head coach, so it iswith sadness that we say goodbye to him," added O'Shea. "At thesame time, it is exciting to have someone of Al Skinner's staturejoining us at Bryant."
A current member of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball EthicsCoalition, Skinner spent 22 seasons as a head coach at the DivisionI level, building a 385-291 (.570) career record while guiding histeams to nine NCAA tournament appearances and four conferencetitles. Named the 2001 National Coach of the Year by Chevrolet/CBS,ESPN, Sports Illustrated, the Sporting News and the United StatesBasketball Writers Association (USBWA), he has won conference coachof the year honors three times, including twice during BostonCollege's BIG EAST tenure.
The winningest coach in BC history, Skinner spent 13 seasons atThe Heights as the Eagles' bench boss, compiling a 247-165 (.560)record from 1997-2010. He took Boston College to six NCAAtournaments in a seven-year stretch, driving his 2005-06 team allthe way to the Sweet Sixteen.
Prior to his time at BC, Skinner spent nine seasons at the helmat nearby University of Rhode Island, leading the Rams to a 138-126(.523) mark. Skinner took over as head coach at URI in 1988 afterserving as an assistant on the Rams' bench from 1984-88. During histenure in Kingston, he led Rhode Island to a pair of NCAAtournament berths and two more National Invitational Tournament(NIT) appearances, as well as three 20+ win seasons. He was namedthe Atlantic-10 Coach of the Year in 1991-92 and was inducted intothe University of Rhode Island Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000.
O'Shea served on both staffs under Skinner, first as anassistant at URI from 1988-97 and again at Boston College from1997-01 before making the jump to the head coaching ranks.
"I'm excited to work with Tim again and to work with these greatstudent-athletes at Bryant University," said Skinner. "It'sexciting how much progress Bryant has already made and the successit has experienced, and I'm glad to be associated with thisprogram."
Skinner first broke into coaching as an assistant at MaristCollege in 1982 following successful stints in the ABA and NBA from1974-80 (Nets, Pistons, 76ers). Drafted by the ABA's New York Netsin the eighth round of the 1974 draft, Skinner was named to the1974-75 ABA All-Rookie Team and would lead the Nets to an ABAChampionship a year later.
Prior to his professional playing career, Skinner spent threeyears on the court at the University of Massachusetts from 1971-74,where he became the only player in Minuteman history to be named athree-time All-Yankee Conference selection. A team captain andAll-America Honorable Mention in 1973-74, he remains one of themost decorated players in UMass basketball history, graduating with1,235 points, 749 rebounds and 320 assists in 79 games. Skinner wasinducted into the UMass Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982, and his No.30 jersey was retired by the Minutemen on Feb. 18, 2004.
"Al's record of accomplishments – from college player toprofessional athlete to coach – really speaks for itself,"said O'Shea. "All of his experience and success will benefit ourplayers, our program and Bryant University in so many ways."
With the addition of Skinner to the Bryant bench, the Bulldogsare now one of the most experienced coaching staffs in the nation,boasting 43 years of Division I head coaching experience acrossthree of its coaches. More than half of those years have been spentat DI programs within the Ocean State's borders, as O'Shea entershis 13th season as a head coach and sixth at the helm in Smithfield(seven years at Ohio U. from 2001-08) while Dobbs spent eightseasons leading intrastate rival Brown from 1991-99.
"Having two former head coaches from prestigious universities onthe staff speaks well of our progress as a DI program, but the realbeneficiaries are going to be our student-athletes," said O'Shea."Our program has been gaining momentum since we started the move toDivision I, and bringing someone of Al's stature on board only addsto that."
"I think the overall experience that we bring as a staff isgoing to enhance the players and is a huge asset as we continue toimprove upon what's already been accomplished," added Skinner.
