In Tim O’Shea’s mind, replacing him as the Ohio men’s basketball coach would merely require his top assistant to switch offices.

Associate head coach John Rhodes, is expected to be a top candidate for the job, and O’Shea said he thinks the former Ohio player, who graduated in 1988, would be a solid choice for the position.

“I know Jim Schaus is conducting a national search and his goal is to find the best candidate for the job,” he said. “In my opinion the best candidate for the job is right down the hall,” O’Shea said of Rhodes.

Schaus, who will have to hire the fourth new coach of his short tenure at Ohio, said he does not want to delay the process of finding a new coach.

“When a head coaching search happens you really have to stay focused and bunker down to make sure you get that done as soon as possible,” he said. “Making the right choice is not always the easiest and sometimes not the most popular choice, but I’m focused in hiring the very best person,” Schaus said.

Schaus added that he has received numerous phone calls and emails regarding the position but declined to comment on specific individuals that would be considered.

He did say Rhodes would receive special consideration if he was interested.

“John is certainly someone who would deserve consideration on what he has done here – his loyalty to the program and to the community and he would get full consideration for this position,” Schaus said.

“Not saying at this point I know who is going to be hired, I don’t, but he is somebody who I think would require and deserve special consideration in being towards the top of our list right off the bat.”

Schaus added that he was not shocked that O’Shea would leave for a job on the East Coast, but said that he found the timing to be a bit surprising.

“I think when he brought up this opportunity it was only a surprise that I kind of thought that these opportunities had passed,” Schaus said. “Tim seemed very happy when he talked to me on several occasions and I’m happy for him.”

O’Shea said he first contacted team captains Jerome Tillman and Michael Allen to break the news, and added that he has contacted the rest of his team over the past few days.

Tillman said that he understood O’Shea’s reason behind leaving and added the team would love to have Rhodes as their next head coach.

“Anybody they bring in here I would be open to, but you have the personal connection with Coach Rhodes, Coach Kuwik and Coach Alexander,” Tillman said. “If that doesn’t happen it’s not like we would rebel.”

Next season Ohio will bring in three new recruits, guards Steven Coleman, Stacey Waters and Frankie Dobbs. O’Shea said he sat down with the three of them and he expects them to stay at Ohio.

“They want to know who the next head coach is going to be,” O’Shea said. “There was a lot of support for John Rhodes and that would certainly put them at ease.”

If Rhodes is named the new Bobcats head coach, O’Shea said he would expect assistants Bakari Alexander and Kevin Kuwik to remain at Ohio under Rhodes.

The Bobcats are tentatively scheduled to play Bryant at home November 15 as part of the Bobcat Classic preseason tournament. But O’Shea said he would understand if Schaus or the new head coach wanted the game removed from the schedule.

“If whoever is the new coach wants to play that game and have me come back, I certainly will honor the contract,” O’Shea said. “I wouldn’t be upset either, if somebody called up and said we’ll give you a pass on that one.”