Tim O’Shea, on the sidelines during the game on January 29, 2006, left his position as the Ohio men’s basketball coach after seven seasons to return back to his roots on the East Coast. O’Shea recently said that he believes associate head coach John Rhodes would be a good fit to take his previous position.

Jim Schaus is becoming quite used to coaching searches at Ohio. The Bobcats’ athletics director, who was hired April 7, is in the midst of his third coaching search in three months, following Tim O’Sh

ea’s decision to leave his men’s basketball head coaching position at Ohio for Division I newcomer Bryant University, located in Rhode Island.

“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.

O’Shea, citing family reasons, officially accepted the Bryant head coaching position Monday and has given an unofficial endorsement to associate head coach John Rhodes, a former Ohio player and 1988 graduate.

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

Schaus, who said he began the interview process immediately, declined to comment on specific individuals who would be considered.

He did say Rhodes would receive special emphasis 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,” he added.

Ohio co-captain Jerome Tillman said that he understood O’Shea’s decision based on his family to leave Ohio and added that the team would be happy if Rhodes was named the next Bobcats 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, who are taking summer classes at Ohio, and he expects them to stay.

“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.”

The Bobcats are tentatively scheduled to play Bryant at home Nov. 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.