Reports have surfaced over the last 48 hours that Ohio men’s basketball coach Jim Christian is in the running for the same position at Boston College.
Our initial reaction: Oh no, not again…
Christian’s rumored departure would mark the second time in three years that Ohio’s top coach unexpectedly vacated his position early in the offseason; in 2012, former Bobcats coach John Groce fled the program in order to take a better job at Illinois.
Don’t get us wrong; we’re proud Ohio’s coaches are coveted on the college basketball landscape. But we can’t help but feel bad for the student-athletes that commit to play for a coach who then might choose to jump ship for a more desirable position in the midst of their collegiate careers.
Regardless of whether Christian cleans out his office this spring — he very well might not, and we’ve been unable to confirm if he has interest in the Boston College job — it’d be naive to think the rumors would not cause waves of unrest in the Ohio locker room.
And because of NCAA transfer regulations, individual student-athletes wouldn’t have the liberty to tag along with him if he were to leave, as doing so would render them ineligible for a season of play.
So, if Christian were to depart, he would likely leave in his wake a roster of rightfully disgruntled student-athletes who came to Ohio to play for him. Dealing with a new coach could stunt the growth of current Ohio youngsters Antonio Campbell and Treg Setty, who are among the many current players who came to Athens to compete under Christian. That’s not to mention the players who are committed to play here in the fall.
And although the team did not perform well enough to raise another banner to The Convo’s rafters this year, we would rather see the Bobcats build on the season past instead of learning a new system over the summer.
Christian’s contract runs through 2016, and we’d love to see him finish the job.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post’s executive editors.
