Allen earns promotion at Bryant
O’Shea calls new assistant “really good leader”
A little of this, a little of that …
• Just in time for July’s live-recruiting period, the Bryant men’s basketball team reshuffled the coaching deck with one promotion and one new addition to head coach Tim O’Shea’s staff.
Mike Allen shifts from director of basketball operations to Bulldog assistant coach where he takes the spot previously held by Chris Burns, who left in the spring to pursue a graduate school degree in athletic administration from George Washington University.
“This was 100 percent his decision. Chris did a great job for us,” O’Shea said.
Elevating Allen to an assistant represents the latest position he’s held under O’Shea’s watch. Allen spent two seasons (2007-09) as the starting point guard at Ohio University. O’Shea recruited Allen to Bobcat Country and coached him for one season (2007-08) before making the move to Smithfield.
“He was a really good leader,” O’Shea said.
Allen got his coaching feet wet long before staging a reunion with O’Shea in 2015. Before coming to Bryant, Allen spent two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Mercyhurst (Pa.) University and two seasons as an assistant postgraduate basketball coach at Virginia’s Hargrave Military Academy.
“He has a great background,” O’Shea said.
Following a two-year stint in a parttime, non-recruiting role with the Bulldogs, Allen can now hit the road in an assistant coaching capacity. Allen along with O’Shea and fellow assistant Frankie Dobbs were slated to leave for Las Vegas on Tuesday for the third and final live recruiting period of the month that begins Wednesday and concludes Sunday.
“He’s really worked his way up,” O’Shea said about Allen. “He’s paid his dues and clearly deserved a chance to move up.”
Allen’s bump meant the Bulldogs were in the market for a new director of basketball ops. The job was awarded to Anthony Notar, who received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Providence College and went from student manager to graduate assistant for the Friar men’s basketball team under head coach Ed Cooley.
“He came highly recommended from all the (Providence) coaches. They had nothing but great things to say about Anthony,” O’Shea said.
• There’s a very good reason why Dave Belisle has been seen spotted at Little League fields this summer. It doesn’t solely have to do with Cumberland American one victory away from a trip to Bristol, Conn. for the New England regionals.
When the scene does shift to Bristol, Belisle will be on hand as part of ESPN’s broadcast team. The sports cable company has, once again, asked the Mount St. Charles hockey coach and former CALL head coach to serve as a commentator for the New England and Mid-Atlantic regionals that are both scheduled for August 6-12.
“With all the cutbacks at ESPN, you didn’t know. But they said, ‘We want you to come back,’” Belisle said.
The early-round games of the New England and Mid-Atlantic tournaments will air on ESPN3 with Belisle working with veteran commentator Mike Brown. For the semifinals and finals that will be featured on ESPN, Belisle will be joined in the booth by Karl Ravech, the primary host of the network’s popular Baseball Tonight show.
“He’s a great guy and makes you feel at ease,” said Belisle, who has worked with Ravech the past few years. “He’s funny and witty and knows the ins and outs of baseball. Just as important, he knows the age and how to make the Little Leaguers feel special.”
As of right now, Belisle isn’t on ESPN’s broadcast card for the Little League World Series. Should he end up in Williamsport, Pa. and someone from the production crew spots him, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him end up working the games.
• Lincoln native Jack Bacon is playing this summer for a semi-pro soccer team called the New Hampshire Rapids FC in a league called Champions Soccer League USA. The team is made up of current and former college players. Bacon is the Rapids’ starting goalkeeper and will be one of the favorites to land a similar role heading into his sophomore year at Boston College.
Staying in the Bacon family, Jack’s younger sister Chrissy is playing for the Smithfield High boy team in the R.I. High School summer soccer league called “Ocean State Summer Cup.” Chrissy verbally committed to play soccer at Wagner (N.Y.) College last year as a sophomore and is heading into her senior year at Connecticut’s Pomfret School.
• Mo Vaughn had some poignant things to say about Boston’s recently waived third baseman Pablo Sandoval after being inducted into the PawSox Hall of Fame on Sunday.
Vaughn was never the picture of svelte during his eight years with the Red Sox, yet his weight never became an issue to the point where it affected his on-field performance. Compare that to Sandoval, whose weight concerns have been well chronicled throughout his career.
“I knew I stood close to the plate so I had to remain flexible in order to do that,” Vaughn said. “In Pablo’s case, I don’t think he should have ever been in Boston. Now he’s getting a chance to go back to San Francisco. Maybe the whole mantra will fit together, but you’ve got to work out to keep it going. I was able to do that and had some great years in a Red Sox uniform.”
• Rafael Devers played just nine games with the PawSox before getting the call to the Red Sox. It was a short but sweet stint – .400 batting average (14-for-35) with a .447 on-base percentage and .600 slugging percentage. Based on those numbers and his risingstar potential, he should be a prime candidate for a bobblehead giveaway at McCoy Stadium in 2018.
“He’s funny and witty and knows the ins and outs of baseball. Just as important, he knows the age and how to make the Little Leaguers feel special.” – Dave Belisle on working with Karl Ravech