Brian Bigam guided Circleville through tough time
Almost two decades of coaching in two sports could not prepare Brian Bigam for the challenge he faced Jan. 27.
Word spread that Saturday that Addison Edgington, arguably the Circleville girls basketball team’s top player even as a freshman, had been seriously injured in a rollover car crash the night before. She faced months of recovery and physical therapy, a process that is ongoing.
As Bigam found out, there was no manual for navigating the process with a team that at the time was 15-0, ranked fifth statewide in Division II and entertaining thoughts of its first state tournament appearance.
“My heart and brain told me to be there for the girls … and just do what I thought was best,” said Bigam, who gathered his players at his home that day. They enjoyed pizza, made get-well cards for Edgington and took solace in each other’s company.
“What I did find out, what we found out, was we were stronger as a group when we were together.”
Circleville won its next nine games and reached a Division II Southeast District final, where it lost to Thornville Sheridan 50-30 to finish 24-1.
For his and his team’s achievements, Bigam is The Dispatch’s All-metro Coach of the Year.
“He did everything he could to just be there for the team,” senior guard Faith Yancey said. “Everyone grieves differently and he tried to help us do that in a different way. That’s a big part of why we kept winning.
“He’s my favorite coach of all time. The relationships he builds and how intense he is in pushing us to be the best we can be, that played a huge role in (our) success.”
A 1998 graduate of Circleville, Bigam played baseball, basketball and football for the Tigers before signing at the University of Indianapolis for baseball.
Coaching has been in his blood ever since, given two stints with both Circleville’s girls basketball (2012-16, 2022present) and baseball (2006-09, 2018present) teams.
Bigam also led Ohio Christian’s baseball team to three consecutive National Christian College Athletic Association World Series from 2011-13, earning NCCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year each season.
If that wasn’t enough, Bigam joined the Chillicothe Paints’ coaching staff in 2007, spending nine years as an assistant before four seasons as manager (2016-19) of the collegiate summer baseball squad, which previously was an independent professional team.
Bigam entered the week 84-51-1 in his return to Circleville baseball, including the Tigers’ first state tournament trip in 2018.