After being rumored over the years for numerous head coaching jobs, appears Ohio State assistant Jeff Boals will finally get a shot to lead his own program. Boals will become the next head coach at Stony Brook, the school announced Saturday morning.
Today marks the next chapter of Seawolves Basketball. Welcome home, Head Coach, @JeffBoals! https://t.co/zYVD3QDs6G https://t.co/m3XLzivWvn
— Stony Brook MBB (@StonyBrookMBB) April 9, 2016
Multiple outlets first reported the Boals hire Friday.
Boals will replace Steve Pikiell, who was recently hired to become the head coach at Rutgers. Pikiell was 190-155 in 11 seasons leading the Seawolves and is the winningest coach in the program’s history. Stony Brook made the NCAA tournament for the first time ever in 2016 under Pikiell.
“We are extremely excited to become a part of the Stony Brook community and university,” Boals said in a statement. “We are grateful for the opportunity that Dr. Stanley and Shawn Heilbron have given me and I look forward to working with the team, building upon the success of last season and continuing it into the future. I can’t wait to get started.”
Boals joined the Buckeyes’ coaching staff in April of 2009 and spent the previous seven seasons working as an assistant coach under Thad Matta. Ohio State has 193 wins over the last seven years with Boals as part of the staff.
Prior to coming to Ohio State, Boals spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Akron. He’s also been an assistant at Robert Morris, Marshall, Ohio and the University of Charleston along the way. Boals is a graduate of Ohio University.
Boals was arguably the top recruiter among the assistant coaches on Ohio State’s staff. Matta now must find a replacement to join fellow assistants Greg Paulus and Dave Dickerson.
“I’m very excited for Jeff, his family, and Stony Brook University. Jeff has done a remarkable job at The Ohio State University in his seven years as a Buckeye," Matta said in a statement. "He is certainly ready to be a head coach and has an amazing opportunity at such a fine institution. Jeff has a great basketball mind and will bring energy and enthusiasm to the great situation that Stony Brook University offers.”
