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Taking another shot

Burned-out, Greg O'Connell left coaching. But his return has him elated.

By IZZY GOULD, Times Staff Writer
Published October 11, 2007

Ex-Springstead coach Greg O'Connell, left, here with former Springstead girls coach Whit Campbell in 2003.
	[Daniel Wallace | Times (2003)]

ADVERTISEMENT [Maurice Rivenbark | Times (2000)] Springstead's last victory under O'Connell's watch was a region semifinal win in 2000, the first in school history.

SPRING HILL - Greg O'Connell walked away from coaching seven years ago, but "The Big O" never walked away from basketball.

The former Springstead icon virtually built the boys basketball program from scratch - another coach preceded him for one season - then held its hand through 23 of its first 24 seasons.

O'Connell's teams went 366-233 and won four district titles, and O'Connell likes to believe he helped turn his players into productive members of society.

He walked away when the Eagles were at their peak.

Springstead's last victory under his watch was a region semifinal win in 2000, the first in school history.

In the end, the 6-foot-7 O'Connell, who starred on the basketball team at Saint Leo, was simply finished.

"I was physically, mentally burned out," O'Connell said. "There was one week left before I was done teaching and I had a hard time going in. After you do it for 33 years you got to the point where you can't take it anymore."

Today, just days after his 59th birthday and seven years since he last blew a whistle, O'Connell said he is "recharged."

He recently was approached and offered the head coaching job at Bishop McLaughlin, a moment tied into a feeling he could describe only as elation. He got the offer on a Tuesday and quickly accepted. As news of his return to coaching spread, some of his former adversaries chimed in.

"My first question is, what's he thinking now?" Ridgewood coach Gary Anders said. "Was he bored or what?"

River Ridge coach John Sedlack, who coached head-to-head against O'Connell at Central and Crystal River, had a different take.

"It doesn't surprise me," Sedlack said. "We're in a way cut from the same mold. It's just a part of us. I think it's great."

O'Connell never truly peeled himself away from the local game.

A fixture at Springstead games, O'Connell often could be seen watching from the stands across from the visiting team so he could stay out of the way and continue to observe, and even rejoined the Eagles as an assistant for a season. He spent a career coaching and teaching kids and had tight relationships with coaches such as former Pasco coach Willie Broner, Anders and Sedlack when they helped coach summer camps at Saint Leo.

"Greg was always a teacher of the game," Anders said. "I'm guessing the part he enjoys is the actual teaching of the game. He's probably looking forward to the opportunity to do that.

"If building a program is within reach, he's certainly a guy to do that."

O'Connell pursued the Bishop McLaughlin position when the school opened in 2003. He was offered the job but turned it down because his wife, Mary, found a lump in her breast. Months later she found out she did not have cancer.

When Steve Matesich recently resigned at Bishop McLaughlin for an opportunity to coach at Tampa Jesuit, Hurricanes athletic director Mike Zelenka opened the search for a replacement and called O'Connell.

O'Connell has spent the past week working on a practice schedule and getting his thoughts together.

"It's just like riding a bike," O'Connell said. "You never forget."

Greg O'Connell

1969-71: Saint Leo College (Saint Leo University)

1977: First win, vs. Dunnellon

1979: First state ranking

1981: First district title

1983: First conference title

1984: 100th career victory

1988: 2nd conference, district crowns

1989: 200th career victory

1993: First win in Class 4A

1995: 300th career victory

2000: First regional playoff win

2007: Named Bishop McLaughlin's second coach

[Last modified October 10, 2007, 21:32:00]