Coach O'Neil: The Freshman's 'Buddy'

"Buddy O'Neil is a teacher and a doer--not only does he possess a vast knowledge of the game, but he can break it down to the necessary fundamentals at any level. I've always been impressed by Buddy's outstanding ability to relate to both his players and fellow coaches."

Those words of praise from assistant varsity basketball coach Mike Jarvis aptly describe in a nutshell Harvard's rookie head freshman coach John J. "Buddy" O'Neil. In fact, judging from the vibes one receives from talking with the players, Harvard picked up more than a winner when it added O'Neil to the basketball braintrust.

Superman?

33-year old Buddy O'Neil immediately reminds fans of comic-book hero Clark Kent. Mild-mannered and unassuming, the bespectacled mentor has the "patience of a saint," according to one player. When the subject of his career comes up, O'Neil blushes and suggests that the conversation move onto a discussion of the players.

Injuries to key personnel have hampered O'Neil's progress with the Harvard freshman crew, which currently stands at 2-3. The Crimson's number one recruit, 6'9" center Mark Kirkland, has been sidelined since the start with an unusual orthopedic injury. The team's top scoring forward, Augie Caimi, sustained a knee cartilage injury in a loss to B.C., and may be lost for the season.

O'Neil, whose favorite pose when disconcerted is a Jack Benny hand-on-the-cheek, still retain the optimistic outlook that no doubt earned him the nickname "Buddy."

But the O'Neil story is an interesting study of the New England Puritan work ethic at its finest. O'Neil played guard during a collegiate career at Salem State, where he obtained both his B.A. and M.A. in history. From there he entered the teaching profession at Revere (Mass.) High School in the fall of 1964.

O'Neil decided to continue his affiliation with the hoop sport by becoming an accredited basketball referee. For three seasons, Buddy donned the zebra suit and blew the whistle, in the process gaining valuable insight into the many intricate facets of the game. O'Neil's calm demeanor on the Harvard bench towards officials can no doubt be attributed to his initial career on the other side of the fence.

High School Success

Buddy launched his coaching career at Revere as an assitant coach in 1967. He moved into the head coaching slot in 1968, and in two seasons molded a squad that reached the semi-finals of the state high school championships before bowing out.

A chance meeting with Northeastern assistant coach Jim Calhoun at a 1970 basketball clinic turned out to be O'Neil's big break. One year after that initial contact, O'Neil received a call from Calhoun, who had been named Huskie head coach when mentor Jim Bowman resigned in favor of a career in the FBI.

Coaching at Northeastern

Calhoun recognized O'Neil's potential in the college ranks, and offered him the assistant and head freshman coaching positions. Although it meant abandoning a teaching job he enjoyed, O'Neil accepted a post he was to hold for three seasons.

After the 1974-75 campaign at Northeastern, O'Neil decided to go back to teaching, and resigned from basketball and baseball coaching slots.

But at the same time that he was contemplating retirement, developments at Harvard were to alter his plans. Jarvis and O'Neil had been assistant coaches together at Northeastern for two seasons before Jarvis left to become freshman coach at Harvard.

When Jarvis was promoted to the assistant varsity coaching job (replacing Paul Lyons) just last spring, the freshman post was left vacant. Jarvis was asked about a prospective replacement, and remembered his association and admiration for O'Neil. The rest is history.