After seven seasons of patrolling the sidelines in The Convo, Lynn Bria is leaving Athens.
The Ohio women's basketball coach announced her resignation March 14, bringing an end to a career that pushed her to second place on the program's all-time winningest coaches list, trailing only former coach Marsha Reall.
I have nothing but respect for Lynn Bria as a person
Ohio athletic director Kirby Hocutt said in a statement. She has always represented Ohio University with a tremendous amount of class and integrity. I want to thank her and her staff for their hard work and commitment to Ohio athletics.
The Bobcats finished 9-20 overall and 5-11 in the Mid-American Conference during the 2005-06 season, advancing to the Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinals before falling to Eastern Michigan.
Bria began her Ohio career prior to the 1999-2000 season, fresh off coaching the Central Florida Golden Knights to the NCAA tournament in 1999. She went 50-36 in three seasons at the helm there, leaving as its second-winningest coach in school history.
Thomas Boeh, former Ohio athletic director and current Fresno State athletic director, pointed out a few things about Bria during her interview that had him impressed.
We saw how she took Central Florida to the NCAA tournament Boeh said. She also showed great enthusiasm and was very passionate for the game. She was very enthusiastic about the position.
Bria posted a 77-123 overall record in her seven seasons with the Bobcats, while going 43-69 in MAC play. Her Ohio teams reached the MAC Tournament quarterfinals four times (2001, 2002, 2005, 2006). She has coached nine all-conference selections, including 2006 Freshman of the Year, Rachel Frederick, and 2005 MAC Sixth Man of the Year Award winner, Simone Redd.
Although wins did not come as easily as hoped during her tenure, Bria felt a lot of progress was made in building the program for the future.
We wanted to improve the culture of this program dramatically and I know we've done that
Bria said. There are some great young women in that program - outstanding players and women of great character.
I wasn't happy with not winning games
but I am happy with everything else we did and how we represented the program. We put everything we had into it
and I feel this program is ready to turn the corner
Bria said.
While she could not point out any specific moments that she will remember, Bria was very fond of the Athens community.
I really loved the people of the community
she said. Ohio University just has some great people
and I've made some good friends that I'll have forever. I also got to work with a lot of great players.
As for her future plans, Bria is keeping everything open. She would like to be a head coach again, but also would not mind becoming an assistant.
Meanwhile, the search begins for Bria's successor. A national search is already in the works, and her successor will inherit a team that returns all but one player from last season's team and that brought in Syracuse transfer Lauren Kohn, a player who Bria said will be one of the best guards in the MAC.
We feel we left this program in better shape than it was in when we got here
Bria said.
