Former Boston College coach Al Skinner has found a new coaching gig.
No, Skinner isn’t taking over a Division 1 basketball program.
Instead, he will be coaching with the high-octane Boston Area Basketball Club.
“Al is an assistant with us,” BABC head Leo Papile, who has run the program for 35 years, said by text, confirming a report on HoopDirt.com. “He will be on the bench with Eggie McRae with our sophomores (2014) this season, which is in the fall segment through Nov. 6. This group was the 2011 AAU ninth grade national champs.”
BABC was ranked the No. 1 summer program in the nation this year by FiveStarBasketball.com. The 17-and-under squad won the prestigious Peach Jam this July behind the play of Nerlens Noel and Jake Layman.
Skinner went 385-291 in his career as a head coach, including 13 seasons at BC and nine at Rhode Island. He played with Julius Irving at UMass and then spent six seasons in the ABA, rejoining Dr. J to win the ABA title in 1975-76 with the Nets.
“Most of all he brings character, which is the first quality we look at in making player/staff additions,” Papile said. “We have a long history of alumni currently involved in NBA coaching,” adding that Patrick Ewing, Rick Brunson, Brian Keefe, Mike Jarvis and Tim O’Shea all have ties to BABC.
A Mount Vernon, N.Y. native, Skinner was fired from BC in March 2010 and was then linked to several openings, including St. John’s, which eventually went to Steve Lavin.
