First-year GW men’s basketball head coach Jamion Christian has announced the hiring of assistant coaches Graham Bousley, Ryan Devlin and Nima Omidvar to his inaugural staff.
Bousley and Devlin come to GW after spending last season on Christian’s staff at Siena, while Omidvar was at South Alabama in 2018-19 after four years at the University of Maryland.
“I’ve always prided myself in hiring a great staff that not only supports my weaknesses but that most importantly provides our student-athletes with tremendous optimism daily,” said Christian. “The energy and enthusiasm each one brings will give us the fight needed to compete in our league and beyond. I am most excited for our players as they are adding people who will impact their lives for years to come.”
Graham Bousley
Bousley comes to GW after spending the last three seasons on Christian’s staffs at Siena and Mount St. Mary’s, and boasts seven years of collegiate coaching experience under the likes of Bo Ryan, Shaka Smart and Mike Rhoades. He will serve as offensive coordinator at GW.
“Graham has been a vital part of our success at both Mount St. Mary’s and Siena,” said Christian. “You always want to work with people who are high achievers and who attack challenges without fear. That is exactly who Graham has always been. His understanding of our offense and how we can attack opposing teams will help us climb to the top of the A-10.”
Bousley has a proven track record of developing players. At Siena, he helped recruit and develop Jalen Pickett, who was named the 2018-19 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year and became the first freshman in program history to earn National Association of Basketball Coaches District 1 First Team honors. Pickett averaged 15.8 points, 6.7 assists and 2.0 steals, ranking second nationally among first-years in the latter two categories. As a team, the Saints ranked eighth nationally in fewest turnovers per game and set the school record with 288 made 3-pointers.
Bousley was instrumental in helping Junior Robinson earn Northeast Conference Player of the Year honors in 2017-18 at Mount St. Mary’s after he averaged 22.0 points and 4.8 assists. In 2016-17, Bousley’s first season at the Mount, Elijah Long increased his scoring from 5.6 to 15.0 per game and was named first team All-NEC.
In his two seasons at Mount St. Mary’s, Bousley helped guide the Mount to 38 overall wins including a 26-10 (.722) mark in NEC play. The Mount captured both the NEC Regular Season and Tournament Championships during his first season on staff in 2016-17, culminating with an NCAA Tournament appearance and First Four victory over New Orleans.
Bousley helped steer Mount St. Mary’s to an 18-14 overall record including a tied-for-second place finish in the NEC with a 12-6 league mark in 2017-18. Under his offensive direction, the Mount led the NEC in made threes per game (10.1) and three-point field goal percentage (.379), marks which ranked 19th and 49th nationally, respectively. The Mountaineers also led the conference in assists (14.0) and ranked 56th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.27).
Prior to his stint at Mount St. Mary’s, Bousley was the Director of Basketball Operations at Rice University (2014-16) under Mike Rhoades, after first entering the ranks as a graduate assistant coach at Virginia Commonwealth University (2012-14) under Shaka Smart. VCU made a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances while amassing 53 wins during his two seasons on staff.
A 2012 graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a bachelor of science in biomedical engineering and history, Bousley served as the head student manager of the men’s basketball team during his senior season for Bo Ryan’s Badgers. He also earned his master’s degree from VCU’s center for sport leadership.
A native of Los Angeles, he played his high school basketball at Campbell Hall where he was a teammate of NBA stars Jrue and Justin Holliday, and posted a 91-7 (.929) overall record highlighted by a pair of state championships over his three varsity seasons on the squad.
Ryan Devlin
A 14-year veteran of the coaching profession encompassing various roles within the collegiate, high school, and AAU levels, Devlin spent the 2018-19 season on Christian’s staff at Siena. He will serve as GW’s defensive coordinator while also overseeing post players.
“I absolutely love Ryan’s energy; we value people who are passionate about impacting people’s lives and Ryan has done just that at every place he has been,” said Christian. “He has earned the opportunity to be here through the experience he has gained, and he understands the importance of what we are working to accomplish here at GW.”
Devlin helped Siena to a 17-16 overall record and tied-for-second-place finish in conference play, increasing their win total by nine from the season prior. Under Devlin’s tutelage, senior forward Evan Fisher led the Saints in scoring (15.9) and rebounding (6.0) and was one of the most improved players in the nation. In the season prior to Devlin’s arrival, Fisher averaged 7.8 points and 4.9 rebounds.
Before joining Siena, Devlin spent the previous year with the Albany City Rocks AAU program, where he served as a coach for both the U16 and U17 squads. Devlin first entered the Division I ranks at Penn State, where he spent four seasons as the director of player development under head coach Patrick Chambers from 2013-17, and assisted in the development of 2018 NBA second round draft pick Tony Carr.
Devlin was an assistant coach at the College of Southern Idaho from 2009-13, which he helped guide to the 2011 NJCAA National Championship. The Golden Eagles posted a 105-32 (.766) overall record and also won the 2011 and 2012 Region 18 regular season and tournament championships during his tenure. Devlin aided in the development of nearly 20 student-athletes who went on to compete at the Division I level, highlighted by 2011 NJCAA National Player of the Year and former Dallas Mavericks guard Pierre Jackson.
He also has local ties, having spent the 2008-09 season working under Hall of Famer and two-time National High School Coach of the Year Stu Vetter at perennial national powerhouse Montrose Christian School in Maryland, which he helped guide to a 21-3 record and peak national ranking of No. 1 by the Washington Post. He played an integral role in recruiting future NBA first round picks Terrence Ross and Justin Anderson, along with former Villanova standout Mouphtaou Yarou, to the school.
Devlin first entered the coaching ranks with a two-year stint as an assistant at Bowling Brook Preparatory School in Maryland from 2005-07, before spending the 2007-08 season as both an assistant and later the interim head coach at Hagerstown Community College in Maryland.
A native of Waynesboro, Pa., Devlin is a 2005 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in social sciences. He starred in both basketball and baseball at Waynesboro High, before going on to pitch collegiately at both Hagerstown Community College and Pitt.
Devlin and his wife, Erin, have two children, Royce and Sadie.
Nima Omidvar
A native of Damascus, Md., Omidvar has strong local ties after spending four years on the staff at the University of Maryland, where he also earned his undergraduate degree. Most recently, Omidvar spent the 2018-19 season as an assistant coach at the University of South Alabama. He will serve as recruiting coordinator while overseeing the press and specials at GW.
“The opportunity for Nima and me to work together is years in the making and we are both equally fired up to work towards getting GW back to the top of the A-10,” said Christian. “I love having people who have worked their way to this opportunity because I feel that they will truly value and enjoy the work that we have ahead. Every place Nima has been has seen great improvement because his work ethic and passion are infectious.”
With experience coaching at the high school and college levels, Omidvar has served on staffs at four schools – USA, Maryland, North Carolina State and Bowie State, and been a part of seven NCAA Tournament appearances including six at the Division I level. He’s had a hand in recruiting and developing 13 players who have gone on to play in the NBA, including four first-round draft picks. At South Alabama, Omidvar developed two players who earned places on the All-Sun Belt Conference teams, while helping direct the Jaguars to their first best season since 2013.
In his role at Maryland, he oversaw all on-campus recruiting visits that resulted in two top-10 classes. Among his recruits were future NBA Draft picks Diamond Stone, Kevin Huerter and Justin Jackson, while he also worked with Jake Layman for two seasons. Off the court, Omidvar displayed his creativity in helping Maryland student-athletes manufacture the #RunningManChallenge which was the most googled term in 2016 and resulted in a nationwide publicity tour. His run in College Park included the program compiling the second-most wins in a three-year period in school history, including a regular-season record 26 in 2014-15, and a Sweet 16 finish the following year. In 2016-17, the Terrapins got off to their best start in school history at 20-2.
While at NC State, Omidvar served as the team’s video coordinator from 2011-14. The Wolfpack reached three straight NCAA Tournaments, including an appearance in the Sweet 16 in 2011-12. He helped develop T.J. Warren, who was the ACC Player of the Year and the 14th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, and second round pick Lorenzo Brown.
Omidvar was on the staff at Bowie State for the 2010-11 season, and helped lead the Bulldogs to a 23-6 overall record, a 16-2 mark in the CIAA and a Northern Division crown. Bowie State earned a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament, advanced to the second round and finished the season ranked No. 19. His efforts on the recruiting trail led to his signees winning the program’s second CIAA Tournament title in 2012-13.
Omidvar’s first collegiate coaching experience came in the 2009-10 campaign as a graduate assistant at Charlotte under Bobby Lutz. Prior to entering the college ranks, Omidvar helped form DC Team Takeover, and led them to the U16 and U17 AAU Super Showcase championships in 2009, thanks to the efforts of future NBA draft picks Victor Oladipo, Jerian Grant and Michael Gbinije. Omidvar’s work on the AAU level included founding the DC Metro Showcase and the Peach State Summer Showcase.
At the high school level, Omidvar first worked as the head coach at Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, Md. In his two seasons, he won a Potomac Valley Athletic Conference championship and a runners-up finish. Omidvar moved on to an assistant role at St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C. during the 2006-07 academic year, where the Cadets posted a 28-9 record.
He then worked as an assistant for two seasons at Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax, Va. The Panthers achieved their first national ranking (No. 20) during his tenure and won the Virginia Independent School state championship. Omidvar coached nine Division I players, including 2013 ACC Player of the Year Erick Green who went on to be selected in the NBA Draft.
Omidvar is a 2008 Maryland graduate with a degree in economics.
https://gwsports.com/news/2019/4/3/mens-basketball-christian-announces-coaching-staff.aspx
