Louis Orr may have grown up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and played his high school basketball there, but the former Syracuse standout hadn’t lived in his home state since 1994.

So when Bowling Green offered Orr the position of head coach after former coach Dan Dakich’s resignation this past spring, it was almost the perfect scenario for Orr.

‘Having to change and being close to home for my wife (Yvette) and I is a blessing,’ Orr said. ‘Because you miss your family, and I’ve been away from my family. I haven’t lived in the state of Ohio since 1994, so it’s been a long time.’

Orr is getting the best of all worlds this season as he returns to coach the sport he loves with the advantage of being closer to his family. For Bowling Green, Orr gives the program the type of coach it wants to lead its basketball program and a coach with the extra benefit of knowing the area.

The Falcons are off to a 4-3 start this season, including a win early in the season in Orr’s hometown over Cincinnati. As a coach who preaches the importance of defense, Bowling Green is holding opponents to fewer than 70 points a game.

When making his decision to come to Bowling Green this past spring, Orr said the people there were the leading factor. But Orr, a former head coach of Siena and Seton Hall and shooting guard for the Orange from 1976-80, did not skirt over being closer to his family and this opportunity from God, he said.

‘The people make the difference and there are quality people (here) and people that feel like they want you here and they support you,’ Orr said. ‘And the fact that I’m back in my home state, and I wanted to get back into coaching, I look at it as God opening the door for that to happen.’

From the Falcons administrative standpoint, Orr represented a man who met the characteristics that Director of Athletics Greg Christopher was looking for, both in character and basketball success.

‘At the top of (my) list was absolute integrity and high character, and that would be the case for any of our head coaches and that was probably the starting point, and Louis obviously fit that to a T from all the feedback I received from everybody,’ Christopher said.

‘He has had success at every level. He also understands some of the distinctive things that come with a mid-major level, which more people will look from a resource standpoint.’

Christopher also saw the advantage of bringing in a man who is from the Ohio area. Christopher said he believes if one is to coach in the Mid-American Conference, then he needs to have ties to the region because of recruiting.

Coaches in the MAC don’t recruit nationally, so it was important to Christopher to hire a coach who had recruiting ties to the region. Christopher noted Orr’s recruiting of the Midwest when he was at Siena and Seton Hall, and he is pleased with the staff Orr has assembled with those goals in mind.

The ties to the area have already paid off. Orr recruited Joe Jakubowski from Ohio, an all-state special mention his senior year at St. John’s Jesuit (Ohio) High School in Toledo, Ohio, who has played in each of the Falcons’ seven games this year. Jakubowski also had offers from Massachusetts, Rice, Akron, Richmond and Wright State, but Orr’s reputation and location was able to lure him.

‘I knew he had a good reputation as a coach, which was a big plus,’ Jakubowski said. ‘He was coaching at a school that I live close to, so the location was a big factor in my decision, but him being a good coach was kind of a no-brainer for me. His style of play fit well for me, and I felt it was a good situation for me.’

Orr also likes the aspect of being able to recruit back in Ohio.

‘The great thing about Bowling Green is it’s centrally located in Ohio where you get to a lot of different areas within two to three hours,’ Orr said. ‘And it’s just a great location to go to school for young people from Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Kentucky. It’s accessible for your recurring base. I think our location is great.’

But most importantly to Orr, his new coaching position gives him the opportunity to go back home, be with his family and coach the sport that has taken over his life.

‘It’s been a blessing, and I’m extremely thankful,’ Orr said. ‘I thank God for all things – my stay at Seton Hall, my years at Siena and Syracuse and now at Bowling Green. They’ve been great opportunities, and for me to have basketball as a ministry and to be able to do something that I love and have (our) families here I think is the best of both worlds.’

Game of the Week:

No. 9 Michigan State vs. No. 20 Brigham YoungSaturday, Dec. 8, Versus, 4 p.m.

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo likes to challenge his team with tough non-conference games, and this one is a clear example, with the game essentially being a home game for BYU in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Cougars are off to a great start this year, having already knocked off then-No. 5 Louisville on a neutral court and having played No. 1 North Carolina tough. BYU has been scoring in bunches this year, totaling 75 points or more in five of seven games, while the Spartans have only allowed one opponent to score more than 75 points. A win will be a great non-conference victory for either squad. Expect defense to prevail in the end.

Published on December 5, 2007 at 12:00 pm