Northwood boys basketball coach Tim O’Brien battling cancer; interim named

Northwood boys basketball coach Tim O’Brien finishes a talk with his team during a timeout last season.

Highly respected long-time Northwood boys basketball coach Tim O’Brien has been battling cancer and is expected to miss the start of the season, O’Brien disclosed Friday morning.

Yousof Etemadi has been named the interim coach, according to O’Brien and Northwood Athletic Director Phil Roh. O’Brien remains the coach.

O’Brien completed his 14th season over two stints as coach of Northwood in March.

“I was diagnosed with AML cancer on April 9,” O’Brien told OC Sports Zone in an email.

“After 110 days of treating this cancer, which included three rounds of chemo and a bone marrow transplant, I was released, cancer free from UCLA Ronald Reagan Hospital.

“There are still months and maybe years ahead of recovery and follow up care, but things are trending in the right direction for me. I look forward to returning in full capacity some day as head coach at Northwood, but in the meantime, am limited in what I can do from home.

“In the interim, Yousof Etemadi, who was most recently the assistant coach at Foothill, will oversee things in the gym and on the court. My son Chris will also help when he can. The program is in good hands.

“There is no timetable for my full time return; regaining strength and getting healthy is my number one concern.”

O’Brien, respected and loved by many Northwood players and a popular coach among other coaches, led the Timberwolves to the PCL title last season. The Timberwolves also  the Gary Raya So Cal Elite Tournament and the Tustin Classic.

Northwood went on to advance into the quarterfinals of the CIF 2AA playoffs.

Roh, the athletic director, added:

“Yousof Etemadi, a former assistant coach at Foothill, will be taking over the program in the interim as we await Coach O’Brien’s return.

“Tim’s son, Chris, will continue to serve as an assistant. Thankfully for us, and true to form, Tim still has his finger on the pulse of all things Northwood boys basketball. The program remains in good hands because obviously Coach O’Brien wouldn’t have it any other way.”

O’Brien was Northwood’s first varsity coach in the 1999-2000 season when he took over the program’s junior varsity team.

O’Brien coached the first varsity team at Northwood in 2000-2001. The Timberwolves, led by Drew Terry, finished 21-8 and advanced into the semifinals of the CIF IVAA division playoffs, losing to St. Paul.

He stepped down in 2007 and took a five-year break from coaching Northwood but in 2012 returned to coach Northwood.

O’Brien has coached in Orange County in the high school or community level since 1984. He also coached at Santiago, Tustin, Estancia and Orange Coast College and has led his teams to two CIF titles and one state crown.

O’Brien also had stops at Mesa Community College in Arizona and Saguaro High School in Scottsdale.’