After the hiring of Jim O’Brien as the new Ohio State men’s basketball coach, one has to wonder if Athletics Director Andy Geiger has made the right choice.After interviewing six possible candidates and being turned down by two, Geiger finally settled on O’Brien, who guided Boston College to a 22-9 record and a berth in the NCAA tournament this year.’I had offered the job to two other candidates before Jim,’ said Geiger.The two candidates Geiger offered the position to were Georgia’s Tubby Smith and Clemson’s Rick Barnes. They both turned down the job after being offered new contracts at their current schools, apparently using Ohio State as a stepping stone to those bigger contracts.Geiger is happy with the selection of O’Brien, who reportedly has a deal worth about $650,000 after outside endorsements and contracts.Geiger said in a news release issued through Ohio State’s athletic department that he is pretty confident in his decision on O’Brien.’Jim and I had a great visit in Indianapolis,’ said Geiger. ‘Our talks on Monday just confirmed my belief that he is the right man for the job.’Many people had Cincinnati’s Bob Huggins high on their list of candidates for the position.’I never contacted Bob about the job,’ said Geiger. ‘I wanted the program to go in a different direction.’Other names mentioned were South Carolina’s Eddie Fogler and Southwest Missouri State’s Steve Alford.Alford had kept no secrets about his desire for the coaching position. The Indiana University alumni had consistently expressed his interest for the job.Alford led Southwest Missouri State to a 22-7 regular-season record and a birth in the NIT tournament.Fogler’s Gamecocks posted a 23-6 regular-season record. They were upset by Coppin State in the first round of the NCAA tournament.Illinois State coach Kevin Stallings was also interviewed by Geiger on Tuesday.Things are not quite as clear in the search for a new women’s basketball coach to replace Nancy Darsch.Stanford assistant Amy Tucker, believed to be the leading candidate for the job, withdrew her name from the list of possible replacements.San Diego State’s Beth Burns and Detroit-Mercy’s Nikita Lowry have also been interviewed for the coaching position.