Hopkins Coach's Younger Brother Keeps Things Running Behind the Scenes

When Brian Cosgriff was named girls varsity basketball coach 13 years ago, he quickly realized he needed a DOBO—director of basketball operations.

So he turned to someone he’s known almost his entire life: his brother.

“Without him, we would be a mess,” the coach said. “He’s my lifeblood.”

Barry Cosgriff, six years younger than his brother, does everything short of coaching that’s necessary for the team’s success.

When a program is as successful as the Royals’, who have won three state 4A championships since 2004, that means he stays plenty busy.

“I do everything from maintaining the team website to administering the summer camps to running the Dick’s eight-team holiday tournament to recording and printing stats to scouting teams we will soon be playing,” Cosgriff said.

A 44-year-old Cargill IT specialist for the past 18 years, Cosgriff’s basketball career as a kid peaked when he was a member of the Hopkins boys JV team.

“My big thrill as a player was during the warm-up drills and hearing the band play,” he chuckled.

Like his brother, he graduated from Macalester College.

“I played football for four years, and when it was over, we had a winning record for those seasons I was there,” he said.

A bachelor, Cosgriff has more time to devote to the position than most men his age, but it's still a big commitment—especially during the roughly four-month season.

“He takes some personal vacation time during the Dick’s Sporting Goods Holiday Classic,” Brian Cosgriff said—referring to the tournament, first held in 2006, that runs each year for three days between Christmas and New Year’s. “Barry is really the person who makes the tournament a success. He does not get paid for anything he does for us and, in fact, spends some of his own money to meet expenses.”

He also oversees the administration of the summer camp brochures, and he devised the scouting reports used by the team.

“I probably put in 25 to 30 hours a week during the season. But I don’t mind because I truly love it,” he said. “I am lucky to have parents each year who help out and (are) very valuable in helping us get things done. We are like a family and (the job) puts me around great people—the players, the coaches and the parents and fans.”

Said Brian Cosgriff: “Barry’s efforts have gone a long way in helping us separate from a lot of other programs. His efforts and successes are tremendous.”