Heights Hoop Update

By Andrew Linnehan

Of recent years, Boston College basketball has been challenging the school motto of “Ever to Excel”, as last season solidified their fifth straight season in the bottom five of the Atlantic Coast Conference. In fact, the Eagles haven’t sniffed the top tier of the continuously competitive ACC since current Detroit Pistons’ stud point guard Reggie Jackson led the team to an impressive fifth place finish in the conference. Since Jackson’s departure after the 2010-11 season, the Eagles have failed not only to place above elite programs like Virginia, Miami, and NC State like they did that year, but they have struggled to compete with even the lowest tier conference opponents.

Although the ACC is consistently the deepest and arguably most talented conference, featuring multiple lottery picks year after year, it is ambivalent to Boston College’s historic reputation of talent and persistence to simply accept annual placement in the cellar of their conference.

BC’s 2015-16 was certainly a season to forget for Eagle supporters everywhere. Last year featured a 7-25 overall record, a pathetic 0-18 in conference play, and (you guessed it) a last place finish in the ACC. Fortunately for the sake of the program and the sanity of BC fanatics, students, and alumni, the only direction to go from the bottom is up. With a rejuvenated group consisting of fresh faces, impressive athletes, talent, and raw potential unseen by the program since Reggie Jackson’s reign, the Eagles look to be competitive this season. And the best part of all; the future beyond this season is even brighter.

2015-16 was Boston College’s worst season in recent memory. Of course they recorded as many conference wins as Boston University’s football team has since 1997, but their problems extended far beyond the record. BC suffered from having a young team with with two ball-dominant players that the offense insisted on operating through.

Eli Carter and Dennis Clifford were quite clearly the most talented and immediately capable players the team had to offer. On the surface, these players have productive years. Carter, who transferred from Rutgers to Florida then finally transferring to BC as a graduate player, led the team in multiple categories including 16.0 points, 4.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Again, these are respectable statistics, as long as they are viewed superficially. All these stats are great, but the most important number I have to offer is .219; Boston College’s winning percentage.

The further analysis of these stats present why this particular team was destined for last place. Carter hoisted a ludicrous 15.1 shots per game, shooting an embarrassing 37.1% from the field 27.9% from deep. To put these numbers in perspective, Ben Simmons, the first overall pick of the 2016 NBA draft, shot 11.7 shots per game and still managed to average over 19 points a contest. Now, it is irrational to compare the talents of Eli Carter, or anyone else from last year’s draft class, to those of Ben Simmons’. However, efficiency is consistent and can be compared among the best players to represent each team. Buddy Hield, last season’s John Wooden Award winner, averaged exactly 25 points a game and led his team to the Final Four. He must’ve taken a million shots every game to put up those kinds of numbers, right?

Well, sure, he shot a lot, as he should be asked to since he was the best scorer in America last season. Yet, he took just a shot more on average than Carter, and still managed 9 more points. Again, the talent levels between Eli Carter and the sixth overall pick are not exactly translatable, but consistency is certainly worth noting.

Carter was the best pure scorer the roster had to offer last season, so was it unwarranted that he was taking so many shots? Not necessarily. He was by far the most experienced player on the team, as he had played significant minutes in the Big 10, SEC, and ACC over his five year collegiate career. However, his inefficiency and the squad’s insistence on set offenses was the direct source of the Eagles’ struggles.

In addition to his offensive woes, Carter averaged nearly five turnovers a game which translates to five lost opportunities that you can’t afford to miss out on in this ultra-competitive conference. Their offense relied on the isolation shot-making ability of Carter (which as I expressed, was not very good) as well as the glacier-speed robotic motions of the seven-foot Dennis Clifford. Over the season that ended on a twenty game (twenty!) losing streak, it became evident that inefficient isolation scoring and slow post moves with mid range jumpers was not the style of play that was required to compete in the ACC. The team featured a wildly inconsistent set offense through Carter and Clifford primarily and, due to their isolation and post tendencies, were incapable of playing a quick-tempo and transition offense that has become so prevalent and effective nowadays in college basketball.

With last season merely a memory and motivation for a better 2016 season, coach Jim Christian looks to make progressive steps to once again make the Eagles a formidable presence in the ACC. The team came into the 2016-17 season showcasing six promising freshmen and returning key contributors from last season including Jerome Robinson and AJ Turner. This is a refreshing change of pace for the BC basketball program and perhaps the beginning of a rebuilding process. Last year consisted of ball-dominant seniors, yet this year poses a fresh scheme that has been powered by sophomore guard Jerome Robinson.

Robinson has been the rock of Boston College’s season so far, as he has contributed to every aspect of the Eagles’ strategy. He is averaging 19.0 points, 5.3 boards, 3 dimes, and 2 steals. The best part is that he has been moderately consistent as well as he’s shooting 42% from the field and 38% from range. With his unique combination of ability, athleticism, and efficiency, Robinson poises himself as not only the best player on this young Eagles team, but also one of the most versatile players in the ACC. Robinson’s athleticism and tendency to look to advance the ball subsequently leads to a faster pace to the offense and promotes transition offense, something the Carter-and-Clifford-led Eagles were incapable of accomplishing. Robinson is the focal point of this team’s offense and that is encouraging as he is only a sophomore and already a candidate for a spot on an All-ACC team. If the Eagles look to seriously contend with teams like Duke, UNC, and Syracuse, Robinson must be a presence similar to Reggie Jackson or Olivier Hanlan. Is he there yet? Maybe not. But will he get there? Only time will tell. His intangibles and potential are incredibly encouraging for a hungry Boston College basketball program.

Now, is it fair to assume Robinson and the group of young-guns to immediately contend with the top tier of the ACC? Not yet. But with Robinson being just a sophomore along with promising freshmen like Ky Bowman, Ty Graves, and redshirt Johncarlos Reyes, the future looks athletic, versatile, and most importantly, competitive.

Last Saturday, the Eagles invited in Dartmouth as these intellectual schools faced off athletically. This was BC’s first look at the Ivy League and one of the Ivy’s best players, Evan Boudreaux. As BC approached this game against the 0-5 Big Green, their game plan was simple; exploit their athleticism and height against an inferior Dartmouth team and contain Evan Boudreaux. Jerome Robinson, Ky Bowman, and Mike Sagay feature the team’s athletic core, so it was essential for BC to utilize their athleticism through gritty defense and transition offense. Regarding Boudreaux, who was the Ivy League’s Rookie of the Year and averaging nearly a double-double with 19.0 points and 9 rebounds a game, the Eagles would have their hands full.

Although the Eagles possessed the lead for the entire game, the Big Green were persistent in their efforts to compete in the first half. Boudreaux was not doing much of the damage, as BC limited him to only 3 points for much of the half because of a relentless double-team that would swarm around the 6’8” forward whenever the ball found him. However, this double-team was a little too relentless, as Boudreaux was able to swing the ball once he felt the double coming and ultimately find a wide open teammate for an uncontested three pointer since BC struggled to rotate after the double-team. Once the double-team was deemed ineffective because other Dartmouth players were hurting Boston College, the Eagles decided to go to a single coverage on Boudreaux who, as a dominant player, feasted on whoever was his opposition. Despite an early exit, Boudreaux was still dominant scoring 23 points and 6 boards.

BC’s offense looked stagnant in the first half and was too reliant on dribble-hand-offs, resulting in tough shots by Jerome Robinson. Although Robinson, who continues to present himself as one of the most dominant players in the ACC, was capable of nailing difficult shots all over the court, Jim Christian realized that it would take more than just Jerome to pull this game out. As Ky Bowman struggled to find his groove in the first half, Christian turned to his other talented freshman point guard, Ty Graves, for answers. Graves delivered, as he had 10 first half points including two from deep. Another pleasantly surprising contribution was from freshman forward Mike Sagay, who instantly provides unmatched athleticism and raw talent the moment he steps on the court. He chipped in with 5 first half points and feisty defense that lead to Dartmouth turnovers and transition buckets.

In the second half, BC found stability in their offense through Robinson, who finished an efficient 10-16 from the field for a career high 27 points. The ball movement was crisp, the defense rotated correctly and allowed a double-team to be placed on Boudreaux again, and Boudreaux got himself ejected as he frustratingly hacked Connar Tava, earning himself a Flagrant-2 foul. Following Boudreaux’s ejection, Dartmouth had no one to turn to to supply their points, leading their offense to suffer and BC’s defense to flourish for the remainder of the game. BC eventually soared to an easy victory, 88-70.

Although facing foul trouble for much of the game, graduate senior Mo Jeffers made his presence known offensively with 8 points and anchored the defense. Connar Tava was efficient in the post per usual,being a threat through post offense and by having terrific vision as he was able find cutters for scores three times. As opposed to the woes against Richmond when the bench scored a dissatisfying 2 points, the bench contributed 34 of BC’s 88 points. Freshmen amped up their performance as Ty Graves found his rhythm that he’s been searching for since opening night against Nicholls, as he finished 5-7 from the floor (3-3 from deep) and tallied 13 points with 4 assists off the bench. Ky Bowman was held scoreless and frustrated in the first half and Christian handed the PG keys to Graves, yet Bowman’s second half featured 6 points, 4 boards, and 3 assists. With Nik Popovic’s injury sidelining him for this game, the Eagles looked at 6’10” redshirt freshman JC Reyes to fill his shoes. Reyes saw 16 minutes this game as Popovic was hurt and Jeffers was in foul trouble. Reyes struggled to rotate and help on defense at times, yet his performance was ultimately encouraging as he showed good post positioning, good man-to-man post defense, and even took a charge. JC finished with 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Although Dartmouth is not a formidable opponent, especially compared to BC’s ACC counterparts, it was nevertheless encouraging for Jim Christian to see his bench play significantly improve and his freshmen progress.

The Eagles are off to a decent 4-3 start with victories over smaller conference teams including Stony Brook and Towson, as well as losses to talented teams including Kansas State and Richmond. As BC progresses with non-conference and tournament play, it is vital that they acquire as many wins as possible as their schedule turns to an intimidating stretch including but not limited to #5 Duke, #6 Virginia, #3 UNC, and #22 Syracuse twice in January. Although the conference may be out of reach this year, it will be interesting and encouraging to witness this team progress into a contender over the next few years.

The future is bright in the hands of a young core driven by Jerome Robinson, and the Eagles will soon once again be worthy of the motto “Ever to Excel”.