A WZBC Sports Summer Update on BC Basketball
By: Stephen McAlee
In the midst of the Boston College Baseball team’s incredible run to the NCAA Super Regionals, little focus has been falling upon the batch of young returning players who are apart of the BC Basketball team. Probably even less attention is on them then would normally be on a power-conference basketball team because of their winless ACC campaign from the past season. It was a tough year for the basketball program for a multitude of reasons – reasons that have been explored and debated by the Boston Globe, ESPN, and us here at WZBC Sports. The scope of such a discussion is beyond this article, although what the mainstream media would like to tell you about BC Basketball could not be further from the truth, as it misses the wider context of what is going on in the program. Anyway, two announcements so far in June caught my attention, so an update on basketball is deserved.
On June 2nd, Brian Pederson of Bleacher Report wrote an article entitled “College Basketball Teams Guaranteed to Improve Their Win-Total in 2016-17.” Number one of that list? The Boston College Eagles. Pederson can’t go wrong with this prediction, mainly because the program is basically guaranteed to win more games after winning only seven games last year. The Barclays Center also announced the matchups and schedule of the 2016 Barclays Center Classic, an early-season college basketball tournament inaugurated in 2012: Boston College vs. Kansas State and Maryland vs. Richmond; November 25th-26th. This is the first time the Eagles are participating. Besides my immense affinity for the Barclays Center and its suitability for basketball (see my article from Dec. 26, 2015), this is an important announcement. While it has been known for months that BC would be participating in the Barclays Center Classic, this week puts a concrete date on the schedule.
Let’s start with the Barclays Center Classic. Why is this tournament any more than just an early season slate of a few non-conference games? Look at the teams in it. Kansas State, BC’s opening round opponent, although in a bit of a downturn, is only two seasons removed from five straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. In 2008, the Wildcats had freshman star Michael Beasley, who many believed would be the first overall pick in the NBA Draft (he ended up being picked second). Maryland entered last season ranked fifth in the country in Sports Illustrated’s poll, and even higher in other polls. Their season ended in the NCAA Sweet 16 to number-one overall seed Kansas. Richmond, the smallest program playing in Brooklyn, has not been in the NCAA Tournament since 2011, but the Spiders compete closely every year in the tough Atlantic 10. And then there is BC. Some critics would say that they are simply an ACC representative and not much more. I don’t see it that way. I see BC as having the potential to be just as good as Kansas State and Maryland, if not consistently better. The Eagles belong in this prestigious kick-off tournament, not simply because they bring the ACC badge with them on their jerseys, but because this is a good program that has had success in the past and is not far from more of it.
Echoing Bleacher Report’s Pederson, the 2016-2017 season is sure to be a step in the right direction. North Carolina point guard recruit Ty Graves is on his way to the Heights, along with fellow Carolinian and guard Kyran Bowman. Graves received interest from many ACC schools and was a McDonald’s All American nominee, while Bowman is a supremely athletic combo guard who was formerly committed to UNC to play football. Combine these freshmen with Western Michigan Power Forward transfer Connar Tava and the expected improvement of centers John Carlos Reyes and Idy Diallo, BC’s supporting cast looks potentially promising. The season’s ultimate success lies upon the shoulders of BC’s hopeful future stars Jerome Robinson and AJ Turner, two players who showed legitimate flashes of high ACC potential. The addition of Graves and Bowman allow Jerome Robinson to either use his versatility at the shooting guard position or simply add depth to the point guard spot. AJ Turner will have to have to show that he can be a consistent scorer, but after a year playing at such a competitive level in the ACC, signs point to him being able to fulfill his four-star recruit potential.
I could go into more depth about how Coach Christian may structure the lineup or how good Robinson and Turner can really be, but it’s too early for that kind of analysis. For now, know this: 1. BC belongs in the 2016 Barclays Classic despite last season’s results. This program has the same potential as the Wildcats or Terrapins. 2. WZBC Sports hopes to be sitting courtside for our second broadcast at the Barclays Center come November 25th.