Eagles Primed For a Big Season
Boston College and head coach Al Skinner are used to not getting much respect. It happened last season, when most projected the Eagles to be an NIT team at best, just like it happened in 2000-01 when they won 27 games and their second Big East championship.
After the Eagles’ exhibition game, Skinner asked, “How much credit do we ever get in the preseason?”
By now, it’s no surprise that Skinner and the Eagles also haven’t lost perspective.
“I do care about what we do at the end of the season, and that’s the most important thing,” Skinner said. “I think we’ve handled ourselves well, particularly these last 4 years, we’ve done extremely well. It doesn’t matter what the preseason poll says, all that matters is what happens at the end of the season. It’s a long year, and there’s a lot to be accomplished throughout the season, and we try to prepare ourselves for that.”
The Eagles are fresh off a 24-11 season that ended with a tough loss to eventual national runner-up Georgia Tech. They bring back almost every regular from that team, including four starters, though the one that they lose is team leader Uka Agbai and his intangibles won’t be replaced easily. But the coaching staff has done such a good job with this team that it shouldn’t affect them.
The Eagles are a very athletic bunch and have a lot of bodies to play inside, from junior All-America candidate Craig Smith to senior center Nate Doornekamp and sophomore Jared Dudley. Those three figure to start up front, but they will have plenty of help from eager freshmen Sean Williams, Akida McLain, Gordon Watt and John Oates. Williams could be the best of the bunch, as he’s long and athletic and could give them a real presence in the middle. McLain is very athletic, Watt is versatile and Oates is a big body who signed in the summer just before he was to start prep school. You can count Dudley among those who thinks Williams has enormous potential.
“I can see him one day leading the country in blocked shots,” Dudley said. “He can definitely have 2-3 points and have 7 blocks, and that probably will happen once or twice this year.”
The backcourt has two good floor leaders in junior Louis Hinnant and sophomore Steve Hailey, while senior Jermaine Watson started to emerge last season and figures to be a key contributor if he stays on track. Watson was suspended for the exhibition game due to a violation of team rules. Sophomore Sean Marshall hit the wall later in the season last year, and didn’t shoot the ball well in their exhibition game, but if he can find his stroke again he will be a valuable player on the wing.
The Eagles don’t have a lot of long range threats, which is just one thing Dudley worked on in the offseason. After summer school, he went back home to San Diego and spent time with his personal trainer and shooting coach. He had 26 points on 10-15 shooting in the exhibition game and continued to show his tremendous feel for the game as well as a complete game. Smith said Dudley has been shooting well since the start of practice.
“I knew my role was going to change to be a little bit more outside shooting the ball because I think that’s our weakness,” Dudley said. “When you have Craig Smith down there banging, the more people hitting outside shots, the better we’re going to be.”
Smith was hobbled by a thumb injury sustained in their scrimmage against Ohio University, as well as a stomach ailment. Chances are, it will take more than that to slow him down the entire season, as he’s played through injuries before. With the complementary players the Eagles have, he will still get his points and rebounds.
The Eagles will have plenty of home cooking in non-conference play, as all but two games on their slate will be played at Conte Forum. The Eagles will play at UCLA in the John Wooden Classic and at Massachusetts in the Commonwealth Classic. It starts with America East contender Maine and New Hampshire, a team that almost beat the Eagles a few years ago and brings a better team. Clemson comes to Chestnut Hill the day after Thanksgiving, and other non-conference highlights include Duquesne and Kent State. The Eagles have had plenty of success on the road in recent years, with the real oddity being their relative lack of a homecourt advantage.
“We’re courteous here as far as I’m concerned,” Skinner says of the fans.
Packed house or not, the Eagles appear ready to have a big year. The expectations may not be high in the polls (national or Big East), but the Eagles have the pieces to make the NCAA Tournament and have a good run.
