One of the more interesting teams to project this season is Boston College. That’s the case for several reasons that conflict with one another, but at the end there’s a simple question that sums up why it’s probably best to be on the positive side.
For starters, they lost their best player in Tyrese Rice, a dynamic scorer and their point guard. But Rice didn’t have a great senior year and wasn’t tailor-made for the flex offense. The Eagles return everyone else, and in theory many players getting better can overcome the loss of one player in many circumstances.
But at the end of the day, do you want to bet against Al Skinner? A reply in the affirmative might not be a good idea. Skinner is a master at winning with teams that don’t pass the proverbial look test and has led the school to its best stretch in its history. Last season was a perfect example as the Eagles reached the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in Skinner’s 12 seasons at the helm in Chestnut Hill.
The biggest names among the holdovers are juniors, and that class is the core of the team. Rakim Sanders has the physical gifts and has had moments of brilliance in his first two seasons, and now consistency will be the next thing he needs. He came through a couple of times in the clutch last season. Joe Trapani had a fine season as he was eligible after sitting out the previous season as a transfer from Vermont. He was a perfect fit in the offense and battled every second on the floor. Corey Raji isn’t flashy, super athletic or someone who will strike fear into opposing defenders, but he quietly puts up decent numbers as a complementary player.
With Rice gone, the point guard spot will first belong to another junior, co-captain Biko Paris. During the latter part of last season, Paris made a nice step forward in running the team and looks well-prepared to assume the role of primary ball-handler. He will have help at the position from sophomore Reggie Jackson, who had some great moments last season and now will look to become more consistent. Jackson is the team’s best athlete and probably has the most upside of any player on the roster.
“He’s a wonderful player,” Paris said of Jackson. “He’s going to make shots, incredible shots that no one thinks he’s going to get off.”
The frontcourt is the place where concerns have been the past couple of years. Trapani will settle into one spot, and junior Josh Southern is the likely other starter. Southern came up big in the Eagles’ first round ACC Tournament win over Virginia, and when he plays well the Eagles are tough to beat. The issue is getting that from him more often. Classmate Cortney Dunn improved nicely last season, primarily at the defensive end, and the talk around the team is that sophomore Evan Ravenel might be the most improved player on the team, which will only help.
Tyler Roche is the only senior on the team and likely a glue guy off the bench. That’s what he has been for his entire career, and that doesn’t figure to change now. But he’ll have some good help there with an improved Dallas Elmore, who never really got untracked last season after getting hurt early in practice and falling behind. He looks ready to be a good role player off the bench.
“A lot of teams in the ACC haven’t seen him yet,” said Paris. “Last year, he got injured in the beginning of the season and fell behind, so he never really got his chance to compete. This year, he’s healthy and practicing real hard. He goes up against Rakim every day in practice, so he only can get better.”
Skinner talked a lot about flexibility with the team he had last season, and with much the same team back, he’s of a similar mind.
“We may even have a little more flexibility because guys are a little more experienced,” said Skinner. “They feel a lot more comfortable on the floor, so we should be able to do some different things. We should be able to attack teams from different areas on the floor.”
The Eagles have been known for light non-conference schedules in some years, but that’s not the case this time around despite starting with a couple of games they shouldn’t have much trouble winning. They head to the Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam, which includes Purdue (a possible opponent in the second game), Tennessee and Missouri Valley contender Northern Iowa. Later, they head to Michigan in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and have home games with the likes of Rhode Island, UMass and South Carolina.
Whereas last season’s team had a question about experience in addition to the talent surrounding Rice, this season’s team isn’t lacking experience. With that, and with much the same group back, the tougher non-conference schedule is one they welcome.
“Some roles have changed, so we’re still adapting, but if you look at our early non-league schedule, you see that we’re going out and playing some pretty good people,” Skinner said. “I think we can go out and feel comfortable that we can compete against those teams. I think that’s an advantage that we have, you’re going against some excellent clubs early on in the season and I think we’ll have a chance to compete against those teams. If we didn’t have this type of experience, I would be a little more afraid of what lies in front of us.”
The Eagles were picked ninth in the ACC’s preseason media poll. It’s a logical pick considering where they finished last season and who they lost and added. But as has been shown before, betting against Al Skinner might not be a good idea.
