CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – No one expected Boston College to be where they are right now, save perhaps for the people in the locker room. But as Christmas approaches, the Eagles are 10-2, including at least one NCAA Tournament resume win, and look like they should be in the mix for a good ACC finish.
Who saw this coming?
Sure, the Eagles had a clunker early on against Yale, one that surely had folks thinking, “Same old Eagles, losing to someone they shouldn’t.” And they have had to hang on in some games. But they have won those games, some of which they might not have in past years.
Besides that, they have handed Texas A&M their only loss thus far and entered the week with an RPI of 15 and against the 15th-toughest schedule in the country. They went to Maryland and beat a team that is similar to them in that many weren’t sure what to make of them thus far. The only loss besides Yale was at a neutral site to a good Wisconsin team.
A coaching change is always a wild card in the first season. Some teams adjust seamlessly and get better; some take a step back from the change in styles. There’s also the factor of attrition, and Boston College was not immune to it as Rakim Sanders, arguably their most talented player, transferred to Fairfield. To begin with, the Eagles weren’t exactly a team loaded with top-notch talent.
But this team did have something else going for it: veterans. The Eagles have eight seniors and four juniors. Of the nine players who average double-digit minutes, only two are underclassmen and five are seniors. Experience isn’t everything, but it counts for something – and it’s probably one reason this team has done some of what it has.
The Eagles have been very good at playing with the lead. BC is 8-1 when leading at the half, losing only to Wisconsin when they had a halftime lead. In several games, the opponent has made a run at them, but they never surrendered the lead, which would be a major psychological blow. They had enough of an answer to not let that happen, showing the kind of poise one might expect of a veteran team.
Nowhere was this more evident than against Bucknell when they had the ball up by two in the final minute. Reggie Jackson had the ball and seemed to over-dribble as he was doubled off a ball screen heading toward the right wing. But just as the double team pressured him more, he found Corey Raji on the right block, and Raji got it over to Josh Southern for a layup that put them up by four.
While Biko Paris’ improvement has been very big, Jackson and Southern might be the two biggest reasons for this team’s play thus far. Southern came to The Heights as arguably the top recruit in the class they brought in, but for three years had just an occasional good game and often was not much of a factor. This year, they have tapped into what he had all along, and he hasn’t been 100 percent after a minor injury kept him out of a good deal of preseason practice. Before this season, his career high in points was 13. In the last five games, he has surpassed that four times, averaging 14.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game to be a solid supporter.
“He’s a great one-on-one player in the low post,” said Jackson. “This is what we expect of him, and he knows that and expects it of himself.”
Jackson has been the big reason the team has had the success they have had. During his freshman year, it was clear that he had the most upside of any Eagle regardless of class, and that remained the case last year. This year, he’s realizing a lot of that potential. He has not only scored, but he’s shot 54 percent from the field including over 50 percent from long range and has a 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. What’s more, he’s impressed NBA scouts with his ability to use his left hand and drive to his left, in addition to his great quickness and athleticism that were already known quantities. Head coach Steve Donahue has noted how he’s worked at improving his stroke since he first came to campus a couple of years ago.
More than one opposing head coach has praised him as the best player they have gone up against.
“Reggie Jackson is the toughest matchup that we have seen thus far, without a doubt one of the tougher guys we have faced,” said Indiana head coach Tom Crean.
More recently, Bucknell head coach Dave Paulsen said, “To me, Reggie Jackson is the best player we’ve seen this year, and we’ve played Villanova and Marquette. It’s just so hard to stop him, and when we did he made the right pass play.”
Fittingly, it was Southern who got Jackson going against Bucknell after he was basically invisible in the first half, when the Bison led for most of the time.
“Coming out of a timeout,” Jackson recalled, “Josh grabbed me to the side and said, ‘Reggie, this is the time you have to take over and really look for your shots. You have to make sure you put up shots, because you have good looks but you’re just passing them up.’ I took those words of advice from him.”
The Eagles are far from a two-man show, but Jackson and Southern have been perhaps the biggest factors. Paris has thrived hunting his shot more, while Raji is being utilized more away from the basket. Joe Trapani’s numbers are down, but his value to the team isn’t as he’s doing a lot of things that don’t show up in the proverbial box score.
The most pleasant surprise has been freshman Danny Rubin, who has started all but one game. He doesn’t put up big numbers, but shoots it well from long range and doesn’t hurt the team with mistakes. Very little was expected from the freshmen this season, but he’s played well and Gabe Moton has had his moments.
With ACC play not far off, this team projects to be somewhere different than where most preseason projections had them, maybe drastically so. Aside from Duke, no team in the ACC should strike fear in anyone. North Carolina has plenty of talent, but also many of the same issues as last season’s team. Virginia Tech was supposed to be an NCAA Tournament-caliber team, but they were a disappointment before they got ravaged by injuries. NC State was a trendy pick to make a leap, and the jury is still out on them because of an injury to Tracy Smith.
Instead, the teams whose non-conference play most suggests a chance to lead the race for second may be Florida State, Miami and Boston College. Florida State has played a weak non-conference schedule, so the jury is out on them to some degree.
But no one expected the Eagles to be where they are right now. That’s the result of and the reason for what the coach has seen.
“I’m really enjoying the heck out of these guys, they’re really into it, every day is a consistent effort in practice,” said Donahue.
