CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Get a program, Eagle fans. You’re going to need it. While you’re at it, you might also want to get some patience, if that’s possible.
The most salient thing about this year’s Boston College team is what’s new about it. 11 players are new, including seven scholarship freshmen on what might be the youngest college basketball team in some time. Among the holdovers, only three have even appreciable experience playing games in the program (senior John Cahill and sophomores Gabe Moton and Danny Rubin), and only one other has significant Division I experience (junior Matt Humphrey, a transfer from Oregon). Also noteworthy is that there is no one who played during the Al Skinner era save for senior walk-on Peter Rehnquist.
Humphrey, by far the most experienced player on the roster, should come in and play a lot of minutes right away, although he’s also adjusting to a different role. He’s a very good shooter, which will fit with Steve Donahue’s offense, and he’s familiar with the offense after practicing last year while sitting out. But he’s also being asked to handle the ball more than he has in his career, and some difficulty showed in the exhibition game because that’s not what he’s done best in his career. Rubin had good moments last year and started 23 games, while Moton was a reserve and figures to get his share of minutes this season as well, but where they fit with this current group isn’t clear right now. Rubin played just five minutes in Saturday’s exhibition game.
None of the freshmen come in with a significant billing, but a number look like solid prospects for a foundation. Local big man Dennis Clifford has come a long way in the last two years after he left a public school in his hometown to spend two years at Milton Academy. Already very skilled before the change, he’s more assertive at both ends of the floor and knows how to use his size to his advantage. He might be the center of this offense, as they want to get the ball inside to him as often as possible since he can not only score, but has always been a fine passer and has shooters on the perimeter to get the ball to. They may try to use him the same way Donahue’s last Cornell teams used Jeff Foote.
“We’ve got to find out, can we go to him a lot more, can he be consistent with his passing out of the post?” said Donahue.
Ryan Anderson might have the most upside and will likely see time at both forward spots. He led the team with seven boards in the exhibition game, and that’s an area for improvement based on this game as a smaller AIC team out-rebounded them 30-29. K.C. Caudill, a bulky post player, and Eddie Odio, who needs to add strength, will also see minutes in the frontcourt.
Patrick Heckmann looked good in the exhibition win over AIC as a versatile wing and appears to fit this offense perfectly. Don’t be surprised if the Eagles try to go big all over the court with him at the point for small stretches as there is no clear incumbent at the position. Jordan Daniels had no assists with four turnovers, while Humphrey and John Cahill, back after being a solid intangible player last year and sure to be one this year, will also handle the ball from the off guard position.
Not only is this young team trying to learn on the fly, but the coaching staff is as well. The Eagles didn’t play as well in the second half as the first on Saturday, and part of that comes from the nature of an exhibition game and the desire to experiment with players and combinations. Donahue said the staff is trying to figure out who should get minutes and what combinations work, and while that happens often it is exacerbated by the sheer number of newcomers on this team. He knew this was going to be a unique situation in terms of youth, but reality is setting in and he’s seeing it.
“The reality of it is every day you’re going through every little step of a basketball game in college,” said the Eagle mentor.
The Eagles don’t play a loaded non-conference schedule, but it’s not full of easy games, either. They could be 3-0 before heading to the 76 Classic on Thanksgiving weekend, since they get UMass at home in that stretch. But it won’t come easy, and after they get tested in Anaheim and against Penn State in the Big Ten /ACC Challenge, in December they host America East contenders Boston University and Stony Brook, an improved Bryant squad and Harvard, which has won three straight at Conte Forum.
Plenty of people have opined about how bad this team might be because of the youth. They were picked last in the ACC preseason poll, and many pundits are surely picking them there as well, and understandably so. But they weren’t picked high last season, either, and might have been in the NCAA Tournament had they pulled out a game or two that they had a chance to but didn’t. Like any coach, Donahue has his expectations for this team and knows the goal is still the NCAA Tournament.
“I don’t want to lose (the NCAA Tournament) as our ultimate destination,” said Donahue. “In the same sense, I would hope (fans) would judge it on having a little vision, watching how hard they play, how they improve during the season, and get an idea of what these kids might look like after 30, 40, 50 games in their college career as they all grow together.”
For Eagle fans, this is a season to enter with no expectations and just enjoy the young players as they grow. Having a program will help with that.
