Boston College Basketball: How can the Eagles escape the bottom of ACC?
Mar 8, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Boston College Eagles head coach Jim Christian attempts to speak with and official in the first half against the Florida State Seminoles during round one of the ACC tournament at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
What three questions does Boston College basketball have to answer in order to rise in the ACC standings?
The Boston College Eagles were one of the worst Power Five (plus the Big East) teams in the country, as they finished 7-25 overall and 0-18 in conference play. The Eagles ended the year on a 19 game losing streak and they obviously finished last in the ACC standings.
The 2016-17 season is approaching and Jim Christian’s group must sweep last year’s results under the rug. The good news is that there’s no way for the Eagles to possibly be worse than last year.
Sure, they have lost three of their top five scores (Eli Carter, Dennis Clifford and Sammy Barnes-Thompkins), but they’ve also added some solid pieces and are hopeful that their second year players develop.
Sophomore guard Jerome Robinson is the team’s returning leading scorer and was one of two Eagles who scored in double figures in 2015-16. Sophomore forward A.J. Turner is the other top five leading scorer returning, however, he only put up 5.8 points per game in his freshman campaign.
The other key returnees include Ervins Meznieks and the team’s lone senior Garland Owens. However, the program will likely be anchored around both Robinson and Turner.
Meanwhile, the Eagles’ new additions give them valuable experience, depth and skill. Guard Jordan Chatman comes to Massachusetts as a graduate transfer from BYU, forward Connar Tava is also a graduate transfer who is moving from Western Michigan to Boston and finally, immediately eligible forward Mo Jeffers is moving up from mid-major Delaware to the ACC.
The freshman class won’t blow anyone away, but BC does add two-three star recruits in shooting guard Ty Graves and small forward Mike Sagay. Power forward Nik Popovic and shooting guard Kyran Bowman round out the 2016 class, but both are unlikely to slide into the rotation immediately.
Even though Boston College may not be the worst team in the ACC (Georgia Tech likely is), don’t expect them to finish higher than 14th in the league standings.
If the Eagles want to take the next step in their rebuild, they must answer these three questions before the season tips-off in November.
Mar 2, 2016; Raleigh, NC, USA; Boston College Eagles forward A.J. Turner (11) and forward Idy Diallo (4) grab a rebound during the second half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at PNC Arena. The Wolfpack won 73-72. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
3. Can the Eagles steal some ACC games at home?
Every college program has a goal to make the NCAA Tournament or the postseason in general.
In Chestnut Hills, those are unrealistic expectations for a team that is not only in the midst of a rebuild, but is a member of the toughest basketball conference in the country. The Eagles are looking to be competitive, rack up some wins and most importantly, develop their young talent for the future.
Beyond the X’s and O’s is the emotional experience of college sports and that is especially relevant on your own home floor. The Eagles won six of their seven games at home last season and only finished five games under .500 at Conte Forum.
Boston College’s best chance to be victorious in this brutal conference is to steal games at home. The attendance wasn’t always strong last season, but the Eagles need to find a way to use the fan support their advantage, especially against team’s like Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and other squads who will finish near the bottom of the league.
The more victories the Eagles earn, the more their confidence will rise. Jim Christian will be able to see the team’s true colors once they win that first league game.
Nov 16, 2015; Long Beach, CA, USA; Brigham Young Cougars guard Jordan Chatman (left) moves the ball defended by Long Beach State 49ers forward Temidayo Yussuf (right) during the first half at The Pyramid. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
2. How big of a spark will the graduate transfers provide?
The reason that I believe Boston College will climb out of the ACC’s basement is because of the newcomers that will mold into valuable role players.
Jordan Chatman, Connar Tava and Mo Jeffers have seven years of college basketball experience between them and all three are ready to play at a high-major level.
Chatman is a rare graduate transfer who played just one season at his former school, BYU. In that one year (2015-16), Chatman played just 10.3 minutes per game, averaging 2.7 points, 1.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists. He shot 38 percent from the floor overall and 34 percent from beyond the three point line.
The 6’5″ guard was on a team that made the NIT semifinals and learned from one of the more versatile players to ever step on the court in Provo in Kyle Collinsworth. The leadership skills he learned on the West Coast and the experience playing on a postseason stage will likely be critical with only one true senior on the Eagles’ roster.
Tava, a 6’6″ small forward, played three seasons at Western Michigan. Last season, was a career year for Tava, as he averaged 12.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 30.1 minutes per game. He also shot an efficient 51 percent from the field and had 1.1 steals per game.
He isn’t a great shooter from the perimeter and struggles to find consistency at the free throw strike, but Tava will provide extra scoring punch and will give the Eagles another rebounder to enhance their front court.
Jeffers is the final graduate transfer joining Boston College. The former Delaware Blue Hen put up 5.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and blocked 1.1 shots last year in 22.8 minutes per night. Jeffers, who will be the go-to defensive player in the painted area for BC, will be a powerful force as a potential rim protector.
He can also rebound at 6’9″, but doesn’t offer any outside shooting ability to pull opposing bigs away from the basket.
Each player brings a different type of skill set to the table. Chatman will add size to the backcourt, Tava can score around the basket and Jeffers will find his niche on the glass and in the paint defensively.
Jan 20, 2016; Chestnut Hill, MA, USA; Boston College Eagles guard Jerome Robinson (1) is guarded by Miami Hurricanes guard Angel Rodriguez (13) during the first half at Silvio O. Conte Forum. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
1. Are Jerome Robinson and A.J. Turner ready to be the Eagles’ top players?
The simple answer to the question is they better be ready or Boston College will be in massive trouble in 2016-17.
But beyond that, I truly believe that Robinson and Turner will be much better in 2016-17.
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First, both players were freshman who played major minutes last season. Now, they have been through the gauntlet that is the ACC. They now know what to expect, how teams will play them and what they must do to take a big step forward.
Robinson in particular is going to be one of the 10 best scorers in the entire conference. He can put the ball in the basket at will, as he averaged 11.7 points on 43 percent shooting overall and 38 percent shooting from beyond the arc. He also put up 4.0 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 3.0 assists per game.
Without Eli Carter, Robinson will have the ball in his hands a lot, which means his turnovers will likely loom around the 2.7 per game that he averaged last year. His assists must increase though, in order to balance out his assist-to-turnover ratio.
Beyond his playmaking ability, Robinson should also improve his free throw shooting. His 64 percent from the line is not going to cut it in 2016-17.
As a forward, Turner won’t have the ball in his hands as much as Robinson will. However, he is going to have a big role on both ends of the court.
Turner started 24 games last season, averaging 5.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per night. He will have to score more often around the basket, but also will provide a presence on the defensive end. The sophomore was third on the team in both steals and blocks.
The forward has the potential to stretch the floor (which will give Boston College some much needed versatility), although his efficiency will have to massively improve after he shot just 26 percent from beyond the arc in 2015-16.
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