SAME FEDORA-NEW CROWN? (DDSCB22)

[PointGuard 70]

Boston Herald

RESULTS OF ACC TEAMS IN POST-SEASON TOURNAMENTS

CIT

Round 1

Pittsburgh-96, Youngstown State-75

Round 2

Florida International-74, Pittsburgh-71

NIT

Round 1

Miami (FL)-79, Portland-54

Georgia Tech-63, Baylor-44

Virginia-72, St. Mary’s-61

Round 2

Miami (FL)-74, West Virginia-69

Murray State-77, Georgia Tech-63

Virginia-76, Western Carolina-60

Round 3

Alabama-Birmingham-77, Miami (FL)-76

Virginia-93, Nevada-74

Round 4 (Semifinals)

Virginia-85, Murray State-71

Round 5 (Championship)

Missouri-83, Virginia-75

NCAA

Round 1

Duke-67, Evansville-36

North Carolina-85, Sacred Heart-60

Clemson-71, Memphis-70

Florida State-70, Bowling Green State-59

Albany-64, Notre Dame-63

North Carolina State-87, Colorado State-77

Boston College-90, Dartmouth-75----Dartmouth scored the first 7 points of the game.  BC chipped away at that lead and took the lead when Corey Graham sank a 3 to make it 11-10.  The Eagles then slowly pulled away and finished the half on top 48-34.  The Eagles never let Dartmouth get back into the game in the 2^nd half and won easily.  Scoring in double figures were: PG Bobby Grannun-16, C Courtland Reese-16, SG Corey Graham-13, and SF/SG Glen Robinson-11.

Round 2

Duke-88, Hofstra-66

North Carolina-85, Clemson-76

 

Penn State-90, North Carolina State-88

Nebraska-74, Florida State-75

Arkansas-67, Boston College-60----BC beat Arkansas by 24 points early this season.  But a combination of sloppy ball-handling together with poor shooting resulted in Boston College falling behind Arkansas by as much as 11 points in the first half.  In the final minutes of the half the Eagles cut into the lead to trail by just a 35-31 score at the break.  Things didn’t improve in the 2^nd half.  The Eagles cut the lead to 2 points only to see the Razorbacks rapidly pull away as the Eagles offense fell apart.  Arkansas built a 15 point lead when the Eagles were unable to get their shots to fall and repeatedly turned over the ball, finishing the game with 18 turnovers.  Topping the scoring for BC was C Courtland Reese with 15 points.  C Tim Cotton and SF/SG/PG Glen Robinson both scored 10 points.

Round 3 (Sweet 16)

Duke-88, Central Florida-56

North Carolina-66, Southern California-54

Round 4 (Elite

Duke-69, North Carolina-62

Round 5 (Final 4)

Oklahoma-60, Duke-57

Championships:

CIT: Columbia

CBI: Davidson

NIT: Missouri

NCAA: Oklahoma

[PointGuard 70]

JJ Conroy, BeanTownSports Blog

Well, didn’t I say that the Boston College Eagles would get no further than the 2^nd round in the NCAA Tournament?  Another disappointing end of the season for the Eagles.  The team just seemed to be running out of gas the last few weeks of this season.  Even though BC is bringing in highly regarded recruits, the team has regressed the past 2 seasons under Coach Fred Aura.  And there can be no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Eagles were quite inferior to Duke this season.  Hell, even Coach Aura’s son’s team (Providence) was a much better team than the Eagles this year.  Is it possible that getting to the NCAA Tournament is the best Aura can do?  A team that finishes high in the ACC standings should definitely be able to get much deeper into the NCAA Tournament than their Round 2 exits the past 2 seasons.  Maybe it’s time for Boston College to start looking for a coach who can take the team the next step.

To top this off, I have it from good sources that there are a number of returning players who have either a poor relationship with the coaches or with the rest of the team.  Does that mean that several players may decide to jump ship and transfer to other programs now that the transfer rules have been significantly loosened starting this summer?

The clouds are darkening.  The winds are beginning to howl.  A storm seems to be brewing for the Aura-led Eagles.

[PointGuard 70]

Jason Braxton, Athletic Director

Courtland Reese was our only player to receive an award.  He was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s All-Conference 2^nd Team.  He’s graduating after playing extremely well for us for 4 straight seasons and achieving a 3.7 GPA.

Other players graduating are Winston Minahan and walk-on Andy Dawson.  The scholarships being vacated by Reese and Minahan have been filled by:

Ben Schau from Lusby, MD.  He’s a 6’6” PF who averaged 18.9 ppg, 3.8 apg, 10.2 rpg, 2.9 bpg, and 3.5 spg as a high school senior.  He’s been a great scorer and rebounder and is also strong defensively.  He was ranked as the 28^th best recruit.

Mike Williams from Nappanee, IN is a 6’6” PF who averaged 16.8 ppg, 3.4 apg, 6.9 rpg, 2.6 bpg, and 2.i8 spg in his senior high school season.  He also is a very strong scorer and rebounder and a good defender.  He was ranked as the 32^nd best recruit.

Those additions together with the improvements of our returning players sets the stage for a very strong team this coming season.  But we’re all concerned about the new NCAA transfer rules that opens the door for a lot more guys to transfer since they will be able to play immediately and no longer have to sit out a year.  Because we have a lot of talented players, it wouldn’t be surprising if some of them give serious consideration to transferring to a team where they think they can start or at least get more playing time.  But we just have to wait to see how it all turns out.

Coach Aura met all of the goals I had set for him before the season began, including improving our prestige (from 60 to 63).  His coaching record to date is as follows:

2019-20: Towson, 18-15, .545, unranked, 6^th (tie) in CAA, No post-season tourney

2020-21: Towson, 13-17, .433, unranked, 5^th in CAA, No post-season tourney

2021-22: Towson, 24-9, .727, unranked, 2^nd in CAA, NCAA (Round 1)

2022-23: Towson, 27-7, .794, ranked 24^th, 1^st in CAA, NCAA (Round 2)

2023-24: Towson, 30-4, .882, ranked 15^th, 1^st in CAA, NCAA (Sweet 16)

2024-25: Towson, 25-8, .758, unranked, 1^st in CAA, NCAA (Round 1)

2025-26: Boston College, 21-17, .553, unranked, 10^th in ACC, CIT (Finals)

2026-27: Boston College, 25-10, .714, ranked 25^th, 3^rd in ACC, NCAA (Sweet 16)

2027-28: Boston College, 34-5, .872, ranked 2^nd, 1^st in ACC, NCAA (Final 4)

2028-29: Boston College, 30-6, .833, ranked 2^nd, 1^st in ACC, NCAA (Round 2)

2029-30; Boston College, 26-9, .743, ranked 8^th, 2^nd in ACC, NCAA (Round 2)

Career Record: 273-107, .718

Obviously with that kind of record, it isn’t surprising that there are some very good college basketball programs showing interest in his coming their way. But fortunately Fred has decided to remain at Boston College.

2^nd Assistant Coach Chris Evans has decided and has taken a job as 1^st assistant coach at Western Carolina.  It’s a nice step forward for Chris.

Coach Aura has hired Landon Friel to serve as his new 2^nd assistant coach.  Landon is 43 years old and was the 3^rd assistant coach at Oregon State the past 3 years and 3^rd assistant coach at Texas Christian the previous 2 seasons.  He’s strength is player development.  Therefore, Coach Aura is moving 1^st assistant coach Darrell Montgomery from player development to recruiting.

Fred has been politicking for a facilities upgrade, but I let him know I was pretty certain the board wouldn’t go for it.  He therefore asked for a budget increase, but the board wouldn’t even approve that.  Needless to say, Fred was not happy.

[PointGuard 70]

2030-2031 SEASON

[NOTE: Imported the DDSCB2021 association into DDSCB2022 for all future activity]

Landon Friel (2^nd Asst Coach)—call from a friend

Jerry:  Hey buddy, congrats on your new job.  Couldn’t happen to a worse guy.

Landon: Hah!  Thanks loads.  But yeah, I was really happy when Coach Aura let me know they wanted me here handling player development and practices.

Jerry: Well that’s your forte. You’ve always been good working with young guys.

Landon: That’s because I began my coaching career at the high school level.

Jerry: Speaking of high school. I just got done watching your boy.

Landon: My boy???

Jerry: Yeah, I had a contracting job in Maryland this winter and spring and got to watch Ben Schau a lot.  The guy’s a freakin’ stud.

Landon: Ah, OK. Yeah, I have been looking over his stats but really haven’t had a chance yet to watch any video on him.

Jerry: Hell. Landon.  If you’d had a guy or two like Schau at Oregon State, the Beavers would have been on top of the Pac-12 instead of stuck near the bottom all these years.  Schau is an absolute beast on the boards.  He’s only 6-6 but I watched him manhandle some much bigger guys.  He knows how to position and then out-muscle guys.  The guy really is able to put the ball in the hoop also. He led his team not only in rebounding but also scoring.  He’ll get most of his points inside, but he can connect from long range as well.  And for that matter, he gets a lot of blocks and steals too. 

Landon: Yeah, like I said, I saw his stats and had a big smile on my face as I went over them.

Jerry: I’d say his only weaknesses are at the foul line, and maybe more importantly, his ball handling.  You need to work with him on his hands.  Sometimes he just doesn’t control the ball well when he gets a pass or when he puts the ball on the floor.

Landon: I’m glad you called me and let me know what you observed.  I trust your basketball sense so that helps me know what to expect.

Jerry: What’s your take on Fred Aura?

Landon: Much too early to say.  I barely know him at this point.  But there’s no doubt he’s a great coach who’s built up two very different Division I programs in a pretty short amount of time.  I’m excited about working with him and think I’ll learn a lot.

Jerry: You all settled in yet or still living out of suitcases?

Landon: Connie came back as soon as I found out I got the job.  She found a place fast and now has the house pretty well like she wants it.  I just pretty much stand back on that front and let her do whatever she thinks is right.

Jerry: That’s cool, man.  If I can get up to New England this winter be sure to leave me a ticket.  I’d like to see the Eagles play.  If they win, I’ll buy the drinks…if they lose, it’s on you, buddy.

[PointGuard 70]

Meeting between Coach Fred Aura (FA) and Athletic Director Jason Braxton (JB)

JB: What’s up on the transfer front, Fred?

FA: I’ll tell you, I’m in the dark on that.  This new system the NCAA unleashed on us has got all us coaches wondering what will happen.  There’s no doubt most all of us will have guys who decide to fly the coop and try latching on elsewhere.

JB: So let’s talk some names.  Who’s most likely to possibly leave our program?

FA: I can’t say who is MOST likely.  But here’s my take on some guys who I think are iffy:

·       Adrian Moss: There’s no doubt he wasn’t happy with how few minutes he’s played the 2 years he’s been with us.  He’s gonna be a strong player, but still is developing.  But he thinks he’s good enough to start.  He gets along well with the rest of the team though and hopefully that will offset what’s probably some disappointment in me for not playing him more.

·       Maynard Gardner:  He’s got even more potential that Moss and is developing more quickly.  I was surprised that he actually was considering declaring early this spring.  It’s good he opted not to do it since he’s really not ready for the pros yet.  But like Moss, even as a freshman last season he wanted to play a lot more.  I’m sure he knows that there are teams where he could be a starter.  Here he’ll be fighting for a starting job, but right both Darius Hein and Keith Kolder have an edge over him at SF.

·       Tim Cotton:  Yet another guy that’s pretty much in the same boat as Adrian and Maynard…having tremendous potential but not quite ready yet to start for us.  And since he also wants to play a lot, that creates a possibility he could bolt even though next season he will be playing a lot more for us that he did last season.  But all 3 of these guys are good guys who get along well with the rest of the team. I’m just hoping that’s enough cement to keep them all with us.

·       Bobby Grannum: Totally different situation.  The guy starred for us as a freshman this past season, starting every game.  He’s a 5-star player and a real key for us this coming season, so losing him would really hurt.  But, he’s got a personality that rubs people wrong at times and his relationship with his teammates is poor.  He and I get along pretty well though.  I’m just concerned that his failure to fit in with the rest of the team could make him think things will be better elsewhere.

·       Rod Thorn: His relationship with the team and coaches was pretty tenuous early in this past season, but it slowly improved as the season ground along and I’m hoping that will be enough to keep him in the fold.  He’s not concerned about playing time so that’s not an issue fortunately.

·       Darius Hein:  Another guy whose relationship with the team and coaches needed fortifying at the begging of the season. I think we did a pretty good job of doing that, but it’s still not where I’d like it.  He got the minutes he wanted this season so I don’t think that will be an issue, but I’m not sure he will start next season even though he did this past season.  And he probably knows that as well so that makes him a slight possibility to transfer.

JB: Damn. That’s a pretty bleak picture, Fred.  You really think we could lose a bunch of players?

FA: Like I said, I just don’t know.  I’m not thinking we’ll lose a lot of guys, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if one or two take a hike.  The uncertainty does make me a bit nervous.  This new transfer system makes it just too attractive for guys to look for greener pastures.  We’ll know soon though. In the meantime, I’m walking on eggshells.

JB: Switching topics…what you looking for regarding our pre-conference schedule this year?  Tough? Patsies? Home? Away?

FA: Let’s get as good of teams as we can, but as many at home as we can.  That’ll make you happy, won’t it? Fill the seats here and fill our school’s coffers.  Maybe then the stingy administration might see their way to actually spend some of the extra money on the facilities here or increasing our recruiting budget to give us a better opportunity to recruit with the likes of Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse, and Louisville.

JB: I’ll see what I can do.  A lot of the good teams don’t want to play tough competition, particularly away.  They’d prefer to schedule a bunch of powder puffs they can slaughter so that they look good to the pollsters.  How’s things with the family and how are your boys doing?

FA: We’re doing pretty well. Janeka’s mother is still battling cancer and so Janeka spends a lot of time helping out at her parent’s house.  Devany’s now old enough to be a big help in that respect as well, at least when she’s not tied up with her soccer practices and games.  You know Omari did well playing for Providence this season and should be a big key to Providence’s success next season.  Malik is excited about leaving home and playing for Georgetown.  Providence will already be on our schedule as our non-conference rival, but maybe you can get Georgetown to play us also.  That would be cool, although Malik is scary good and could help to pile up two losses to my sons this year.

JB: Yeah, I’ll work on that.  But let’s beat Providence this season.  I’m already tired of losing to them and they’ve only been our rivals for 2 years.

FA:  Hey Jason, you’re preaching to the choir.  You gotta know I take a lot of heat from Omari after a loss to Providence.

JB:  By the way, congratulations on landing the 20^th best recruiting class this past year.  Well done!

FA: Thanks.  I’m excited to see how Mike Williams and Ben Schau do for us.  But I see that Providence was #6, Georgetown was #7, and Duke was #10 on that list.  I take some of the blame with respect to Georgetown since Malik was a key to their rating so high.  Fortunately Providence and Duke lost some outstanding players who declared early this spring, but they just keep reloading.  Duke’s budget just totally dwarfs us…that makes it tough to compete for the best recruits, particularly on the international front.

JB: Well, I’ve got confidence that you can overcome their monetary advantages and whip the Blue Devils this coming season.  I’m not going to change the goals we had last year: Win 20+ games (preferably 30+), finish in the top 3 in the ACC (preferably #1), qualify for the NCAA (and preferably go deep), improve our prestige, and absolutely no academic ineligibility!  Quite doable, right?

FA: No promises.  We’ll do as well as we can.  The administration likes that we’re winning and that we get to the Big Dance every year.  I’m telling you right now though.  It’s time, past due time, for that same administration to reward our success by improving our facilities and increasing our budget this coming year.  I’m tired of their denials.

JB:  I know, I know, Fred.  Me too, but let’s just stay focused on what we can do.  We just have a very conservative board of directors.  You know we’re all very pleased with what you’ve done for us and want you to continue building BC into the ACC powerhouse.

[PointGuard 70]

FOLLOW-UP ACTION (following the meeting with his AD):

Coach Aura contacted the following players about working on 3’s more:

Rashon Thorn—didn’t want to initially, but agreed to do it.

Bobby Grannum—agreed immediately.

Glen Robinson—resisted it preferring to do pretty much the same as he’s done throughout his career.

James Pratt—agreed enthusiastically.

[PointGuard 70]

Phone call from AD Jason Braxton to Coach Fred Aura:

JB: Hey, Fred, your one crappy clairvoyant.

FA: Whatcha mean?

JB: You were worrying me about all the guys who might transfer away from us.  And what happens?  No one transfers.

FA: (Laughing) I’m happy to be wrong about that.  In fact, I’m ecstatic.  But not having anyone transfer hasn’t been the case at a lot of colleges.  The transfer list is HUGE! 

JB: Yeah, that’s what I’ve heard too.

FA: I was looking over the list this morning and there’s some guys on it that I’d like to have.  But to be honest, none that I’d trade for any of our existing players.  While some of the transfer players are maybe more talented that a few of ours, I’m not about to break up our team to get any of them.  And some of the talented players on that list might have some attitude issues that could impact our team chemistry.  For example there’s Adam Crenshaw who was great at C for Louisville as a freshman last season.  But I’ve heard rumblings that he’s not got a great personality and can rub his teammates the wrong way and also that his work ethic is horrible.  An example of an extremely talented guy who will likely never do as well as he could or be the team player you want.

JB: Crenshaw’s just one of 5 guys who are transferring from Louisville.

FA: Well, Louisville just finished a terrible season, so that probably caused a lot of dissent.  But there’s 5 from North Carolina State also.  I have no idea what’s going on in Raleigh.

JB: By the way, I think your son Omari has cemented himself at SF again this season.  I see two SF’s from Providence are on the transfer list.

FA: I doubt Omari had anything to do with that, but yeah, I’m pretty sure he’ll be the Friar’s starting SF again this year.

JB: And from what I’ve seen of Malik, he’s gotta be a lock to start at SG for Georgetown. You gotta be proud.

FA: Now that you mention it. I am.  Both are better players than their dad was in college.

 

Edited March 19, 2022 by PointGuard

[PointGuard 70]

Coach Fred Aura receives a call from David Woodruff a couple weeks later:

FA:  Hey, David, good to hear from you.  While I’m glad you got the head coaching job at George Mason, I’m still missing not having you on my staff any longer.

DW: Thanks, Fred.  This head coaching job is a lot more work than I had envisioned.  And our record last season sucked.

FA: Yeah, there’s a lotta different aspects to the job, but hey, you won one more game that your predecessor had done the season before you took the job.  He didn’t leave you with a lot of talent to work with, I’m afraid.  But I’m confident you’ll be successful there.

DW: I hope so, but we had 3 guys transfer away this past week.  One was a starter and another had a chance to be a starter this coming season. 

FA: I’m no fan of the new transfer rules, but we all have to live with the change.  A positive is that there are a lot of very good players wanting to find new homes, so aggressively go after a few of those.  I really hope you land 3 very strong players.  We’re not going to be participating in the scramble for transfer players so you won’t have to compete against us.

DW: Thanks.  Hey, I see that Malik will be playing for Georgetown...pass along my congratulations to him.  But I sure wish he’d decided to play several miles east of Georgetown…for US.

FA: I’ll pass along your comments to him.  I got guys waiting to meet with me so I have to run.  But thanks for the call, David…and the best of luck to you this year.  I’m really proud that you got a good head coaching job and know you’re more than capable.

[PointGuard 70]

Call from Coach Fred Aura to Coach David Woodruff:

FA: David, I think you stole 3 good transfer players. Congratulations!

DW: Yes, they all have good potential to really help us, I think.

FA: So, do you now like the new way they’re doing transfers?

DW: If these 3 guys help us do a lot better this year, you may have me saying “yes” to that question.

FA: I think for a mid-major like George Mason, the big increase in the number of transfer players could be a windfall since there will be some good players at big name programs who are transferring because they didn’t get enough playing time and mid-major programs will look real good to those players.

DW: Let’s both have great seasons this year, Fred…and meet in the NCAA Tourney!

FA: That’s a good thought.

[PointGuard 70]

1^st Asst Coach Darrell Montgomery

In my first year handling the recruiting actions for Coach Aura, I want to get some great recruits.  We had the 20^th best recruit class last year so my goal is to have an even better one this year.  Coach Aura and I would like to add a SG and big man, but we have agreed to try to land the best recruits we can get this year since we aren’t expecting any holes in the lineup next year even after SG Glen Robinson, SF Keith Kolder and PF Danny Toliver leave us after graduating the end of this season.

We’ll be attending the Indy Elite Camp and the Big Apple Showcase this summer.

[PointGuard 70]

Janeka Aura                                                                                                                     

We got exciting news today.  Omari has been nominated for the Norton Award.  He’s worked hard and played well for Providence for 3 seasons, so this is a cap to his collegiate career.  Omari and our entire family are ecstatic about the nomination.

For Boston College, freshman Ben Schau and junior Corey Graham have also been nominated for the award.  So today was a triple bonus day for Fred.

[PointGuard 70]

1^st Asst Coach Darrell Montgomery

In mid-September we got the first verbal acceptance of a scholarship offer from Dan Jefferson, a 6’9” C from Archbald, PA.  He’s the 48^th ranked recruit, but more importantly he was in the top 25 at the Indy Elite Camp and the top 5 at the Big Apple Showcase.  He’s a tremendous rebounder and very strong defensively.  He’s a good scorer from inside.  As a high school junior he averaged 12.5 ppg and 12.5 rpg.

Then just before the end of September two more recruits let us know they wanted to play for us.  Noel Carr is a 6’8” SF from Winchester, VA.  He also was in the top 25 at the Indy Elite Camp and the top 5 at the Big Apple Showcase and he’s the 41^st ranked recruit.  He’s a gym rat.  He’s an excellent scorer both from inside and outside.  He a strong rebounder and defender and extremely athletic.  He’s a good ball handler and gets lots of steals.  Last season as a H.S. junior he scored 17.1 ppg, pulled down 5.8 rpg and had 4.7 spg. 

The same day we got a call from Will Jennings, a 6’1” SG from Blacksburg, VA.  He’s the 44^th ranked recruit who was in the top 25 at the Big Apple Showcase.  He’s a great scorer from outside and plays solid defense.  He’s a very good passer and has good athleticism.  He averaged 17.2 ppg and 3.5 rpg as a HS junior last season.

Those three 4-star recruits filled all of our available scholarships.  If they all meet our SAT requirements, recruiting is complete for this season.

[PointGuard 70]

RyReys Blog, Ryan Reynolds

Boston College begins their basketball season this week.  The Eagles are ranked 14^th in the pre-season Media Poll.  And even though Duke is ranked higher in that poll, those most knowledgeable about the Atlantic Coast Conference have picked Boston College to finish first in the standings with Duke right behind them.

The Eagles’ starting lineup is loaded with very strong players at all 5 positions and the team possesses a deep and talented bench.  BC doesn’t have to count on a single outstanding player to carry them, because any of their 13 scholarship players could well lead them on any given night.

Here’s my depth chart for the Eagles:

Point Guard:

1.     Bobby Grannum, 6-4 sophomore, averaged 12.0 ppg, 5.7 apg, and 2.9 rpg as a freshman and recognized as a true 5-star player.

2.     Glen Robinson, 6-2 senior, averaged 8.5 ppg, 1.8 apg, and 2.7 rpg last year

3.     Rashon Thorn, 5-7 junior, averaged 2.8 ppg, 1.4 apg, and 0.7 rpg in limited role

4.     Robert Dodson, 6-1 freshman, walk-on

Shooting Guard:

1.     Corey Graham, 6-1 junior, averaged 12.9 ppg, 2.1 apg, 3.4 rpg

2.     Glen Robinson, see above

3.     Adrian Moss, 6-5 junior, averaged 1.9 ppg, 0.8 apg, 1.1 rpg in limited role, but coaches report he’s showing major development

Small Forward:

1.     Keith Kolder, 6-7 senior, averaged 2.6 ppg, 0.5 apg, 1.5 rpg in limited role

2.     Maynard Gardner, 6-7 senior, averaged 1.8 ppg, 0.5 apg, 1.1 rpg in limited role

3.     Glen Robinson, see above

4.     James Pratt, 6-6 sophomore, ineligible last season due to transferring

(Any of these 4 could eventually become the regular starter at the 3 position)

Power Forward:

1.     Danny Toliver, 6-8 senior, averaged 7.4 ppg, 0.8 apg, 5.7 rpg

2.     Darius Hein, 6-7 juniore, averaged 5.8 ppg, 1.5 apg, 3.5 rpgp-

3.     Mike Williams, 6-6 freshman, H.S. last year

4.     Ben Schau, 6-6 freshman, H.S. last year

Center:

1.     Ben Schau, see above  

2.     Tim Cotton, 6-10 sophomore, 5.0 ppg, 0.8 apg, 2.9 rpg

3.     Danny Toliver, see above

4.     Freddie Hite, 6-8 sophomore, walk-on

All players can play 2 positions and some can play 3, as “6^th Man” Glen Robinson demonstrated so well last season.

While this team doesn’t have the one big star player who can carry a team, the Eagles have a bunch of very good players.  If Coach Aura gets them playing together, they’re going to be tough to beat.

Now as to Duke…they lost some good players to the pro draft, but as usual, they reloaded their roster with some top-flight recruits last year.  So they’ll definitely be contending for the ACC title.  Another team to watch this season…North Carolina.  They had a good recruiting year last season and are loaded at 4 of their 5 positions.  If someone can step up at PG, they’re going go be trouble.  So I’m picking Boston College, Duke and North Carolina to finish 1, 2, 3.  Coach Aura backed away from taking on being the favorite when he said, “My guys are gonna be tough.  I’m very happy with the players who will be on the court for us this season.  But I think there are 6 or 7 teams in the ACC who have the talent to come out on top in the standings.  So there really isn’t a favorite.  We’ll just have to see which team avoids serious injuries and wants it the most."

[PointGuard 70]

3^rd Assistant Coach Jeremy Anderson (scouting)            

We wrapped up our fall practices and are ready to begin playing pre-conference games.  We have a very challenging schedule that includes 4 home games, 4 away games and a tournament.  The teams we know we will face are: Alabama, Boise State (to start off the Maui Invitational), Michigan State, Stanford, Marquette, Missouri, George Mason, Providence, and Wisconsin.  3 of those 9 are ranked in the pre-season polls and a few others of those are likely going to earn inclusion as the season progresses.  If we can get through that torture in good shape, I think we’ll be well-prepared for ACC play.

Our starting lineup is solidly set at 4 positions: Grannum at PG, Graham at SG, Toliver at PF, and Schau at C.  We have 4 players (and possibly a 5^th) who want that remaining starting position at SF.  We’ll start by trying out Kolder since he’s a senior but then give Gardner a shot.  Kolder has been improving each year and thinks he’s ready to be a starter as a senior.  Gardner is going to be a star for us.  He still has a few rough edges, but has developed a long way now that he’s a sophomore and it’s obvious he wants to start and be on the court a lot.  If either of those guys don’t quickly take hold of the starting position though, Hein, Robinson, Pratt, and Williams will be contending to take it on.  Williams came here looking a bit lost initially but as practices progressed, his skills became evident.  He’s still like to be a reserve mostly at PF, but he could surprise people.  Pratt practice with the team all last season which he had to sit out since he transferred.  He’s a dangerous outside shooter.  Robinson and Hein showed last season that they’re more than capable at the “3” position, but personally I like the energy they bring coming in off the bench…and both can play 3 positions.

I don’t know who will be out top scorer, but I think it will be between Schau, Graham and Grannum.

What’s really be good to see is how good the entire team is defensively.  That could be our ace in the hole as the season progresses. I would say if we really need to crack down defensively at key points in a game, then put Grannum at PG, Robinson at SF, Pratt at SF, Toliver at PF, and Schau at C and watch how they clamp down on an opponent.

Rebounding?  Again, all 13 of our scholarship players know how to get position and attack the glass.  I’d put this team up against anyone on the boards.

Let’s get this season going! 

[PointGuard 70]

Nov. 15, 2030: #22 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (0-0) vs #14 ranked Boston College Eagles (0-0) at Silvio O. Conte Forum in Chestnut hill, MA

Brad Johnstone, alum and fan

I graduated from BC two years ago…got a good job in finance in Boston.  Livin’ the good life.  Love basketball, but more a fan than a player.  Friend of mine and I decided to get some season tix this year.

The new guy in the middle, Ben Schau, looked as good as advertised.  He scored 10 points and pulled down 3 rebounds in the first 6 minutes of the game.  That helped BC get a lead, but Alabama didn’t roll over and tied the game at 24-24 with 7-1/2 minutes remaining in the half.  The Eagles went outscored the Tide 12-4 as the half wound down and took a 41-31 lead to the locker room.  Schau scored 12 and had 4 boards and his replacement at C, Tim Cotton, had 6 points and 7 rebounds in the first half.

Alabama scored the first 9 points of the 2^nd half to claw their way within a single point of BC.  That seemed to light a fire under the Eagles and they quickly re-established a double digit lead.  Overall play by both teams in the 2^nd half was sloppy with numerous turnovers.  But Boston College shot well (51%) to come away with a 80-69 victory.

C Ben Schau finished with 17 points and 6 rebounds.  C Tim Cotton had 14 points and 7 rebounds.  SG Corey Graham hit for 12 points plus had 6 assists and SF James Pratt knocked down every shot he took to score 10 points.

Post-game discussion between Coaches Aura (FA), Friel (LF), and Montgomery (DM):

FA: Not a bad opener, but definitely showed some areas we need to work on.  I wasn’t happy with our trouble hanging onto the ball in the 2^nd half.  We can’t be making those mental errors.  And while we hit 51% of our FG’s, that was because Schau and Cotton were cleaning up inside and Pratt’s shooting.  But we looked pitiful from long-distance and at the foul line.

LF: Bama’s a good team, so some of those problems are due to their defense.  And some may be due to this being our first game.  But no matter, I’ll review the video of the game tonight and tighten things up.

DM: On a positive note, it really appears that Schau and Cotton are both strong this year.  I also was impressed by James Pratt’s play.  I think he’s showing he needs to be in consideration for a starting role at SF.  And Robinson did well coming off the at both PG and SG.  Mike Williams also showed he may be ready for some serious minutes at PF.

LF: Yes, I was really impressed with Ben and Tim at the C position.  We might want to put the two of them on the court together at times…say, Tim at C and Ben at PF.  I think they’d be one helluva duo up front.

FA: Pratt was impressive, alright.  And since Kolder and Gardner had relatively weak performances, James’ play was even more significant.  But I think Keith and Maynard will do better in our upcoming games, so the SF position starting role is still in play.  Another thing I was happy about was that we definitely have depth at PG with Grannum, Robinson and Thorn.  All three of them seem ready and able to guide the team. 

LF: Tomorrow I’ll have the team cleaning things up in practice and preparing for our first game in the Maui Invitational against Boise State.

[PointGuard 70]

Nov. 18, 2030: Boise State Broncos (0-1) vs #14 Boston College Eagles (1-0) in Round 1 of Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii    

Grant Kanagawa, Chairman of the Maui Invitational Committee

We’re pleased to have both of these teams in our tournament this year.  Boston College won our tournament 3 years ago.  They appear to be a strong team this season as well.  Boise State has been to the NCAA Tournament 4 of the past 5 years and always seems to put together 20+ win seasons.  Both Matt Bright and Fred Aura are up-and-coming head coaches who are in their early 50’s and have a history of building strong teams.

In our other games today, Maryland beat George Mason 78-63, Vanderbilt got by Houston 82-73, and Illinois-Chicago upset Saint Mary’s 86-74.  The winner of this game will go up against Maryland.

Great game early…both teams playing hard and the score close with several lead changes.  BC’s SF Marvin Gardner hit all 3 of his shots including a long 3 to give him 7 of the Eagles’ first 15 points.  In the middle portion of the first half, BC went on a 13-2 run to go ahead 30-18 with 6-1/2 minutes remaining in the half.  The half ended with Boston College on top 47-30 due primarily to hitting 56% of their shots.  Gardner led their attack with 11 points while Boise State’s top scorer was PF Marc Detmer with 8 points.

Boise State’s defense caused problems for the Eagles in the 2^nd half and with 9:45 to go, the Bronco’s were within 5 at 53-48.  BC recovered and quickly got back into a double digit lead.  They maintained that to forge a 71-60 win.  A big difference in the game was that the Broncos made 17 turnovers to just 8 by the Eagles.

Leading scorers for BC were SF Marvin Gardner-18 (he hit 8 of 10 FG’s including connecting on both of his 3-point attempts) and PG/SG Glen Robinson-11.  Boise State’s SG Orlando Walker scored 13 and PF Marc Detmer added 11.

[PointGuard 70]

Nov. 19, 2030: #14 Boston College (2-0) vs #10 Maryland Terrapins (2-0) in Round 2 of Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii       

Darrell Montgomery, 1^st Asst Coach

Maryland has two great freshmen, PG Keith Lee was the #1 ranked recruit last year and is averaging 11.0 ppg and is hitting 47% of his shots and SG Shamar Stewart was the #15 ranked recruit and is averaging 24.5 ppg.  Hopefully we can keep them in check.

Maryland was knocking down their shots early in the game as they opened a 23-12 lead after 7 minutes of play.  We fought back and behind SG Corey Graham’s 11 points, we cut the lead to 42-37 at the break. 

The Terrapins came out burning up the nets again as the 2^nd half started and took a 54-42 in the first 2-1/2 minutes.  With 10:24 left we trailed 67-55, but then went on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to 2 points and force Maryland to call a timeout with 8:14 to go.  With 1:27 on the clock, PF Danny Toliver hit a 10 foot floater that tied the score at 78-78.  Maryland came right back and scored on their next possession.  After a couple of missed opportunities by both teams, we called a time out with 26 seconds to go.  Our designed play failed and we had to foul.  They made one of two shots and we had 5 seconds to try to tie the game.  But we could only get off a last gasp shot from midcourt that was off target and we fell 81-78.  Maryland was just a little better than us.  The Terrapins run a small (4 guard) lineup that does an amazing job both offensively and defensively…and on the boards as well.  We weren’t prepared for it.  The Terrapins totally shut down C Ben Schau.  They front and backed him to deny us getting the ball into him.

SG Corey Graham had 18 points, 7 boards, 5 assists, a steal and 2 blocks.  PF Danny Toliver tossed in 16 points.  SF James Pratt scored 11 points. 

After the game Rashon Thorn was complaining about not playing enough and the coaches favoring Bobby Grannum.  Coach Aura talked with him.  Rashon was unapologetic.  Coach Aura told me he nearly suspended him but decided to let it ride for now and leave suspension on hold in the event his behavior is repeated.

The following night: Maryland beat Vanderbilt to win the championship of the Maui Invitational.

[PointGuard 70]

Nov. 22, 2030: Michigan State Spartans (0-1) vs #16 Boston College Eagles (2-1) at Silvio O. Conte Forum in Chestnut hill, MA

Janeka Aura

Georgetown plays tonight so I’m DVR’ng that game so I can watch how Malik does later.

The Eagles simply outplayed the Spartans throughout the first half.  Fred subbed frequently and the bench players performed nearly as well as the starters.  The halftime score was 44-27.  PG Bobby Grannum had a big half, scoring 14 points.  10 of our players scored in the first half. 

BC hung onto their big lead through the 2^nd half and came away with an 84-65 drubbing of the Spartans.

PG Bobby Grannum scored 20 and had 9 assists.  SF James Pratt added 10 points.  All 13 players scored for the Eagles.

We watched the Georgetown game when we got home.  Malik started for the 3^rd time this season.  They have him starting at SF rather than SG, as was expected.  He’s doing a good job on the boards and defensively plus dishing out assists, but he’s had a tough time scoring against as he familiarizes himself with playing at the 3 rather than the 2, but he did score 14 points in one game.  Fred thinks he’ll get it together offensively as he gains some experience.  He’s too good a shooter to hit as low a percentage of his shots as he has thus far.  The Hoyas beat Clemson 58-54 in an exciting game.  The Hoyas are now 3-1 this season.  After 4 games for Georgetown, Malik is averaging 6.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and 2.5 apg.

Providence didn’t play tonight.  They’re 2-2 thus far.  Omari has started every game at PF.  He’s averaging 10.0 ppg and 9.0 rpg and is shooting much better this year than he did in his previous 3 seasons playing for the Friars.  He’s been the top scorer in one game and the top rebounder for the Friars in 3 games.

[PointGuard 70]

Coach Fred Aura (FA) discusses players with 2^nd Asst Coach (Practice) Coach Landon Friel (LF)

FA: Let’s go position by position on what we’ve seen thus far.

LF: OK, well at PG Bobby Grannum sure showed what he can do in our last game.  And I like how Glen Robinson has done backing Bobby up. 

FA: I agree but Rashon Thorn’s performance thus far has left a lot to be desired.

LF: Yeah, but he’s not been on the court much so maybe that’s part of the problem.  But with the way Bobby and Glen are handling the “1”, there just isn’t much opportunity to give Rashon time out there to show us more of what he can do.

FA: SG is locked down too.  Corey Graham has done well, although his shooting percentage is down from last year.  But there’s been too few games for that to be a concern yet. 

LF: Corey’s also has been finding open guys and getting assists for us.  Again, Glen Robinson has backed up the “2” also and done it well.  Glen is just such a solid player.  The guy I had hoped would come on for us in reserve is Adrian Moss and he started slow, but played pretty well against Michigan State.  So maybe he will get it together and that would really help our depth at the guard positions.

FA: I’m really please by how James Pratt has played at SF. He’s shooting the hell out of the ball and doing pretty well on the boards for us too.  I think we gotta give him more minutes.

LF: James has put together 3 straight good games.  And Maynard Gardner hasn’t been consistent but he shows flashes of brilliance. With Keith Kolder not producing for us, it looks like we could pretty much split time between Maynard and James at SF and be in good shape.

FA: Both are hitting a high percentage of their shots. I just hope that continues.  What’s your thoughts on our bigs?

LF: If you’d have asked me a week ago, I’d have said Ben Schau has locked up the middle for us, but now his shine has been dulled.  His first two games were so outstanding,, but then he goes out and doesn’t give us much at all in his next two games. That may be due to being a freshman and needing to get comfortable with the variety of play by different opponents.  Danny Toliver has done a good job at PF and he’s pretty consistent.  But the guy who has impressed me of late has been Tim Cotton.

FA: Yeah, Tim has really come off the bench and produced, game in, game out for us thus far.  You know, I’m toying with he idea of starting Tim aat C instead of Ben and moving Ben over to the “4” for a game to see if that breaks him out of the doldrums.  Bringing Danny, Darius Hein, and Mike Williams in from the bench would give us all the depth we need. 

LF: What do you think of how Mike’s played?  To me, he’s been a big surprise.  I expected him to be mostly a bench warmer this season.

FA: No kidding!  He’s surprised me as well. He’s done well even though he’s been hobbled by that sprained toe for over a week now.  I’ve not been able to play him in any lengthy amounts of time, but when he recovers from that injury next week, I think we need to really increase his playing time and see if he can sustain his good play for longer periods of time.  And Darius hasn’t been scoring like I’d hoped but he’s banging the boards. He started last season and showed he can score, so I’m sure that will come along.

LF: Giving Mike more time sounds good to me, Coach.  By the way, I know our walkons don’t expect to play, but I’d sure like to get both Freddie Hite and Rob Dodson onto the court a few times this season when we have a decent lead.

FA: I will. It might not be for a while though, since I’m having a tough time trying to play all the scholarship players enough time that we can get a good assessment of their skills and performance.

[PointGuard 70]

Nov. 25, 2030: #16 Boston College Eagles (3-1) vs Stanford Cardinal (1-2) at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, CA

Ben Schau, C

Things went well for me in the first two games here, then I got shut down against Maryland and didn’t play too well against Michigan State.  So I now realize Division I ball isn’t going to be easy.  It’s going to take a lot of work and there will be ups and downs.  I’m tired of the down though, time for an up tonight.  Coach Fed has me starting at the 4 and Tim Cotton starting at the 5.  I guess he just wanted to shake things up a bit.  Maybe wants me to roam a bit more and get free for some more outside shots.  Sounds good to me.

We had a hard time getting the ball in the hoop in the first half.  And if it hadn’t been for Bobby Grannum chipping in with 9 points we would have been much further behind that our halftime 38-31 deficit.  Coach Fed told us to play solid defense in the 2^nd half and that each stop we made and each basket we made would be one step closer to our eventual victory.

I can’t say we played great in the 2^nd half, but we sort of just kept on Stanford’s heels… repeatedly getting close and then dropping back.  We still trailed by 2 with a little under a minute to go.  At that point we brought the ball up the court and worked it around trying to find a free shot, but James Pratt had to finally loft up a desperation shot from corner as the clock shot was expiring.  It was a little short and hit the edge of the rim.  I was able to reach up and get my fingers of the rebound and tip it in to tie the game with 27 seconds to go.  Stanford called a time out to set up a play for last shot. 

Coach Fed subbed Glen Robinson in for Corey Graham since Glen is a lock-down defender.  He  stressed to all of us, “No Fouls!”.  He then told us to let Stanford’s PG Kraft fiddle around running the clock down outside the arc with the ball while we employed our 2-3 zone.  Then when the clock got down to 12 seconds we’d quickly shift to our man-to-man.  He wanted Danny Toliver to bottle up inside their PF Brown (who had been hitting well from outside).  He said since Kraft wasn’t shooting well, he’d either try to drive and pull up for a short jumper or get the ball to either SG Voskuhl or SF Dyschenko for the final shot.  He told Pratt to force Dyschenko to hug the sideline so the best option pass would be to Voskuhl.  He told Bobby Grannum to cut off Kraft from making a drive and for him and Glen Robinson to anticipate a pass to Voskuhl.

The clock got down to 10 seconds and as the clock wound down Bobby Grannum picked off Kraft’s pass and fired it ahead to a streaking Glen Robinson who laid the ball in with 2 ticks on the clock.  Stanford was unable to get off a shot and we escaped with a 71-69 road win. 

I finished with 13 points and 10 boards plus 3 blocks.  Bobby Grannum also scored 13.  James Pratt had 11 and Danny Toliver had a good game with 10 points and 12 rebounds.  Tim Cotton only scored 6 but had 9 boards.

[PointGuard 70]

Nov. 29, 2030: #14 Boston College Eagles (4-1) vs Marquette Golden Eagles (3-2) at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI

Boston Herald

EAGLES TARNISHED BY GOLDEN EAGLES

After travelling to California where they eked out a last second two point victory over Stanford, the Boston College Eagles began their way back east by stopping off in Milwaukee to take on the Marquette Golden Eagles last night. 

The game began with both teams employing scrappy defenses which made it difficult to get clear shots and resulted in a bunch of turnovers.  BC’s offensive problems continued longer than did Marquette’s and after 9 minutes of play, the Golden Eagles held an 18-5 lead.  Late in the half Boston College finally began hitting their shots and narrowed the gap to 4 with 2 minutes left and that was the difference when the teams were sent to the locker room with the score 37-33 in favor of Marquette. 

Two minutes into the 2^nd half, PG Bobby Grannum cashed in a 3 to give the Eagles their first lead at 38-37.  The score stayed close until Marquette went on a 7-0 run midway through the half.  The Golden Eagles extended their lead to 63-54 with 5:45 to play.  A deadly combination of poor shooting and frequent turnovers prevented BC from catching up.  The final score was 69-63 in favor of Marquette.

The only Boston College player to score in double figures was PG Bobby Grannum who had 15 points, although that was offset by him making 11 turnovers.

“It was disappointing to let this game get away from us in the final 10 minutes.  But Marquette just played a little better defense than we did,” said Coach Fred Aura.

The Eagles now move on to finish up their road trip by going up against the Missouri Tigers.

[PointGuard 70]

Coach Aura commenting to 1^st Assistant Coach Darrell Montgomery after the game:

“Damn!  That was a p--- poor effort.  Even though I have to give credit to Marquette’s defense, we just never really seemed to get up for this game.  We got here early yesterday, so its not like our guys didn’t get enough rest.  They just never ignited.  We have to kick up the intensity level and not be so damned lackadaisical out there.  I know its tough to win on the road, but we were the better team tonight.  We just sort of seemed to be going through the motions.  We need to kick our guys in the butt and let them know to never put it on cruise control and that they need to play every game like it’s the national championship game, no matter who we play.”

[PointGuard 70]

Dec. 2, 2030: #14 Boston College Eagles (4-2) vs Missouri Tigers (3-0) at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Missouri

PG Bobby Grannum

The day after our loss to Marquette, Coach Fed got us into a Junior College gym and ran the hell out of us.  He really got on us about failing to play all-out.  I feel like I let the team down since I made a bunch of turnovers in that game.  I FELT like I was trying though, but just had trouble with Marquette’s defense.  And maybe some of our guys weren’t playing as hard as usual and that caused some of my turnovers by them being a half-step slow.  I get bent out of shape when my teammates don’t play all out and I’m not bashful about letting them know it, so I’m definitely not the best liked guy on the team (yeah, I know I can be a hard-ass).  But Coach Fed has it right about guys taking it easy.  I’m sure hoping Coach Fed feels like we put out in this game against Missouri, though.  Another practice like he just ran will likely kill us.

Here’s the highlights and lowlights of the game:

*Off to our patented slow start, down 6-0 and 9-2.

*Refs called 2 fouls on me in first 4-1/2 minutes. To the bench.  NOT happy!!!!

*Coach benched all the starters with score 15-2.

*Subs scored but no defense.  We’re down 31-14 with 7-1/2 to go in half.  Starters back in (less me).

*We cut into the lead a little but still trailed 44-35 at the end of the half.  Coach Fed blasted us in the locker room about our defense.

*Missouri makes first 19 points in 2^nd half.  We’re scoreless at the first media timeout and Coach Fed is furious.

*We get our first point, not points, on free throw with 13:27 to go. Trail by 27.

*All starters sent to far end of the bench.

*Our first FG of half comes with 11 minutes left in the game.

*Coach Fed puts in walk-ons for first time in season.  8:14 to go and we’re down 73-47.

*Game finally over. A 94-69 slaughter. 

*Reserves Glen Robinson with 16 points and C Tim Cotton and Mike Williams with 8 each are the top scorers for us.  No starter played even 20 minutes.

*Tough practices are on the horizon.  At least the road trip is finally over though.

[PointGuard 70]

Janeka Aura                                                                                                                     

Got a call from Malik.  He was depressed.  After starting 5 straight games and playing 30+ minutes in each of them at Georgetown, he’s upset about riding the bench in the Hoyas last two games and playing just 15 minutes and 8 minutes in those 2 games.  I tried to buoy his spirits but was unsuccessful.

Fred was at work, so I had him call Malik.  I also texted Omari at Providence to get him to talk with Malik.

That night Fred told me he reminded Malik that he’s a freshman and there’s a big learning curve in going from high school ball to Division I ball and that at Georgetown he’s got a lot of talented teammates.  Fred went over his last two games in which he scored 10 point in the combined 23 minutes on the court and hit 4 of 6 shots. Malik has not shot well in his games before those two games, so Fred told him to be happy about starting to get his shooting back in shape.  He told him to just keep working hard in practice, keep his spirits up, and to be ready to just contribute in any way he can during games, rather than worrying about starting.

Not sure what Omari said.  But since Omari didn’t start regularly until he was a junior at Providence but is now (in his senior season) the Friars top rebounder and shot blocker aand is the 2^nd highest scorer on the team, I think his brother will listen and learn from him.  I’m going to try to get down to DC for a Hoyas’ game as soon as I can.  I was hoping Fred could accompany me, but Georgetown has 4 straight home games coming up the next 3 weeks and BC plays the same nights each time, so that won’t work.  I’ll take Devany along with me. She can always brighten her brother’s spirits.

Speaking of Devany, she switched from playing soccer to field hockey.  While she was a good soccer player, she seems to be a natural at field hockey.  I think Fred was hoping she’d play basketball, but she wanted to go her own way and do something different than her father and brothers.

[PointGuard 70]

RyReys Blog, Ryan Reynolds

2+2 is not equaling 4 for Boston College basketball.  The Eagles land what are believed to be great recruits and transfer players and have strong and experienced players returning from last (in my book that’s “2”)  plus are ranked #5 in the pre-season polls and picked to be the top team in the ACC (yet another “2”), but have posted 3 losses in their first 7 games.  And the last 2 losses have been abominations. The had a late game meltdown against Marquette and an embarrassing total misfire against Missouri…two opponents that are not going to light Division I on fire.  The team has dropped from 5^th in the polls to 8^th to 12^th to 14^th to 24^th (and totally out of the top 25 in one poll). 

Who’s ultimately responsible for this season’s debacles?  I posit that it’s the one at the top of the BC totem pole.  Yes, I’m referring to Coach Frederick Aura, the coach brought it to SOLVE the Eagles basketball woes and lead them to dominance in the ACC and to nirvana in the post-season.  But it seems any positive aura is off Aura who is totally squandering the talent that is on his roster.  Yeah, the team now has a home game against a patsy (George Mason) so should post a win, but then they go to Providence, a team they’ve had absolutely NO success against the past few seasons and which already has won 7 of their 9 games.

To those in power at BC: How long are you going to maintain blind faith in a head coach who obviously is unable to take the team to the next level?