Boston College males’s basketball coach Earl Grant is flush with continuity, a uncommon prevalence within the new age of high-profile collegiate athletics.
According to Grant, solely he and Marquette coach Shaka Smart are starting the 2023-24 season holding related pat arms. The Eagles have three starters and 9 lettermen again from a group that received eight common season ACC video games, together with upset victories over Florida State and Virginia, and one within the convention match.
“We have nine returners, which is rare in this era with transfers and NIL,” mentioned Grant. “Somebody instructed me on the ACC conferences there are solely two groups (in Division 1) which have that many returners and they’re Boston College and Marquette.
“It’s been fairly refreshing and there have been instances in follow earlier than I can really train a play or train a scheme, the older group may do it earlier than I train it.
“They teach the other guys on their own so there is a great understanding of what we are trying to do. That’s because of the continuity and all the returners.”
The trio of returning starters embrace 7-foot middle Quinten Post, who missed the primary half of final season with a foot damage, level guard Jaeden Zachary and ahead Prince Aligbe, who lit it up through the Eagles’ summer season tour in Europe.
Despite the wealth of depth and expertise on the roster that accounted for 9 convention wins, BC was picked to complete twelfth within the ACC preseason ballot. Post, who was the ACC Comeback Player of the Year final season, was voted preseason All-ACC second group and freshman guard Donald Hand was one of many 5 gamers listed on the Rookie of the Year watch.
“I pay attention to it and I don’t love it,” mentioned Grant. “We have good gamers and they’re performing some good issues, however I don’t adore it and I don’t get to vote on that for myself.
“Every 12 months they vote us fairly low. We are going to maintain working at it and give attention to the non-conference and be pretty much as good as we could be when the time involves play that second season.
“We know it’s a fight on every corner and we have a pretty good group. But I’m not going to dwell on that because that is where they picked us.”
The Eagles’ purpose is to play in March past the ACC match and final season’s 16-17 general document was the results of some unforgiveable non-conference setbacks. BC suffered poisonous losses to Maine, Tarleton State and New Hampshire and struggled to beat Stonehill.
BC begins the season at Conte Forum in opposition to Fairfield on Monday, Nov. 8, and performs regional video games in opposition to Harvard, Central Connecticut and Holy Cross. BC opens ACC play at North Carolina State on Dec. 2. Grant is aware of the Eagles should clear up on their non-conference opponents in the event that they hope to compete within the Big Dance or the NIT.
“The goal is to be playing in March and having a chance to advance in March,” mentioned Grant. “Whatever that means, that’s where we are at and that means progress and that’s breaking through to the other side.”
A tall order
Post describes himself as a “modern big.”
The 7-0, 250-pound graduate pivotman from Amsterdam elected to return the Heights to get extra seasoning for what he hopes will result in the professional profession. That would contain establishing his credentials as a “modern big” for all to see within the tough and tumble of the ACC.
“The modern big means having the ball in your hands a lot,” mentioned Post. “Old college basketball was submit up along with your again to the basket after which it bought to the purpose the place bigs have been setting choose and rolls. The trendy massive is aware of find out how to play with the ball in his arms.
“That means he is a kind of playmaker, shooting the three, passing and dribbling. Those are the things I can do and make reads, find the open guy, shoot the ball and be a playmaker from the center position.”
Post additionally has some unfinished enterprise to take care of. Post missed the entrance finish of final season with a foot damage and solely appeared in 19 video games with 13 begins. He scored 286 factors (15.1 ppg.) with 23 treys, 107 rebounds, 29 assists and 17 blocks. That was adequate to get some pre-NBA Draft exercises with the Celtics and the Nets.
“Had I been an NBA first round (pick), I of course would have gone,” mentioned Post. “I was going to work out for five teams but I tweaked my ankle. It was super cool experience getting the feedback. I missed a lot of last season so a lot of these teams were not familiar with me. But they were intrigued with what I bring as a modern big.”
Minutes man
Zackery is the one returning starter finest left on the ground in all conditions.
That was definitely the case final 12 months when he 6-2, 220-pound junior guard from Salem, Wis., appeared in 33 video games with 31 begins and logged a staggering 1,093.33 minutes (33.1 per sport). He completed second in scoring with 10.7 factors per sport and 31 treys. He led the group in assists (90) and steals (45), and grabbed 104 rebounds.
“This year I need to step up and be more aggressive and not just score points but create for everybody,” mentioned Zachery.
Zackery would change off from level guard to the taking pictures guard final season, sharing the ballhandling duties with Makai Ashton-Langford. Grant has a number of guys who can take it up the ground, however he needs Zachery full time on the 1 this season.
New outdated man
BC has many ACC-tested gamers again, however the one which bought away is the hardest to exchange. Makai Ashton-Langford was the Eagles’ most influential can-do participant on the ground as a result of he might rating from wherever and defend like a demon, however he transferred to the University of Central Florida.
To assist fill the void, Grant imported Claudell Harris Jr., a 6-3, 190-pound junior from Charleston Southern, the place he was a Big South second group all-star. He wrapped up his sophomore 12 months with 17.4 factors, 3.9 rebounds and a pair of.3 assists per sport.
“I wanted to play in the ACC and Boston College gave me the opportunity to get play time, make shots and evolve my game,” mentioned Harris.
New outdated look
Shooting guard Mason Madsen ditched the clean-cut well-adjusted Midwest search for one thing extra West Coast radical stylish from the 1970’s. Madsen let his hair develop out and donned an outsized logoed sweatband to go together with a full complement of facial hair.
“He looks like Bill Walton,” mentioned Grant. “I don’t know if I’m going to have him clean it up if it gets too long, but he’s a free spirit. I don’t get caught up in guys trying to have their personalities and be themselves. I think he looks OK, like a hippie but he looks OK.”
In spite of his first identify, Madsen didn’t throw up quite a lot of bricks final season. The 6-4, 195-pound senior guard from Rochester, Minn., led BC with 40 made three-point pictures. Madsen performed in quite a lot of ache final season and was not too long ago identified with an autoimmune illness he’s treating.
Source: www.bostonherald.com