Boston College 64, Florida State 60: Or HOW DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?
by Conrad Kaczmarek on Feb 9, 2012 1:02 AM EST
in Boston College Basketball
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Steve Donahue and the young Eagles rewarded the few fans that were willing to come out for this one. Going against #17 Florida State, I'll be honest, I didn't have much hope for this game. Fortunately, I know nothing and am usually wrong. The boys played with fantastic energy and hit a bunch of huge shots to grind out a 64-60 win. It was BC's first win over a ranked team in three years. The Eagles improve to 3-7 in ACC play and 8-16 overall.
Eagles Leaders: Points: Daniels, 21; Rebounds: Anderson, 6; Assists: Daniels, 5
Quick Thoughts:
The effort was phenomenal. I cannot stress this enough. After seeing this team play 35 minutes a game and then collapsing, it was incredibly refreshing to see them play a complete game. I kept waiting for the collapse. It never came. They just kept fighting and didn't give up on any possessions. They kept their composure and a fed off of each other. You could practically see them maturing on the court. It was a joy to watch.
The threes were falling. I'll be honest, BC is not better than FSU in any facet of the game, really. Tonight, however, they shot the lights out from behind the arc. 10 of 22 from deep and 57% in the first half will solve a lot of problems. Jordan Daniels and Lonnie Jackson were locked in and made FSU over-pursue on perimeter shooters to open up other shots. The offense was run to perfection at certain points.
It's amazing how much confidence I have in Steve Donahue. As I sat there in the press conference after the game, I just thought, "this guy gets it, we're gonna be alright". He is so calm, doesn't get caught up in the moment, good or bad, and flat out knows how to coach basketball. The kids respond to him and he gets them to buy into his system. He recognizes that we aren't going to be recruiting one-and-done freak athletes, so he recruits cerebral, high-character players. He implements his system and eventually it will work; that's the theory. I believe him when he says they are making progress. #InSteveWeTrust
BC benefitted from Benard James getting into foul trouble early. He's by far their best post player and basically lives in the paint. Dennis Clifford also got into foul trouble, so James probably could have done some damage....if he were in the game. But he wasnt. #Winning
Conrad's Player Of The Game:
Jordan Daniels
Hands down. Not even close. Was Lonnie Jackson awesome? Yes. Did Matt Humphrey blow by his defender on several possessions, have a ton of swag, and get a technical foul? Yes. Despite all of that, Daniels was still much better. He ran the offense efficiently with 5 assists to just 1 turnover. He was on fire all night and he poured in a game-high 21 points.
This was one of the most surprising BC wins I have ever experienced. I didn't see it coming at all, and I have a newfound respect for Donahue and company. The future for this team is certainly bright.
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All future BCI photos should be in the meme format. Nicely done.
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by Brian Favat on Feb 9, 2012 6:03 AM EST via mobile reply actions
3 Ball
Live by the 3 and die by the 3.
Duke 14
UNC 1
Roy Williams could had fouled for 2 shots and Zeller was a slow statue.
Upset
I can honestly say i thought they cud win this if fsu had a poor offensive performance which they sometimes do and if bc cud get the 3a goin
by BCeagles1994 on Feb 9, 2012 7:42 AM EST via mobile reply actions
i'm tentatively down with the don too
obviously its still to early to go all in with this fully endorsing this hire, but people have to like what they’ve seen so far… given how things looked going into acc play, after last night we can all but call this season a success in terms of exceeding expectations. The one thing I would like to see is a win on the road though
If you heard him speak, you might be willing to jump on board. I know it’s just a presser, but I enjoy hearing him speak 10234128 times more than Spaz. There’s no excuses, he is open about the process, and realistic in the goals. Seeing Jordan Daniels give him a bro hug type of thing after he answered questions is one of those things that makes you see that he really gets through to his players and they listen to him.
FearTheSword, SBNation's Cleveland Cavaliers blog
by Conrad Kaczmarek on Feb 9, 2012 8:38 AM EST up reply actions
Can I tell you how much I love #Winning?
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THIS = CONMAN!!!!!
If you heard him speak, you might be willing to jump on board. I know it’s just a presser, but I enjoy hearing him speak 10234128 times more than Spaz. There’s no excuses, he is open about the process, and realistic in the goals. Seeing Jordan Daniels give him a bro hug type of thing after he answered questions is one of those things that makes you see that he really gets through to his players and they listen to him.
How can you not jump out of bed every day and be excited to be around college kids???
TOB was a rude, lemon faced blob.
Spazoo is a excuse ridden mumbling fool like TOB’s humidity and facilities excuses.
My first season preview theme in August 2003 wsa NO EXCUSES!
Again, hopefully, the trusteesjettison GDF in June and we can get off to a great start since Miami has a ton of incoming freshman and we have Rettig and experience.
Should be a 2-0 Jumper!
Beat MD, WF, Army and you got 5-5!
Split with GT and NCSU and you go bowling with 6!
ND, Clemson, FSU, VT, NW - gotta be a Upset City there somewhere?
GO EAGLES!
hold the phone
where is all this optimism coming from? I"m all for a quality win, but let’s not get carried away with 1 win. We shot the 3 well for one game, it doesn’t necessarily get us over the hump. Also FSU is known to play up/down to their competition.
I hope donahue can get 3 out of the next 6, but it will be tough. Glad to see donahue getting a ton out of a not so talented team. That is a sign of a good coach, and hopefully he abandons I’m not going after high caliber athletes, because it will hurt him. We need a go to player, and we don’t have one. I still have a hard time believing that his system will consistently beat teams. We are sneaking up on teams this year, that wont be the case next season.
We need a go to player, and we don’t have one. I still have a hard time believing that his system will consistently beat teams. We are sneaking up on teams this year, that wont be the case next season
Raj,
I get what you are saying, but this is a team full of freshmen. They are still feeling out the system on the floor. Of course there isn’t a go to guy yet, because they are still in the process of figuring out who can do what.
I have been the biggest pessimist possible when it comes to football, but this team is different. True they have lost a lot, but they have also stuck around in almost every ACC they’ve played. I totally buy in to what Donahue is doing, and I think with a little more experience this team will stun some people next year.
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just a note
Don’t get me wrong, i’m not out on Donahue. I just think he chose to start with freshmen, so that’s not an excuse.
i think we will stun people. I just want us to be consistent. We shouldnt still be in the process of figuring out who can do what. Usually you’ll be able to see flashes of being a go-to player for a bucket, etc. Reggie Jackson, Troy Bell, Jared Dudley, Craig Smith, tyrese rice, all contributed in their freshmen year, Who will be that guy who will take the last shot, who will be our austin rivers (kid is nasty).
Cautiously Optimistic
I think that’s the term everyone should be using. I don’t think we should be ready to say this team is going to have a winning record next year in the ACC and that they have broken through. But, 3 wins in the ACC this year is a very good accomplishment. After the URI game, I was convinced this team wouldn’t win a game for the rest of the year.
Daniels having 1 turnover against a top notch BCS defensive team is a huge deal. Anderson has turned into a terrific rebounder and his defense has vastly improved. Clifford has tons of upside and has improved for the most part (it’s a little alarming at his regression the past two games, but everyone slumps).
With that said Raj makes some points. There are still issues. If Donahue still wants to recruit stand spot up guards with limited athletic ability he’s going to have to alter his offense. Historically, successful teams in the ACC have athletic guards/swing men (Jay Williams, Randolph Childress, Steve Francis, Bobby Hurley, Vince Carter, Grant Hill, Kenny Anderson, Ty Lawson, etc. I’m leaving out a ton of guys too). BC really doesn’t have a lot of athleticism at that position right now, and Donahue wants to play an up tempo offense he can’t do it with the guys he has at the 2 and 3 right now. They are either just spot up shooters (Lonnie Jackson and Rubin) or are erratic with some athleticism (Humphrey and Heckman) or small (Daniels and Moton)
Daniels was the best sign last night, getting to the lane and finding open guys. He is the one guard they have right now that can excell in what Donahue really wants to do play fast. I don’t think we have seen half of what he can do, because we are playing a slow down tempo and barely fast break. His only problem is at 5’8 everyone he guards can shoot over him, which can make him a defensive liability at times.
This team needs some guards who are taller than 5’8 are fast and can elevate to the rim. If Donahue can find those kids (and he can there are plenty who aren’t one and dones), his system has the potential to work.
Raj has a point, there’s no go to guy on this team and you can tell who those guys are early on. I’d go as far to say that right now they are all complementary pieces (and some good ones at that especially Ryan Anderson). Would you say that any of these kids have the potential to be as good as the players he listed above? I saw all those players as freshmen and I’d say no.
by tmcgoldrick80 on Feb 9, 2012 12:28 PM EST up reply actions
Tim,
I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but please remember how terrible Reggie Jackson was his freshman year. He was a trainwreck everytime he touched the ball. I just think it’s hard to evaluate talent—good or bad—-given that the entire team are rookies.
I think the two players that could really blossom given some experience is Lonnie Jackson and Dennis Clifford. Both have a ton of work to do—but so did RJ his freshman year—but if the offense can get more open looks, and Clifford can put on 20 pounds of muscle, they both could be very effective players.
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Jackson struggled at times, but he did have some moments. I wouldn’t call him terrible. He was a standout in both upsets against UNC and Duke that year, they wouldn’t have won either game without him. You could see something in him then. He was a turnover machine as are most freshmen.
Again, I’m not trying to be all doom and gloom. I think everyone on the positive and negative sides of this team are overreacting. I think there are some aspects to be very excited about and some for concern.
I thinks Clifford has tons of upside, but he’s gotta put on more weight and work on his post moves. I disagree on Lonnie Jackson. I think he’s a bench player/fringe starter to be honest. He’s a great shooter, solid rebounder and defender. I definitely think he can be effective, along with Clifford, Anderson, Daniels and yes Heckmann. His problem is that he’s not quick/athletic enough. He can’t get to the rim and can’t beat anyone off the dribble. Say what you want about Reggie Jackson he could do that as a freshmen. That’s the difference.
You can’t really improve speed/quickness and that’s what the backcourt minus Daniels is missing. They need faster guards for Donahue’s offense to effectively work in the ACC. He still has time, he needs to go get them (it sounds like Hanlan is a start).
They need a couple of true athletic scorers on the perimeter and then they will have something. I think they have a very strong PF/C combo now and for the future. Anderson is already a good PF, if Donahue can do with Anderson what he did with Biko Paris he’s going to be a better version of Joe Trapani. Clifford is ahead of where most skinny freshmen centers are. Good footwork and great work ethic. He needs to dribble less and keep the ball high when he gets it in the post. He could be a go to guy, but he’s still a project. Just historically in the ACC, most successful teams need a go to guy guard too. It’s a guard league.
by tmcgoldrick80 on Feb 9, 2012 3:20 PM EST up reply actions
Speed
I don’t know much about HS recruits but do either of the PG recruits Donahue has got for next year fill that need?
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Hanlan looks fast in his videos. He looks like he will be a contributor from day one. I’ve read mixed things on Rahoun. I heard he was pretty quick before he blew out his knee (which he hasn’t fully recovered from) and other places say he’s to slow for the ACC. Might be a sleeper (fingers crossed).
Again, I’m not trying to be all negative. Donahue winning three games this year is a big accomplishment. I agree with finding/recruiting under the radar kids, BC’s never going to get the McDonald’s All Americans.
by tmcgoldrick80 on Feb 9, 2012 4:20 PM EST up reply actions
Tyrese Rice had limited success as a frosh too, no? I remember him jacking up brick after brick against Michigan State in the Garden his freshman year iirc.
Editor, BC Interruption
by Brian Favat on Feb 9, 2012 5:00 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Ty also came up big in some big situations (UNC in the ACC Tourney, Pacific in the NCAAs).
All freshmen have ups and downs… Difference between RJ and Ty was they had veterans around them to take the brunt of the load on nights the freshmen were off. This team doesn’t really.
Rice finished second behind Hansborough for ACC Rookie of the Year. He had a pretty good freshman year. He won a game at Wake Forest for them that year too.
I know there are no veterans on this team, but I don’t think any of these kids are going to turn into First team ACC players which the players we discussed did.
by tmcgoldrick80 on Feb 9, 2012 8:46 PM EST up reply actions
While the guys we have may not be elite talent, I think that donahue has shown he can work with them… my main concern is that we don’t have anyone coming in to back up anderson and clifford. I don’t see KC as a solution for when clifford is in foul trouble and i dont think donahue does either (for the majority of last night’s game he went with a small line up as clifford had to spend large minutes on the bench and even though clifford only saw 18 minutes last night KC’s time was down from his usual amount to just 7min). We need a reliable third big.
according to espn
we didn’t even make an offer to any power forwards or centers either, except for chris reyes… who’s not really a very small PF
This is true,
but although reggie had a lot to improve upon he was still a highly regarded recruit… that is one thing that skinner proved able to do, bring in guys who were believed before even coming to college to be elite talent. Reggie was an espn top 100 prospect, so was rakim sanders the year before… I think the point is that in general the acc is about getting those type of guys who appear to have a world of talent and take over games, not only those types of guys who can be coached in the system you have… in that regard its kind of the opposite of football
Small pet peeve: the use of “BCS” to describe the six major college basketball conferences.
Editor, BC Interruption
by Brian Favat on Feb 9, 2012 5:02 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
If Donahue manages to recruit just one break through big time prime time dead eye ringer of a player – unbelievable things will start to happen with this program. Just one.
Keep the Faith Fuki and Eagle Nation
Donahue is a coach’s coach and I see a lot of Butler in this new era BC Program.
We will get that player soon and if not the just on the egde players will get way better with a HANDS-ON SHOWING UP COACH!
great game
Like everyone else here, it felt great to see us play so well and beat a quality (ranked) opponenent. We did a lot of things better, to name a few: 3 pt shooting (duh), less turnovers, and some pretty good defense (which we haven’t seen much of). An interesting note I haven’t seen anyone comment on is how Donahue used his bench. I haven’t previously seen much of Visockas or Cain Carney – I thought they each played signif mins and were not out of place in the least. It’s nice to get some more size in there and spell the key players w/o losing much.
I too think the future is bright with Donahue. I think he knows the game, can coach, has a system he believes in, and knows what he can and cannot get at BC. To pick up on Conrad’s statement: "He recognizes that we aren’t going to be recruiting one-and-done freak athletes, so he recruits cerebral, high-character players., I have a question. Why is that “recognition” ok for basketball recruiting, but not for football recruiting? Because we’re in the euphoria of 1 nice win? Really, not an argument, because I think it applies to all BC recruiting (with the exception of hockey of course).
I’m not saying any BC coach should not be going after the absolute best talent we can get, but at some point you have to “recognize” what you’re most likely to get and figure out how to win with that level talent. Football critics just spent 2 months ripping Spaz for this recruiting class, but we ended up getting pretty much what we always get, 2-3 star “BC guys” who the staff thinks have what it takes to play in our system – guys who will be develop and can be coached up, i.e. “cerebral, high-character players” who will stay for 4-5 yrs and fit in our system. Same as Donahue.
Just pointing out the hypocrisy.
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