Boston College Basketball Lands 2013 Recruit Garland Owens

The Boston College Eagles landed their first recruit for the 2013-14 basketball season when Garland Owens announced his decision on Sunday afternoon. Owens had been weighing offers from Seton Hall and UTEP before making his decision to become an Eagle.

"I chose Boston College because of the coaching staff — they really made me feel at home and they really made me feel like a part of the family," Owens told NRS. "They helped me out a lot and they know what they need to do to get me to the next level. They play similar to the way I played in high school and it’s a great offense for me because I can use my athleticism to get up and down the court."

via NationalRecruitingSpotlight.com

Owens is a 6'5" wing with near-elite athleticism. In Donahue's system, he's probably versatile enough to play the 2, 3, or 4 spots. His biggest weaknesses are his ball-handling and his jump shot. Owens said that Donahue's ability to help him with his mechanics was part of the reason that he chose BC.

"The coaching staff said they can get me a lot of time in the gym and they can help me with my shot. [Head] Coach [Steve] Donahue is actually a great shooting teacher so he can help me out a lot on my weaknesses."

Despite the apparent holes in his game, Owens brings something that the Eagles have sorely lacked in the past two years. I mean no offense to the current guys on the roster, but once you see Owens' highlights, you'll see what I mean. There just isn't an athlete on BC's team right now that can do what Garland Owens can do. Even if his ball-handling and shot never fully develop in his time at BC, his jumping and cutting ability will add a much needed dimension to the Eagles' offense. On defense, he clearly has the tools to be an above average man defender. If he commits himself to learning the system, there's no reason he can't be a great team defender as well.

It's relatively early and we'll have to see what other recruits Donahue and Co. can bring to the Heights, but the commitment of Garland Owens is a nice start.

Now feel free to enjoy some Garland Owens dunking highlights.

Hat tip to MarylandHoops.net and @BeantownSports4 on this story.