Con-grad-ulations to the new Eagles

It has been reported by BC’s Athletic Communications that BC Men’s Basketball Head Coach Jim Christian has added to new Grad-Transfers to the roster. They are Rich Kelly a 6’1”, 175 lb, guard from Quinnipiac and Frederick Scott a 6’8”, 230 lb, forward from Rider University. Both players on paper fill holes left by the departure of Chris Herren Jr. and Jairus Williams.

Rich Kelly will hopefully give the Eagles another scoring threat beyond the arc as he is a career 39% three point shooter but shot as high as 45.7% from three in 2018-19. Last season he averaged per game 16.7 points, 4.5 assist, and shot 42.3%. As a freshman Kelly made the MAAC Rookie Team and made the All-MAAC second team the last two seasons. Kelly statistically is an upgrade from Herren just in terms of production but that production must be weighed against the competition he faced. The MAAC just simply isn’t the ACC. How Kelly will fit into the rotation with Wynston Tabbs and Makai Ashton-Langford returning to the lineup, Tabb coming off an injury and Langford finally becoming eligible, is yet to be seen. Kelly’s stats on paper seem good enough to start but it is more likely that he will be behind Tabbs on the depth chart (assuming that Jay Heath will be the other starting guard). I would not, as someone who watched Langford at Providence, be shocked if Kelly beats him out in the guard rotation. Yet even if Kelly doesn’t start or produce at the same level as he did at Quinnipiac he will add a veteran presence to the team as well as add depth to the guard position. Another scoring threat coming off the bench will also be beneficial to a team that struggle offensively so many times last season.

The comparison between Frederick Scott and Jairus Hamilton is not hard to make as both players are 6’8” and around 230 pounds. Scott had better stats this past season but he played in 30 games while Hamilton only played in 24 due to injury. Scott started his career at DePaul before transferring to Rider. Scott brings experience to the wing position where, unlike guard, BC does not have as much depth. In addition to depth and experience, Scott will also give the Eagles another three-point shooter. He averaged 40% from the three point line this past season and his career average from three is 38.5%. Scott was also a 46.8% shooter from the floor this past season, averaging 12.6 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game. I figure Scott to be a member of BC’s starting five to start off the season unless Luka Kraljevic or Kamari Williams make huge leaps in the off-season.

Both Scott and Kelly make good new additions to the Eagles roster but much like Derryck Thornton this isn’t a move that is going to change BC’s long term prospects. Both players could make a very positive impact for the Eagles but not in the same way as top recruits would. Scott for instance may be able to fill in for Jairus this coming year but I think many fans would prefer another year or two with a healthy Jairus Hamilton. Hopefully the presence of two more veteran players along with leaders like Steffon Mitchell will help the younger Eagles players develop.