Why Should Fans be Excited for Boston College Men’s Basketball?

Talk to most BC Men’s basketball fans about the upcoming season and they’ll likely respond one of two ways: groan or be surprised its already time for the season to start, as if they thought the season was cancelled. You can’t entirely blame them. For a long time, BC fans have experienced mostly losing and a feeling of stagnation when it comes to the program. Then there was the Exodus-like offseason where it felt as if the whole team followed head coach Jim Christian out the door. But the season is right around the corner and here are some reasons to get you fans excited for the Eagles’ return to the hardwood.

New Coach, New Era:

First and foremost, the arrival of Earl Grant should stir some excitement for fans. Grant comes to the Heights with a background of starting with very little and building up from there, which is exactly the type of coach BC needs. He also seems to possess the kind of energy a rebuild like this is going to take. With all of the departures from last year’s team, Grant will have an opportunity to build this program the way he wants without having to worry about much in the way of transitioning players into his new scheme. Grant’s “gritty not pretty” mentality when it comes to coaching will serve him well when it comes to finding diamonds in the rough on the recruiting trail. BC is going to have to do a lot with very little at the start, and Earl Grant seems like the man to do it.

The Langford Brothers:

While 80% of BC’s scoring has departed, the Eagles do return two very talented players in Makai-Ashton Langford and his younger brother DeMarr Langford Jr. Makai, the veteran, and DeMarr, the promising young sophomore, could form a core of stability for this very new-looking Eagles team. Makai was a top 50 recruit coming out of high school and after transferring from Providence will finally have a chance to be the star. Consistency and taking care of the ball will be the key to whether Makai can become a true impact player for the Eagles. This will be his best chance to show off his talents and promise as a basketball player. His brother DeMarr gives BC length at the guard position with his 6’5” frame. The pair’s familiarity with each other will be vital on a team that will need to learn to gel with so many different pieces.

A Plethora of Tall Versatile Big Men

In addition to returning bigs Frederick Scott, Justin Vander Baan, and James Karnik, the Eagles added some talent in the transfer portal with T.J. Bickerstaff and Quinten Post as well as talented freshmen Devin McGlockton and Gianni Thompson. Post and Bickerstaff are both big guys with long reach (Post is 7’0”) who can also hit shots from longer range, which will help open things up in the paint. Scott has the potential to be one of the Eagles’ primary shooters while also being a big body at 6’8”, 230 pounds. Vander Baan and Karnik could both provide BC with something they haven’t had in some time which is a true center who can control the boards down in the paint. Thompson and McGlockton, at the very least, provide BC with front-court depth, something that the Eagles struggled with in the last few years under Jim Christian. Perhaps, they could grow into impact players as the season progresses, especially Thompson. The combination of size and the ability to shoot the ball well could compliment Makai’s speed and ability to drive past defenders to the basket.