Tuesday, March 29, 2011

ACC Hoops next year and other links

Duke and North Carolina are favorites to win the ACC again next year. As you would expect, a North Carolina-based writer picked BC to finish 11th. I am sticking to my early statement that we will be a bubble team if Reggie returns. If he leaves and we are totally dependent on the transfers, I think we will finish with five or six ACC wins and around .500 overall.


Jimmy Hayes is foregoing his senior year to sign with Chicago.


After dominating the indoor track season, BC's Caroline King earned performer of the week honors for her 1500 time.


On the recruiting front, New Jersey line prospect Ray Korang plans to visit BC. Tight End prospect Colin Thompson likes BC, Florida and Wisconsin.

20 comments:

EaglesBro said...

Just to clear things up for all the delusional BC fans out there, get this straight: REGGIE WILL NOT BE HERE NEXT YEAR.

That is all.

Anfield10 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anfield10 said...

Wow thanks for your insightful opinion EaglesBro. Really enlightening. I learned a lot.

I have no idea if he will be back or not. I live in the midst of serious ACC fans who think Reggie is really good, but they were all surprised when I said we were worried he might go pro. None of them really thought he was NBA ready.

I guess if I were him though, if he is told he will be 1st round I would go too rather than play with all freshman next year

EL MIZ said...

8 points and 4 turnovers in his NIT send-off game doesn't scream "NBA ready" to me.

EaglesBro said...

You have "no idea"? Sounds to me like you have a pretty good inclination.

As much as I wish it weren't the case, all logical signs point to Reggie leaving. At the bare minimum he will file to test the waters, a la Jordan Williams.

Why does he stay to play with a bunch of freshman in a system he doesn't really fit in with a coach who didn't recruit him?

Right now, ESPN has him ranked as a mid-first round pick, with the potential to sneak into a lottery spot. Who in his position would turn down guaranteed millions to play for a middling ACC team in what is shaping up to be another crappy year for the conference?

EaglesBro said...

I don't think he's "nba ready" either, whatever that means, but he will be drafted based upon his athleticism, as a good majority of first round picks are (Sean Williams anyone?). I'm not saying it will work out or that it's the right move. I'm just saying that it will happen.

Anfield10 said...

Oh well, I guess I see the logic in it. I just never really watched throughout the year and thought "man I am worried he won't be back" like I did with Herzy his junior year or something. Is it a really weak draft this year? No offense to Reggie, but mid-first round? That seems way high. He seems, right now, like an early-mid 2nd to me.

EL MIZ said...

from Chad Ford:

Keep an eye on Jackson. When we talked to scouts in early February, most had him as a legit bubble first-round to second-round prospect. In mid-March, virtually every team I spoke with had him firmly in the first round -- a few of them had him in the lottery. We've moved him all the way up to No. 23 on our Big Board.

Jackson has all the attributes scouts look for in a point guard. He's long, quick, shoots the ball well and is a steady playmaker. The more I watch him, the more I wonder why we didn't have him up this high sooner. He could be one of those players who skyrockets in workouts if he declares for the draft.

EL MIZ said...

regardless of what Ford says, I think Jackson could erase a lot of the doubts about him (ability to play point guard, more consistency) by coming back for his senior year and dominating the competition.

I think next year's team will fit a lot better than this year's squad. He'll have the same athleticism and wing span whether he leaves this year or next. (obviously I am hoping he comes back, I like our freshman next year and think RJ is due for a monster senior season).

Bravesbill said...

This year's NBA draft is one of the weakest in history. That is why Reggie is projected to go so high. If I was him, I'd take the money and run. Why on earth would you come back to play with a bunch of freshman? If he does, there's a good chance his stats go way down next year as the team struggles. Why risk a potential injury? Why risk having next year's draft be much stronger than this year's? Kyle Singler came back this year. He was a guaranteed solid draft pick last year. Now, he probably won't get drafted at all. We all know how staying for a senior season worked out for Matt Leinart.

mod34b said...

Bravebill -- Leinart was/is a bust as a pro, but staying his senior year did him no harm. He drafted 10th overall pick

Nick said...

Matt Leinart? What a bizarre comparison. Matt Leinart is just a terrible NFL quarterback. He would have been if he left after his junior year, too. It's also easily countered with about 1,000 examples of the other end of that stick - we all know how badly staying an extra year worked out for Peyton Manning. I also disagree with the notion that he doesn't "fit in this system." The guy was First-Team All-ACC while shooting near 50% from three after averaging 11 a game last year. Kind of difficult to argue.

That said, though it would make me sad, strictly from a financial perspective, Reggie would be best-served leaving, considering his draft stock and the weak draft class. I'd love to see him come back for his senior year and pair him with Ryan Anderson (like Troy Bell and Craig Smith in '02-03), and if he does come back, there aren't 10 better teams in the ACC, "Caulton." He could put up huge numbers.

Also, writing that article before the NBA draft happens reeks of the Charlotte Observer being tired of writing about the Hurricanes or the Panthers.

EL MIZ said...

Bravesbill, there is a flip side to that, though, with Jimmer being the most recent. Borderline first rounder last year, came back and dominated this year. Guaranteed top 15.

The list of 2 guards in a point guard's body that have failed in the NBA is long and tragic. If Reggie came back and proved he is a capable or at least competent point guard, his draft stock would certainly improve.

I don't know about the "weakest in history" comment either, it seems like a normal year.

If Reggie gets a guarantee from a team about a first round pick, then its hard to pass up definite money. But if not, I hope he comes back for his own good.

EaglesBro said...

Aside from the possibility of declining numbers, I would argue the main concern is injury or some other off the court issue hurting his draft stock. While I too would love to see him play another year for BC, I could certainly commiserate with him taking the cash.

Ideally, he would declare for the draft and test the waters without hiring an agent. He could then see where he's at with the possibility of withdrawal. He could also take out an insurance policy to protect against some devastating injury (see McGahee, Willis) if he does decide to come back for one more year.

Lots of options, fingers crossed, but I stand by my original statement that he's probably gone.

EaglesBro said...

http://bceagles.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/033011aaa.html

Ahem.

Bravesbill said...

I only bring up Matt Leinart because he was a guaranteed first pick after his junior season. He came back for his senior season and then dropped down to 10th the next year because of it resulting in him losing millions. His current success ot failure in the NFL has no bearing on the analysis. He dropped from #1 to #10 because he stayed another year. He lost millions because of that decision. If Reggie stays another year, he risks losing millions if he drops from a lottery pick to a late first rounder next year. Also, Jimmer is a horrible comparison. Jimmer was never a potential first round draft pick last year. In fact, he was a bubble pick to even be drafted at all. He had no choice but to come back for his senior year to raise his stock and try to vault himself into the first round.

EaglesBro said...

Gun to your head, do you take Jimmer or Reggie?

Anfield10 said...

Nuts. Alright EaglesBro you were right. I was holding out (in vain) hope. Man between Reggie leaving, and Cam Atkinson and Jimmy Hayes in hockey, this has not been a good offseason for us and juniors. Hopefully this is storing up good karma so Kuechly doesn't even consider leaving after his junior year....

Bravesbill said...

I'd take Reggie in a heartbeat. Jimmer is too small, too unathletic, turns the ball over way too much, is a horrible decision maker (esp. with shot selection), and can't defend to save his life. The apt analogy by ESPN: Jimmer:PG as Adam Morrison:Forward. We all saw what happened to Morrison in the NBA.

Lenny Sienko said...

Additional confirmation from ESPN:

BOSTON -- Boston College junior Reggie Jackson has made himself eligible for the NBA draft. But the 6-foot-3 guard says he won't hire an agent, so he could remove his name from the list and return to school.