Women's Ice Hockey defeated Brown 3-1 on Sunday.
This article dives into the Hockey team's issues on Power Play.
Considering they only went 1-2 and suffered two sound defeats, I actually think the 76 Classic was a net positive for the basketball team. We have no idea what we have, yet these guys are playing very, very hard. They are not playing smart yet and we don't have any reliable scoring options yet, but you can see the effort. You can also see Donahue coaching his ass off. He is doing his best to manage the games instead of letting guys figure it out on their own. I think the key in the coming weeks will be improving the defense. I also think BC needs to work for better shots (and obviously make them). But I still have tons of faith in this team based on effort alone.
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Basketball did show some solid improvement this weekend vs. the losses to Holy Cross and UMass...in both losses they were within 8 points around the under 4 timeout. The variance in who plays how many minutes is somewhat maddening (Moton, Lonnie Jackson, Jordan Daniels, even Heckmann and Clifford, go from playing 32 minutes one game to 8 minutes the next), but its probably just Donahue just trying to get a feel for what he has.
Also, Humphrey needs to stop pulling a John Starks by taking 18 shots a game and making roughly 2 of them.
Yeah, nobody has proven enough that they should be assumed to be a starter with lots of minutes for the next 4 years. Since this year is a wash anyway, there's no need to stick with a rotation now in November of Year 1 and bury other people for their career.
Humphrey looks like his confidence is completely shot, even when he's trying to do it himself. Gotta build him up somehow, we'll need him.
"tons of fait in this team"? i appreciate the optimism but after finally getting to watch this team over a course of several games let me me tell you: they are TERRIBLE.
This is by far the least talented (and least experienced) BC team I have seen since the pre-Troy Bell squads. I can't emphasize it enough, this team is horrendous, we will be lucky to win 3-4 ACC games, and that's a stretch.
That said, in 2 years I can see a solid nucleus providing we can recruit. Heckman will be a consistent scorer some day, humphries is a great roleplayer (but not a primary offensive weapon as he is now)and I see a good amount of potential in Anderson + Clifford. The problem is really that we have a lack of D1 caliber talent off the bench (and even in our starting lineup) As nice of a story as it is Cahill has no business getting more than 5 minutes per game.
It's interesting how the perception of "coaching his ass off" and a more visually appealing offense is going to buy Donahue five years of mediocrity. Personally, I would have preferred to have Rakim around last year, and Brady Heslip leading the team right now. But going all out to get those guys to stay wouldn't quite fit the "Al left the cupboard bare" storyline.
Some keep forgetting that this is an almost all freshman team. Others think that they have all the inside info on why players deserted BC when there was a coaching change. If you know why these guys cut and ran, tell us. Did we make any effort to retain them ? If not, why not? Was Donahue derelict on this, or a victim of Skinner getting no-character players? Did the players choose the school or the coach?
Folks, Donohue took Cornell to the Sweet 16. Let me repeat that. He took Cornell to the Sweet 16. This guy can flat-out coach. And the cupboard was indeed left bare by Skinner. He had zero signees 3 years ago. Zero! Those players not signed would be upper-classmen now.
Give this guy some time and I guarantee it will pay off. Also, freshmen can make great strides over the course of a season. It may not translate into wins, but they will be playing much better by March.
@timstwrt, i don't hear Donahue going around saying "Al left the cupboard bare." he coached almost the exact same team Skinner won 16 games in his last year (minus rakim) and won 20 games.
heslip i remember there was some issue with his dad being a tad insane? he is putting up nice numbers at baylor right now (11 ppg, 48% from 3) but until i see a quote from him saying donahue forced him out am i going to believe that to be the case. rakim is doing nicely at fairfield in his last year, but he was clearly ed cooley/skinner's guy and not at BC for the degree.
kevin noreen (now a sophomore at west virginia) and papa ndao (now a freshman at st joe's) were committed to BC and went elsewhere went coach D came on board. neither is performing at a high level.
i have a generally optimistic view of the basketball program, even with such a poor start to the season. i agree that heckmann, clifford, and anderson all look like they could be good players in a year or two.
donahue at an ivy league school got as far as skinner ever got at BC. skinner never recruited any 1 and done players so it'd be unfair to expect donahue to do the same. this program will reap the benefits of having a good coach like Donahue in a few years, not in year 2.
I actually don't have a major issue with Donahue. My problem is that it already seems like he's going to be given a benefit of the doubt that generally, and inexplicably, eluded Skinner. It's also amusing that the same excuses that we think are weak when they're made on Spaziani's behalf are ironclad when they come from Donahue supporters. And the Sweet Sixteen thing is not evidence of some exemplary level of skill.
I don't know yet if he's any good, and neither do you. But he's certainly being held to a different, lower standard than his predecessor, and it would seem to be because he's more media-friendly, yells on the sidelines more, and runs an offense that isn't excruciating to watch. These are perfectly reasonable standards by which to judge a basketball coach if the increased fan accessibility eventually results in wins. If it doesn't, then what was the point?
what was the point of what, changing coaches? BC was clearly declining, i think skinner's last season is indicative of that. the guy's he had penciled in were trash (other than heslip) and we were getting worse and worse.
the differing standard between donahue and skinner and even between donahue and spaziani is strange. why does gene favor donahue's engagement of the fans and student body, but then (seemingly) completely dismiss it with spaz. isn't spaz basically a less successful version of skinner, in skinner's last 2-3 years?
@timstwrt
Agree 100% that bball coach and football coach seem to be held to different standards at BC, and your line about Donahue getting more leeway b/c he yells on the sidelines is spot on. I often used to bring this up on message boards in TOB's last few years, as I couldn't understand how Skinner was lauded for running a good-but-not-great basketball program, whereas TOB was derided for running a good-but-not-great football program. The only semi-intelligent answer I ever received was that football is a higher profile sport and so people have higher expectations.
As a lover of basketball, and being at BC when basketball was relatively good, the "Davis and Williams" years, for me the bball program has always been treated, or at least it felt like, the step-child of the athletic program. Sort of exists because it has to kind of thing. It cannot compete with hockey's accomplishments. Be that as it may, I appreciate the current teams enthusiasm and eagerness to improve and I look forward to their growth and future success, but........... they have a looooong way to go. We have to be the youngest, leanest team in all of Div. 1.
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