Hockey falls to ND and other links

The Men's Hockey team dropped their first Hockey East game of the season. It was a frustrating loss as the team built an early lead and watched it slip away in the second period.

The Women's Basketball team beat Providence. They will take a break for finals and then resume their season next week against Central Connecticut.

Here is another preview of BC's Bowl game.

TBT: Ten Years ago BC lost to 'Nova in tourney

Exactly 10 years ago today, BC lost to Villanova in the NCAA Tournament. Although a decade removed, it feels longer. That was probably the last time I thought BC could actually win the Tournament.

Even if they had made the stop in OT, hindsight also tells us that would have been the end of the road. Craig Smith was hurt and Florida proved to be a great team.

There were certainly good moments after with Skinner and even Donahue, but that team had the rare combination of talent, depth, great assistants and a coach at his peak. Plus they were likable. Maybe not to non-BC fans, but they were scrappy, funny and smart.

BC will get back to that level again. I just hope we don't have to wait ten more years.

Kennesaw St. hires Al Skinner

Kennesaw State made all speculation official by hiring Al Skinner as its next basketball coach. Many felt it was a done deal from the start due to the relationship between Skinner and KSU Athletic Director Vaugh Williams. Williams worked at BC (and got his masters at BC) during some of Skinner's best seasons.

There are numerous BC alums in athletic departments around the country who had the chance to hire Skinner since he left the Heights. I am glad that Williams finally did.

As I wrote previously, I think Skinner will do well there. He always had a good eye for talent and there are enough second-tier players here in metro Atlanta to compete. Plus the college game has drastically changed with transfers and 5th years. Skinner and KSU seem well positioned to find those guys looking for a second chance or one last shot.

The local media doesn't care about KSU, so that won't bother Al. The Alumni base is not overly demanding and won't expect him at chicken dinner after chicken dinner. All he needs to do is win and coach basketball. This works. Best of luck to him and I hope he goes out on top.

What is Kennesaw State and why would Al Skinner go there?

At this point I should just expect all Eagles to end up in Georgia. There are multiple rumors that the suburban Atlanta school is set to hire the former BC coach. To me this makes perfect sense. For the rest of you, this is probably a head scratcher. 

Even though it is not a well-known outside of Georgia, Kennesaw State is a rising university in the area. They've improved their offerings, their grad programs and are trying to transition from their roots as a commuter school. They've built housing but like other younger universities, they view sports as a way to get more students excited about the school. Think of how much attention Georgia State received during this year's NCAA Tournament. The leaders at Kennesaw want that same exposure. They've already invested in football. Now it is time for basketball. Once they demoted their most recent coach, it only made sense to go after an established coach. Skinner won't sell tickets, but he will win there and that is the end game.

As for why Skinner would take this job...some times it is as simple as it is the only offer to come his way. Skinner has interviewed multiple times over the years and never gotten that second chance. His (unfair) reputation and now his age probably hurt his chances at most major jobs and the mid majors in the northeast. Kennesaw offers one last chance to do what he wants to do: coach. The salary won't be huge, but it will be more than he is making at Bryant. With Al's eye for talent and his easy to install system, he can be one of the top teams in the Atlantic Sun annually. 

I hope the two sides can come to an agreement. It could be a happy ending for both.

Skinner's name floated for job and other links

College of Charleston is looking for a new coach after the abrupt dismissal of Doug Wojcik. Of course Al is getting mentioned. The favorite is C of C grad Anthony Johnson. I don't expect Skinner to get the job, but I think he'd be perfect. Plus who else are they going to get on such short notice?

Chase Rettig got extended playing time in the Packers' preseason game. It wasn't a great showing.

This article on Baker and Troy Flutie is a few days old but worth the read. Troy's recruitment and potential position has been a loaded issue from Day 1. It looks like he is handling it well. Let's hope he develops but isn't forced into playing this year.

Tweets of the Week

Learn. Learn. Learn. thank you #BC #internationalmarketing Education never stops.

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) January 17, 2014

@kobebryant thank you for representing @BostonCollege #amazing pic.twitter.com/gDxsAHs0Z6

— Josh Reed (@jreed0614) January 17, 2014

WHY DIDN'T THIS HAPPEN WHEN I WAS AT BC? http://t.co/9YHFnOgyCR

— Andrew Sharp (@andrewsharp) January 17, 2014

Pearl lied about a BBQ. (Which is now legal under NCAA rules). Petrino lied about having an affair with an employee he hired.

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravisBGID) January 12, 2014

Amen. RT @kelleyri: Good article on Al Skinner, a quality coach and a better man. http://t.co/N14paQCxjf

— Warren K. Zola (@WarrenKZola) January 12, 2014

This. #WeAreBC pic.twitter.com/5TjyUBgded

— BC Alumni (@BCAlumni) January 13, 2014

RT @BCAlumni: The last time Syracuse visited Conte Forum?This happened: http://t.co/ZAl28U8G6k We remember it. Do you, @JaredDudley619(yes!)

— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) January 13, 2014

The afterlife of a hit piece

Boston Media -- and especially the Sports Media -- love a good hit piece. It is a Boston tradition. Although out of the spotlight most of the time, BC figures have been subject to more than one over the years. One of the most glaring hits of recent was Bob Ryan's takedown of Al Skinner. At the time it seemed overly harsh and not surprisingly has followed Skinner around as he tried to work his way back into basketball. I don't know Ryan's motivations on the column or his sources, but I would venture to guess BC people fed him much of the fodder. And that is what bothers me.

Obviously Gene is long gone and in fairness to him I read plenty of Globe hits prior to his arrival (one of the more memorable). Maybe it is a Boston thing to protect your sources and attack their enemies. Think of how out of place and inaccurate Sean McDonough's rant on Jags was at the end of the BC-Florida State broadcast. Who knows where he got his info or why he felt the need to protect Spaz (supposedly they are friendly). But none of it is necessary. So far Brad Bates has played things close to the vest and hasn't got drawn into any media ambushes. I hope it stays that way. Because in the long run there is no winning in any of this. It all just reflects poorly on BC and everyone involved. I feel for Al Skinner and hope that he gets a second chance. He was treated poorly. Age more than anything is probably going to keep him from getting another head job, but a smart AD somewhere will hopefully see past that.

Al's replacement is entering a critical point in his tenure. BC and Brad Bates will have to make a decision and stand by it. However, whatever they do, I hope they back it up with clear reasoning and stand in front of the decision. Gossiping behind closed doors to win the spin never looks good and never helps anyone in the long term.

Mistaken mistakes

There are going to be a lot of articles like this in the coming weeks. But using Donahue's struggles to rehash the Skinner firing is not fair to anyone involved. Was it a "mistake" to fire Skinner as Donaldson writes? Probably. But you cannot judge it as a mistake purely based on where BC is now. And connecting the two issues is pointless since the man responsible for firing Skinner and hiring Donahue is no longer in charge of BC Sports.

Attacking Donahue as it relates to Skinner is obvious and pointless. His record will be BC's and our gauge. What another coach did 13 years ago, shouldn't really mean much. Donahue should be judged on what he's done and where the program is going. The mistakes Bates should be focusing on is how Donahue misjudged his roster, schedule and ability to adapt.

Donahue's last chance to save his job begins tomorrow. He not only needs the win. He needs to show potential recruits and BC's leadership that he has has fixed and has learned from his mistakes.

BC basketball's influence spreads all over New England

UMass-Lowell hired former BC assistant Pat Duquette as their new coach. I am happy for Pat as he was another in a long-line of quality Al Skinner assistants. Duquette getting the job was a reminder that while the local media might not always pay attention to BC sports, the other New England Athletic Departments do. And hiring yet another BC assistant shows that people in college athletics appreciate our approach to basketball.

Of all the college sports, men's college basketball might be the most exploitative of the student athletes. It starts before they even step on campus with the corrupt AAU circuit and then continues as men's hoops has an intensive travel schedule that really makes it hard to be a student and it all wraps up with a multi-billion dollar tournament that underwrites the NCAA. BC has done basketball the right way for a long time, but really became a program to emulate under Skinner and continues now under Donahue. Other ADs recognize that and so you now find BC guys leading Providence, Northeastern, BU, UMass-Lowell, and Bryant. (It should also be noted that former BC coach Jim O'Brien is at Emerson.)

Ironically while his former assistants flourish, Al Skinner was passed over for another local job. UMass-Lowell hinted at what might have been the problem -- "our discussions with Al didn’t go quite in a direction that would work as well for Al." I can only speculate on what was said, but it reads like Al wants to do things his way. I applaud him for demanding his way when he returns. One day soon an AD is going to let Skinner do things his way and won't regret it. Just ask all of Al's guys who are now leading New England basketball.

Baseball wins again! and other links

The Baseball team beat Harvard Wednesday 8-6 in our oft postponed home opener. Harvard is not particularly good either, but these are the types of wins our team needs. Our next game is against Clemson on Friday.

Johnny Gaudreau is a finalist for the Hobey Baker award.

Addazio keeps targeting local kids and offered Roxbury Latin's Kevin Cohee.

Rutgers probably won't hire Al Skinner but they should. Katz -- a long-time supporter of Al -- mentioned his name for the opening too.

Skinner and Donahue are separate issues

Jared Dudley's defense of Al Skinner in the Herald resparked the argument of where our basketball program is, where it should be and where it might have been had Al stayed. While we will know more about the state of the basketball program a week from now, dragging Donahue's progress in with Skinner's situation is not fair to Donahue.

I love Al Skinner. He's a fantastic coach who earned a better ending at BC. I am on record stating that any program that doesn't hire him is foolish. Dudley is right that "BC hasn't been the same since he left." But saying it now was probably not the best timing.

Steve Donahue is trying to build something. It's been fits and starts but we might just be turning the corner. I want Donahue to succeed and hope that he will, but Donahue's mission is why BC hasn't been the same since Skinner left. He is not trying to emulate Al or carry on Al's vision for the program. He made sure of that when he churned the roster quickly and changed the style of play.

We don't know where the program would be under Al now. And it doesn't matter since the guy who fired Skinner is no longer making decisions for BC. Steve Donahue has another week and then another season to show he has the program headed in the right direction. He should be given that time. We gave it to Al and it paid off in a big way.

It is time to induct Al Skinner into the BC Varsity Club Hall of Fame

I want BC to wait on most big decisions until a new Athletic Director is in place. It's only fair since he or she will have to live with the repercussions of those decisions. However, there are a few things that can and should be done immediately now that Gene is gone. The first is inducting Al Skinner into the Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame. The Hall has technically been independent of Gene, but his influence was felt. With Gene removed from the scene any potential politics or bad feelings between Al and Gene are a non-issue for the Hall.  Skinner has more than earned his spot. He's the school's all-time winnningest coach and rebuilt BC basketball in the late 1990s. I don't know Steve Donahue but the sense I get is that he would support the timing too. Things did not end on the best note with Al and BC. A Varsity Club Hall of Fame induction might be the best way to mend fences and say thanks.

Louis Hinnant speaks the truth!

Louis Hinnant via twitter regarding Georgetown's fight on their tour of China:

Say what u want about Coach Skinner, but he woulda had no problems with us whoopin ass if a brawl broke out #WeAreBC

Not much else needs to be said.


I still wish he had punched Paulus.

Perspective on the next basketball season

Reggie Jackson's departure has only been official for two days, yet many BC fans have written off next year's basketball season. Once again we are all guilty of forgetting the past. While we will certainly have some rough moments next year, I don't think things will be terrible. I doubt things will ever get as bad as Skinner's second year. Just look at Al's situation and compare it to Donahue's.

Returning talent
1998-99 BC returning players
Kenny Harley
Jonathan Beerbohm
Dwayne Pina
Nicolas Dunn
Julian Bah
Jim Boland

Harley, Beerbohm and Pina were the returning contributors. The rest were guys who never got off the bench and were not factors in Skinner's rebuild.

2011-12 BC returning players
Gabriel Moton
Danny Rubin
[Word is Cahill will be a GA and not a contributing 5th year.]

On paper, Skinner's returnees were deeper and better, but all were single digit scorers with limited skill sets. The upside of Moton and Rubin is that they are both specialists. Neither can carry a team but Rubin will hit open shots and Moton is a good defender.

1998-99 Transfers
Michael Cotton

2011-12 Transfers
Matt Humphrey

This is speculative, but I am leaning towards Humphrey as being the better option here. His stats at Oregon were pedestrian but there has been good word of mouth about him from BC for a while. Cotton had a big impact his first year at BC. His minutes and production went down as a senior and as Bell arrived.

1998-99 Recruits
Willie Deane
Osei Millar
Timos Papadimitriou
Brian Ross
Clinton Sims
Kenny Walls


2011-12 Recruits
Jordan Daniels
Lonnie Jackson
Ryan Anderson
Kyle Caudill
Eddie Odio
Dennis Clifford

This area is not in doubt. Donahue has more size and rated players hitting campus this fall. More importantly the California contingent come having played together on the AAU circuit. They are not in the same class as Duke's incoming recruits, but they are not pushovers.

What it all means
So even if Donahue's situation is better than Skinner's second year, that is not the most optimistic benchmark. The team was 6-21 and only earned three conference wins. Donahue could roll out five kids from the Plex and get six wins. I actually think the style of play and a heavy dose of 3-point attempts will allow BC to play beyond our talent and experience. But at least we know we've comeback from these sort of holes before.

The challenge with being a contrarian

College basketball is a coaches's sport. The guys in the fancy suits are the names. They are the familiar faces on TV. They pitch the products. While their football counterparts certainly get accolades, basketball's nature directs much more visual attention to the head man. And what sort of traits fit into the stereo-typical college basketball winner? What would you want and expect if you were building a college coach from scratch? 1. Vocal 2. Passionate 3. Great salesman of the program to fans and recruits 4. Capabable of Xs and Os to overcome talent gaps. 5. A grinder/workaholic. Al Skinner is not your prototypical college head coach. And that is probably his biggest problem.

In this interview with the Globe, Skinnner states that he wants to coach again. He also says it is important for him to coach in a major conference. Given the tone of the piece and the lack of gossip surrounding Skinner, I don't think many are calling. But why? Al's age is probably a factor. Hiring a fired coach is always tougher than hiring a rising coach. But I think Al's biggest challenge remains perception. Why would a school hire an unassuming, laid back coach when there are dozens of so many young coaches who have the potential upside and wear their emotions on their sleeves?

I am not here to rehash the Skinner firing at BC. I disagreed with Gene's move but like Donahue. I also agree with those who felt Skinner and BC basketball had become stale. But regardless of how it ended you cannot question Skinner's success. Al has an incredible eye for coaching and player talent. He had a deadly efficient offense. He's a much better game manager than people realize. I am confident that Al could go to any BCS program and have them in the tourney within four years. But I don't think it is going to happen. I think if Al wants one last run, it will have to be at a smaller school.

I loved the Al Skinner era at BC. A big part of that was the identity his teams had and his ability to win differently. I also think many of the complaints regarding Skinner are mistated and uniformed. Al Skinner is a great coach. He deserves another chance and any school that rolls the dice with a young unproven coach is missing on a sure thing.

Adios Atkinson and other links

Everyone expected Cam Atkinson to go pro after the season ended. But with BC's early exit from the NCAA Tournament, a few hoped he would return for one more season. It was not to be as the JR forward signed with Columbus. York gave a positive quote and we wish him all the best.

Thomas Claiborne knows he has a lot to prove to the NFL. Once a sure-fire draft pick, his uneven 2010 season has him looking like a free agent.

Bill McGovern told NFL scouts they didn't have to worry about BJ Raji's off the field issues.

Although they lost the finale, the baseball team took two out of three from Virginia Tech over the weekend.

Also, I am not ignoring this Skinner article. I just want to get my thoughts together before I rehash what so many have talked about already.

New England golden crop of hoops targets and other links

When arguing that BC cannot reach the next level in basketball or football, people often claim that there is not enough talent in New England. In basketball that might not be the case anymore. There is a strong and growing AAU pipeline and more and more top prospects are now playing in New England prep schools. Let's hope that BC can start to leverage our location...especially with the very deep 2012 class.

So far it seems like there isn't much meat to the 'Skinner to the Celtics' rumor. I actually think he would be a great fit for Doc Rivers and company. He's not the defensive specialist that Tom Thibodeau is, but Skinner was an under appreciated Xs & Ox guy.

Here is a feature the NFL's top agent and BC guy Tom Condon.

Nearing a conclusion?

The Globe, the Herald and WEEI are all speculating that BC is close to a decision on its new head basketball coach. I have always felt Gene would make his decision before heading to Detroit for the Frozen Four. That leaves Tuesday or Wednesday. Now Gene has never stated that was his timeline, but I doubt he wants this to linger for too long.

Most think Steve Donahue will be the coach. I've heard everything but have no confirmation on who will get the job. If the football searches have taught us anything, it is that BC will let each finalist/camp think they are getting the job. We almost lead them on and engaged up to the very end.

I know many feel the finalist are low rent and BC should have done better. I disagree. I think all the guys mentioned can succeed at BC. I know I've hedged a bit in this space, but if I had to guess right now (late Monday night) I would still say Cooley or Coen will get the job. No slight against Donahue, it is just my hunch. We will see what happens.

Katz on Skinner

Andy Katz came out to defend Al this morning. This is not surprising given their history and Andy's long-term history with BC. He also is critical of Gene, which might make him persona non grata at the Heights for a while. Although not an alum, I bet Andy feels that he'll be a BC fan long after all the current personalities, including Gene, are gone.

Rantings...

I need to vent about a few things related to what is being said...

If Gene avoids a certain type of coaches based on the flex, then he shouldn't be making this hire. Gripe all you want about the flex, but it was a highly efficient offense for BC. You can win running the flex. Maryland competes running the flex. The flex was never Al's problem. If anything we didn't run it enough this year. If Coen and Cooley interview and say they want to run the flex, Gene's response should be: "that's fine. How are you going to improve defensively?" Defense was always Skinner's problem. Not offense.

There won't be another shot to hire Bruce Pearl. Per WEEI: DeFelippo said he has had no contact with Pearl and does not consider him a candidate. “At this point, no, he’s not,” DeFilippo said. “That doesn’t mean he couldn’t be at another time.” Part of this is face saving. Gene doesn't want to be turned down by Pearl publicly, but there will never be another or better time to get Pearl. I hope Gene is just playing CYA. It would be shameful if he really did not reach out or talk to Pearl.

It is not all about the assistants. I would love to see Cooley or Coen take over. I think both deserve a lot of credit for BC's recent success. I also agree with Goodman that Al's current staff was not as strong. But analyzing the assistants while talking about Al's unconventional style is a disservice to Skinner. He won a lot of games at URI and BC. Other coaches may have put in more hours, but few got the same returns. Was it time for a change? Maybe but Al did something right for a long time.