Hicks is gone

There were many "what could have been"s of the Steve Donahue era. One of the most intriguing was Darryl Hicks. But the injury bug that hit him in high school continued at BC to the point where he never even played for Donahue. Once he finally got on the court this year, we saw glimpses of potential, but nothing to make a difference with the terrible team. Now Hicks is gone. He's another example of predictable attrition as the roster truly becomes Jim Christian's.

With the depth the team has at guard and on the wings, Hicks was the odd man out. His minutes and productivity will be easily distributed. I don't think the loss will mean much to the success of this year's team.

I wish Hicks luck at his next stop. My advice would have been to stick out another year, get your BC degree and transfer. But maybe with all the bad luck he has had, he just wants a new start.

Darryl Hicks out with ACL tear

This sort of slid under the radar, but Eric Hoffses reported the incoming basketball freshman Darryl Hicks tore his ACL. No official word from BC yet, but you have to assume he will now take a medical redshirt. Losing Hicks is tough, but it really doesn't change the expectations for the season. I didn't expect Hicks to come in and displace Hanlan or Rahon in the starting line-up nor significantly cut into their minutes. It leaves us a little thin in the backcourt, but BC managed around it last year.

I hope Hicks has a smooth recovery. The silver lining of it all is Hicks potentially getting a fifth year helps the scholarship distribution.

Shinskie looks back and other links

I really enjoyed this article on Dave Shinskie. The one-time baseball star is really the forgotten man of the Spaz era. He went from flyer to great hope to promising starter to scapegoat all in two seasons. What's fascinating about the article is Shinskie's maturity and perspective. You would think a guy who arrived in his 20s would have understood the opportunity earlier in his football career. It is clear he loves BC, so I wish him nothing but the best.

Darryl Hicks officially joined Donahue's recruiting class by signing his letter of intent.

BC target Nick Carovillano received an offer from Buffalo.

The Heights uncovered Athletic Department salaries based on BC's tax filings. Nothing remarkable although it does shed light on how long we pay off fired coaches. Think of next year when BC will be paying Bates and Addazio as well as Gene and Spaz.

The ACC named Mikaela Rix and Covie Stanwick to its all conference Lacrosse teams.

Baseball lost to St. John's. Softball beat Hartford.

BC Law student Barrett Wilson-Murphy honored Boston while running the London Marathon.

Recruiting challenge reminder

Kentucky combo-guard Darryl Hicks committed to BC Tuesday. He's well-regarded and should provide some nice relief to both Rahon and Hanlan next year. Hicks represents a solid recruiting job by the Donahue staff and would be a nice piece in a stable program. BC's not a stable program and that is where Donahue's challenge comes into play.

We ended the season on a high note. Hanlan exploded and the team proved they could play good defense and hang with some of the best teams in the country. With our core coming back and maturing a year, next year should be a turning point. To break through we probably need one big man. A Center/Power Forward type would give us size when we face bigger teams and provide an insurance policy if Clifford never regains his old form. Hicks and his fellow incoming freshman Garland Owens are nice to haves but still leave us with a hole on the front line. And with two commits and the megaclass becoming Juniors, Donahue now only has two scholarships to work with and no impact big man on the horizon.

Donahue has to win next year. But at the same time he has to plan for life after the Anderson/Clifford/Odio class. Taking Hicks is a move to solidify the program.

Donahue has a few options. With two scholarships open he can still add more pieces to his current recruiting class. While that might create more imbalance, a betting man would guess we will have more attrition (Caudill?) freeing up other scholarships for next year's class. Or he can look for another 5th year like Van Nest who gives him size for one season. Or he can wait for an elite big man to come along and make the most of the guys he has now.

My hope is that he finds a big man for next year. Whether it is a 5th year, a Juco (highly unlikely) or a freshman. While scholarship balance is a good thing, I don't think we should take this year's finish for granted. We have a window next year. Win now and figure the rest out later.