Miller commits

2015 basketball recruit Jeremy Miller committed to BC Thursday. Miller is a Top 100 prospect and the biggest name to commit under Donahue. Coming on the heels of the Syracuse win, this is good news for the embattled coach. But this doesn't change the prognosis that Donahue will be fired. Miller is a nice get, but we need at least three more elite verbals if the coach plans on staying.

Farrell decommits and other links

At times it would be nice to if coaches could talk about recruits. If Donahue could talk, maybe he could fully explain what is going on with Matt Farrell. He's the below radar basketball recruit who surprised everyone when he announced he had committed to BC. Even when word got out, there were pretty well sourced rumors that Farrell never had a binding offer from BC. What I heard consistently was that it was a preferred walk-on invitation. I don't know if Farrell spun it to the local media or if they never understood. Regardless, he is no longer committed to BC. Farrell says he'll still give BC a chance. I don't really care. Right now Donahue only has one scholarship for this class. He needs to use it on someone who can make a difference right away. Not a project.

The Maxwell Club named Addazio as a finalist for their Coach of the Year award.

The Basketball team will play in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off next Fall.

The Hartford Courant revisited the UConn-BC basketball rivalry in time for our Thursday game. I love how Jim Calhoun has altered his story on the BC departure. Where is all his bluster about it being a dumb and traitorous?

Maryland -- like every other team we play -- is focused on Andre Williams.

Do you remember Dorien Bryant? If you followed BC recruiting and message boards in the early aughts, you probably recall his recruiting roller coaster. He committed to BC and then had to go to prep school to become eligible. He then recommitted the following recruiting cycle only to spurn BC at the last minute. At the time many felt letting him getaway was a sign that TOB was losing interest in recruiting. Bryant is back in the news now for coming out of the closet. Bryant had relationships while at Purdue but was still uncomfortable coming out while still playing. I wonder if things would have been different at BC.

New hoops commit raises all the Donahue recruiting questions again

Steve Donahue is one of the best Xs & Os coaches I've seen in college basketball. He is also a good face of the program and a tireless worker. Those issues were all pretty clear early in his BC tenure. The biggest unknown was could he recruit ACC-level players. Four years in we are still asking that question. He's brought in some, but as we face losing Olivier Hanlan to the NBA, the Don's first commitment for the small 2014 recruiting class is way below the radar point guard Matt Farrell.

Here's the good news on Farrell: it is highly likely that he is a "preferred walk-on." Farrell hasn't mentioned that aspect yet and neither have the recruiting sites, but I am hearing is that he is. BC obviously cannot make an official comment on it until Signing Day. Preferred walk-on would mean that he is not guaranteed a scholarship, but will get a fair shot to earn one. For a kid with Ivy and Monmouth offers, the chance to play and compete at the ACC level can be enticing even if there are no assurances. I appreciate a player who has faith in himself to compete and succeed.

The bigger issue that this raises though is why is Farrell the first guy in the 2014 Class to commit. Donahue targeted a series of elite prospects. We only have one definite scholarship available. Another scholarship is expected to free up due to attrition. Donahue needs a star.  A guy who can carry the load after Anderson and Hanlan leave. We don't need another shooter, undersized point guard. Those guys can be found and had at any time. Donahue can pick them up at or around Signing Day every season. Farrell is a proof that those types will come to play at BC even without a scholarship. Guys like Farrell are the role players for a Championship Team. Where is our post Hanlan centerpiece?

For a long time I thought this would be a make or break year for Donahue. Then I heard that Bates was on board with the schedule and the direction of the program. BC needs to show improvement this year, but it is not NCAA Tournament or bust. If BC is above .500 and makes the NIT, Donahue will be safe.

I like Donahue and I want him to succeed, but I am worried about our future. Hanlan and Odio are his only recruits (so far) who have exceeded their pre-BC expectations. I would say Anderson, Rahon, and Jackson have met. Clifford looked like a steal but we might never see him at 100%. The rest of the recruits have not lived up to their hype.

Recruiting is not easy. Skinner missed on a lot of guys and didn't even try on some local stars. Yet he built credibility with BC fans by landing enough guys who exceeded everyone's expectations of what they would be in college (with the biggest surprises being Bell, Dudley, Rice and Jackson). Is Matt Farrell going to be all ACC one day? Will we get one elite player in the 2014 cycle? With the way the musical chairs are playing out, I am not optimistic.

Preferred walk-on or not, this is going to be a small recruiting class. Donahue needs an impact player and I hope he finds one soon. Welcome to BC, Matt Farrell. I hope you shut up all the Doubting Thomases and dumb bloggers.

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.

Magarity commits. Is he the final piece?

6'11 Swedish F/C Bill Magarity committed to BC Wednesday. He is eligible to play immediately. While not a program changer, Magarity was a nice pick up late in the process and gives BC some much needed depth on the front line. Magarity also raises expectations too.

Prior to the signing, everyone was hedging on BC's potential progress this year. The narrative had been established. Our scorers are all returning but "no one knows what BC can get out of Dennis Clifford." It is hard to win in the ACC under any circumstances, but when your lone 7-footer is hobbled, you cannot expect to be an elite team. Now BC has another big man. Magarity might not be as impactful as a healthy Clifford, but he fits Donahue's prototype (shooter first, high hoops IQ) and can at least put a body on the opposing team's big men. BC now has a upperclass led team, two elite players in Hanlan and Anderson, they can go big or small, Donahue now has a nearly full roster of scholarship players he recruited, and the team has depth at every position. There are no holes. I don't think BC's roster is loaded, but we have more depth than half the programs in the conference.

I've never doubted Donahue's work ethic or Xs & Os. The unknowns were more about building an ACC level program. I think he now has an ACC roster that fits his schemes. This is a tournament team now and if this team struggles, there are no more excuses.

It will be BC or Temple for Magarity

Zagsblog is saying Swedish Big Man Billy Magarity is down to a final three. I am hearing otherwise and that it is really just down to Temple and BC. The two schools went head to head for a transfer last year, with Temple luring in BU's Jake O'Brien. Temple is also led by Donahue's mentor Fran Dunphy.

I think Magarity ends up at BC. It is a fit for him and the chance to play in the ACC. I know there is a lot of optimism around campus about BC's chances. Now let's see if Donahue can close him.

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.