Just sharing some revenue and endowment numbers

As the debate rages on about BC's commitment to men's basketball (and sports in general), I wanted to refresh people's knowledge of where we stand on two key figures: endowment and sports revenue.

(I am focusing on Catholic colleges, since it is one of our unique selling points and many Catholic schools have proven they can sustain winning, national basketball programs.)

Endowments

• Notre Dame -- $9.45 billion
• Boston College -- $2.31 billion
• Georgetown -- $1.66 billion
• Saint Louis -- $1.14 billion
• Holy Cross -- $1.01 billion
• Fordham -- $779 million
• Loyola-Chicago -- $750 million
• Villanova -- $711 million
• Marquette -- $668 million
• Depaul -- $595 million
• Loyola-Marymount -- $450 million
• Gonzaga -- $275 million
• Seton Hall -- $242 million
• Providence -- $213 million

Conference Revenue annual payouts

• ACC -- $26.9 million
• Big East -- $2.86 million
• West Coast Conference -- $1.8 million

BC to play Nebraska in basketball

The TV partners and conferences announced the pairings for the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. BC will face Nebraska. It is the first time the schools will play in basketball. Official start times will be announced closer to the season.

Nebraska wasn't very good last year, so this represent a real chance at a W. Christian doesn't really have a choice about this. The conferences determines our participation, but this an important game. He needs all the success he can get next year.

Make Monday's Doubleheader a 'thing'

Boston's latest snow storm forced BC to reschedule both the Men's and Women's Basketball games to Monday. The Men's game against Miami will start at 3:00 pm and the Women's game will start 30 minutes after the Men's game ends. The key aspect of the unique event is that admission is free! I understand that many fans won't be able to make it. However, students don't have the same excuses. This means that ALL STUDENTS SHOULD GO TO THE GAMES!!! There is no real reason not to go. "The teams stinks." So what? These are games they can win. They need your support. Maybe a little bit of fan support can push them over the top. "But it's cold. I can't get there." Most of you don't live that far from Conte. Even if you live off campus or Newton, you can make it. Just trudge through the snow. It will be warm in the building. "I have other things to do." What else do you really have to do that can't be done later? As I have said in the past, none of you really realize what busy is. It won't be the same after graduation. Take advantage of these moments now!

But it is not enough to just go to the games. You all have phones. Take pictures. Tweet it. Put it on Facebook. On Instagram. Or whatever else you might do. Get this trending. Make going to BC basketball games fun again. Make it a thing. Monday will be a slow news day and a slow sports day. If everyone in Conte starts cheering and making noise and taking pictures, it will be a game and moment you won't forget.

I don't know if the team will come through, but you can. Get there, make noise and have fun.

Women's basketball wins and other links

Women's basketball defeated Holy Cross 77-60. The team is now 7-5.

Here is ESPN's breakdown of all the bowl games.

Keep an eye on Ben Howland. The former UCLA coach is taking time off but wants to coach again. Barring a turnaround, I think we will be in the market for a new coach. Howland would be a great fit.

Spitballing basketball stuff

Just a few random thoughts on basketball...

It is a few days old, but there was some good news out of the BC's private scrimmage with St. Joseph's. Although we trailed when it was starters vs starters, BC won the event and made 14 3-pointers. That type of output should be very exciting. If it is a sample of our mindset we are going to cause every team we play problems. I know chucking 3s is not foolproof. However, if teams clamp down on us, we know Hanlan can penetrate and score at the basket. It should also open up things for Anderson. Maybe this really is Donahue's chance to go "all in." We've got a super tough schedule and an experienced team and an AD who didn't hire him. Why not try to shoot the lights out every night? What's the worse thing that could happen?

...

One rotation guy who is not a shooter is freshman Garland Owens. BC's been a bad defensive team for a long time now. Having one good energy/defensive wing like Owens is not going to change that. But as long as Owens can help slow down the other team's best player, we can go without his offense. 

...

I always seem to come back around to Dennis Clifford, but he's still such an unknown. When thinking about Darryl Hicks' likely redshirt, I started thinking that a Clifford redshirt is probably a good idea too. This team has an effective big man in Magarity. It looks like we will have enough depth and offense and we know Clifford is not going to be healthy enough to start the season. Instead of rushing him back, why not let him sit the whole season and get 100% healthy. It is a move that would certainly benefit Dennis. He could recuperate and hopefully regain his old form. It think it would also help our scholarship distribution. A healthy 5th year Clifford could lead a team after the departure of Anderson and Jackson and others. The only drawback is losing him in this critical season. I am not doctor or basketball coach, so this may be premature or plain dumb (probably both). I just think sitting him is the best long-term decision for Clifford and Donahue.

Donahue's scheduling logic

Basketball practice officially begins today. This is exciting news for what should be an exciting season. Much of the excitement will come from BC's overly challenging schedule. We've discussed the out of conference slate before, but last week in an ESPN article, Donahue explained why he gave his still young team such a challenge.

Donahue believes some of the beefed-up conferences will be so brutal that a strong nonconference performance might be enough to boost a team with a so-so conference record into the postseason.
"When a 9-7 Boise State from the Mountain West makes the NCAA tournament and an 11-7 Virginia from the ACC doesn't, I think in my position, I gotta wake up," Donahue said. "And that's what we did. We analyzed really our schedule. ... I don't want to be 12-1 [in the nonconference] with an RPI in triple digits and then have to win 13 games in the ACC."
And then there's the entertainment factor, which can't be dismissed.
"The other reason for me is I want to attract as many teams as we can that will excite our fan base," the BC coach said.

I keep saying BC will be a bubble team this year. That is probably not accurate. We will either be in or out based on our record. There won't be any ambiguity because our Strength of Schedule and RPI should be very high.

I don't know if Donahue's gamble will work. I assume it will because if he succeeds, he will have done everything the selection committee asks. And if he fills some more seats at Conte, we are better for it.

Putting Charleston behind them

I've been avoiding the topic for a few days, but the Charleston Classic was a disaster for the basketball team. 0-3 with the team looking worse with each outing. I don't think anyone expected a romp through the tournament, but measurable improvement would have been nice.

This afternoon the team gets to prove they've learned from their mistakes when they take on Auburn. The Tigers are the perfect sort of rebound opponent in that they are not particularly good -- in fact they had a disastrous run in Charleston too -- but they are from a major conference.

Although it is a home game, I think the Thanksgiving holiday will make for an empty Conte. Ryan Anderson is expected to play but will not be at 100%. If BC is going to turn their start around, they need to do the following:

-- Find another scoring option. Even with Anderson healthy, this is an issue. Jackson's been ice cold. Clifford hasn't been converting close to the basket. The freshman have potential but still made some bad decisions. Heckmann made tons of errors. I don't know who will step up, but I think the real problem is not being aggressive enough within the offense.
-- Defense. The defense was at its best against Baylor. The other games the guys looked lost, slow and tired. Did fatigue set in? I don't know, but if we stick with man, the guys have to be much better at blocking out and moving with their assignment.
-- Tempo. I know it is hard to push the ball with freshmen running the point and hard when you are not converting, but I think BC needs to push the pace against Auburn. Easier baskets will come and it gets them out of their rhythm.

Sharing Donahue's optimism

The coaches predicted a last place finish for BC basketball. So did the media. Maybe I am missing something, but I agree with Steve Donahue. I think we will be a good basketball team. Not best in the conference and probably not a bubble team, but competitive. We won't finish 12th in the ACC. Here is why I am in a "half full" mood:

Returning talent
Donahue is bringing back 75% of his offense and most of his minutes. The only significant contributor he has to replace is Humphrey. Even though last year's team wasn't good, the natural progression should pay off. Historically when big BC recruiting classes mature, there is a nice bump in Year 2. The Bill Curley class improved by six wins in their second year and finished above .500. The Antonio Granger/Woodward class (even without Herren) improved by 10 wins in their sophomore year and made the tournament. The Rakim Sanders/Raji class improved by eight wins and made the tournament. Of course those improvements were also impacted by other players who were not part of the super-sized classes, but the point remains. Natural maturity will pay dividends this year.

Improvement on the road
BC was 8-9 at home. 4-4 in ACC homes games. Yet we didn't win one road game all year. I doubt that will happen again. Especially when you factor in some of the close losses. Maturity will be a big factor as will dumb luck.

The second year in Donahue's system
I think Donahue is a very good Xs and Os guy and a good teacher. But I felt at times he was over managing the games. The players didn't think for themselves or find the natural rhythms of the offense. But that was to be expected. He was teaching all of them the offense. There wasn't any holdover who could help the players while on the floor. This year they will have more experience and push the tempo more...sort of like Donahue's first season.

The new guys and a healthy Heckmann
While not as highly touted as some other ACC freshmen, Rahon and Hanlan will contribute early. Heckmann had some great moments last year but a variety of health and playing issues made him a non-factor down the stretch. If he is healthy and focused, he will more than make up for the missing Humphrey.

3, 3, 3, 3...
We will shoot and make more 3s this year. It will surely cost us a game when we go ice cold, but I expect it will help us steal and surprise some teams too.

Please let it be better
Some of my optimism is just playing the odds. Some of this is buying into what Donahue is selling. But I admit, I also just want it to be better. Football season has been so painful, we need some non-Jerry York generated excitement around the Heights. I think these guys will do it even if the rest of the ACC doesn't.

In case you missed it: some links from the last few days

Virginia athlete Josh Tapscott committed to Spaz earlier this week. He's not highly rated, but I like his upside and picking up a kid in Virginia. BC also offered 2014 QB prospect Trace McSorley.

The Basketball team released their final roster. It includes Dragicevich and updates Kilcullen's for transfer.

One of the stats I do like is returning starters. If there is a real causation, we'll surprise people this year.

BC offered Cincinnati area OL prospect Dylan Wiesman. Regardless of the stars, I think BC needs to keep up a Cincinnati connection in this class.

Ron Brace's was honored by his high school.

Steve Flynn is excited about his walk-on opportunity at BC.

Heights and Lows embraced the idea of football returning to Fenway.

Watching Donahue coach

These videos have been around for a year, yet I just came across them. If you like watching coaches teach, you'll love the short little insights. The video's also provide a glimpse into Donahue's tone and intensity during practice. These show him working with last year's team. I imagine his style didn't change much with the new squad, but maybe the lessons were pared down a bit.

Winning a tournament without winning the actual tournament

(Eds. note: grades and recap won't be up until late Monday night).

BC now has two wins over BCS programs and we are not even in December yet. With that, I say BC's trip to Florida was well worth it. Sure, there were some rough patches, and we didn't win the entire thing, but the team seems to have confidence and ability. This trip proved that they can hang with anyone. It also showed they have some flaws and need to work on

I saw the first two games and listened to the third game on the radio. In each BC was able to control tempo, shift on defense and generate decent shots in the new offense. Outside of a cold stretch in the second half against the Badgers, BC had no trouble generating points. But more than the efficiencies, I liked the way Donahue and the team responded to each other. This is a veteran team. They could have checked out after Yale. Or Wisconsin. Instead they fought to the end in the loss and came out focused today against Cal.

I will have more on the Xs and Os prior to the Indiana game. In the mean time I think this year might have a better upside than we envisioned.

Basketball starts Friday and other links

Basketball is about to tip off!! Let's catch up.

I loved Al Skinner but I have to give credit to Steve Donahue for how he is handling the media and marketing. I watched him the other night on ESPN U's ACC roundtable and he was on point and comfortable. I don't think his persona will be enough to fill up Conte, but you can start to see how he is going to sell himself and the program.

The players are excited about playing for Donahue. I think everyone is expecting a big year from Jackson, but look for marked improvement from Elmore.

Although they haven't all filled out their respective paperwork, these are Donahue's first recruits from the early signing day. There is still room in the class if he finds other guys he is interested.

Here is an article on our California recruits and Eddie Odio out of Florida.

BC's offensive line will be very thin vs Duke.

Here is the transcript from the Gene Chat. Nothing ground breaking. Do you think he bangs his head against the keyboard everytime someone asks about lacrosse?

Basketball overview and other links

Like many college bloggers, I always get so caught up in football, that I probably don't give hoops and hockey enough coverage during the fall. I will hopefully bump up coverage in the next few weeks. In the meantime, check out this overview from BC.

The hockey team will have some regular appearances on TV this season.

Because Rettig hasn't played a down, I thought we should look back at Chase the prospect in anticipation of his start.

Here is a Q&A I answered for NBCSports regarding the BC-ND game.

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.

Busy Friday night

Basketball won despite the suspension. It was a career night for Tyler Roche.

The women's soccer team advanced in the NCAA Tournament by beating Harvard.

The men's soccer team lost to NC State. Despite the loss they should still make the NCAAs as an at large.

Basketball Season Grades: Biko Paris

In football the most popular guy is the backup quarterback. In basketball the backup point guard doesn't usually generate much excitement or longing. Yet this year you'd hear plenty of people wanting to see more of Biko Paris. The thought was the team was better with him at 1 and Rice at the 2 spot. While we will never know if Paris would have made more of a difference, we do know that Paris was very productive in his role this year.

Even though he is the closest thing we had to a point guard, Paris wasn't just a distributor. In the final weeks and in the ACC tourney he proved he could make big outside shots. Paris is also careful with the ball. His assist to turnover ratio was the best on the team.

While I think he'll play well in his expanded role next season, Paris still has room for improvement. He struggles a bit in the press. He doesn't take risks defensively but isn't particularly strong or able to just down top guards. We have no idea if he will sustain the same level of productivity if he starts logging 30+ minutes.

This is a glowing review for a guy who was only seventh in minutes played. He wasn't a game changer, but his steady hand and solid production was just what this team needed and will be a good foundation for next season.

Season Grade: B

Hoops news: Bryant win and Dudley traded

Beating up on Bryant
Al and guys took care of Bryant Wednesday night. Bryant is a fledgling program under BC grad and former Skinner assistant Tim O'Shea. Not much can be taken away from the win. All the regulars played well and they controlled the tempo throughout. If you are going to glean anything from the game, it would be the limited future of Dunn and Roche. They only saw the floor for a few minutes even though the game was never in doubt. Roche only has one year of eligibility left, but Dunn has got to be thinking about transferring.

Dudley now a Sun
Jared Dudley has a new team. I wish Dudley had been traded to the old Suns. They played smart, offensive focused basketball. He would have thrived picking up points. This year's Suns team is a different animal. That is problem 1. Problem 2 is that with Richardson heading to Phoenix too, the Suns are loaded at the wing spots. I doubt Dudley will see his minutes increase. Let's hope Jared catches on somewhere. His skill set translates to this level. He just needs a staff that believes in him.

Thoughts on the St. John's win

Since this game was on ESPN 2, I'm guessing this was the first chance for most of you to watch the team. In my opinion the game had a similar feel to the Loyola game: BC's offense stalled for long periods, the defense was lacking and Rice's spark in the second half helped BC pull away. Here are my quick thoughts. Share yours in the comments.

Good stuff
-- Rice scored with ease and took over the game when he needed to in the second half.
-- Ravenel looks good early and moves well without the ball
-- The team runs better than any recent Skinner team
-- We actually pressed a bit and caused problems for the the Red Storm
-- Trapani is more athletic than I thought he would be

Concerns
-- The team remains sloppy with the ball
-- The defense had issues in half court
-- Outside of Rice and Trapani, no one has shown that they can create their own points
-- Dunn looked overmatched when our other bigs got in foul trouble.

Thanks to Chris for capturing the mood before tip-off. For Eagle fans in the New York area, please come out and support the team at the Garden next week.

First impressions of the basketball team

I was able to watch the basketball team tonight courtesy of ESPN U. They beat Loyola (MD) 90-57. The game wasn't as crisp or as clean as the final score might lead you to believe. Here are my initial thoughts on the young team's second game.

Good news
-- The offense looked much better than it did all of last year. Rice got in foul trouble early so they played without him for much of the first half. Without him they ran plenty of plays from the flex and generated good, balanced offense.
-- Trapani looks to be a solid contributor. Raji gets "it" and knows how to make the most of his garbage points. When you think back to last season at this time and watch Southern now, it is a different person. His touch around the glass is very encouraging.
-- Once Rice returned, the transition game took off. Rice also got hot with his own shot late in the game.
-- Raji showed decent post moves. Jackson looked very fluid running the floor.
-- Ravenal held his own in limited minutes.
-- The flex looked good and Southern can make the pass to the baseline cutter.

Concerns
-- We are going to have defensive issues. The score wasn't close but Loyola moved the ball with little pressure. Their guards killed ours off the dribble.
-- Sanders' traveling habit returned. This guy needs to figure out what type of player he wants to be.
-- The full court trap flustered us a bit. Imagine what it will be like under a team of real athletes.
-- Southern's touch is nice but he needs to attack the rim more or he'll keep getting blocked.

At the end of the day this was a game at home against Loyola (MD). Tuesday we play St.Johns. After that we'll have a better idea if the team's struggles were part of a bigger problem or just rust.

Basketball Primer: Freshman Dallas Elmore

Al Skinner is coming off his worst year since the Troy Bell turnaround. He has a solid nucleus of young returning players, some new faces and a star in Tyrese Rice. Can it all come together and get BC back in the postseason? We will soon find out. In the meantime, let's take a closer look at one of the new pieces: Dallas Elmore.

Dallas Elmore, G, 6'5, 205lbs

What you need to know
This is tough to say before the games even start but Elmore is likely to be the odd man out this season. He'll be a wing player at the 2 and the 3 spots. That leaves him fighting for time against Raji, Sanders, Roche, and to a lesser extent when Paris, Jackson and Rice get moved to the 2 or when Trapani is used at the 3.

Strengths
One of the more athletic guys on the team. He can shoot from outside and move to the basket.

Issues
There are questions about his ball handling and his ability to rebound.

Miscellaneous
As the other Coloradan on the team, he is very familiar with Reggie Jackson. They played at the same level in high school and Elmore's career day was actually better than Jackson's playing against the same type of teams.

Outlook
I always like to think our next recruit will be a Dudley-type. But Skinner keeps a short rotation which means that if you arent't good enough early you may be shown the door. Whisper is that Elmore is decent but will be the third option at the wing. I hope he outperforms that assessment and becomes a solid producer.