UConn is dumb and so are the BC analogies

UConn is leaving the AAC to return to its roots in the Big East. This has been met with applause and head scratching in the college sports world. I am firmly in the head scratching camp. In my opinion, this move is risky and borderline nonsensical. I predict that UConn, in trying to reclaim past glory, will only sink all their future endeavours. I also think that anyone saying BC should do the same should also realize how silly that would be.

The Big East is dead
Whatever UConn thinks it is going to find in the Big East doesn't exist anymore. Yes there is still a tournament in Madison Square Garden and yes many of the teams they play are familiar, but the Big East is not the Big East of the '80s or even the Big East of the 2000s. TV audiences are smaller. There are fewer elite teams. The geography is spread out to the Midwest. Are the UConn fans who were disinterested in Memphis or Tulane going to turn out for Butler or Creighton?

It is coaching
While Villanova's success shows that you can win National Championships out of the Big East, UConn already won a title out of the AAC. Villanova's success was driven by Jay Wright. UConn's struggles post-Calhoun were just as easily attributed to coaching as conference. The AAC has legit basketball programs in Memphis, Cincinnati and Central Florida. UConn couldn't have beaten any of them lately. That's not because their players and fans long for the Big East. It is because their teams were bad. Maybe coaching will fix this, but changing conferences won't.

Giving up on Football will drag all sports
While their fans seems to think this move will give their programs new life, I think it will kill all their sports. Every coach who is recruiting against UConn can say, "they killed their football program. What will they kill next?" While I don't have a clear look into their books, I can't imagine this will improve athletic department revenues. We know the Big East TV deal is small. We know that football will be lucky not to lose a ton of money as an independent. Plus they have a $10 million AAC exit fee. Will ticket revenue from basketball and donations be enough to offset those decision?

Don't talk about BC and UConn
Predictably UConn's decision sparked talk from the pundits that BC should consider the same move. This is stupid beyond so many levels, namely the money, but also because the ACC is an entirely different group of schools. BC wants to be associated with Duke, Syracuse, Notre Dame, etc. Even those who don't care about sports realize that benefit to BC. Plus unlike UConn -- which declared itself a basketball school to the world -- BC is a football school. Our most public moments have been football related. Our fans and alums care more about football than any of our other sports. And football has given us an identity.

As has been proven out time and again in college sports, any team can compete from any conference. The key is always finding the right coach and giving that coach the right time and support to turn things around. Whatever failings BC or UConn have had in the last decade have not been one of conference affiliations. They've been bad hires or bad decisions. Both schools have challenges. I hope that BC is on the right path to fix ours. I am pretty sure UConn just made their problems worse.

Bowman made the right decision

Congratulations to Ky Bowman. Although the BC guard wasn't drafted, he did sign a deal with the Golden State Warriors. Given the Warriors' depleted roster and their need for cheap talent in the hopes of retaining Thompson and Durant, Bowman should get a legitimate shot at making the team. The difference between being a first round pick and a second is bigger than being a second round pick and an undrafted free agent. Second round picks are discarded by NBA teams all the time. The other blessing for Bowman is the renewed commitment to the G-League. Teams actually use it for true development now. It is not lucrative nor glamorous, but if the Warriors send him down, he will have a chance to comeback.

I don't know if Bowman will bother completing his BC degree. I would hope he does. Even in professional basketball, he would probably need it in most post-playing jobs (coaching, front office, etc). I know BC does help these guys the best they can with completing course work in the offseason or through distance opportunities. 

Despite a happy ending, I wish BC would be at the forefront of a rule change to allow players to return if they are not drafted in the NBA or NFL (call it the Hamp Cheevers rule). If BC is going to take a stand on paying players, why not make this stand too? Give players the chance to earn in the real world, but return if they change their mind or are given bad advice. If this is truly about developing them or giving them an education, changing that rule would seem like the something BC should believe in and support. 

I hope Bowman has a great career. He was fun the watch the past few years and I thank him for what he did for BC.

A look at the roster shuffle

The transfer portal has been up and filled with BC-related names, but not many answers from BC or the press. We got some answers Wednesday. Matt McDonald, who had been on the portal for a few weeks, is headed to Bowling Green. He will join fifth year Grad Transfer Davon Jones and former BC OC Scot Loeffler. While Addazio can't talk about it right now, I assume both had his blessing. When the season ended Jones seemed iffy on social media if he would even be asked back. McDonald showed promise in the Spring Game, but I think he still faced an uphill climb on the depth chart. Reuniting with Loeffler give both a chance to see the field. Addazio's son is on Loeffler's staff, so this has to be seen as friendly.

McDonald leaving also explains the recent commit of Florida QB Daelen Menard. Commits that come in late may usually have a story. Menard is small and dealt with injuries, hurting his chance to play at a high level. I am fine with taking a risk on him and Brian White and Addazio's hit rate on under the radar guys from Florida has been pretty good. Menard will hopefully continue that pattern.

Incoming transfers include former Miami OL Hayden Mahoney and former Clemson DE Richard Yeargin III. They join the long-announced Danny Dalton. Will any of these guys change the program? Probably not but like the Florida history, Addazio has a good track record of turning discarded P5 players into contributors at BC.

Baseball's bubble burst

After making an impressive run in the ACC Tournament, the Baseball team's season came to an end when they didn't make the field of 64 for the College World Series. They've been playing some of their best baseball the last month of the season, but the slow start to the year and some tough early losses hurt their resume. The ACC is well represented with seven teams. Hopefully one of them wins it all.

Lax comes oh so close again

For the third time in three years, the Women's Lacrosse team made it to the National Championship game. And for the third time they came up short, this year losing to Maryland 12-10. Despite the loss, the Senior Class leaves BC as the most accomplished in school history and can claim they put the program on the map. But where are things headed?

The history of NCAA Women's Lacrosse is relatively short. Maryland has been the premiere program, but they are in the heart of lacrosse country. The better model for BC might be Northwestern. They had a decade run when they came on the scene from a non-traditional lax school and won a series of National Championships. BC has yet to break through to win the big one, but there is no reason to think that they can not be perennial contenders.

The key will be next year. Acacia Walker-Weinstein has proven to be a great program builder. But now with her most talented players leaving, can she recruit and develop others? I think she can and as I have said before, I think like Jerry York, once she breaks through things will just take off from there.

More than sports

The BC Sports community lost two of their most beloved members this weekend in Andy Jick and Marie Grip. 

If you are reading this blog, you've probably read BC message boards or BC Twitter and know Marie Grip as Dixie Eagle. Like myself, she was a BC grad married to a BC grad living in the South. She reached out to me very early on in the blog and has been a great voice of reason for me and others for years. She was a realist without being a pessimist, someone who could be empathetic but also critical, all why showing a great sense of humor and grace. That's a tough combination to pull off online. And for those who did get to know her through BC, she was very genuine. As I tweeted, I never met her in person, but feel I knew her well. Putting so much time into sports and the subcommunities around them doesn't really make sense if you step back. The time, the money, the emotion...even in at its best is fleating. Yet those moments you do get and get to share with interesting people, make it worthwile. There was more to Marie than BC sports, but I am glad I got to know her through BC sports.

Although I met Andy Jick when I was a student, I didn't know him like I knew Marie. Jick has been part of the fabric of BC sports for two decades as the PA announcer for basketball and other sports. With his passing, numerous tributes went up online about his character and kindness. He will be missed and hard to replace.

Fenway finally gets a bowl

For the longest time, I've argued that BC and the Red Sox should spearhead a bowl at Fenway. Now it is finally a real thing. The first yet to be named bowl will kick off in December 2020 and feature an ACC team and an AAC team. You might as well just call this game the BC bowl because we will be in it more than any other team...and I am okay with that.

The reason I am okay with BC playing in a freezing bowl, down the street from campus is because the whole bowl season is a farce. These are glorified exhibitions that ESPN gets on the cheap during the holidays, propped up by sponsors and corrupt bowl committees. While the playoff is an improvement, the bowl season is still a mess and further and further from a meritocracy than it was 20 or 30 years ago. While every ten years or so BC lines up a decent opponent, in a somewhat desirable destination where our fans will buy tickets (NYC, Orlando, San Fran), most of the time we are in places and games that no one cares about. Heck the most interesting moment of Addazio bowl era was our game in an empty Cotton Bowl getting cancelled.

The allure of playing at Fenway is diminished, but we have history in the park. We won't get treated as second class citizens and some BC fans will actually get to attend the game. That is all good. If you view these things as made for TV events, the weather and location matters even less.

So welcome to the party Red Sox. Now let's get back to winning bowl games.

Allen, Harris highlight unique second day for NFL Draft

The good news for BC is that two more players were drafted on the second day of the NFL Draft. The unfortunate news is that both were in the 3rd Round instead of the 2nd. But both highlight how expectations and fortunes change based on a player's history and NFL team needs.

A year ago most thought Zach Allen would be a first round draft pick. He followed with a strong enough Senior Season to keep him in the discussion. However, his draft process did not help his cause. Whether it was his measurables or concerns about being too slow for DE but too small for DT, Allen fell out of the first round. Then out of the second. Finally the Cardinals took him and may end up with a steal. Allen did grade out very high for his actual game play. But aside from the contract, none of it really matters. What matters is that Allen gets his shot and is in the NFL. He will have plenty of chances to make those that passed on him regret it.

The Lions selected Will Harris in the 3rd round too. The most interesting thing about his selection to me is that Lions DC Paul Pasqualoni finally got a BC guy on his team. I have been shocked and disappointed that Coach P didn't take any BC guys last year (especially when Landry was there) and then this year passed on Allen. He was their position coach and more than anything should know what they are capable of doing in the NFL. Taking Harris is an endorsement of BC and hopefully a sign that he was going to bat for his former players and was just being overruled.

Yet another Eagle in Atlanta

11 years ago, the Falcons changed their franchise by selecting Matt Ryan in the First Round. He will retire with every Falcon record imaginable. If he is going to be a Hall of Famer, he will probably need four or five more years of elite play. A key component to the final stretch of his career will be a fellow BC guy Chris Lindstrom, who the Falcons selected with the 14th pick.

Lindstrom's story is a good one for BC. He was a solid, local recruit, who BC identified and closed early. He got good coaching and got better every year. Lindstrom also deserves a lot of credit for his work the past 12 months. He shot up draft boards with his senior year, great week at the Senior Bowl, strong combine and good workouts.

On a personal note, I am giddy. Matt changed what it was like being a BC fan here in Georgia. Adding another critical piece from BC will make all their success in the next few years that much better. And I think Lindstrom will be a difference maker here. The Falcons line has been bad since Shannahan left. Lindstrom will give Matt more time.

Congrats to Lindstrom. Congrats to the BC staff for getting him here. Go BC. Go Falcons.

Lessons for BC from the UVA win

Like Clemson in Football, UVA's basketball win is a reminder that BC is in the right conference and championship success is possible. You could argue that UVA's basketball history is superior to BC's (I would disagree) but they were a traditionally underachieving/middle of the pack ACC team when Bennett was hired. (Bennett was only hired one year before we hired Donahue.) We are not that far off. Here are some lessons from UVA.

Invest in facilities
Before they hired Bennett, UVA built a state of the art arena for basketball. BC doesn't need to duplicate John Paul Jones Arena's capacity, but could and should duplicate all the bells and whistles and of course practice venues and locker rooms.

Find the right coach who has the right system
Bennett's critics would argue he is all system (his dad's pack line D), but it has served him well at two Power 5 stops. His teams are always among the best defenses in college basketball. When things were at their best at BC -- Davis, Williams, Skinner -- we had a clear system in one of both ends of the court.  The benefit of having something, anything that you can turn to (2-3, flex, packline, havoc) is that you can plug in players year to year and you focus on executing instead of just trying to match your opponent possession to possession. If you are at a talent disadvantage a system can be an equalizer. With the right coach, superior talent and the right system, you can blow most of your opponents away.

You need good recruits, but not the best
This is a good summation of how both Virginia and Texas Tech did this without elite recruits. With one and dones on the way out, finding the right guys and developing them is going to become all that more important.

We've seen Clemson down. We've seen UVA down. Now both are on top. That should motivate and inspire BC fans and hopefully BC leadership.

KofiMania

HE. HAS. DONE IT!@TrueKofi HAS WON THE #WWEChampionship at #WrestleMania!!! pic.twitter.com/nrn2a8kSLm

— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2019

I know plenty of you don't know or care about professional wrestling. That doesn't matter. What you need to know is that at the biggest wrestling event of the year -- Wrestlemania -- a BC guy -- Kofi Kingston -- won the WWE Championship.

Pro wrestling is not a real sport, but becoming champion is about hard work, charisma, athleticism, and getting people to believe in you. Kofi put in many years and represents himself, Boston College and the WWE with passion, integrity and humor. Congrats to him on reaching his goal. Ever to excel.

What to make of the Spring Game

BC held its annual Jay McGillis Spring Game Saturday. I think we all know we can't read much if anything into the game. Throw in the Offense vs Defense, injury holdouts, and no tackling format and the value becomes even more questionable. So it begs the question, why doesn't BC do more to turn it into a truly unique event? Here are just a few ideas:

Instead of playing in a nearly empty Alumni, why not move it into the Field House. Fans can feel closer. Recruits will see our best facility and it will feel more intimate. 

Allow select fans to call plays or be in the huddle or on a head set. 

Create fan experiences/contests for breaks in the action (field goal attempts, races, throwing into a hole, etc).

I understand this is a nice day for the fans and kids who do attend, but at what point does BC try to make it a bigger event? That's not going to happen with the current style of football or the unique game set up. It will have to be by making the game more desirable to fans and a clearly separate experience from the typical Alumni game. 

As for Saturday's actual game, the highlights are above.

Bowman's departure confirms Christian's lame duck status

After BC's season fizzled out, some speculated that Ky Bowman might return in an effort to improve his standing among NBA scouts. Obviously he felt that leaving now made the most sense. While some disagree with me, I think Bowman's departure seals Jim Christian's fate at BC.

The only good news for Christian is that BC's little depth is on the perimeter. Some combination of Tabbs and the incoming freshmen will be able to backfill Bowman's minutes and some of his productivity. What is unknown and in my opinion unlikely, is that any will command enough attention to change what the other team does. Bowman had some off nights, but every time he had the ball, he shifted what the other team would and could do defensively. That opened things up for others and when needed, Bowman could just keep the ball and get off a decent shot.

And yet even with someone as skilled and respected as Bowman, Christian couldn't piece together a winning season. How will he now with less experience and arguably less talent? Maybe Pop's D improves...maybe Tabbs takes a huge leap and stays healthy...maybe one of the new guys proves to be great. But here we are again hoping that everything breaks Christian's way in order for BC to have a competitive season. Hoping is not how you build an ACC program.

Ironically Bowman's saga at BC can be seen as an indictment against Jim Christian's ability to run an elite basketball program. Finding Bowman deep in the heart of ACC country is the type of skill a staff at BC needs. We need to find guys others overlook and turn them into stars. The diamonds in the rough concept was the foundation of Skinner's best days and was critical to some of BC's best teams in the '70s and early '80s. But finding those guys is only Step 1. A truly successful coach would find those types and then actual build a roster and a program around them. Christian has shown he is missing that skill.

Bowman officially gone

Last year when Ky Bowman entered the NBA Draft, he didn't hire an agent so that he could come back to BC for his junior year. This year, he left no wiggle room. He has an agent and will not play college basketball again.

I wish Bowman nothing but the best of luck. He has been one of the few bright spots in a frustrating decade of BC Basketball. It looks like the NBA remains a long shot, but maybe he will impress through his workout process. He will have professional options somewhere.

Time again to talk Bruce Pearl

Following an SEC Championship, Bruce Pearl is now leading Auburn on a deep NCAA Tournament run. Any time Pearl has success, there are plenty of BC fans who wonder "what could have been." I was one of those fans for a long time. While I still love watching Pearl, I know that BC was right to never really pursue him as a BC coach.

Regardless of what people say, the only real window to ever get Pearl was when Donahue was fired. All the other times, either BC had a successful coach in place or Pearl had a job that could pay more than BC. When Donahue's final season was falling apart a strong AD could have locked up Pearl and dealt with the internal politics of getting him hired. Clearly Brad Bates was not that AD. Maybe Gene could have pulled something like that off. Maybe Jarmond. But Bates clearly didn't have the foresight or understand the politics to get BC to sign off on Pearl. That was probably for the best.

Pearl's time at Auburn has been filled with basketball success but plenty of off the court issues. Two different assistants have been arrested for illegal bribes. Pearl didn't talk to or work with former Auburn AD Chris Myers. He also hasn't been afraid of using the media to fight for a raise or get his named mentioned for other openings.

I am for changing the system and suspicious of BC's purity, but had BC hired Pearl we would be dealing with a whole host of problems and embarrassments. I want change and success, but Pearl was never going to do things in an acceptable way for BC.

Hockey season comes to an end

Hockey is usually the high point of any BC sports year. However, this Men's season was one to forget. The team struggled early, had a few runs, but more than anything kept tripping over themselves and coming out flat against beatable opponents. Things finally seemed to come together in the Hockey East Tournament. BC made it to the finals and nearly stole an NCAA Tournament bid, but ultimately came up short losing 3-2 to Northeastern. 

This is the end of the line for this crew. There is still plenty of talent returning. Now we just have to see if this year's problems were a blip or a sign of things to come. 

Hockey East won't punish BC for racial issue

Like many of you, I am just hearing about this racial issue during the BC-Providence game this weekend. Hockey East announced they won't discipline anyone because they don't know who from BC made the remark to Providence's Vimal Sukumaran. There are no official reports on what was said and no one from BC has owned up to the remarks. The game officials did say they heard the remarks but weren't sure who said them.

I don't know what was said, so it is hard for me to react. Anything racial is unacceptable and should result in punishment. I understand why BC would want this to go away. I wish they would help determine who said what so this could be resolved in a productive way. Right now it will just serve as another distraction with recruiting and the media and an unfortunate note on an unfortunate season.

BC keeps wasting everyone's time: Jim Christian returning for 6th year

There will be no official statement. No vote of confidence. No explanation. Maybe there will be a friendly article Wednesday or Thursday, but BC is bringing back Jim Christian for another year. This is the BC way now. We just waste our players', fans' and even coaches' time. Because barring some sort of miracle, we will be having the same discussion a year from now about Jim Christian. His record at BC is 62-100 (18-72 in ACC games) and he is very likely losing Ky Bowman from a team that just went 5-13 in ACC play. Maybe the freshmen really over perform. Maybe he tightens things up schematically. Maybe there are enough shakeups with the ACC middle class to unlock a spot for BC to elevate just a bit. That's a lot of maybes. The odds are the guy who has been a Power 5 coach nine years and only finished above .500 two of those seasons will probably be below .500 again.

In their leaks, BC was sure to slip in that the school is dedicated to building up the resource for basketball. That's not news. They've been actively raising money for basketball for a while now and will make announcements on what the enhancements are once they reach a gift threshold. But I don't believe better facilities is ever going to make a difference with this staff. We've seen enough missteps and poor efforts to know that this isn't just about a basketball practice facility.

Martin Jarmond is out there talking to the people. I am sure he will hear complaints and have established talking points (injuries, taking time to build, etc.) but I think he is going to face a lot of cynical donors and fans. And a year from now we will be talking about a rebuild with someone else that could have started this spring.

Christian rumor dump

If is Friday night and Jim Christian is still the Men's Basketball coach at BC. As I've been saying, the longer this goes on without any news means Christian is staying. I don't know what will happen, but here is a sample of things I've heard. None of this is verified by anyone in the BC Athletic Department. (I try to get official answers from BC whenever I think they will provide one. I know they won't say anything during a coaching change.) Some of these items even contradict each other, but that is how it is when dealing with this sort of chatter.

-- The assistants have been fired
-- BC was preparing a buyout payout for Christian on Wednesday
-- The assistants have thought this was coming for a while and have been looking for new jobs
-- Jarmond really likes/liked Christian and was openly defending him and this season to donors as recently as Christmas time
-- Jarmond looked frustrated on Senior Day as did Father Leahy
-- The basketball alumni do not care for Christian
-- There are fundraising efforts going on for improved basketball facilities
-- If there is a change, BC will look to traditional BC and BC-type names
-- The extension makes Christian safe
-- The extension is not punitive to BC
-- Christian is well liked among some of the bigger basketball donors

I know BC doesn't have to say anything if he is staying but the recruits might need to know and the fans are going to want some sort of explanation.

And now we wait

Frustration and speculation at the end of the football season nearly reached a breaking point. In three weeks we went from Game Day back to seven wins. The media kicked the hot seat talk into overdrive and Addazio people (apologists, agents, and friendly media) talked about his lack of a contract. And no news came from BC for days. When they finally got around to the extension, people joked that it read like a hostage letter. But even with all the talk, there was still a reasonable argument for not firing Addazio (recruiting, winning seasons, etc). There are no justifiable reasons for keeping Jim Christian.

But we don't know if Jarmond will make a move. As I tweeted, the people closer to BC think Christian is safe while the people more removed -- fans, media, agents -- think he is gone. What we have learned from Addazio is that the longer there is no news, the more likely Christian is coming back.

Since Gene left, BC is pretty tight lipped about these things. Don't trust leaks or gossip. I will share what I hear, but even then be skeptical. Also remember the Donahue twist, where he was telling people he was coming back only to be fired the next day. When a head coach is not getting a straight message, than no one is.

I have made it clear that I want to start anew. I hope Jarmond agrees and has a plan to get BC basketball back on track.