The image above is from Olivier Hanlan trending nationally on Twitter. A 41-point game will do that. I didn't expect that and I don't think anyone expected it when BC fell down 15-0 early in the game. But improved defense and a lights out day from BC's freshmen turned the game on its head. There will be plenty of superlatives for Hanlan in the next few hours. Let's start with the most points by a freshman in a ACC Tournament game. It was also the most points a BC player has ever scored in a Conference Tournament game.
Likes
-- Hanlan obviously. The scoring is going to get talked to death, so let's focus on the defense. Hanlan had three steals and his pressure helped turn the momentum in the game.
-- Contagious scoring. One player can lift the other players in so many ways. Other guys started knocking down 3s too. We converted 58% from beyond the arc.
-- Ryan Anderson stepping up. I don't know if he didn't want a freshman showing him up or wanted to get in on the fun, but Anderson broke out a few tricks today too. Donahue didn't like the hotdogging, but you have to like his ability to get his shot off.
Dislikes
-- The start. Georgia Tech got a little lucky on some shots, but I still didn't like that the guys came out in a fog. Great teams don't do that.
-- The refs. Complaining about the refs is lame, but I am going to do it anyway. Georgia Tech kept hacking our guys near the basket. The same thing happened last weekend. Donahue needs to work the refs a bit.
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13 comments:
the runs have been an issue all year, but its gotten to the point where it doesn't seem to faze the team when another team rattles off 15 in a row. i believe the UVA game they scored over half their points on runs, and we still won the game.
Hanlan's shooting was getting much of the praise, but his takes to the hoop were strong, and he drew contact a bunch like he has all year. he's an excellent player and the system really amplifies his strengths.
Rahon had a very nice game as well.
Miami's average age is 21 years old, i would bet the BC average age is like 19. they are a veteran team but I think if we play with the same aggressiveness on D and our shots are falling, we can beat em. (We nearly beat them this year at Conte)
couldn't agree more on the refs -- GA Tech was getting a ton of calls in the 1st, but BC never quit or let it get to them. good and bad i guess.
4 game winning streak and winners of 5 of the last 7. bring on the Canes!
Another dislike. Van Nest's defensive presence and rebounding is terrible. They need to get something out of him if they want to hang with Maimi's bigs.
good point on Van Nest. If he isn't hitting 3's, he's basically a 6'10 (or however tall he is) bball dummy. Caudill got in at the end of the game, his lack of fitness/skill is always surprising.
updated ACC averages for Hanlan:
17 pts 4 rebounds 2.5 ast, 1.3 steals. 49% FG, 43% 3, 3.9/5.2 from FT (75.5% FT).
would love to add a front court player recruit -- even if he's not 7 feet tall, if we got a 6'7 guy who fought in the paint and was strong, he'd do the trick.
Donahue is just such a bust tho...
As EL MIZ said, if we can grab a legit backup 4/5 (assuming Clifford will be healthy...) this team will be in really good shape.
Should make tourney next year, should be true contenders (top 10 team nationally, I wanna say 5 but I'll hedge) in two years. This all relies on Clifford being healthy (and good...), cannot be a top team with the lack of size we are currently rocking.
I noticed this pre-game quote in the Altanta papers:
"Georgia Tech forward Robert Carter put his intuition out for everyone to see. 'I’ve got a feeling we’re going to do pretty good in this tournament,' Carter said Wednesday. 'I think everyone’s ready to play.'"
HA! it is nice to be on the fun end once in a while
another dislike -- the location in Greensboro NC.
http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030603aaa.html
it is outrageous that 4 schools (NC, NC St, Duke, Wake) get essentially home games, while nobody else travels because who in their right mind wants to go to Greensboro NC.
especially now that we will be adding Pitt, Cuse, and ND, the game needs to be in a centralized, major metropolitan area. Atlanta, Washington DC, NYC seem like the most obvious candidates. even charlotte would be far superior to having the game in the middle of NC in a city of 200k people. i'd love to go to a tournament, but i'm simply not making a weekend trip to go to Greensboro NC.
A year ago I posted after attending a New Hampton vs. Tilton game that Olivier Hanlan was the best player on the floor. More impressive than Nerlens on that day. The kid can play--high basketball IQ, great motor. Great job by Donahue not only to recognize talent when others didn't, but to also develop that talent.
I liked Al, but Donahue is building a different program than Skinner with different types of kids playing a different brand of basketball. I believe that more success will follow as these underclassmen become upperclassmen. And, with increased credibility in the coach and his system you could see significant positive feedback into the program when it comes to recruiting.
Only time will tell what happens with Donahue at BC, but I am highly encouraged to see this very young team improve throughout the course of a season instead of crashing and burning due to a tough ACC schedule. Keeping my fingers crossed that I am witnessing the early days of an East Coast Mark Few or Brad Stevens...
Re: Working the refs. See what happened to Mooney and Richmond this afternoon.
There is a time and a place, and rarely do you want to 2 (let alone 10) FTs to change the pace of the game.
Besides, Donahue will be fighting calls that have been consistently awful since we joined the ACC.
Hope it all comes together next year, because Olivier will be gone two years from now.
Some of you know that GDF now has an office in the basement of the BC School of Theology & Ministry building on Brighton campus. Haven't seen much of him there, but yesterday morning he shows up for the STM's daily mass... Boom, we get a Jesuit pope that afternoon. Then, this morning GDF slips in the back row of my course on St. Paul the Apostle, stays for the entire lecture. Boom, Hanlan goes crazy.
So my question: is this divine vindication for Gene?
It's amazing if you go back to the Bryant game, almost everyone was calling for Donahue's head. Now, he is seen as building a program around a young team. Aren't we a fickle fan base?
I'm glad that you noted "almost" everyone. Did you? I'm glad that none of the negative Neds are my boss. They would expect top performance before I even knew how to get to the men's room.
None of us really knows how SD will work out in the longer run, but so far, so good. A good dose of patient reality goes a long way.
Guys, it's OK to be skeptical about the prospects for long-term success using Donahue's strategies and still root for the team. Really.
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