With our shared Jesuit roots, BC has plenty in common with Gonzaga. But they don't have a football team and have used basketball to create their college sports identity. They also don't play in a Power 5 conference, so many of the things they do to compete are somewhat irrelevant to BC.
North Carolina is a fellow ACC school. Their success is a reminder that we are part of the best basketball conference in the country. Any ACC team can and should compete for National Titles. But North Carolina's historic success and unique brand makes their model a little more difficult for BC to replicate.
Oregon is not a traditional basketball power, so it is refreshing to see them in the Final Four. But the Pac 12 identity and the mountains of Nike money have little in common with BC.
South Carolina might not seem like the best model for BC, but they do give me hope. Like BC they are a Football school first. Like BC they have had moments of basketball success but are not viewed as the 'power' team within their conference. They have money but not more than their conference foes. Just a few years ago they were struggling, but made a coaching change and have improved. I also appreciate that they made the Final Four as a mid-level seed. Even when BC has been very good, I feel like we were underseeded, so a 7 making the Final Four is also encouraging.
BC has a lot of decisions to make about sports in the next 12 months. Unfortunately Basketball is not high on that list. But one day soon, things will turn around. BC will make the Final Four. If you don't believe me, just look at what South Carolina pulled off.
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Seriously, BC. ATL is your Pravda in shining armor. Throw some cheese his way.
The only problem is that BC will never pursue or land a coach like Frank Martin though.
The major difference, of course, is that five years ago South Carolina decided to commit resources to its college basketball program and hire a P5 coach. Four years ago, BC decided to do the exact opposite, and wasn't shy about it -- hiring somebody who had failed miserably in a brush with a quasi-P5 conference.
So, sure, BC could make a run in basketball. But the school needs to actually want to do that and commit the $ it requires. Not once over the last 25 years has BC taken anything but the cheap route when it comes to athletics so don't hold your breath.
Agree - no doubt we can have similar success if we elect to make smart decisions with respect to expectations, personnel (AD and coaches) and the $ we put into the programs. Otherwise - it'll be the same old shit. Good things don't happen automatically - you have to make your luck.
Other big difference are massive fan support at USC. And a real competitive take charge AD. These. Items missing at BC
ATL, what we are telling you is until the BC administration is committed to winning and supplies the resources, your South Carolina comparison is pie-in-the,-sky.
Georgia. I usually agree with most of your posts but your constant negativity needs to take a break. :-) Smile when ATL tells you nice stories. If you click you muddy Georgia boots it may come true
It's all about a commitment from the top of the house. Anything is possible. Facilities, established coaching and re-engaging alums are all necessary, not this half-ass approach that is currently in place
As long as Leahy is president, the administration will never put winning first. We'll likely never go out and hire the "hot" candidate or the big egoed, Saban/Coach K like emperor. And I am actually okay with that. I don't want us to become a football factory or basketball "one and done" program. We don't need that as part of our identity, nor do we need the headaches that go along with it.
What I do expect, however, is for us to hire an AD and coaches that preach discipline, hard work, humility, grit no matter what the circumstances are and who care enough about developing student athletes to teach them to achieve excellence in everything they do (and lead by example while doing it). From what I have seen, it seems like the SC head coach might have a little of this, so I agree with ATL's comparison.
We've found these leaders in the past and have had some great runs with our athletic programs. It wasn't too long ago football, basketball and hockey were all getting prominent post season attention. We can get back there without compromising who we are.
Damn, Mod. One itty,-bitty criticism and you turn me into Knucklehead lol
BC will make a Final Four? Not likely.
Why all this worry about compromising who we are? Nobody here wants or expects anything remotely approaching recruiting thugs or breaking the rules. Many successful programs are run respectably. And what is so incredibly great right now about who we are? What? A pathetic laughingstock of a loser playing in near empty venues with inherent goodness and high standards? I think we need a lot of compromising about who we are. All this worry sounds like people would prefer we drop down to the Patriot League so they don't have to lose sleep at night about "who we are".
Can somebody please interview the students/alums at Gonzaga, Villanova, Duke, Notre Dame, Stanford, Northwestern, Xavier, etc. and see if a substantial majority of them are dissatisfied with who they are?
How many of them had major gambling scandals in each of their major sports? We are little holier than thou sometimes.
I thought about that during the season to a certain extent. Are we fixing games? A couple of the guards are competitive but the rest of the team is not competitive at all. We need players who want to win.
nappy, no BC did not have gambling scandals. you sound like bill simmon trashing BC. Not BC scandals at all.
next.
Everyone talks about compromising standards as though that action is required to have competitive sports teams. Wrong !!!! Hire a very good coach and let him get on the recruiting trail with a reasonable budget for scouting the areas of talent. What does BC allow for a recruiting budget ??? That would be an interesting fact to know especially if one could compare that budget item to other schools like Nova , ND etc. I am tired of all the excuses that are made by so many people . One that kills me is : we are a pro sports town !!! If I heard that excuse from a coach or staff member , I would fire them on the spot.
M34 - yes, I suppose you're right - it was all exaggerated bullshit. We are better than everyone.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1978%E2%80%9379_Boston_College_basketball_point_shaving_scandal
http://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/07/sports/boston-college-bans-13-football-players-over-bets.html
And that doesn't include the hockey pushed under the rug gambling scandal. Only Scott LaGrand took to rap
Before Steve Donohue, BC looked at Jay Wright. He was given an offer below what he wanted which wasn't much and then the Dartmouth wonder was hired. Gonzaga has been beating the bushes outside the country for talent. Any black athlete with talent does not want the rigors of a BC education. Sabonis from Lithuania is a case in point. His super talented dad wanted him to go to a good college and he ended up at Gonzaga. Rick Majerus got talented players from Australia and New Zealand so that he could compete successfully at St. Louis University. That is the route that BC should go. Instead, they are hoping that Jared Dudley will say some nice things about the Heights and then a chorus of black athletes will want to compete in the ACC. If BC rightfully wouldn't let Patrick Ewing in, then it ain't gonna happen. Instead, they are chasing off white talent like Joe Rahon of St. Mary's by bringing in a few "shots in the dark" who want to take 30 shots a game on the way to an NBA tryout. Christian will not put his foot down because he wants his paycheck. Actually, Addazio has the same problem. He wants black recruits and that is why he put the wraps on Patrick. Willis runs a sub 4.5 40 for the NFL and the Dazzler won't play him. What is going on?
Nap. Scandals by Rogue disloyal players. Neither a BC scandal. Sleep in shit if you must, but neither a BC scandal. BC the institution never implicated or punished (because it did no wrong). Compare UNC
You are so correct - mod34b - on both counts. NOW ,ONTO UNC INSTITUTIONAL FRAUD - doesn't seem to be making the sports pages or ESPN etc. - WOW - if that were BC - the story would get DAILY ATTENTION !!!!!
I agree that it wasn't as bad as the UNC situation as the institution there effectively engineered the problem to keep their players qualified. But many of the issues around big time athletics deal with the personal conduct of players not condoned by their schools. All I'm saying is that sometimes we act like our shit never stinks as an excuse not to be competitive at a high level. The truth is that we've had our own issues - and were able to manage them. Nothing is risk free. And yes - any religious based institution with a problem will receive disproportionate attention as the press believe that they are highlighting some kind of hypocrisy. My guess is that the UNC issue raises a host of issues - some relating to race - that the press and NCAA is uncomfortable publicizing.
Well , NAP, , it is about time that society and quite frankly the NCAA deal with issues that need attention and stop worrying about political correctness . That is hypocrisy at its highest. UNC IS DESPICABLE AND TO THINK THESE ISSUES THAT WERE PERPETUATED YEAR AFTER YEAR WERE KNOWN BY THEIR ADMINISTRATION. A very sad situation !!!!!!!!!!! And they are in the final four !!!!!!!
Guido - academia invented political correctness and, as you have seen in the news relating to a number of things, its coming back to haunt them. The UNC thing was outrageous but hardly surprising. The NCAA would probably like to bury it as this kind of craziness is probably going on at a wide number of universities engaged in big time sports. When you see players being interviewed who can hardly structure or articulate an English sentence - do you think they are anywhere near able to handle college academics? Of course they aren't - the NCAA knows that - and the schools play the same games as UNC to preserve eligibility for as long as possible. Its all about the money and university presidents who have no balls. While BC's athletes are not all PhD material - I think we do an admirable job - particularly as they need to get through our core requirements and we do not even have phys ed as a major. And that should never change.
You are correct NAP - and BC fans should be very proud that their school attempts to bring in young men and women that will attend classes and get through 4 years even if it means intensive assistance from tutors. That said , BC should still be very able to compete in the ACC with the appropriate coaching staffs and budgets. I am "getting up in my years", but I hope that I see the turnaround in Boston College athletics. Not looking for champions, but want visiting teams to know that going to Chestnut Hill means a very tough ,fierce competitive battle for a win.
USC fan support for basketball was non existent prior to Martin leading the team building effort.
Like in days of old.
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