Numerous questions heading into the BC Men's Basketball season

The pandemic saved Jim Christian's job. Instead of using the first few days after the ACC Tournament to finalize a decision and set the course for a new hire, the College Basketball world shutdown and the whole college industry followed shortly thereafter. Despite a strong desire from some, BC leadership decided times and finances were too uncertain and decided to keep Christian around for another season. If someone had come in to cover the expense of a coaching change like Wake Forest did, would BC had made a move? Maybe. If an A List coach like John Beilein had real interest, would BC have made a move? Maybe. But those are just "what if"s. Jim Christian is back and our new AD Pat Kraft has to evaluate what he has done and where the program is heading...all while both men try to navigate the uncertainty of another COVID season.

What's new?

Christian primarily rebuilt the roster with various bodies from mid-majors. This gives him depth and versatility. While all the guys would be contributors on mid-level ACC teams, none are program changers. The big new name freshman is DeMarr Langford Jr (his brother Makai Ashton-Langford is one of the transfers mentioned). Langford could be the type of piece that makes a difference. He's local, his father is connected on the AAU scene and he has enough upside to tantalize any ACC team. BC needs Langford Jr to succeed and then find a New England player like him every year.

What can we expect out of Tabbs?

Aside from the transfers and recruits, Wynston Tabbs is another talent infusion. The challenge is no one knows what to expect. Will he be the player he was two years ago? Can he be better? All the gossip has been good. Now we just need to see it on the court and pray he stays healthy.

What are the expectations for the season?

The basketball world expects very little of BC this year. We were picked 14th in the ACC preseason poll. Kenpom has BC as 86th. ESPN's BPI has BC at 87th.  Bracketology has BC out of the tournament. No one expects BC to do anything this year. I guess that helps, in that a .500 year in ACC play might be a good storyline. 

How does COVID factor into the season?

No fans will be at home games (but that doesn't feel new). Any outbreaks will create schedule changes. BC elected to play in a preseason bubble which means we have our toughest non-conference slate in years.

What does Christian have to do to keep his job?

I have no idea and anyone who claims they know is speculating. Pat Kraft worked at a series of basketball schools in Loyola-Chicago, Indiana and Temple. He knows basketball can make a difference to an Athletic Department and University. Kraft has a front row seat to the energy and excitement Hafley brought to the football team. Regardless of some institutional issues, BC Basketball remains an underperforming source of revenue and a missed opportunity to promote the school and engage the alumni. A coaching change can make a difference. Even the Women's program showed that things can get better prior to a new arena or practice facility. 

But regardless of all the reasons there might be to make a change and all the underachieving prior to this year, no one knows what BC can afford. Revenue is down in all areas, including Athletics. I have no idea if BC leadership will have an appetite to make a change this year, especially if Christian and crew exceed the low, low expectations for the year. 

Waiting for the "right time" is usually a bad idea

Jim Christian is not being fired by BC.

A year ago, BC and Martin Jarmond had every reason in the world to make a change with Men's Basketball. But they waited. The idea was to get the house in order (financially, facilities, and really take time making a thoughtful hire). Then this year -- despite some fun moments -- predictably proved to be another disappointment and another wasted year. They wasted the players' time, the fans' time and even Jim Christian's time. (Coaching is tough under the best of circumstances. Coaching is really tough when there isn't buy-in from the bosses, players and fans.)

Now, when BC was on the verge of finally making a move, the whole world got flipped on its head. BC has huge questions with no answers with regards to their 2020-21 school year, their budget shortfalls this year (housing refunds), the hit the endowment took, and the potential huge loss of revenues next year from media partners if Football is not played. Adding a basketball coaching search to that mix was not financially or perhaps even logistically possible. So they kicked the metaphorical can...again.

Basketball clearly isn't that important. Yet BC Men will be play again. And when they do, Jim Christian will be coaching. That season will have little fan support. It will be tough to recruit and whatever media attention BC gets will constantly be about Jim Christian's future. It will be a lame duck season and once again, a waste of time.

Now if Jon Beilein was really interested would BC have made a move? Probably, but he wasn't. BC's facilities and current spot on the basketball landscape were the biggest obstacles.

My frustration is consistent. When you know you have the wrong guy, you need to make a change. The move should have been made last year. And even with all the current economic uncertainty, I would argue a less expensive hire now (Coen, Becker) would be better than another year of Jim Christian.

The only solace in this all is that the other major conference schools who were on the verge of change -- Minnesota, Texas, Wake Forest, etc -- also have put hiring and firing on pause. We won't miss out on "the guy," whoever that might have been.

I hope BC plays all sports next year. I hope Christian gets a great season out of his young talent. I hope things get back to normal and things like a silly basketball coaching search can feel important again. I also hope the next BC coach is the right guy, because Jim Christian is not.

Ryan Anderson weighs in basketball debate

The twitter debate about BC basketball marches on but new perspective joined the dialogue. Former BC star Ryan Anderson started tweeting to the thread with his opinions. The former player, who also played at Arizona, thinks it all starts with financial commitment. He mentioned facilities, travel and budget. BC has addressed some of these issues since Anderson left, but still has more to accomplish. I agree with him and think we should make an investment in basketball that shows our commitment. But I don't think spending money is the only answer. I still think you need the right coach too. Here are Anderson's tweets.

Coaching isn’t and never has been the problem

— Ryan Anderson (@M12terAnderson) March 2, 2019

Keep JC. Hire Dudley in some assistant role. His knowledge of the game is elite and would be huge for the program. Increase facilities to ACC levels. Recruits care about facilities and game atmosphere more than anything...

— Ryan Anderson (@M12terAnderson) March 2, 2019

Can’t compare those guys to this generation. Different era of sports. Recruit from northeast area walks into the BC locker room, attends a game, tours the facilities, and y’all really expect him to commit over Cuse, Nova, etc? Unfortunately kids signing bc of those reasons mainly

— Ryan Anderson (@M12terAnderson) March 2, 2019

Commit to the program. Fund the program. Change the culture from top to bottom. BC is a beautiful school filled with great ppl (reason I came) but realized when coming to AZ how much can be better at BC but it takes money, effort, and fan support BEFORE the team is good

— Ryan Anderson (@M12terAnderson) March 2, 2019

There’s tons of examples I could point to but bottom line is simple yet hard. Make the players choose BC. When the facilities, game atmosphere, traveling, and everything that goes into being a student athlete matches the other acc schools and we don’t win then it’s the coach...

— Ryan Anderson (@M12terAnderson) March 2, 2019

Until then you’re giving the coaches knives to a gun fight in these recruiting battles for players and it ain’t fair.

— Ryan Anderson (@M12terAnderson) March 2, 2019

Tabbs narrative featured prominently in win over Louisville

BC won a solid home game against Louisville Wednesday night. There was a lot to like (improved play in 2nd half, good Pop post moves, etc) yet the most interesting part of the broadcast might have been the extended discussion of Wynston Tabbs. I mention it because these talking points come from the announce team's interaction with BC coaches and Sports Information. It feels like BC has an excuse ready for this disappointing season and will clearly be emphasizing that if the team finishes strong.

Would this team have been better had Tabbs been healthy? Clearly. He is an ACC level player, would have taken some of the pressure off of Bowman and improved our D. Heck he still might give us a boost. No one is promising if or when he will return, but if he is back by the ACC Tourney, BC might pull off some upsets.

However, I don't know if Tabbs' injury excuses the play this season. Tabbs played in the loss to IUPUI. He played in the loss to Hartford.

I don't know where Jarmond is on Christian. When you read hot seat talk from plugged in guys, I do give it some weight. I wish our challenges were as simple as one player's health. But we all know the issues -- effort, late game management and overall depth. It will take a lot more than one win over Louisville to convince me that this program is one player away. 

BC falls apart in OT vs NC State

I hate holding up one game as an example of a whole season or whole era, but BC's loss to NC State Wednesday night was a pretty good example of BC's basketball this year and under Christian. Down 14 in the second half and with Chapman out, the team rallied to take the lead. Then some back and forth with a mix of hustle plays and bonehead mistakes. BC had a chance to win in regulation but a curious iso shot by Bowman (no drive?) missed and we went to OT...and OT was awful.

BC couldn't rebound in OT and nothing fell. The final score doesn't even capture how far apart the teams were in those five minutes. NC State had new life and BC was lifeless. The lesson is don't let a good team hang around at home. BC had a chance to put them away in regulation and didn't. 

Now the rollercoaster moves onto Clemson. 

Does Thad Matta's baggage make him a better or worse fit for BC?

This is the start of a series to look at the future of BC Basketball.

BC Basketball has a long history of great coaches...Chuck Daley, Tom Davis, Gary Williams and Al Skinner. But other than Bob Cousy, none of the BC greats arrived at The Heights as an established A List name in College Basketball. Now as BC looks to fix its Men's Basketball program, there is an A List candidate floating out there who happens to have a prior working relationship with our Athletic Director. That guy is former Ohio State Coach Thad Matta. But Matta is not a typical elite coach waiting to jump back into the Rat Race. In fact, there are so many issues surrounding Matta, that some wonder if he will ever coach again. Because of Matta's unique circumstances, I don't know if he is realistic for BC, a disaster waiting to happen or just the right guy at the right time.

What you might not know
Matta's decline at Ohio State wasn't your typical guy loses touch with age, can't coach, can't recruit stuff, you often find when a long-time winner is fired. He is only 51 and won more than 20 games in 12 of his 13 years in Columbus. Matta's struggles late were primarily due to his health. About a decade ago, he had a failed back surgery that left him with a permanent limp and made sitting, standing and the grind of traveling painful. Although he was fired from Ohio State, it was painted by some in the media as a relief to him.

Last year he had the Georgia job. They made an offer and he supposedly accepted (there was even pictures of him at the Athens airport after the interview in all sorts of UGA gear). But before the contract was signed and announced, he turned Georgia down. The narrative was that he and his family had a change of heart.

This doesn't sound like a guy who wants to get back into coaching. And more recent articles all paint him as happier and healthier than he's ever been.

But the idea that he keeps interviewing for jobs, leads me to believe he hasn't closed the door on coaching forever.

The Jarmond question
Matta moved away from Columbus after he was fired. And supposedly has hard feelings how his final days played out. Clearly there is acrimony with Ohio State AD Gene Smith. But how does he feel about Martin Jarmond? Would his prior working relationship with Jarmond make him and his family feel more comfortable at BC than they would working for a different AD?

Also, would Jarmond even want to hire Matta. His mentor clearly felt Matta wasn't not capable of coaching Ohio State. Jarmond would know nearly everything Smith knows about Matta. Would he draw completely different conclusions than his old boss?

Would it even work?
Matta can coach. He's recruited elite players. He worked at a Catholic school prior to Ohio State. His list of former assistants is beyond impressive and shows he knows how to build a staff. BC could provide access to an elite conference without the immediate pressure cooker that might come from taking a different P5 job. He has never had a losing season as a head coach. As Coach K, Boehiem, and Williams near retirement, he would quickly become one of the most accomplished guys in the conference. There are so many reasons to make this move and spend more money than BC has ever spent on basketball. But...would it even work? If Matta is going to turn BC around, he would need drive, passion and energy. That is not a BC issue. That is a elite basketball issue. If Matta's heart is not in it, this will be a bad experience for both sides.

I don't expect Matta to be BC's coach next year. But Martin Jarmond owes it to BC and himself to at least reach out to Matta and see if he is ready to coach again and if coaching at BC makes more sense to him than the other jobs he's considered.

What matters: Loss to Cuse, Bowman benching or hot seat talk?

Basketball lost another ho-hum game to Syracuse. BC hung for a while, got in a big hole, cut the deficit but never really threatened. We've seen it before. We've seen it against Syracuse. The D was inconsistent and no one really exploded other than Bowman. Which is connected to...

Christian announced before the game that Bowman would not start due to undisclosed violation of team rules. I don't know what Bowman did. I don't know if the punishment worked. I do know that this sort of tactic has not been used much by Christian. So why now and why Bowman? This comes off as ineffective at best and desperate at worst. I hope it was worth it, but when the team keeps losing, we don't know.

When and how this ends is going to become the most consistent storyline of the next month. Pete Thamel grouped Christian in his coaches hot seat column. He didn't speculate on replacements or a number of wins that would save JC. It seems like the biggest issue is that BC needs to shake its basketball malaise. Thamel is pretty plugged in at BC, so I think this is probably not a great indicator of Christian's future. But the speculation is more interesting than anything happening on the court. 

No Christian pile-on after loss to Duke

I find it interesting that our fanbase reacted differently to Tuesday's loss to Duke vs Saturday's loss to Notre Dame. I don't know if people are checked out or just expect to lose to the stacked Dukies. Here is a tweet from SI's Chris Mannix (a BC guy) after Notre Dame that was echoed around BC sites.

About done with BC basketball. This year will mark ten years since its last NCAA tournament appearance. For a team that was a staple in the tourney in the early 2000's and made some nice runs in the 90's, this has become embarrassing. https://t.co/1jKf8yMosV

— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) February 2, 2019

But you would hardly find anything that negative or critical after the Duke game, even though BC got killed in the second half.

My frustration is that the improved effort of the first half wasn't carried into the second half against Duke. And while I am aware of the talent differences, beyond some good moments of zone in the first half, there was never a feeling that we had any real plan to slow the Duke wave in the second half.

There is a month of basketball left and Christian's seat is toasty. My position is clear, but I have no idea what Jarmond thinks. Maybe the angry mob is no longer angry and instead checked out. But in the big picture is that might be worse for BC sports.

Hoops keeps losing

A late game comeback came up short on Saturday as BC lost to Notre Dame in South Bend. There were a few late calls that hurt BC, but Notre Dame was decimated by injuries and we still couldn't beat them. We have problems.

The D was not great, but the bigger challenge remains Chatman. He is not making shots and making really bad decisions.

I don't know what the short-term answer is. Every lineup combo has a few obvious issues. The team doesn't seem particularly motivated. I don't see Christian and his staff making drastic changes to our style of play. I guess the only hope is for the team to get healthy soon.

Basketball comes up short at VT

BC took the lead into the half after a solid defensive performance. However, the second half was not as good. BC came out flat, got whistled for seemingly everything and watched the Hokies build up lead. BC chipped away down the stretch but it wasn't enough. The Hokies held onto the win.

The story of the game were the officials. I know it is whiny. I know that the difference in fouls was only 4 (BC 22, VT 18), but it killed our momentum and we had two guys foul out.

The Hamilton brothers were solid. Chatman looks to be getting back to his usual form. Bowman was ok...too many misses and turnovers.

Virginia Tech was favored and at home, so this was always going to be a tough game. But it would have been nice to put together two solid halfs instead of one.

Fire Jim Christian

This is my final post of 2018, so I might as well have it deal with the biggest issue of 2019.

BC Basketball lost to Hartford in overtime. We were without Mitchell. Tabbs was limited and Chatman rusty. Those are just excuses though, because there is no reason this BC team should be losing to that Hartford team. It's coaching. The lack of depth. The lack of a consistent defensive system. The curious ingame decisions. That's all on Jim Christian. Too often he has more talent and yet his team plays down to his opponent. If they played up to their opponent more often, than we could discuss saving him. But they don't. They are too often flat and without direction. This is not working and it is on the coaching. There is some talent and there are some coaching moments worthy of praise, but not enough of either to compete in the ACC.

This post might look foolish in a month. BC might get healthy and start rattling off impressive wins. I doubt it though. I don't think Christian has it in him to turn this around.

Martin Jarmond used his goodwill to save Addazio despite a frustrated fanbase. He can ask for patience if Christian has another losing ACC season and we are an NIT bubble team, but why waste everyone's time and money. This is not working.

Basketball gets early wake up call from IUPUI

There is no beating around the bush, BC had a horrible home loss Wednesday night to IUPUI. This is not uncommon for BC basketball over the last ten years and unfortunately it is all too common during the Jim Christian era. Yes we lost a lottery pick, but there is enough incoming and remaining talent that this shouldn't happen.

This wasn't some flukey game where we a mid-major got lucky with a bunch of 3s. This was just a disjointed BC team that didn't shoot particularly well, missed ten foul shots, didn't play smart D and turned the ball over.

I know it is early and the staff is working in the young players, but does this team look as talented as it is rated? Or as talented as it should be at this point in Christian's tenure?

I know Martin Jarmond has been able to spearhead a lot of fun initiatives as AD, but lurking near is a coaching change. If Christian can't get more out of his team, then the change will come soon.

Robinson gone officially

A dozen reports -- including one from ESPN's Jeff Goodman -- confirm that Jerome Robinson is staying in the NBA Draft and will not return to BC. This makes sense for Jerome. He's likely a first round pick and doesn't stand to gain much with one more year of college. His versatility and offensive game is ideal for the current NBA. Even if he is not ready to be an elite NBA player, enough teams will see potential in his game to give him a chance to develop. Best of luck to Jerome and thank you for giving BC some exciting moments this year.

This leaves an enormous hole for Jim Christian. We know he is actively working the transfer market, but there is no one out there close to Robinson's talent. We know there is some promising freshmen coming in, but they will have some growing pains. Then there is Ky Bowman. As it stands now, Bowman can still come back to BC. And with Robinson gone, this team will be his and he will have a chance to lead the ACC in scoring. However, maybe he will follow Robinson out the door. If Bowman leaves too, then Christian is nearly back to square one and has to prove that he has built something worth keeping.

The Christian extension is predictable and frustrating

According to reports, BC extended Jim Christian's contract through the 2021-22 season. This is adds two years to his current deal. BC did not release any information nor are any of the details of the deal known. Ever since the team made the NIT, there has been speculation about an extension for Christian. It comes with the territory as I am sure Christian and his agent said it was needed for recruiting. That part I get.

What frustrates me is that even with the improvement this year, Christian has yet to prove that he has built anything sustainable. We don't know if this year was a fluke. We don't know how good they will be without Robinson (and potentially Bowman). So BC is spending money on a losing coach with the hope that he can win consistently. While the recruiting has been better, results on the court matter more.

My hope is that BC didn't penalize itself with aspects of the extension. Because other than recruiting, there is no need to spend more money on Christian until we know where the program is headed.

Basketball blows winnable game against Miami

It's been a few hours and I am still frustrated with the loss to Miami. Losing a game with a five-point lead under a minute is flat out blowing a game. Look at the ESPN win probability charts (via AJ) .

Bad choices. Missed foul shots. Bad D. It all happened. It is one thing to lose a close game. That happens. We've won some this year and lost some. But this wasn't a back and forth with a bad bounce. This was a collapse. BC lost big leads late. It is games like this that have me doubting Christian's upside. The talent is improving, but the coaching...eh. As much as people credit Christian for his inbound plays, there are holes in this roster, there are holes in the D and there are some games where you wonder what they are doing. Now we are on the NIT bubble. Ugh.

Another rough day against the Irish

I think BC's bubble burst Saturday. Besides dampening postseason hopes, the lopsided loss to Notre Dame also had me questioning if Christian is a good enough Xs & Os coach to every be above average at BC. For the second time against the Irish, BC allowed a guy to go off from beyond the arc. Matt Farrell hit some tough shots, but too often he the D was to loose. Notre Dame shot 60% from 3 and 63% from the field. Horrible. Why are we so unprepared against recurring opponents?

Robinson had 29 points and would have been a bigger story if not for Farrell. It was a disappointing game for most of the other guys.

I don't think Christian is in trouble. This season and his recruiting have bought him time. But he needs to find an assistant who can better help with game prep. If not, we will be in holes over and over again.

Christian adds Chris Cheeks to staff

While no one was really sad to see Stan Heath leave, the timing wasn't ideal for Jim Christian to find a top flight replacement. Plus, when factoring in Christian's tenuous job security, finding an elite assistant was going to be hard. Multiple reports say that Christian has found someone and it is veteran basketball assistant Chris Cheeks.

Cheeks comes to BC from Western Kentucky. Prior to that he was at Delaware, but he has also put in time at places like Charlotte, West Virginia and the AAU Circuit. It is the AAU scene where Cheeks might be able to help BC. We need another hunter. Or at least a hunter more hungry than Stan Heath.  

Cheeks ties to the DC-area leads me to believe he has a connection to Spinelli. I hope they like working together and do enough to extend their BC time beyond this season. 

Bahamas basketball trip starts off well

Every few years, NCAA basketball programs are allowed to take a summer trip. This year, Christian took the guys to the Bahamas. The caliber of basketball might not be as high as some of the European or Asian trips, BC and other schools have taken, but it is probably less expensive. A cheap confidence boost is just what this team needs.

On Saturday, they won their first game in the Bahamas. It was against the CTG Knights (whom I had never heard of prior to this game). The Knights made it interesting mid-way through the second half, but BC pulled away. The scoring went as expected with Robinson, Bowman, and Chapman leading the way. Newbie Stefon Mitchell chipped in too.

BC plays their next game Monday night. I hope they keep it rolling.

Turner gone

Boston College sophomore AJ Turner told ESPN he will transfer. Has received his release.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) April 10, 2017

If you want an example of the sorry state of BC basketball look at the case of AJ Turner's departure. Turner has been a frustrating disappointment who has never lived up to his recruiting ranking, yet the team will be much worse without him. Most view Jim Christian as a lame duck. But with a new Athletic Director coming in there was always the chance he would turn things around. Without Turner, things seem less likely to turn around. Maybe Chatman will get Turner's minutes, but there is no obvious replacement.

Other than frustration, I don't know why Turner is leaving. While BC is losing, I doubt he will be an impact player at other elite program. Plus, he will have to sit a year.

Where does Christian go from here? Hopefully the returning players step up. Who knows? I think we are in for another long season.

The safest job in basketball

Regardless of what BC does tonight, Jim Christian's job is safe. Even if the team looks lifeless in its last two weeks, Jim Christian is safe. No show the ACC Tourney? Safe. It really doesn't matter at this point. Jim Christian is coming back next year.

Most of the security comes from a lack of true leadership. Brad Bates is out and his replacement won't be around to make a timely decision. Father Leahy and BC obviously have the power to make a move on Christian whenever, but they won't. Unlike Addazio, who has plenty of detractors and people he's pissed off, the basketball program is faced with apathy. Many people care, just not enough and not nearly as many as those that care about Football.

I've never been thrilled with the Christian hire, but this has been worse than I thought. Barring a small turnaround with the remaining schedule, there has been no signs of life or improvement. His talent is marginally better than Donahue's but the execution is just as bad. With Donahue you could point to a frustrating, but statistically defensible Offense. With Christian, both Offense and Defense are bad. Scott Spinelli keeps beating the bushes for any talent, but do you trust JC and the staff to develop it?

We can debate the idea of an immediate firing, but we are stuck for another year. I do have a little hope. It is based on the belief and faith that the new AD will not repeat Bates' basketball mistake. The new AD will hopefully have time and a plan and deliver a clear message with a new hire. Until then we are left with another lame duck year with Christian.