Basketball transfer updates

Central Connecticut State's Matt Mobley listed a bunch of potential landing spots, but speculation that he's favoring BC kicked up over the weekend. He's a scorer and a Mass native. He's probably the best transfer currently mentioning BC.

Michigan big man Max Bielfeldt is keeping his options -- including staying in Ann Arbor -- open. Based on his quotes, it sounds like he prefers Iowa State.

Neither Mobley nor Bielfeldt are difference makers. Both would be looking to play out their careers at a high level. Based on no other high profile transfers even mentioning BC, I think Christian is going to give the freshmen lots of minutes. The incoming transfers will just be for depth and some contribution.

As for the guys who left...Lonnie Jackson is officially headed to Boise State. Most expected him to head west and BSU has been floated as a possible outcome for a few weeks. He can play right away and if he stays healthy should be able good for at least three 3-pointers a game. 

BC is one of many after Jaren Sina

One of the most sought after basketball transfers of this recruiting cycle is Jaren Sina. The former Setor Hall combo guard visited Binghamton, but plenty of big schools have shown interest. Reports differ on who the true favorite is, but BC is consistently mentioned. Sina is not a critical piece for BC -- especially if Hanlan returns -- but he would be a "nice to have." He can add depth and some scoring. It would also be another positive sign that Christian put together a good recruiting staff.

Stuff happens: Daniels leave basketball team

Jordan Daniels is leaving the BC basketball team. The public explanation is that he's headed back home to the West Coast. Most think he is leaving over playing time. I don't think it is a big deal either way.

At best this team was going to compete for an NIT bid and be middle of the pack in the ACC. Daniels was projected to be a significant contributor, either as a starter or coming off of the bench. With him gone, our new freshmen will get more minutes and most presume that Olivier Hanlan will start at Point Guard. Increasing the freshmen's minutes might cost BC a game or two this season, but it should pay benefits later in the year and certainly next season. If your building for the future, this is not a setback.

Many were taken by surprise by Daniels' decision. The only thing that surprised me was that more guys haven't left. Basketball lends itself to NCAA transfers and when you have one huge class -- like BC's current sophomores -- you are bound to have attrition. As the team dynamics shift, minutes adjust and new recruits commit, you will see other members of that same class leave. The major upside is this frees up another scholarship so that Donahue can normalize his roster with another incoming recruit.

By all reports Daniels was a good kid. I liked watching him play and appreciate some of his big moments last season. His style -- small, darting, ball hog/playmaker -- was what BC needed at times last year. On a team where people couldn't create shots or handle, Daniels did both well enough to keep us in some games. But he was limited defensively and his style was not going to let the guys grow and progress within Donahue's shooting and motion offense.

Daniels was good, but I don't think he was ever going to be an elite ACC player. This is another growing pain as the program develops, but won't make or break Donahue's tenure. What's important now is to get the new guards comfortable within the offense and find another good recruit.

ACC Media roundup and other links

The ACC Media voted BC 5th overall in the Atlantic Division. That's not particularly surprising since the majority of the reporters are from Carolina and still view us as a secondary program. Although I teased him on twitter, even Meter avoided his usual "BC: 1st" vote.

The recurring question for Spaz was regarding Kuechly. He handles it well and points to Ramsey as the type of player who can fill the void. Not too many asked Spaz about the "Hot Seat." (I didn't embed that video due to the auto play issues.)

It will be interesting to see if BC benefits from the looming exodus at Penn State. We are positioned well since we have scholarship space and recruited many of their kids. But I wonder if Spaz will have any hesitation in taking advantage of his alma mater.

Virginia Athlete Atem Ntantang committed to BC.

 The ACC Digital Network is running a countdown of great moments. Of course they included BC comeback against Virginia Tech. It doesn't have Chris Fowler yelling "Lane Stadium goes silent" but it does have Meter losing it.

BC is one of the schools to leverage the transfer up phenomenon in college football.