Combine news and notes

Mike McLaughlin is using his face time with NFL folks to remind them he can long snap too. It is not a bad strategy. Because he played hurt last year, McLaughlin's 2009 tapes are not NFL caliber. If he thinks he can be a good linebacker in the NFL, using special teams to get your foot in the door might be the best path. The NFL Network's Mike Mayock thinks McLaughlin's bloodlines will also help him get noticed.

Matt Tennant is also talking about the ability to play multiple positions including either guard spot. A San Fran blog had the 40 times of high profile linemen. As you can see, Tennant was on the fast side.

Here are the unofficial times of other offensive linemen of note. West Viriginia's Ed Wang 5.46; Cal's Mike Tepper 5.37; Notre Dame's Sam Young 5.19, LSU's Ciron Black 5.49, Iowa's Bryan Bulga 5.26; Iowa's Kyle Calloway 5.51, Rutgers's Anthony Davis 4.38, UMass's Vladmir Ducasse 5.21; Idaho's Mike Iupati 5.26; Ole Miss's John Jerry 5.18; Oklahoma State's Russell Okung 5.17; Arkansas's Mitch Petrus 5.29; Boston College's Matt Tennant 5.13 and Texas Tech's Brandon Carter 5.36. Unofficial times are typically slower than official times.

Just not enough against Jackets

I don't get to see that many games in person. Fortunately when I do go, I get a unique perspective of sitting very close to the bench. Earlier this year at Clemson, I witnessed the team's frustration and confusion. This game, while still a loss, was much more encouraging. The guys worked hard throughout, the defensive confusion was limited and the offense had more purpose. The reason we lost wasn't because the team gave up or didn't fight back. Tech was a bad match up and just played better. I don't think we will steal the ACC Tourney in some sort of miracle run, but I do think we will end up with a record above .500 and in the NIT. Here are my thoughts on the game. Leave your own in the comments.

Likes
-- Jackson playing like a point guard. 10 assists for 3 turnovers is very encouraging. He's still letting too much time expire on certain possessions and still chucked a few too many, but he is developing.
-- Trapani's big shots. I have killed him for taking too many 3s, so I have to give him credit for making them today. In fact, his shots closer to the basket -- including an awkward finger roll -- were more forced. Trapani's D was also good.
-- Our 3/4s press with Elmore. It threw off their timing. I wish we would use it more.

Dislikes
-- Interior Defense. Southern, Ravenel and Dunn all struggled against Tech's talented big men. We were coming with late double teams, but it wasn't enough help.
-- Turnovers in transition. This cost us some easy buckets.
-- Forcing shots inside. Like the FSU game we too often challenge their shot blockers instead of waiting for the extra pass.

P.S. Those who follow my Twitter account know that Matt Ryan and Dr. J were both at the game. It was nice to have their support and a reminder to keep the faith even during rough seasons.

Baseball loses in walkoff and other links

After a strong showing last week in New Orleans, BC started their weekend with a rough loss at Auburn. The Tigers won in extra innings with Brian Fletcher's walkoff home run. Even more frustrating, BC left 12 men on base.

BC Hockey swept their season series with UMass with a 2-1 overtime win over the Minutemen.

I am sure most of you read this, but here is a nice article on Herzy's comeback.

How high will Tennant's stock rise?

This article includes Matt Tennant as a potential first round sleeper. I've been singing Tennant's praises for three seasons and I think he will make a great pro. Yet I would be very surprised if he sneaks into the first round. There are two big obstacles to working against him.

1. His size. You can be on the small side and still play Center in the NFL. However, being small limits his ability to switch to another position. Could he play OG in the NFL? Maybe. Could he play Tackle? Highly unlikely. One position means less value and limited upside. With a first round pick, teams want franchise players. Matt might become one, but doesn't seem to have that upside on paper.

2. Undervalued Centers. Few teams spend first round picks on Centers. Since 2000, only six centers have been drafted in the first round. Despite the Center's importance in picking up coverage, teams like to build around Tackles. Centers are often afterthoughts. Is Matt a big enough name or have enough upside to use a first round pick?

What can he do at the Combine help his draft status?
I don't think the Combine will change much about Tennant's status. I am sure he'll do well in the interviews. BC guys always seem to impress with their smarts, attitude and interview skills. But assume teams know about his personality already. To continue his momentum, Matt will need to blow teams away with his performance in the drills. A Mamula-like performance combined with interview skills and his tape would make it easier for a team to use a high-value pick on Tennant.

But being a Combine warrior has its downside too. Teams and fans expect too much. In the end, I think the second round might be the best solution for Matt. He'll have a chance to play right away and grow without the heightened expectations that come from being a first rounder.

Good interviews and other links

BCI interviewed Mike McLaughlin. He talks about Jags and getting ready for the NFL.

BC Draft interviewed Troy Bell. Bell has some interesting thoughts on European basketball vs the NBA.

Former Eagle Daye Kaba is on the move again. He is leaving Marist early for European basketball.

As expected, Gene promoted from within to fill Paquette's duties.

Hamming the Hokies

This hospital doesn't have ESPN U, so I was left with Ted and Bill on the Internet feed for the first half. I watched the second half at home on the U. Regardless of the format, the results were very good. I won't get fooled again on this season's team, but I think they may finally play up to their potential. Here are my thoughts. Feel free to share your own in the comments.

Likes
-- Jackson distributing. He looked like a point guard tonight. He got the offense started earlier and was willing to pass to the wings.
-- Hitting the boards hard. The rebounding limited VT's chance to make any sort of comeback. We should have been (and can still be) a very good rebounding team.
-- Extending the lead in the second half. Instead of letting them back in, we made good decisions and took advantage of easy transition baskets.

Dislikes
-- Way too many turnovers. There was still plenty of sloppy play. If VT hadn't missed so many shots, this game could have gotten away from us.
-- Raji's rebounding. He had a solid game but he didn't seem to get near many rebounds or lose balls.

The newest Eagle in Atlanta

Baby boy ATL_eagle arrived this morning. Mrs. ATL and son are both doing well. His sisters are excited to have a boy around. Now that we have three kids, my wife and I are switching from man-to-man to zone. Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers.

Could Boston (and BC) host an Olympics?

I know BC has to sell its soul to the neighbors just to get a Thursday night ESPN game, but with the Olympics on every night, I've been wondering should Boston put a serious bid together for a future games? The city could join with a New Hampshire resort to host the Winter Games, but I think the Summer Games would be ideal. The Olympics are an infrastructure nightmare, but Boston could pull it off precisely because of all the colleges in town. The city also benefits from having an international airport, plenty of hotel rooms and decent public transit. Think about, BC alone could potentially host basketball and/or boxing at Conte. Field Hockey could be played Alumni. BC could also host softball. I assume the Marathon would use the Boston Marathon's route and run right by campus.

Fenway would probably host all the baseball events. Gillette could host soccer. The Garden could host gymnastics and/or basketball. And most local colleges could get in on the sports we only care about during the Olympics: badminton, wrestling, weight lifting, etc.

The three things Boston would need would be a Track & Field Stadium, a Swimming & Diving Center with significant spectator seating and an Olympic Village. But instead of building three "white elephants" a Boston bid could follow the lead of my current hometown of Atlanta. Atlanta built a Olympic Stadium and converted into a baseball stadium. They turned the Olympic Village into dorms. The Aquatic Center was built on Georgia Tech's campus and then renovated to remove some of the stands.

I am sure UMass Boston would gladly "host" the Village in exchange for new dorms. Many local schools would gladly take a brand new swim complex. The tricky Boston venue would be the Olympic Stadium for Track & Field. The only current complexes near the city that might have the space to convert to an Olympic Stadium and then convert back to a more appropriate permanent space seem to be Alumni, Harvard Stadium and Nickerson Field. Would any of the schools be willing to go through four to six years of building and reconfiguring just for the honor hosting the Opening Ceremonies and getting a face lift to their current stadium? I think BC would pass. I don't know about the politics or logistics at the other schools.

Just because Boston could be a good host doesn't mean it ever will. To secure the Games, you need a major driving force. The Fenway Sports Group would seem like a logical leader, but my guess is that they would rather invest in sports and events that have a more predictable and immediate return on investment.

For now I guess it is just blog fodder but certainly let me know what you think.

Hockey beats Northeastern and other links

Sunday was a good day for hockey. The US and Canada played a classic in Vancouver and BC smashed Northeastern in Boston. Brian Gibbons led the way with a hat trick.

I assume most people read the Globe and Herald's coverage of the UNC game, but this ESPNBoston story might have been overlooked.

The baseball team had a nice weekend in New Orleans, but couldn't close out the sweep. Former Eagle Tony Sanchez is adjusting to his first big league camp.

BC finally wins in February

When you are drowning, any lifesaver will do. The fact that BC beat up a terrible UNC team shouldn't take away from the fact that they played their best 40 minutes of basketball in a month. I'm glad they won, yet the win raises the same disappointments we've all shared this season. How come this team could play well today and look so lost and listless at so many other times this season? Here are my thoughts. You are welcome to share your own in the comments.

Likes
-- Evan Ravenel's play. When Andy Katz spread word this summer of Ravenel's improvement, I thought we would see immediate impact. Instead he road the bench for most of the season. Now he is finally getting a chance to play. He's not an ideal big man, but he plays with energy and uses his weight well. While not a shot blocker, he is probably our best low post defender. He needs to see more minutes in the coming weeks.
-- Reggie Jackson maturing. If the final two weeks of the season are going to be better, it will all depend on Jackson. Today he showed more patience. He made good decisions and actually got us into offensive sets early. His shots weren't falling, but he rebounded well and didn't force too many. He was also more careful.
-- Starting the second half with Jackson. Al is a creature of habit and will often start the second half with his starting lineup regardless of how they played in the first half. By leaving Jackson in the game, we kept up the tempo and sent a message.[CORRECTION: Jackson started the game too.]
-- Running the Flex. Are the guys finally getting it? They looked good running it today. I would like to see some more interior passing, but at this point I am happy with any possession that has structure.



Dislikes
-- Too many missed shots close to the basket. We've got some terrible finishers. It has been that way for three years. Today we are lucky it didn't cost us.
-- Trapani from 3. When he's off, he is really off. I don't know why he has the green light. As I've said, it is not like he even has a nice stroke from outside (like Roche). His shots are a little flat and his release is a bit low. He needs to work closer to the basket.
-- Letting UNC back in the game. With under eight minutes left, UNC went on a run with Jackson on the bench. I think we should have reacted faster and brought Reggie back in the game.

This team could win or lose all of their remaining games. My hope is that they build off of today and finish strong.

Baseball wins opener and other links

The baseball team picked up where they left off with a nice win over Tulane in New Orleans. It was Tulane's first home opening loss since 1990. The teams play again Saturday afternoon.

It wasn't that great a day for some of BC's other teams. BC Hockey lost to Northeastern, despite outshooting the Huskies. The two teams will play each other Sunday on ESPN U. The BC women's basketball team fell below .500 in ACC play with their loss to NC State.

As the Patriots approach the NFL Draft, the Brace as a bust talk is heating up. To silence his critics, Brace will need to get on the field this year.

Harris made SI.com's "two star" All Star team.

The Tar Heels will have Tyler Zeller back for their game at BC. That's bad news for our defensively challenged big men.

Colson case dropped and other links

FSU police are not moving forward with any charges against Bonzie Colson. Fortunately it is over. I don't expect BC to say anything. The lesson here to the assistans is always be careful and cautious when in the arena. You never know who is watching or who might be trying to set you up.

The BC softball team lost their season opener. BC takes on Centenary College on Friday.

Boston College forward Allie Thunstrom is a nominee for the 2010 Patty Kazmaier Award. This is the top honor in women's college hockey.

Paquette leaving for Loyola and other links

Jim Paquette, one of BC's key athletic fundraisers, is leaving the Heights to become the AD at Loyola. While this might be under the radar for many BC fans, this is a big deal. Paquette and Gene's other fund raisers have been a critical part of BC's success and now Gene will have to find a replacement who can bring in big dollars in a down economy. It will be interesting if Gene promotes from within or brings in an outsider. Speaking of revenue, this SI.com article lists the revenue of most of the major Athletic Departments.

Four BC football players made the All-ACC Academic Football Team. Congrats to the guys and keep up the good work.

Mike McLaughlin is getting ready for the Combine. In this Q&A he credits Coach Loscalzo for a real change in attitude around the program.

This article with Kuechly is a few days old, but he shares some of his likes and dislikes and talks about his freshmen year and playing with Herzy next year.

Skinner model: what is going wrong this year

Things are bad on the basketball front. I remain one of the Skinner loyalists, but a large portion of the fanbase has checked out of this season. They join a smaller group of fans who have long been critical of Skinner's approach. Do these factors and the pathetic play threaten Skinner's job? Not really. Al is secure at BC for now and with his girls approaching college, I don't think Al wants to go anywhere. But Al doesn't have lifetime security. He will enter next season with pressure to improve. I don't know if he will make staff changes or encourage some veteran players to leave, but the current mix is not working. But what went wrong? All that is missing from last year's team is Tyrese Rice. Rice was a very good player, but his absence doesn't explain all the issues.

In my mind these are the problems. Unfortunately there are no quick fixes. (As always, leave your thoughts below.)

1. The current Juniors. Ironically Skinner's most heralded recruiting class has been the biggest disappointment of his tenure at BC. As configured, the current Junior class is deep but severely flawed group and their personalities don't seem to mesh. The only guy who seems suited for the flex is Corey Raji, but nagging injuries and his teammates lack of passing has limited Corey's contributions. Trapani and Sanders could be very good players, but one has forced to much this year and the other has been terrible in his effort, passion and decision making.

2. No one great player. Sometimes one great, or very good player can cover a lot of mistakes. This roster doesn't have one. The closest thing might be Jackson, but he is not at the Bell/Smith/Dudley level or even at the Rice level yet. He may be that piece next year, but I don't know if he can blossom into a Rice like player coming off the bench and playing with so many other guys who are selfish and impatient.

3. Defense. Al's defenses have always been bad. This year is not any worse but the offense isn't filling the gaps. If Al had a good defensive scheme to fall back on things might not be so bad.

4. Rotations. We are now going 10 deep. That doesn't seem to work for Al. All the problems, whether it been guys forcing things, guys checking out, guys blowing assignments, all come back to playing time. If you had 8 engaged guys, things might not be so bad.

5. No high basketball IQ guys. Do you get the sense that any of these guys live basketball? Or are basketball junkies? Jared Dudley didn't have the best physical gifts. Rice was too small. But both of those guys lived in the gym and had a great sense of the game. Skinner is not a rah rah guy. He needs to have driven players that will maximize the system's potential. If Rakim Sanders shot as many jumpers as Tyrese Rice and didn't shoot line drives, he'd be in the NBA now.

My biggest fear in all of this is that next year will be more of the same. Will any of these guys changed their attitude over the summer? Will any of them improve their games? I hope so, but I fear some will check out at the first sign of adversity. I've long said Al is a great coach. If he is then turning around this mess won't be a problem.

The Andrew C. Marsh Fund Golf Tournament

The BCI guys wanted to raise awareness of a golf tournament honoring their friend and Boston College graduate Andrew Marsh. The first annual Andrew C. Marsh Fund Golf Tournament will be held on August 5, 2010 at Dunegrass Golf Club in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. All proceeds benefit the Andrew C. Marsh Memorial Fund going towards educational scholarships and the fight against cancer.

This is open to all so if you are a golfer, a BC friend or fan or just want to support a good cause, you can learn more at AndrewMarshfund.org.

Donations to the fund can be made via Paypal or to the following address:

The Andrew C. Marsh Memorial Fund
PMB 117
11 Main Street, Suite 7
Westbrook, ME 04092

Complaints against Colson and other links

With everyone surrounding the basketball team stressed and frustrated, emotions are going to boil over. It sounds like hoops assistant Bonzie Colson lost his cool and shoved an FSU band member after the game. BC released a statement saying we will look into it. I imagine some sort of apology and slap on the wrist is forthcoming. With the challenges we are having, you would hope the embattled assistants would be on their best behavior.

Former BC assistant Tim O'Shea continues to struggle at Bryant. I hope they give him time considering the challenges of making the jump to DIA. I would always welcome him back at BC.

BC is one of many ACC schools with QB questions in 2010.

Here is a look at our baseball team. They begin play on the 19th against Tulane.

Hockey East named Chris Kreider Rookie of the Week.

Is this rock bottom?

I've always said this blog captures the highs and lows, but this stretch of basketball beyond a low and I think this loss may be rock bottom. In my mind a low is when things don't go your way or the pain of a close loss. This group of guys is just not fun to watch. They don't play smart. They don't play hard. They don't play in a style that is fun to watch. They don't work as a team and don't seem to like each other. Worst of all, they don't seem to care. Now the barring a miraculous finish, we will finish below .500 in conference play. I guess the biggest part of my frustration is that they played decently in the first half and then put up a 17-point stinker in the second half. These are my hollow thoughts. Leave yours in the comments.

Likes:
-- Ravenel's effort. He not an ideal big man, but he played hard. Maybe he's a piece to the puzzle next year.


Dislikes:
-- Very little flexing. Every time Sanders hits a long 2, or Jackson takes it to the hole or Trapani shoots off a screen we get further and further from what we need to do. We need a set offense and these guys are selfish and impatient when we have the ball.
-- Seven offensive rebounds. How does this happen? A big part is guys chucking it before anyone is in position. Another big part is effort.
-- Challenging their shot blockers. You don't have to just shoot jump shots when facing a bunch of swatters. However, going one on one or driving into traffic won't get it done. You need to screen the bigs over and over and wait for the high percentage shot.
-- Terrible bounce passes. This is an effort and focus issue again.

I dream of a spark or turnaround, but the secondhand stuff I am hearing leaves me pessimistic. My guess is that this season will remain a jumbled mess. Hopefully we and Al will see enough to figure how to make it work next year.

Catching up with 'Quez and other links

Former Eagle Marquez Haynes continues to make the most of his time at UT-Arlington. Transferring has been good for his game as he has been able to show more skills on offense. Let's hope he turns this all into a nice career in Europe.

Hockey got to avenge Friday night's loss with a win Saturday against UMass-Lowell.

Former BC grad assistant Sean Ryan is now a WRs coach with the Giants.

Florida State views Sunday's game as a must win. I hope our guys view it the same way (for an NIT shot).

Another rough Friday for the hockey team

After closing out the Beanpot you would hope the guys would start a nice run. No such luck as they lost to UMass-Lowell 4-1 Friday. BC got more shots off, but couldn't get them in while Muse struggled. They have a chance at revenge on Saturday back at Conte.

BC women are giant killers

Earlier in the season the BC women and BC men hoops squads looked like they had a lot in common. Both had head scratching losses and roster issues. Things got so bad some felt that like this year would be a wash for all. While the men kept their end of the deal, the BC women just pulled off another big upset by beating North Carolina.

Congrats to the Coach Crowley and her team. I hope they can finish strong because their rough record will hurt their at large campaign.