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From Danville to Chestnut Hill: Erin Houpt’s Journey to Boston College

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12 months ago

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“Screech! Screech! Screech!” Rubber soles squeaked on the wooden, maroon-and-light-brown Danville High School basketball court as fourth grader Erin Houpt watched intently from the sideline, wanting to be out there herself. Her father, Ted Houpt, was in his first season as the Vikings varsity basketball coach and brought her to watch practice. It was here that Erin first began to fall in love with the game that would define her future.

“When I was really young, I started playing basketball, tennis, and other sports,” said Houpt, now a 22-year-old senior guard from Danville, Illinois. “But when my dad started coaching our boys’ high school team, I just knew basketball is what I wanted to do.”

Houpt would continue to attend practices with her father, not only to watch the action, but also to work on her own game.

 “I would go to their practices all the time and just watch,” Houpt said.  “Every single time afterwards, [my dad] would stay after and shoot for hours with me.”

Shooting has always been a big part of Erin’s game. In fact, it has always been a part of the Houpt family’s game. Erin’s father was a guard at Winthrop University who averaged over 17 points per game. Her brother, Sean, would go on to play basketball at Bradley, Florida Tech and William & Mary. 

“It’s definitely the main part of my game,” said Houpt, “My brother, my dad, and all my uncles, they were also shooters, so they made sure from the beginning that I had the right form shooting the right way, so it’s always been really important to me.”

Even holidays could not keep her away from the gym. 

“We go [to the gym] on Christmas, every holiday you can think of,” Houpt said. “That’s just when I knew how much I loved it.”

Her hard work paid off as she eventually became Danville High School’s all-time leading scorer with 2,208 career points, passing her friend Kendle Moore’s record with a 36-point performance.

“It was really awesome,” Houpt said. “[Moore] and I were pretty close, so it was pretty cool to break his record because he’s such a great player.”

Her high school accomplishments earned her a scholarship to Mercer University, where she made an immediate impact. Houpt was named the SoCon Freshman of the Year after having the highest three-point percentage in the conference. A year later, she would earn a spot on the SoCon All-Third Team after leading the nation in free-throw percentage, shooting 93.9 from the charity stripe.  

Despite her level of success in Macon, Georgia, roster and coaching changes caused the rising junior guard to look for a change of scenery.

“There were a lot of changes going on,” said Houpt. “We had, I think, like seven players leave and three of the assistants. It was time for a change.”

At the same time, her brother Sean also entered the transfer portal, looking to move on from Florida Tech after two seasons. During this time of uncertainty, the siblings leaned on each other.

“It was really cool to have a similar shared experience at the same time because we have different points of view, but also we’re going through the same thing,” Erin told Champaign, Illinois, CBS affiliate WCIA in 2023.

Houpt settled on San Diego State University as the next stop of her basketball career and made her mark as an Astec after missing a year because of an offseason knee injury. She helped SDSU win the Mountain West Tournament while setting the school’s all-time single-season three-point percentage record. Despite this success, Houpt yearned for a new opportunity and entered the portal once again, this time as a veteran of the process.

“When I went in the second time,” Houpt said. “Like I’ve been through the recruiting process now like three times, so obviously, like I know exactly what I’m looking for.”

And for her, that was Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Home of the Boston College Eagles.

“I connected really well with the coaches,” said Houpt. “I know there is a lot of room for opportunities… just the intensity of the program. I love that we’re really competitive every day.”

Now a long way from Dansville, the senior guard is poised to make her mark once again, and her new coach is confident she will. 

“She’s a fierce competitor with a pure shooting touch,” BC head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee said to BCEagles.com. “Erin plays with a toughness and energy that fits perfectly with our culture.. We can’t wait to see the impact she’ll have on our program.”

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Basketball

Boston College lands one of nation’s top rebounders in Brandon Benjamin, along with former Charleston forward Colby Duggan

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5 months ago

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April 19, 2026

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Boston College received two more transfer commitments this weekend in Brandon Benjamin and Colby Duggan. Benjamin and Duggan join Money Williams, Ernest Shelton and JB Frankel as the fourth and fifth transfers to commit to Luke Murray and BC this offseason. The Eagles now have seven players on their roster, including international signing Zak Smrekar and Jack Bailey, the only BC player from last year not to enter the portal.

Benjamin, a 6-foot-8 forward from Newark, N.J., played his only collegiate season last year at Fairfield University. The rising sophomore was named to the 2025-26 MAAC All-Rookie Team and All-MAAC Second Team after averaging 14.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks while shooting 56.5% from the field. Benjamin ranked first in the MAAC and eighth in the country in rebounds per game and second in the country in offensive rebounds per game (4.25).

“What made me pick BC first was the coaching staff,” Benjamin told ZAGSBLOG on Sunday. “It really felt like family. I will bring my high motor, plus rebounding, finishing around the rim and taking guys off the dribble. [I also bring] my catch-and-shooting, pick-and-pop, my winning impact and my versatility with guarding 1-5 with the ability to block shots.”

Duggan, a 6-foot-7 forward from Monson, Mass., averaged 9.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 19 games for Charleston last season after missing the first part of the year with an injury. He spent the previous two seasons at Campbell University and averaged 15.7 points and 3.3 rebounds on 34% shooting from 3-point range during the 2024-25 season.

“He competes on both ends of the court at all times,” former Charleston head coach and current USF head coach Chris Mack said. “He’s a warrior. He’s a winner. Defensively, Colby doesn’t back down. He guards well in the post and on the perimeter. Offensively, he led the conference in scoring and is just scratching the surface of what he can be as a mismatch.”

Benjamin should slot into the starting lineup as the power forward or a small-ball big thanks to his impressive rebounding ability, while Duggan comes to BC as a depth piece off the bench.

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Former Merrimack sharpshooter Ernest Shelton commits to Boston College

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5 months ago

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April 17, 2026

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Guard Ernest Shelton announced his commitment to Boston College early Thursday night. The former Merrimack Warrior became the fourth transfer to commit to head coach Luke Murray and the Eagles, joining Zak Smrekar, Money Williams and JB Frankel. Shelton was named to the 2025-26 All-MAAC first team while helping lead the Warriors to a MAAC regular-season championship.

Shelton played two seasons at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, on the opposite side of the state from his hometown of Philadelphia, before transferring to Merrimack last offseason. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 15.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 34.6% from behind the 3-point line.

“[Shelton]’s a shooter,” Merrimack head coach Joe Gallo said. “Every time it comes out of his hand, you think it’s going in.”

Shelton knocked down 99 3-pointers for Merrimack last season and was among the top 40 in the country in 3-pointers made per game (2.9). He set a career high last season with nine 3-pointers in a game against Boston University and made five or more 3-pointers in six games.

The sharpshooter is a breath of fresh air for a Boston College program that finished last in the ACC in 3-point percentage last season.

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Boston College lands Zak Smrekar, Money Williams, and JB Frankel, first three transfer commitments of Luke Murray era

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5 months ago

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April 16, 2026

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Boston College received its first three transfer commitments of the 2026 transfer portal cycle on Thursday in Zak Smrekar, Money Williams, and JB Frankel. Smrekar, Williams, and Frankel are the first three players to commit to BC since Luke Murray was named head coach on March 26 and join Jack Bailey as the only three players currently on the Eagles’ roster.

Smrekar is a 19-year-old, 6-foot-7 guard from Slovenia and was the first to commit to Murray. He played for the club Krka Novo Mesto in the Slovenian ABA for three seasons and averaged 9.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 15 games in the 2025-26 season. Smrekar also played for Slovenia in the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup and averaged 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in seven games.

Williams is a 20-year-old, 6-foot-4 guard who played the last three seasons for Montana. The Oakland, California, native was named to the 2025-26 All-Big Sky First Team after averaging 20.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game on 49.8% shooting from the field. Williams scored a career-high 40 points against Northern Colorado in the Big Sky Tournament, along with tallying six other 30-point games last season.

“I can’t come up with enough words to praise Money Williams properly,” Montana head coach Travis DeCuire said in October 2025. “When you talk about the young man that he is off the court, the young man he is when you bring him in the office, and you have real conversations with him and look him in the eye and talk about things that are hard to talk about.”

Frankel is a 21-year-old, 6-foot-3 guard who is not moving far, as he played the last three years at Northeastern. He started 13 of 30 games for the Huskies last season and averaged 5.9 points, 2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. The New York City native scored a season-high 13 points in a road win against Harvard.

Coach Murray will have to continue to build up the Eagles roster, but with three guards being picked up, look for the Eagles to hone in on finding their starting forwards and big men.

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