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Game Preview: Boston College Basketball Opens its Season against The Citadel

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As the calendar has flipped to November, another college basketball season is underway. And tonight, the Boston College Eagles return to action for the first time since their second-round NIT loss to UNLV, taking on the Bulldogs from The Citadel. Since last season, Coach Grant’s roster has gone through some major turnover, with the entire starting lineup from the 2023-24 season moving on to new teams, four players arriving to BC via the transfer portal, and three freshmen joining via the transfer portal. 

With all the new faces in the building, there are a lot of unknowns with this team. The 2023-24 season was the Eagles’ best in years, going 20-16 (8-12 ACC) and winning a game in the NIT Tournament. However, with the departure of guys like Quinten Post, Jaeden Zackery, and Devin McGlockton no longer on the roster, this season’s squad could be hard-pressed to reach those same heights in the short term.

However, this is not to say that hope is lost for this year’s team as Chas Kelley III, Donald Hand Jr., and Elijah Strong all showed flashes last season, albeit in limited roles. Also, transfers Dion Brown, Roger McFarlane, and Chad Venning all excelled at lower levels of college hoops, each earning all-Conference honors for their previous teams. And with two extremely athletic forwards, in Jayden Hastings and Kany Tchanda, set to make their collegiate debuts, this team could be a very fun watch this season.

As previously mentioned, the Eagles open their season tonight against The Citadel, an opponent that fans will remember from last season as an unexpected thorn in the Eagles’ side. While many thought that The Citadel would be a relatively easy opponent in BC’s out-of-conference schedule, the Bulldogs actually led for a majority of that matchup, before a second half comeback propelled Grant’s team to a 75-71. 

Obviously, these are two entirely different teams, with Boston College’s aforementioned roster turnover, and The Citadel similarly returning just three contributing players from last year’s roster. Kenyan Davis is The Citadel’s leading returner, averaging 5.8 points on 43% shooting from the field in the 2023-24 season. So, tonight’s matchup in Conte will be between two teams that are still figuring out their rotations and still developing team chemistry.

If the Eagles are going to control this matchup, they will have to exploit The Citadel’s lack of roster continuity, and force them to make mistakes. While BC is still figuring out their own identity, look for Grant to force the issue, create turnovers, and get out in transition. With the Eagles coming into this matchup as 16.5-point favorites, the Bulldogs are coming into Conte with house money, and the Eagles would be wise not to overlook this matchup. 

While no one knows exactly what the Eagles’ rotation will look like tonight, look for Grant to start guys who contributed last season (Kelley III, Hand Jr., and Strong) and put them next to standout transfer guard Brown and their veteran big man in Venning. But I would also expect Grant to go at least nine or ten guys deep, getting McFarlane, Josh Beadle, Jayden Hastings, and more involved. 

For all coverage of this year’s BC Basketball team, follow along with us at Eagles Daily, as we have boots on the ground at each and every Boston College home game. While this season’s team has a lot to figure out, look for a fun and athletic product in Conte! See you there, and Go Eagles!

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

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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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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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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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