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Open Practice and Final Preseason Thoughts

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As many of our readers likely know, in less than a week, the Boston College men’s basketball team opens its season in Conte Forum. With the whirlwind that this football season has been, the mind of the BC fanbase has been primarily on the gridiron. So, in an effort to garner some buzz around Eagles basketball this season, here are some notes from the team’s recent open practice, as well as some general thoughts on the upcoming season.

Conte Forum played host to the Eagles basketball team’s recent open practice right before the football team kicked off against UConn. Despite the tough timing and activity around campus, Earl Grant’s squad drew a decent crowd. Admittedly, this writer was only able to catch the final 30-40 minutes of practice, but there was a lot to take note of.

First, the roster seemed to be divided into three groups: the main rotation, bench, and walk-ons. The main rotation consisted of the projected starting five Jaeden Zackery, Claudell Harris Jr, Prince Aligbe, Devin McGlockton, and Quinten Post; plus Mason Madsen and Jayden Hastings. The bench unit featured Fred Payne, Chas Kelley, Donald Hand Jr., Elijah Strong, and Armani Mighty. And, lastly, the walk-on group was led by fan-favorite Abe Atiyeh, and included freshmen Asher Jackson, Jack Didanno, and Ethan Soares.

The last 30 minutes of practice featured a three-point shooting contest between the starters and the bench, a full-court fast-break drill, and a scrimmage between the starters and the bench. Coach Grant’s focus on the three-point shot and transition offense was notable, as last season’s team was not particularly known for excelling in either area. However, between transfer Harris, increased roles for sophomore guards Kelley and Hand, and Madsen coming into this season much more healthy than last season, the Eagles could very well see a significant increase in three-point production.

Another positive development is that unproven forwards Hastings and Mighty appeared to be much more polished than many fans might have expected. Those who watched Mighty’s limited minutes last year saw how raw he was on both ends of the floor. And, as with most freshmen, the Eagles don’t know what they will get from Hastings. This basketball team will only go as far as Post will take them, but the big man obviously cannot play 40 minutes a game. So being able to get 10-12 serviceable minutes from Hastings/Mighty would go a long way for a team that clearly lacks depth in the frontcourt.

With the season less than a week away, there is much reason for optimism. The Eagles’ out-of-conference schedule is not particularly grueling and is a big opportunity for the team to get as far over the .500 mark as possible. If this team wants any shot of making the Dance, a dominant OOC performance is a necessity. Of the eleven games on the OOC schedule, the Eagles should be heavy favorites against Fairfield, The Citadel, Richmond, Central Connecticut, Holy Cross, and Lehigh. If they can take care of business in these six games, and remain competitive in their remaining five, an 8-3 OOC performance is well within reach.

As for league play, the Eagles will be shooting for double-digit conference wins for the first time since Jared Dudley and Matt Ryan were on campus. Coach Grant surpassed expectations in each of his first two seasons with the Eagles, going 13-20 (6-14 ACC) in year 1 and 16-17 (9-11 ACC) in year 2. Should the Eagles take another step forward in the ACC, they very well could find themselves “on the bubble” come March. Grant has mentioned many times how his third season at a program has always been a “breakout year”, and looks to take the Eagles to new heights in his third year on The Heights.

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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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