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Rider: It’s not gritty, and it’s far from pretty

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1 year ago

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News broke early Friday morning from Jon Rothstein that Earl Grant will remain the head coach for Boston College. It is a move widely expected, but equally as disappointed for BC fans. Grant, who finished his fourth season at the helm, has not raised the program to the heights that many had hoped for. Coming off a mildly successful finish last year, the follow up is a massive step back for the basketball program.

Looking at the the previous four seasons, its easy to see where the anger and confusion in keeping Grant stems from. The 2022-23 season began with too many head scratching losses to low level opponents in Tarleton State, UNH, and Maine. It was somewhat redeemed with stronger ACC play, including an upset win over a sixth ranked Virginia team that gave folks hope. BC was seemingly improving, and in turn, landed an extension for the BC head man from AD Blake James. Looking back, the talent on that roster was NIT worthy in itself. They ultimately fell short because of the aforementioned infuriating losses.

The next season, Quinten Post was fully healthy, Claudell Harris proved to be an ACC-level scorer, Jaeden Zackery was his steady self, Mason Madsen was finally healthy after a shocking medical diagnosis, and Devin McGlockton was a blossoming force down low. This team had aspirations of finally ‘breaking through’ and early on it looked as if they would. The phrase ‘breaking through’ was also one used multiple times by the program. They were very aware of what the goal was. The schedule was beefed up, with an SOS of 7.25, from a pedestrian of 4.73 the year prior as well.

Finishing their OOC without any clunkers, and one single meltdown to Loyola, it really seemed like BC was on the trajectory to breaking through. Unfortunately, ACC play proved too difficult for the Eagles to get over the hump. Their losses all remained highly competitive and they successfully avoided the lop sided losses outside of the senior night thud, but leadership could not steer them to victory at an acceptable rate. It was not for a lack of talent that BC had become accustomed to either. Coaching showed their inability to truly propel the team to March Madness, something that has alluded Boston College since 2009.

These mess ups and oversights held the team back from their truest post season potential. It robbed Makai Ashton-Langford from a postseason birth. It took an NCAA tournament appearance from Quinten Post, and it seems, barring a Big 12 run, the same for Mason Madsen. Furthermore, Zackery, Harris, and McGlockton all had to seek green pastures to be afforded the opportunity to make the dance. Its damning evidence that collectively they all could not successfully achieve that.

New age college sports have brought another aspect into play for coaches all over: roster construction. After BC lost the aforementioned starting five to the portal, and Post by way of graduation, their replacements were anything but sufficient. Virtually swapping out Zackery for Josh Beadle from Clemson. Harris for Dion Brown by way of UMBC. McGlockton for Roger McFarlane. Chad Venning, who has been the sole consistently productive transfer, for Eagles legend, Post. All while expanding minutes for Chas Kelley and Donald hand, the latter of which has been hugely successful in such role, recently being awarded ACC Most Improved Player.

This has resulted in Boston College’s worst defensive output in 8 years. A team that has hung its hat on the mantra, “Gritty, not Pretty” it has been anything but, giving up a bloated 76.1 points-per-game.

After losing one game by 18 plus last year, the Eagles have done so 10 times this year. Including a brutal stretch where they lost by 21, 18 ,25 ,18, sandwiched by a meltdown at home against fellow lowly opponent Syracuse and capped by a collapse down in Chapel Hill. The results have been anything by encouraging.

Boston College basketball’s track record since 2009 is inexcusable. Their record of 209- 304 is disappointing and irresponsible for a school that has the resources to resurrect the on-court product. Furthermore, it was widely thought that their lack of facilities left them far behind their peer ACC counterparts. With the completion of the Hoag Basketball Pavilion practice facility, the basketball program has not seen an uptick in production that was expected.

https://twitter.com/brettrid3r/status/1898045202868453517

It’s hard to know what to expect moving forward, but based on the numbers of the past, it seems we can only expect much of the same.

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1 Comment

  1. Dick Clancy

    March 11, 2025 at 11:43 pm

    I like this assessment. It used to be so much fun when BC was in the NCAA tournament. Nothing beats the excited rooting for your school. I felt that this was a good time to “make hay” in the ACC, since three of the long time coaches have recently retired ( Williams; Boeheim; Coach K). Their replacements are good coaches but not as accomplished as their predecessors. Why we have not done so is something that needs to be addressed. Why isn’t A. J. Dybantsa considering BC?

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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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Basketball

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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