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Takeaways: Eagles escape The Citadel with a Gritty Win

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3 years ago

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Recap:

The Boston College Eagles were able to hold off the Bulldogs of The Citadel, winning 75-71. After Quinten Post picked up his second foul just 3:34 into the contest, The Citadel was able to keep pace with Boston College, eventually taking a 38-35 lead into halftime. The Bulldogs carried their momentum into the second half, eventually stretching their lead to as much as six points. With Post playing limited minutes due to foul trouble, the Eagles relied on the leadership of Jaeden Zackery, as well as scoring outbursts from guards DJ Hand and MJ Harris. A personal 5-0 run from Harris allowed the Eagles to take back the lead, going up 60-58 with 9:00 to go in the game, and never relinquished it. Zackery led the way for the Eagles, scoring 21 points on 8-12 from the field. Harris and Devin McGlockton each added 12 points, while Hand scored a crucial 14 points off the bench.

Zackery’s Leadership:

Veteran guard Jaeden Zackery showed remarkable leadership throughout this game. In a game where the best player in the building was stuck on the bench due to foul trouble, the Eagles desperately needed someone to pick up the slack, and Zackery stepped up and delivered. Zackery played 39 of 40 minutes last night, and the Eagles needed every last one of them. With Post on the bench, Zackery was easily the Eagles’ most valuable player on both ends of the floor, racking up a career-high 21 points and swiping 4 steals en route to the victory. With his stellar perimeter defense and ability to make tough buckets, Zackery is the absolute epitome of “gritty not pretty”.

Concerns in the Front Court:

As mentioned in the game recap, Post picked up two quick fouls in the first half, forcing Coach Grant to take him off the floor. The big man was able to return to the game and finish the first half without picking up his third, but picked up fouls three and four after getting called for a ticky-tack hand check and getting hit with a technical. All together, the Eagles only saw Post on the floor for 19 minutes, in which he posted 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 blocks, a far cry from his 31/11/4 stat line against Fairfield. While Post certainly did not have his best performance, the more concerning issue is the Eagles’ lack of depth in the front court. Armani Mighty was the only forward to come off the bench for the Eagles. And while Mighty looked much improved from last season in spot minutes against Fairfield, he definitely struggled last night, going 0-3 from under the basket. With Mighty still coming into his own, look for Grant to play lots of three-guard lineups with Prince Aligbe and McGlockton in the front court during Post’s bench minutes.

Hand as a Spark off the Bench:

The Eagles do not win this game without the performance of sophomore guard DJ Hand. One could argue that, outside of Zackery, Hand was the Eagles’ best offensive player. Hand’s 14 points came on 5-11 efficiency, and the sophomore was able to get buckets both inside and outside the arc. In both games this season, Hand has proven to be an incredibly valuable scorer off the bench, averaging 11.5 points. When the offense got stagnant with Post on the bench, Hand was able to put the ball in the basket in key moments, keeping BC within striking distance. While Zackery has been excellent thus far, the Eagles cannot reasonably expect Zackery to duplicate his stellar performance each night. So having Hand as a spark plug off the bench is crucial, and Grant will continue to give the sophomore guard opportunities to prove himself.

Got the Job Done:

My last takeaway is simple: the Eagles found a way to win this game. In seasons past, this is a game the BC loses (see: the Maine game last year). Away from their home court, the Eagles found themselves in a hole, with their best player having foul trouble all game, and The Citadel shooting over 50% from beyond the arc in the first half. A less mature team might have folded and chalked this game up as “just one of those games”, but not these Eagles. There are those who, understandably so, will say a four-point victory over a bottom-100 team is no victory at all. But the bottom line is simple, Grant and his squad found a way to win. Grant’s mantra has always been “Gritty not Pretty”, and Friday night’s victory exemplifies that perfectly.

What’s Next:

After their tough game on the road, the Eagles fly home for a pair of home games next week. Boston College will take on the Richmond Spiders this Wednesday at 7 PM, followed by an inter-Boston clash against the Harvard Crimson next Saturday at 5 PM. The Eagles will likely be slightly favored in both games, but nothing can be taken for granted with this team. With Richmond and Harvard both ranked within 80 spots of BC in Ken Pomeroy’s Division-1 rankings, both games should be competitive. As I’ve said before, I believe this team has the talent to make some noise in the ACC. And if the Eagles want to have any chance of making a postseason tournament, they must continue capitalizing on their out-of-conference schedule.

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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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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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