The first thing that the Golden Eagles had to do was upgrade their talent.  And that does not just mean on the basketball court.  The Golden Eagles have begun building an 8000 seat arena that will house both their men’s and women’s basketball program and their hockey team.  Yes, hockey is big in Beantown.  Tentatively called Conte Forum this will replace the Roberts Center as their 4400 seat capacity was just not cutting it with these huge draws coming to town.  For some of the bigger games the Celtics will be loaning the ‘Garden’ to the Eagles so you can bet that the games against Georgetown and St. John’s will be held there.  The next upgrade would be at coach as BC needed someone who could recruit not just locally (keep the kids in town) but nationally as well.  The man for the job they decided was a doctor and they brought in Tom Davis to lead them into the Big East.  Davis has done a terrific job here keeping this team afloat with their ‘small ball’ style that emphasizes the three point shot but when the Iowa Hawkeyes came calling he could not turn down that job.  BTW the GE’s host the Hawkeyes in February in what promises to be a fun game for the Beantown fans.  Davis had made the Eagles competitive even getting them into the NIT but this team needed someone who could bring in some big guys to complement the little guys BC is famous for.  They did not have to go too far as they decided that former eagle legend Jim O’Brien was the right man for the job.  O’Brien takes over a solid team but the rumors are he has brought in a ton of girth down low as he tries to keep up with the Jones’s in the Big East.  After all when your starting center is 6’7 and about 215 pounds going toe to toe with Ewing and Bouie something has to give. 

Of course the kid we are talking about is senior post Terry Driscoll.  Driscoll is ‘the’ legend on the Hill as he has been the vanguard for the low post since he got to Chestnut Hill.  Nowhere big enough to battle with the Big East boys Driscoll still manages to be a super rebounder and solid low post scoring option.  He was second on the team in scoring and led the team in rebounding by a large margin.  There is no doubt he will remain the main man down low for the Golden Eagles mentoring this crop of kids that O’Brien has brought in.  There are a few other carryover big men from the Davis era but if the rumors are true on the talent of the incoming group then Driscoll is the safest ‘bet’ to keep his minutes moving forward.  Of course you don’t really want to talk about betting around these parts after what happened last year!  Henry Hill!  This is where we approach the whole Jim Sweeney, Ernie Cobb thing!  A couple of guards are still suspended for an alleged part of a point shaving scheme orchestrated by some good ol’ Goodfellas.  Apparently infamous  ‘rat’ Henry Hill groomed junior big man Rick Kuhn who then brought in teammates Jim Sweeney and Ernie Cobb.  The duo have denied taking cash and have went so far to hire counsel to defend them against these allegations. Sweeney fouled out of the game in question against Holy Cross and Cobb scored the last eight points so but both, as of now, will be fighting for their basketball life.  Without these two playing the last half of last year it opened up the door for some freshmen to get into the rotation and a trio of diminutive back court players took full advantage of this opportunity. 

Coach O’Brien will keep the three guard set to take advantage of the strength of his roster.  For Now!  Senior guard John Austin is the leader of this group and is without question the top offensive weapon on this team.  Johnny but helped put his high school on the map and has been trying to move up this program since he stepped on the hill three years ago.  Austin comes from DC (Hyattsville MD to be exact) and helped put DeMatha High School on the national map.  Austin was the first star there and he helped legendary coach Morgan Wooten win his first “national title’ his senior season.   Undersized for a shooting guard (and that is a misnomer as all Eagle guards really are point guards) at an even six foot and a svelte 170 pounds Austin makes up for it with his tenaciousness, 

Austin does have range but has been having issues adjusting to the three point line.  He is better at penetrating and can also get his own shot against bigger players, a must on this team.  He led the GE’s in scoring the last two years with almost 20 a game both seasons but last year dipped at the end as Davis decided to go with some of the guys he brought in down the stretch.  No worries here though as Austin is the man in Beantown and no matter how many guards come after him at BC (or Dematha for that matter) he will always be the original gangsta who started the whole enchilada.   

Now who starts next to Austin in this mighty mouse of a backcourt is the question of the summer in Boston?    Senior Billy Evans and Sophomore half pints Michael Adams and John Bagley split time at point guard last year.  Evans is a complete set up the table and get the salt to the right shaker type of guy.  He does not score much but man can he pass?  Adams and Bagley are actually pretty opposite of each other bringing different skills to the table.  Bagley is the prototypical drive and dish point guard who loves getting into the key and causing havoc.  He is quite effective doing this as well as hitting little floaters and is really strong for a six footer.  Adams can also drive and dish but can also throw up the three-pointer.  His long range bombing is already becoming legendary. At five eleven he has to be open though to get his shot off especially with the push shot he uses but when he gets hot watch out.  He is not afraid to shoot and will fire away as many bombs as he can throw up.  The words volume shooter match him well as he is the kind of player that is perfect for the modern game.  When he is on you win and when he is not then you lose.  It really is that simple!  Well sort of.     Another sophomore who was part of the six foot and under club is Dana Barros.  Barros played the 4th (or fifth) guard in the rotation for most of the year.  Barros is also a three point maniac.  Like Adams He will let it fly from anywhere anytime.  Unlike Adams he is a much higher percentage shooter who can really light it up.  He is quick and can get off his shot with that quickness.  Basically the Eagles break you down going to the hoop with their quickness and then kick it out to whoever is open.  And Barros is the best of the lot at lofting the threes.     

Yes, the Golden Eagles are built on cat quick guard play and the ability to hit the three but you must have some interior play to survive in the Big East.  The aforementioned group of returnees who got minutes last year starts with senior Willie Wolters.  Wolters is a German emigrant through the Big Apple who is primarily a defender and board man.  At 6’8 220 he has some size but his minutes were cut back last year looking for more offense up front.  Juniors Bob Bennifield and Bill Collins are also in the mix but neither one of them bring much O to the table either.  Collins is the biggest player on the roster at 6’10 240 and has shown some glimpses in limited minutes but was impressive on the JV team.  Bennifield is 6’8 and a shot blocker but gives up too much size to the big men in this league though he did have a couple of big games last year.  The kid that came on the strongest at least on the offensive end is sophomore Jay Murphy.  Murphy played a lot of center in the first year on the Hill but is still undersized at 6’9 220 in this league.  Murphy showed some promise with a nice mid-range jumper but needs to get better on the boards and quit playing finesse. He should improve but O’Brien has brought in some kids to push the veterans and many of these guys we just mentioned might not even make the roster this year.  Foremost of these is highly recruited Billy Curley from Duxbury Massachusetts.  The Mickey D’s All-American (not many of those guys end up here) goes 6’9 220 but has the skills and size and more importantly the Beantown swagger that will almost assuredly make him an immediate fan favorite.  But can he and his fellow group of freshmen big men finally turn BC from little man u into a real contender in this Big Man’s Conference. 

As for the wings there is a solid group of players that O’Brien can choose from. Seniors Gerry Ward, Steve Adelman and Jim Hooley and Junior Bob Carrington are the guys in the running for the spot.  Ward will begin the year as the favorite to start as this one time power forward has transitioned well to the wing.  Ward is a defender first and is great on the boards but his offense is suspect and we know O’Brien wants to run and gun.  Carrington is best offensive player of the bunch as the 6’6 195 from up the road in Braintree has got game.  This slick player can go outside as well as maneuver in the key and though he is not a brut Carrington is money when it comes to scoring.  Adelman is the best perimeter shooter of the bunch and loves the new three point line but is not overly athletic.  Hooley is more of a post player trying to convert and has the mid-range game to get her done.  Like Adelman though and Carrington as well defense, especially against the athletic guys in the Big East, is not their forte and will cost them playing time.  That is why Ward is the favorite to start though with O’Brien back n town defense might not be such a big deal. Whether or not any of these cats ends up paying significant minutes is anyone’s guess with the GE’s ‘small ball’ gaining such notoriety last year but at some point O’Brien will have to put in some ‘real’ lineups to matchup in the mighty Big East. 

The Boston College Golden Eagles are famous for having small guys become superstars at their college.  Their most famous athlete ever after all is none other than five foot nine Quarterback Doug Flutie who actually won a Heisman.  The basketball team has the same kind of players.  Coach Jim O’Brien’s (O’Brien was a guard for the Eagles at one point) team is filled with short players who have big hearts and know how to play the game.  BC relies on the three and any team that does that is prone to losing a few games it should not.  The Eagles definitely lost a few they shouldn’t and with this small of lineup gave up way too many boards and points.  Still, any team that can shoot the three like the Eagles do can beat a few Giants with their sling shots.  O’Brien wants to make this program more than just upset artists as he has brought in some big boys to try and hang with the monsters in this league underneath including the first McDonald’s All-American the Golden Eagles have ever landed.  If by chance BC does in fact get some big men to complement their infamous might might backcourt who knows how high this program can climb?  After all in these parts winning has become quite the tradition at least in the pro sports!