Photo by: John Quackenbos
Total Team Victory Provides Lifetime Memory
December 10, 2017 | Men's Basketball, #ForBoston Files
BC defeated No. 1-ranked Duke before a sold-out crowd at Conte Forum on Saturday.
Every day at practice, Boston College's basketball players face inspiration from the names and faces of the past. The Eagles practice under a looming banner of legends in Power Gym, and the basketball offices and facilities are littered with memories of previous seasons. The images turn players into legends and memories into fabled stories.
On Saturday, the Eagles became one of them. Wearing custom alternate gray uniforms for the first time this season, Boston College defeated the No. 1-ranked Duke Blue Devils, 89-84, in Chestnut Hill.
"At halftime we said, '20 minutes to a lifetime memory,'" head coach Jim Christian said. "Then it was 10. Then it was eight. Then it was four. The whole time, our kids never rattled. We stayed within what we did. There were so many winning plays out there. This is ACC basketball. This is what these guys signed up for and I'm proud of every single one of them."
The victory was a breakout for the entire Boston College team. It lost starter Deontae Hawkins for the season to injury, forcing players to step up even more than they already were. Ky Bowman was one assist short of a triple-double, scoring 30 points with 10 rebounds, including eight on the defensive glass. Jerome Robinson was perfect from beyond the arc, going 5-for-5 with two huge shots down the stretch en route to 24 points. Jordan Chatman played all 40 minutes, scoring 22 points behind five 3-pointers.
"We're a good 3-point shooting team, and we just haven't been shooting the ball well (lately)," Christian said. "I knew (the breakout) was going to happen. These kids work too hard. They're good shooters. Jerome made some huge threes. At the 16-minute mark, I looked at Jordan and said, 'Get in the game, Jordan, and do what you do.' Nobody did anything out of character. Everybody made the plays that they make. You didn't need superhuman plays. You need guys to make plays that they make on the biggest stage. That's what you have to do to beat the No. 1 team in the nation."
It wasn't limited to just the three scorers. Nik Popovic had seven rebounds, including five on the defensive glass. Freshman Steffon Mitchell played 37 minutes, locking down defensively against the presumptive No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, Marvin Bagley III, who was held to only 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting - just five points in the second half.
"Steffon is phenomenal," Christian said. "He's a blue collar guy and rose to the challenge. He made (Bagley) work for every catch. In the post, he caused a couple of over-the-back fouls that changed Bagley's mentality. (Duke) averaged 67 shots per night, so we were going to have to hit 67 times in the night. We didn't miss many, and to hold Duke to 13 offensive rebounds is a monster feat."
"We played like some dogs," Robinson said with a smile. "(Mitchell) is one of the hardest rebounders I've ever seen. (Popovic) has a lot of grit. Duke is a physical team and like to rebound. So you have to just push them out of the way and win those (boards)."
The win lifts the lid on the growth of Boston College basketball. BC has been building toward capturing a moment like Saturday. Good teams compete. Great teams know that winning means valuing every possession and every second of a 40 minute game. To win in the ACC, it takes that focus and mindset, 18 times a year in the regular season.
"We had been there close in the past," Robinson said of the team's will to victory. "So we were just taking it in, going as hard as we (could), just grinding it all out."
"There were a couple of plays where we executed very well in key times," he added. "You could see the emotion in our team change after a well-executed play - the lob dunk, a backdoor play. It energized our defense and you have to do that (to win). You have to stop Duke at key times because you're not stopping them the whole game. I was very, very proud. We executed when we needed to and didn't crumble."
The Eagles could have crumbled and no one would have blamed them, especially with the dark cloud hanging overhead since the Hawkins injury at Nebraska on November 29. The graduate transfer was a formidable presence on the glass, while providing a dynamic offensive option in his first seven full games. Good teams settle. Great teams make adjustments.
"It's emotionally tough to lose Teddy Hawkins," Christian said. "I was so disappointed for him because he was doing everything right. It's not an easy situation to come into a new group of guys. For me to watch these guys celebrate in the locker, knowing they earned the victory with Duke as good a team, that's the best memory I've had in a long, long time.
It was the first over a No. 1 team in the nation since the emotional "Win for DK" game at Syracuse. It improved the program's record to 4-5 lifetime against top-ranked teams, and it electrified a fan base that returned to Conte Forum in sold-out fashion with court-storming energy.
Columbia comes to Chestnut Hill next and the short turnaround requires a short memory. But that won't stop the Eagles from enjoying this one just a little bit, especially by a coach who stood with his team in the locker room after the game, soaked through his suit jacket, thanking his players for the memory of a lifetime.
"If you walk down the hallway in our office, there are posters of great moments," Christian said. "All the big wins. The conference championships. Beating the No. 1 team in the nation. We're putting this one up there. Putting a poster up on that wall is a big thing because of the proud history of this place."
The Eagles and Lions tip off on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The game is televised on ACC Network Extra and can be heard on the BC IMG Sports Network.
On Saturday, the Eagles became one of them. Wearing custom alternate gray uniforms for the first time this season, Boston College defeated the No. 1-ranked Duke Blue Devils, 89-84, in Chestnut Hill.
"At halftime we said, '20 minutes to a lifetime memory,'" head coach Jim Christian said. "Then it was 10. Then it was eight. Then it was four. The whole time, our kids never rattled. We stayed within what we did. There were so many winning plays out there. This is ACC basketball. This is what these guys signed up for and I'm proud of every single one of them."
The victory was a breakout for the entire Boston College team. It lost starter Deontae Hawkins for the season to injury, forcing players to step up even more than they already were. Ky Bowman was one assist short of a triple-double, scoring 30 points with 10 rebounds, including eight on the defensive glass. Jerome Robinson was perfect from beyond the arc, going 5-for-5 with two huge shots down the stretch en route to 24 points. Jordan Chatman played all 40 minutes, scoring 22 points behind five 3-pointers.
"We're a good 3-point shooting team, and we just haven't been shooting the ball well (lately)," Christian said. "I knew (the breakout) was going to happen. These kids work too hard. They're good shooters. Jerome made some huge threes. At the 16-minute mark, I looked at Jordan and said, 'Get in the game, Jordan, and do what you do.' Nobody did anything out of character. Everybody made the plays that they make. You didn't need superhuman plays. You need guys to make plays that they make on the biggest stage. That's what you have to do to beat the No. 1 team in the nation."
It wasn't limited to just the three scorers. Nik Popovic had seven rebounds, including five on the defensive glass. Freshman Steffon Mitchell played 37 minutes, locking down defensively against the presumptive No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, Marvin Bagley III, who was held to only 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting - just five points in the second half.
"Steffon is phenomenal," Christian said. "He's a blue collar guy and rose to the challenge. He made (Bagley) work for every catch. In the post, he caused a couple of over-the-back fouls that changed Bagley's mentality. (Duke) averaged 67 shots per night, so we were going to have to hit 67 times in the night. We didn't miss many, and to hold Duke to 13 offensive rebounds is a monster feat."
"We played like some dogs," Robinson said with a smile. "(Mitchell) is one of the hardest rebounders I've ever seen. (Popovic) has a lot of grit. Duke is a physical team and like to rebound. So you have to just push them out of the way and win those (boards)."
The win lifts the lid on the growth of Boston College basketball. BC has been building toward capturing a moment like Saturday. Good teams compete. Great teams know that winning means valuing every possession and every second of a 40 minute game. To win in the ACC, it takes that focus and mindset, 18 times a year in the regular season.
"We had been there close in the past," Robinson said of the team's will to victory. "So we were just taking it in, going as hard as we (could), just grinding it all out."
"There were a couple of plays where we executed very well in key times," he added. "You could see the emotion in our team change after a well-executed play - the lob dunk, a backdoor play. It energized our defense and you have to do that (to win). You have to stop Duke at key times because you're not stopping them the whole game. I was very, very proud. We executed when we needed to and didn't crumble."
The Eagles could have crumbled and no one would have blamed them, especially with the dark cloud hanging overhead since the Hawkins injury at Nebraska on November 29. The graduate transfer was a formidable presence on the glass, while providing a dynamic offensive option in his first seven full games. Good teams settle. Great teams make adjustments.
"It's emotionally tough to lose Teddy Hawkins," Christian said. "I was so disappointed for him because he was doing everything right. It's not an easy situation to come into a new group of guys. For me to watch these guys celebrate in the locker, knowing they earned the victory with Duke as good a team, that's the best memory I've had in a long, long time.
It was the first over a No. 1 team in the nation since the emotional "Win for DK" game at Syracuse. It improved the program's record to 4-5 lifetime against top-ranked teams, and it electrified a fan base that returned to Conte Forum in sold-out fashion with court-storming energy.
Columbia comes to Chestnut Hill next and the short turnaround requires a short memory. But that won't stop the Eagles from enjoying this one just a little bit, especially by a coach who stood with his team in the locker room after the game, soaked through his suit jacket, thanking his players for the memory of a lifetime.
"If you walk down the hallway in our office, there are posters of great moments," Christian said. "All the big wins. The conference championships. Beating the No. 1 team in the nation. We're putting this one up there. Putting a poster up on that wall is a big thing because of the proud history of this place."
The Eagles and Lions tip off on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The game is televised on ACC Network Extra and can be heard on the BC IMG Sports Network.
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