Boston College Athletics
Men's Basketball Prepares to Host St. John's
June 21, 1999 | Men's Basketball
Conte Forum -- Noon
December 5, 1998
THE SERIES VS. ST. JOHN'S: St. John's holds a 39-19 advantage in its series against BC. St. John's has won the last three meetings. Each of those victories came during the 1997-98 season. Prior to that, Boston College had won three consecutive games ... St. John's leads the BIG EAST regular-season series, 22-14 ... The Red Storm has won four of five BIG EAST Championship Tournament meetings with the Eagles.
The Last 10: Boston College and St. John's have each won five of the last 10 meetings.
In Conte Forum: Boston College has a 3-6 record against the Red Storm in Conte Forum. St. John's won the first four contests, while BC has won three of the last five.
Current Players vs. St. John's: Each of three BC players -- Dwayne Pina, Jonathan Beerbohm and Kenny Harley -- has seen action in three games against the Red Storm (all in 1997-98). All totaled, Pina registered six rebounds and six assists in 70 minutes. Beerbohm had two points and two rebounds in 16 minutes. Harley recorded 11 points (including nine points in the BIG EAST Tournament meeting on March 5, 1998), two rebounds and one assist in 31 minutes ... Each of the team's three walk-ons -- Julian Bah, Jim Boland and Nicolas Dunn -- played one minute in last year's BIG EAST Tournament meeting.
BACK TOGETHER: When St. John's freshman guard Erick Barkley arrives in Conte Forum, he's sure to see at least a few familiar faces. Last year, he and BC freshman guard Clinton Sims were teammates at Maine Central Institute. In 1996-97, he and BC freshman forward Osei Millar were teammates at Christ the King High School in New York City. Millar and Barkley also played together for the Riverside Church Hawks (AAU - Summer 1997).
WE'RE YOUNG: The 1998-99 Boston College roster features four juniors (including one transfer who is sitting out the 1998-99 season), four sophomores and six freshmen ... Through the first five games, five freshmen have combined to play 44.6 percent of the team's minutes. Four sophomores have played 28.3 percent of the minutes, while two juniors have played 27.1 percent of the minutes.
WHO'S HOT: Freshman Clinton Sims, a guard from Paris, Ky., has led the Eagles in scoring in four of the first five games. He scored a career-high 21 points to lead the Eagles to a 69-56 win over Fordham at Pepsi Arena in Albany (Nov. 24). Sims shot 8-of-11 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line ... He scored a team-high 15 points against Harvard on Nov. 18, and notched a team-high 16 points against Monmouth on Nov. 21 ... He has started all five games, and is averaging a team-high 29.6 minutes per game (tied with Dwayne Pina) ... Sims is the younger brother of former Louisville star Alvin Sims.
Team Leader: Sims leads the Eagles in scoring (14.4 ppg) and field goal percentage (.528).
STARTING QUICKLY: Clinton Sims' 21-point effort in the fourth game of his collegiate career (against Fordham on Nov. 24) marked the earliest in one's career that a Boston College player has reached the 20-point mark since Lior Arditti netted 21 points against Dartmouth in the second game of his BC career (vs. Dartmouth on Nov. 27, 1989).
STREAKING: Boston College had its two-game winning streak snapped against Fairfield on Nov. 28.
COMING TOGETHER: The 14 members of the 1998-99 Boston College team represent seven different states, the District of Columbia and one foreign country. The states are California, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New York and Ohio. Greece is the one foreign nation.
THE PLAYERS
#4 JONATHAN BEERBOHM: The sophomore forward scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds in 23 minutes against Harvard on Nov. 18 ... The Fairbury, Neb. native netted six points and equaled his career high with 11 rebounds against Monmouth on Nov. 21 ... 1997-98: Last year, he played in all 31 games, making five starts. He averaged 3.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
#13 KENNY HARLEY: The sophomore currently ranks second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.6 points per game ... He has scored in double figures in three of the first five games. Last year, he scored at least 10 points twice in 31 games ... Harley netted 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field (3-for-6 from three-point range) in the Eagles' win over Fordham on Nov. 24 ... He registered a game-high and career-high 19 points in the season opener against Marquette on Nov. 14 ... In the Eagles' loss to Harvard, Harley grabbed a team-high seven rebounds ... 1997-98: The first player to sign with Boston College after Al Skinner assumed the head coaching duties, Harley played in all 31 games last winter, making 21 starts. He finished the season averaging 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
#3 MICHAEL COTTON: A junior guard from Detroit, Mich., Michael Cotton has been a solid contributor for the Eagles in the first five games. He is averaging 7.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game ... Most recently, Cotton had 11 points and four rebounds in a 75-70 loss to Fairfield (Nov. 28). The junior keyed the Eagles' second-half rally, scoring nine points in a 21-6 run that narrowed the BC deficit to one point (60-59) ... He registered eight points and six rebounds in the team's win over Fordham (Nov. 24). Prior to that, he had 12 points and seven rebounds against Monmouth ... Cotton made his first (non-exhibition) collegiate appearance since the 1997 Big 12 Tournament in the Eagles' season opener against Marquette. Cotton played the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons at the University of Oklahoma, before transferring to Boston College and sitting out the 1997-98 season. In his two seasons as a Sooner, Cotton played in 38 games. #5 DWAYNE PINA: The junior point guard is averaging 5.0 points, 4.6 assists and 3.2 steals in 29.6 minutes per game ... He scored a career-high eight points and handed out seven assists against Fairfield (Nov. 28) ... Against Harvard (Nov. 18), he recorded five points, three steals and equaled his career high with eight assists ... 1997-98: Pina is in his second season on the Eagles' roster after earning a spot on the roster as a walk-on prior to the 1997-98 season. With his impressive play early last season, he earned a scholarship for the second semester (and this year as well). He started the last eight games of the 1997-98 season.
#21 KENNY WALLS: The freshman swingman from San Francisco, Calif. scored a season-high 13 points in the Eagles' loss to Fairfield (Nov. 28). Walls netted 11 points in the second half (4-for-4 FG, 1-for-1 trey, 2-for-2 FT), helping BC rally from an 11-point halftime deficit ... Coming off the bench against Monmouth (Nov. 21), the athletic Walls contributed nine points and six rebounds in 26 minutes ... In his collegiate debut, Walls recorded four points and five rebounds in 17 minutes against Marquette ... The 1997-98 San Francisco Player of the Year, Walls is a graduate of Galileo High School.
#35 WILLIE DEANE: The freshman guard scored a career-high nine points (2-for-4 FG, 5-for-6 FT) in the Eagles' win over Fordham (Nov. 24). The game, played in Albany, N.Y., marked a homecoming for Deane, who is from nearby Schenectady ... He tallied five points and three rebounds in 14 minutes in his collegiate debut against Marquette. The 6-foot-1-inch freshman provided one of the highlights of the season-opening game with a spectacular slam dunk (off a steal) with just more than five minutes remaining in the game ... Deane did not play in the Eagles' game against Fairfield (Nov. 28). He was serving a one-game suspension for violating team rules.
#45 BRIAN ROSS: The freshman forward from North Quincy, Mass. will return to action against St. John's after missing the Fairfield game (Nov. 28) because of a left eye injury (laceration) ... He had made contributions in "various areas" in each of the team's first four games. He currently ranks second on the team in rebounds, averaging 4.8 per game ... He ranks second on the team in steals, averaging 2.5 per game ... In his collegiate debut -- against Marquette -- he recorded two points, four rebounds and five steals. Against Harvard on Nov. 18, Ross registered four points, six rebounds, one blocked shot and one steal in 25 minutes. In the win over Monmouth, Ross had six points, four rebounds and two steals in 21 minutes ... 1997-98: As a senior at North Quincy (Mass.) High School last year, Ross led all Massachusetts scorers with a 36.7 ppg average.
#31 OSEI MILLAR: The freshman forward from Brooklyn, N.Y., who was hampered by injuries early in the season, registered six points and a team-high five rebounds against Fairfield (Nov. 28). He had missed the Eagles' second exhibition game (Nov. 9) because of a sprained left thumb, and the Monmouth game (Nov. 21) because of a sprained left ankle. He returned to action against Fordham (Nov. 24), contributing two rebounds in 11 minutes off the bench ... Against Harvard on Nov. 18, Millar had a positive impact in 17 minutes of action. He finished with nine points (4-of-8 FG) and four rebounds.
#11 TIMOS PAPADIMITRIOU: The freshman forward from Glyfada, Greece has not seen any action in the season's first five games. He signed with the Eagles late in the summer of 1998.
THE WALK-ONS: Junior Jim Boland and sophomores Julian Bah and Nicolas Dunn all earned roster spots as walk-ons prior to the 1997-98 season and are now in their second seasons with the team ... A native of Guinea, West Africa, Bah played 11 minutes in the season opener against Marquette, finishing with two points, three rebounds, one blocked shot and one steal.
#23 XAVIER SINGLETARY: The junior swingman from Washington, D.C. is sitting out the 1998-99 season after transferring to the Heights from Howard University. Last winter, Singletary finished as the nation's ninth-leading scorer with a 22.3 ppg average (in 23 games). He earned 1996-97 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year honors, and 1997-98 All-MEAC first team honors.
THE COACHES
THE HEAD COACH: Al Skinner assumed the head coaching duties at Boston College on April 17, 1997. Skinner, a 1974 graduate of the University of Massachusetts, had a 15-16 record in his first season at the Heights. Prior to that, he enjoyed nine successful years at the University of Rhode Island. In his tenure at URI, Skinner had a 138-126 record, leading the Rams to two NCAA Tournament (1992-93 and 1996-97) and two NIT (1991-92 and 1995-96) bids ... Including his tenure at Boston College, Skinner has a career record of 155-145.
Skinner vs. St. John's: Al Skinner has a 0-3 career record against the Red Storm. All three of the meetings came last year, Skinner's first at Boston College.
Skinner vs. Jarvis: Al Skinner has a 7-9 career mark against Mike Jarvis-coached teams. As the head coach at URI, Skinner was 7-8 against George Washington (between 1990-91 and 1996-97). Last year, GW defeated Boston College, 76-64, in the Maui Invitational (Nov. 25, 1997).
Beginning Another Hundred: Today's game will mark Al Skinner's 301st as a collegiate head coach ... The game will be Mike Jarvis' 402nd as a collegiate head coach.
THE ASSISTANT COACHES: Skinner is joined on the BC bench by associate head coach Tim O'Shea, assistant coaches Bill Coen and Ed Cooley; and administrative assistant Pat Duquette. Three of the four -- Coen, Cooley and former BC star guard O'Shea ('84) -- came with Skinner from Rhode Island, while Duquette came to BC from St. Michaels College.
ON TV: Today's game will be televised by ESPN Regional Television. The game can be seen locally on the New England Sports Network (NESN). Ted Robinson will call the action, while Mark Planksy will serve as the color analyst.
ON RADIO: Boston College basketball games can be heard on SportsRadio 850 WEEI (AM). A passionate supporter of amateur athletics and college basketball in particular, Ted Sarandis returns for his fourth season as the voice of the basketball Eagles. The 1998-99 campaign marks his 22nd season describing the bouncing ball. He holds the unique distinction of having called play-by-play for all four Division I institutions in Boston -- Boston College, Boston University, Harvard and Northeastern -- as well as Holy Cross. In addition, the Boston native is host of the popular "Ted Nation" talk show, heard weeknights from 7 p.m.-midnight on SportsRadio 850 WEEI. He has also broadcast hockey and football at both the college and professional levels. Joining Sarandis is Bill Newell. Newell is in his second season with the basketball Eagles. He previously spent four seasons calling the action for the Boston College hockey team. Newell has also served as the play-by-play voice of Harvard football.
UP NEXT: Boston College will travel to Miami for a Tuesday, December 8 BIG EAST meeting with the Hurricanes. Game time is 7:30 p.m. in Miami Arena.
BIG EAST COACHES TELECONFERENCE: The second of six BIG EAST Coaches' Teleconferences will be held on Thursday, January 7. Each coach will be available for approximately eight minutes. Boston College head coach Al Skinner will be on the call at 11:15 a.m. Media representatives wishing to participate in the teleconference should call (913) 981-5520.
FAX ON DEMAND: The BIG EAST Conference offers a FAX-ON-DEMAND service that sends the latest in sports information from the BIG EAST and its member institutions to your fax machine instantly -- 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Media members are required to contact the BIG EAST or the Boston College Sports Information Office to obtain the access (telephone) number. Boston College basketball document codes are: Breaking News 1120; Short Notes 1121; Full Notes 1122; Stats Only 1123; Most Recent Box Score 1124.
EARLY SIGNEES: Boston College landed two highly-touted recruits - guard Troy Bell (Minneapolis, Minn./Academy of Holy Angels) and forward Andrew Dudley (Bristol, Pa./Life Center Academy) - during the early signing period that concluded in mid-November. Both signed national letters of intent. Bell averaged 27.8 points per game as a junior at the Academy of Holy Angels. A 6-foot-1-inch point guard, he enters his senior season as his schools career scoring leader with 1,652 points. This past summer, he traveled to several national tournaments with the Howard Pulley Panthers. Dudley, a 6-foot-10-inch forward, played the 1997-98 season at Philadelphia Christian Academy, where he averaged 12.5 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots per game. He played the 1996-97 season at Cornwell-Egan Catholic.
SO FAR...
THE SEASON OPENER: Sophomore Kenny Harley scored a career-high 19 points and grabbed five rebounds to lead Boston College in a 70-49 season-opening loss to Marquette on November 14. Marquette shot 63.0 percent from the field in the first half to take a 41-24 lead at the break. BC, which shot 28.2 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes, hit just 26.5 percent from the field in the second half and could never cut into the Golden Eagles' advantage ... Marquette outrebounded BC, 46-33 ... On a positive note, the Eagles forced the visitors into 24 turnovers, while committing just 10 of their own.
GAME TWO: Harvard's Mike Beam hit a three-point field goal as time expired to lead Harvard to a 62-61 win over the Eagles in Conte Forum (Nov. 18, 1998). The final score marked the first time Harvard had held the lead since the Crimson scored the game's first basket 1:04 into the contest ... BC's Dwayne Pina sank two free throws with 2:13 remaining to give the Eagles a 59-51 advantage. Harvard made three three-point field goals and two (of two) free throws in the final two minutes to gain the victory. BC was 2-for-4 from the foul line in the final two minutes ... BC outrebounded Harvard, 38-31 ... Each of the two teams shot 43 percent from the field ... BC committed 21 turnovers, while Harvard turned the ball over 16 times ... Freshman Clinton Sims led BC with 15 points, while sophomore Jonathan Beerbohm tallied a career-high 12 points.
GAME THREE: Freshman Clinton Sims scored 16 points and junior Michael Cotton netted 12 points to lead BC to a 62-44 home win over Monmouth on Nov. 21 ... Sophomore Jonathan Beerbohm equaled his career high with 11 rebounds ... BC outscored Monmouth, 31-22, in each of the two halves ... The Eagles outrebounded their visitors, 45-22 ... Monmouth narrowed the BC margin to one point with 14:29 to play, before the Eagles used a 21-6 run over the next 10 minutes to secure the victory.
GAME FOUR: Freshman Clinton Sims scored a career-high 21 points and sophomore Kenny Harley added 17 points to lead the Eagles to a 69-56 win over Fordham at Pepsi Arena (Albany, N.Y.) on Nov. 24 ... BC shot a season-best 52.1 percent from the floor, including a remarkable 57.1 percent in the second half. The BC defense, meanwhile, limited Fordham to 38.0 percent shooting from the field ... The two teams each grabbed the same number of rebounds (29) and committed the same number of turnovers (16).
GAME FIVE: Freshman Clinton Sims scored 14 points to lead four Boston College players in double figures in a 75-70 loss to Fairfield in a non-league game in Conte Forum ... Fairfield led from the opening tip and never trailed. With the score tied 2-2, the visiting Stags went on a 9-0 run to take an 11-2 advantage with 15:18 remaining in the first half. The Eagles trimmed the margin to four points (18-14), before Fairfield rallied to take a 37-26 lead at halftime. After the Stags extended their lead to 16 points (54-38) with 14:24 to play, Boston College used a 21-6 run over the next eight minutes to narrow its deficit to one point at 60-59. Michael Cotton scored nine points in the rally, including seven consecutive points. Fairfield recovered, however, outscoring the Eagles, 6-2, in the next minute to regain control ... Fairfield committed 32 turnovers, while BC committed 29 ... BC was outrebounded, 35-29.
