Boston College Athletics
Men's Basketball Squad to Face Top-Ranked UConn
June 21, 1999 | Men's Basketball
January 3, 1999
THE SERIES VS. CONNECTICUT: Connecticut holds a 45-32 advantage in its series against Boston College, including a 25-10 edge in the BIG EAST regular-season series ... The two teams have split two BIG EAST Tournament meetings.
Streaks: Connecticut has won the last 19 meetings. BC's last win was a 64-56 victory at the Boston Garden on Feb. 23, 1988.
In Conte Forum: BC has a 0-9 record against Connecticut in Conte Forum.
BC AT HOME: Boston College enters tonight's game with a 2-4 home record.
CONNECTICUT ON THE ROAD: The Huskies enter tonight's game with a 2-0 road record.
WHO'S HOT: Junior guard Dwayne Pina handed out a career-high nine assists and grabbed a season-high five rebounds at Seton Hall (Dec. 30) ... Freshmen Brian Ross and Clinton Sims each equaled his career-high point total at Seton Hall. Ross netted 12 points, including eight in the second half. Sims totaled 21 points, including 16 in the second half ... Sophomore Kenny Harley netted 17 points against Seton Hall, 14 in the final 20 minutes ... As a team, BC scored 43 points on 62.5 percent shooting (15-for-24) in the second half at Seton Hall (one point shy of its second-half total vs. Fairfield).
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 five freshmen ... Through the first 11 games, five freshmen have combined to play 51.0 percent of the team's minutes. Four sophomores have played 22.1 percent of the minutes, while three juniors have played 26.9 percent of the minutes.
YOUNG GUNS: A freshman has led Boston College in scoring in each of the last 10 games. Clinton Sims has been the top scorer in six of those games ... In addition, a freshman has led the team (or shared the team lead) in rebounding in each of the last seven contests.
BENCH STRENGTH: The Boston College reserves have outscored the opponents' reserves in seven of the last nine games ... On the season, the BC reserves are averaging 21.5 points per game (35.9 percent of the team's points) ... BC's bench outscored Holy Cross' reserves, 38-2, on Dec. 19. The 38 points marked the BC bench's best output of the 1998-99 season ... The reserves have produced 30 or more points in three of the last five contests ... BC's bench scored a season-low 10 points in the team's last outing -- at Seton Hall on Dec. 30.
TRENDS: Boston College's victory over Holy Cross (Dec. 19) marked the team's first win of the season after trailing at halftime. BC is 1-7 when being outscored in the first 20 minutes ... BC is 3-1 when shooting better than its opponent (from the field), 0-7 when shooting the same or worse than its foe ... BC is also 3-1 when grabbing the same or more rebounds than the other team, 0-7 when being outrebounded.
COMING TOGETHER: The 13 members of the 1998-99 Boston College team represent seven states and the District of Columbia. The states are California, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New York and Ohio.
THE PLAYERS (in numerical order)
#3 MICHAEL COTTON: The junior guard from Detroit, Mich. is averaging 6.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game ... Cotton enjoyed his third double-figure scoring outing of the season against Holy Cross (Dec. 19), finishing with 11 points ... He registered nine points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals in a team-high 32 minutes in his BIG EAST debut -- against St. John's (Dec. 5) ... He had 11 points and four rebounds in a 75-70 loss to Fairfield (Nov. 28) ... He registered 12 points and seven rebounds against Monmouth (Nov. 21) ... 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.
#4 JONATHAN BEERBOHM: The sophomore forward, who started the first seven games of the season before coming off the bench in the last four contests, played a key role in BC's win over Holy Cross (Dec. 19). He finished with 11 points (his second double-digit scoring outing of the season), including nine straight points in the Eagles' game-breaking, 13-0 run midway through the second half ... He scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds in 23 minutes against Harvard (Nov. 18) ... The Fairbury, Neb. native netted six points and equaled his career high with 11 rebounds against Monmouth on Nov. 21 ... 1997-98: He played in all 31 games, making five starts. He averaged 3.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
#5 DWAYNE PINA: The junior point guard is averaging 3.6 points, 4.4 assists and 2.5 steals in a team-high 28.0 minutes per game ... In the Eagles' most recent game -- at Seton Hall (Dec. 30) -- Pina handed out a career-high nine assists, while grabbing a season-high five rebounds. He also contributed two points, two steals and two blocked shots ... In the Eagles' win over Holy Cross (Dec. 19), Pina contributed four points, four assists, three rebounds and a career-high six steals in a team-high 35 minutes of action ... 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 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.
#12 CLINTON SIMS: The freshman guard from Paris, Ky. leads the Eagles in scoring with a 12.4 ppg average. In three BIG EAST games, he is averaging a team-high 16.3 points per game ... He has led the Eagles in scoring in six of the first 11 games ... He matched his career high with 21 points (7-for-13 FG, 3-for-4 treys) at Seton Hall (Dec. 30) ... He also scored 21 points to lead the Eagles in 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 registered 19 points (6-for-10 FG, 4-for-6 treys), five rebounds, four assists and four steals in 31 minutes of action at Miami (Dec. 8) ... He recorded nine points and six rebounds in his BIG EAST debut -- against St. John's (Dec. 5) ... He has started all 11 games, and is averaging 27.9 minutes per game (second on the team) ... Sims is the younger brother of former Louisville star Alvin Sims.
#13 KENNY HARLEY: The sophomore currently ranks third on the team in scoring, averaging 9.2 points per game ... He has scored in double figures in four games this season. Last year, he scored 10 or more points twice in 31 games ... Harley registered 17 points (5-for-9 FG, 3-for-4 treys) in the Eagles' most recent game -- at Seton Hall (Dec. 30). The game marked Harley's BIG EAST career high ... He also netted 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field (3-for-6 from three-point range) in the Eagles' win over Fordham (Nov. 24) ... He registered a game-high and career-high 19 points in the season opener against Marquette (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.
#21 KENNY WALLS: The freshman swingman from San Francisco, Calif. currently ranks second on the team in scoring, averaging 9.5 points per game. He's scored in double figures in five of the last seven contests ... In three BIG EAST contests, Walls is averaging 12.0 points per game ... He registered a team-high 16 points at Northwestern (Dec. 23) ... Walls scored a career-high 18 points (7-for-12 FG, 2-for-4 treys) in his BIG EAST debut -- a 74-55 loss to St. John's (Dec. 5). He also registered six rebounds ... Walls had 16 points and seven rebounds in a 77-64 loss at Miami (Dec. 8) ... Walls registered 10 points (including two thunderous dunks) and a career-high eight rebounds in a home win over Holy Cross (Dec. 19) ... The 1997-98 San Francisco Player of the Year, Walls is a graduate of Galileo High School.
#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 registered four points, four rebounds and two steals in 22 minutes of action against St. John's (Dec. 5) ... Against Harvard (Nov. 18), Millar finished with nine points (4-of-8 FG) and four rebounds ... He 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.
#35 WILLIE DEANE: The freshman guard is averaging 5.1 points in 15.2 minutes per game ... He registered eight points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals at Northwestern (Dec. 23) ... He scored a career-high 13 points (4-for-8 FG, 4-for-5 FT) in 27 minutes against Holy Cross (Dec. 19) ... He scored nine points at Miami (Dec. 8). Deane was 4-for-8 from the field, including 1-for-2 from three-point range ... He also scored 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 ... He saw limited action (12 minutes) against St. John's (Dec. 5), recovering from a left foot sprain suffered in practice on Nov. 30.
#45 BRIAN ROSS: The freshman forward, who has started each of the last four games after coming off the bench in his first six contests, currently leads the team in rebounds, averaging 4.9 per game. He also averages 6.0 points per game ... In his first collegiate start -- against Massachusetts (Dec. 12) -- he led the team in both scoring (12 points) and rebounding (8 rebounds). Both figures were career highs ... In the Eagles' most recent game -- at Seton Hall (Dec. 30) -- he equaled his career high with 12 points (5-for-6 FG, 2-for-2 FT) ... He has grabbed four or more rebounds in nine of his 10 games. He missed the Fairfield game (Nov. 28) because of a left eye injury (laceration) ... 1997-98: As a senior at North Quincy (Mass.) High School last year, Ross led all Massachusetts scorers with a 36.7 ppg average.
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.
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 entered his senior season as his school's 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.
Update: Through games of December 27, Bell led the Minneapolis metropolitan area in scoring with a 38.5 ppg average.
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 156-150.
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. Michael's College.
MEDIA NOTES
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.
ON THE WEB: All Boston College basketball games can also be heard on the Internet at www.weei.com.
UP NEXT: Boston College plays at Pittsburgh on Sunday, January 6. Game time is 1 p.m.
November
2 BABC (exhibition) W, 112-80 9 One World (exhibition) W, 82-75 14 Marquette L, 70-49 18 Harvard L, 62-61 21 Monmouth W, 62-44 24 Fordham (Albany) W, 69-56 28 Fairfield L, 75-70December
5 ST. JOHN'S L, 74-55 8 at MIAMI L, 77-64 12 UMass-Amherst (Worc.) L, 75-45 19 Holy Cross W, 61-45 23 at Northwestern L, 69-59 30 at SETON HALL L, 79-63January
6 CONNECTICUT 7:30 p.m. 10 at PITTSBURGH 1 p.m. 13 at VILLANOVA 7:30 p.m. 17 PROVIDENCE 1 p.m. 21 at SYRACUSE 7:30 p.m. 24 MIAMI 1 p.m. 27 NOTRE DAME 7:30 p.m.February
2 SETON HALL 8 p.m. 6 WEST VIRGINIA 7 p.m. 10 at CONNECTICUT 7:30 p.m. 13 at RUTGERS 7:30 p.m. 17 at GEORGETOWN 7 p.m. 20 PITTSBURGH Noon 24 SYRACUSE 7:30 p.m. 28 at NOTRE DAME NoonMarch
3-6 BIG EAST Tourn. (NYC) TBA
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 Nov.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 on Nov. 18. 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 on Nov. 28 ... 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.
GAME SIX: Freshman Kenny Walls scored a career-high 18 points to lead Boston College in a 74-55 home loss to St. John's on Dec. 5. The game marked the BIG EAST opener for both teams ... The host Eagles led 24-15 in the first half, but were outscored 17-2 in the half's final eight minutes (7:57). SJU began the second half with a 21-8 run (over the first 10:55) to take a commanding 53-34 lead. BC, though, hit three consecutive three-pointers (two by Kenny Harley, one by Walls) to climb back to within 10 points with 7:12 remaining ... BC was outrebounded, 39-34.
GAME SEVEN: Freshman Clinton Sims scored 19 points and classmate Kenny Walls netted 16 points to lead the Eagles in a 77-64 loss at Miami on Dec. 8. BC trailed by as many as eight points in the first half, but trailed by just one point -- 36-35 -- at halftime ... The Eagles scored the first five points of the second half to take a 40-36 advantage with 19:14 to play. Miami then used a 16-2 run to assume a 52-42 lead with 12:24 remaining. BC closed to within four points four times later in the contest ... UM outrebounded BC, 38-33 ... BC committed 27 turnovers to Miami's 20 ... UM made 19-of-37 free-throw attempts. BC made 6-of-10 FT tries.
GAME EIGHT: Freshman Brian Ross registered career highs of 12 points and eight rebounds to lead the Eagles in a 75-45 loss to Massachusetts in the Centrum in Worcester, Mass. on Dec. 12. The game marked Ross' first collegiate start ... BC shot just 23.7 percent from the field, including 22.2 percent in the final 20 minutes ... UMass, which shot 51.7 percent from the floor, also enjoyed a 48-32 rebounding advantage ... BC scored the game's first basket, its only lead of the night. UMass then went on a 16-2 run to take a double-digit lead midway through the first half. UMass led 37-18 at halftime. All 18 of the Eagles' first-half points were scored by freshmen ... On a positive note, BC committed just 11 turnovers, one above its season low.
GAME NINE: Freshman Willie Deane scored a game-high and a career-high 13 points to lead four Boston College players in double figures as the Eagles earned a 61-45 non-league win over Holy Cross in Conte Forum. Three of the Eagles' double-figure scorers Deane, sophomore Jonathan Beerbohm and freshman Kenny Walls made their contributions off the bench. BC's reserves outscored Holy Cross' bench by an astounding 38-2 margin ... Beerbohm scored nine consecutive points in the Eagles' decisive 13-0 run midway through the second half. With the score tied at 36, Walls gave BC the lead with a lay-up and classmate Osei Millar sank two free throws to double the margin. From that point, Beerbohm converted three field goals and three free throws over the next three minutes to give the home team a 49-36 advantage with 5:07 to play. Holy Cross could never trim the BC margin to single digits in the final minutes ... Holy Cross shot 47.8 percent from the field in the first half and led 31-28 at the intermission. The visitors scored the game's first basket and led by as many as 10 points 23-13 with 5:30 remaining in the first 20 minutes ... Cotton and Beerbohm each finished with 11 points, while Walls recorded 10 points and a team-high and career-high eight rebounds.
GAME 10: Freshman Kenny Walls scored a team-high 16 points and classmate Clinton Sims added 11 points and five rebounds to lead the Eagles in a 69-59 loss at Northwestern (Dec. 23) ... BC trailed 35-29 at halftime, but held NU scoreless for the first five minutes of the second half to take a 38-35 advantage ... BC led 51-47 with five minutes to play, before one Evan Eschmeyer free throw and a Sean Wink three-pointer evened the score with 4:44 to play. NU took the lead for good (53-51) on two Eschmeyer free throws with 4:18 to play ... BC committed just 11 turnovers in the game ... The Eagles were outrebounded, 37-23.
GAME 11: Freshman Clinton Sims netted 21 points and sophomore Kenny Harley scored 17 points to lead Boston College in a 79-63 loss to Seton Hall at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J. (Dec. 30) ... The Eagles shot just 25.9 percent in the first half and trailed 45-20 at the intermission ... The Eagles regrouped at the break and shot 62.5 percent in the final 20 minutes. Committing just six turnovers in the second half, BC outscored the Pirates, 43-34 ... BC was outrebounded, 38-31 ... Freshman Brian Ross equaled his career high with 12 points (5-for-6 FG, 2-for-2 FT).
