Boston College Athletics
Men's Hoops Prepares for Conference Tournament
June 21, 1999 | Men's Basketball
March 2, 1999
BOSTON COLLEGE'S PROBABLE STARTERS
1998-99
Pos. No. Name Yr. PPG, RPG Last Game
F 3 Michael Cotton Jr. 10.0, 4.6 6 pts., 3 reb.
F 21 Kenny Walls Fr. 10.7, 4.2 8 pts., 4 reb.
F 45 Brian Ross Fr. 8.5, 4.9 11 pts., 4 reb.
G 5 Dwayne Pina Jr. 4.2, 4.3 apg 3 pts., 2 ast.
G 13 Kenny Harley So. 11.5, 3.7 21 pts., 5 reb.
OPENING GAME: Boston College has won its first game in each of the last four BIG EAST Championship Tournaments ... The Eagles last lost their first game in the 1994 tournament.
BC and the BIG EAST Tournament Opening Game
1998 FR #11 BC 97, #6 Seton Hall 87 (OT) 1997 QR #3 BC, 76, #6 Pittsburgh 68 1996 FR #5 BC 70, #12 Pittsburgh 66 1995 FR #10 BC 89, #7 Seton Hall 87 (OT) 1994 QR #6 Georgetown 81, #3 BC 58
WHO'S HOT?: Sophomore guard Kenny Harley is averaging 20.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.3 assists per game in the Eagles' last four games. He has led the team in scoring in each of the four games. Harley has grabbed at least five rebounds in each of the games, including a team-high, six-rebound effort against Syracuse (Feb. 24) ... Harley equaled his career high with 21 points in the regular-season finale -- at Notre Dame (Feb. 28). In the three previous games, he netted 19 points at Georgetown (Feb. 17), 21 points against Pittsburgh (Feb. 20) and 20 points against Syracuse.
BRIAN ROSS: The freshman forward from North Quincy, Mass. has scored in double figures in six of the last seven games, including two games in which he recorded point-rebound double-doubles. He is averaging 14.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in these games, despite playing with a bad back and a sore ankle ... Ross had 20 points and 10 rebounds at Connecticut (Feb. 10), and 16 points and 10 rebounds against Pittsburgh (Feb. 20).
1998-99 vs. SYRACUSE: Boston College lost to Syracuse twice during the 1998-99 season. Syracuse defeated BC, 90-51, in Carrier Dome on Jan. 21. The Orangemen earned the season sweep with a 73-56 victory in Conte Forum on Feb. 24 ... Kenny Harley averaged 17.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in the two meetings ... Jonathan Beerbohm averaged 8.5 points per game ... Syracuse outrebounded BC, 105-56, in the games ... BC shot 40.6 percent from the field in the two games, while SU made 43.8 percent of its floor attempts.
BC vs. SYRACUSE IN THE BIG EAST TOURNAMENT: Boston College has a 2-4 record against Syracuse in BIG EAST Tournament meetings. BC won the first two tourney meetings -- in 1982 (94-92 in the Hartford Civic Center) and 1983 (80-74 in Madison Square Garden). Syracuse has won the last four tournament encounters -- in 1985 (70-69 in MSG), 1986 (102-79 in MSG), 1988 (67-53 in MSG) and 1996 (69-61 in MSG) ... Jim Boeheim has been SU's head coach in all six meetings, while BC has been led by three head coaches -- Tom Davis (1982), Gary Williams (1983, 1985 and 1986) and Jim O'Brien (1988 and 1996).
HIGH-SCORING FROSH: Three BC freshmen -- Brian Ross, Clinton Sims and Kenny Walls -- have enjoyed 20-point games this season. The last time three BC freshmen enjoyed 20-point games in the same season was the 1990-91 campaign (Gerrod Abram, Bill Curley and Howard Eisley) ... Each of the three has scored at least 20 points in two games (Abram, Curley and Eisley enjoyed a combined eight 20-point games in their freshman seasons).
Scoring Mark: When Kenny Walls netted 24 points against Seton Hall it marked the highest scoring performance by a Boston College freshman since James "Scoonie" Penn netted 27 points -- also against Seton Hall -- on Jan. 14, 1996.
20-POINT EFFORTS BY FRESHMEN
Brian Ross
20 points -- vs. West Virginia (Feb. 6)
20 points -- at Connecticut (Feb. 10)
Clinton Sims
21 points -- at Fordham (Nov. 24)
21 points -- at Seton Hall (Dec. 30)
Kenny Walls
24 points -- vs. Seton Hall (Feb. 2)
21 points -- at Rutgers (Feb. 13)
THREE-POINTERS: Boston College has increased its "three-point production" in the last 10 games. After making 4.81 treys per game in the season's first 16 contests, the Eagles have made 7.00 three-pointers per game in the last 10 games.
Pitt Game: In its one-point loss to Pittsburgh (Feb. 20), BC shot 9-for-19 from three-point range. The game marked the third time in eight games that the Eagles had made a season-high nine three-pointers (also against Miami on Jan. 24 and against Seton Hall on Feb. 2). BC's 47.4 shooting percentage from long range against the Panthers was its third-best effort of the season (season-best 53.8 percent at Rutgers on Feb. 13).
LEADING AT HALF: After holding a halftime advantage in only three of its first 17 games, BC has led at halftime in seven of its last nine games. The Eagles have a 3-4 record in those seven games ... BC has a 5-5 overall record in games in which it leads at halftime ... BC led at halftime in each of its three BIG EAST victories.
DEFENSE: Boston College has a 6-5 record when holding its opponent to fewer than 70 points (and a 4-1 mark when limiting its foe to fewer than 60 points) ... When allowing its opponent 70 or more points, BC is 0-15.
FREE THROWS: Boston College has attempted 417 free throws in 26 games this season. BC's 16.0 attempts per game average tied Pittsburgh for a league low ... In league games, Pittsburgh atttemped a league-low 13.3 free throws per game, followed by BC, which attempted 15.0 per game ... BC attempted a season-high 27 free throws in its home win over West Virginia (Feb. 6) ... The Eagles attempted a season-low five free throws in the regular-season finale at Notre Dame (Feb. 28). BC's previous season low was six -- at Connecticut (Feb. 10).
FIELD GOALS: Boston College has outscored its opponent from the floor in five losses this season, including in each of two recent losses -- at Georgetown (Feb. 17) and against Pittsburgh (Feb. 20). The Eagles outscored Georgetown, 45-39, from the floor, but lost the contest, 57-54. Against Pittsburgh, BC had a 57-52 advantage from the field, but lost the game, 67-66 ... Earlier this season, BC outscored top-ranked Connecticut, 71-69, from the field (in a 91-78 loss on Jan. 6); outscored Pittsburgh, 55-54, from the floor (in an 86-70 loss on Jan. 10); and outscored Miami, 63-61, from the field (in a 75-67 loss on Jan. 24).
Connecticut Part II: In its second game against Connecticut, Boston College was outscored from the field, 49-48 ... In the two games this season, however, BC outscored Connecticut from the floor, 119-118.
REBOUNDING: Boston College ranked last among the league's 13 teams in rebounding margin (-8.1) ... In its game against Syracuse (Feb. 24), Boston College was outrebounded, 49-20. The Syracuse rebounding margin -- +29 -- equaled the third-largest single-game margin in BIG EAST history (two shy of the conference record) ... Boston College has won the "battle of the boards" five times this season. The Eagles have a 3-2 mark in those contests.
TURNOVERS: While Boston College has lost its last six games, it has not been because of poor ballhandling. In fact, BC has committed fewer turnovers than its opponent in three of these six contests. The Eagles committed the same number of turnovers as its opponent (Pittsburgh, Feb. 20) in another game, and made just one more turnover than its opponent (Rutgers, Feb. 13; Notre Dame, Feb. 28) in the other two games ... BC has committed fewer turnovers its foe 14 times this season. BC has a 4-10 record in these games ... In its win over West Virginia (Feb. 6), BC turned the ball over 21 times. The WVU game marked only time this season BC has won a game in which it committed more turnovers than its opponent ... The Eagles committed a season-low nine turnovers at Villanova (Jan. 13). The nine turnovers at Villanova marked the fewest turnovers by a BC team since the Eagles made just eight turnovers against Northwestern on Dec. 23, 1997.
SHOOTING: Boston College needs to shoot well -- or at least better than its opponent -- in order to win. The Eagles have a 6-3 record this season when shooting a higher percentage from the field than its opponent. BC is 0-17 when the opposition shoots the same or better than the Eagles.
YOUNG GUNS: A freshman has led Boston College in scoring in 15 games this season. In addition, junior forward Michael Cotton has led the team in scoring in four contests, sophomore swingman Kenny Harley has led the team six times (including each of the last four games), and junior guard Dwayne Pina has led the team once ... In the rebounding category, a freshman has led the team (or shared the team lead) in 15 contests.
OFF THE BENCH: The Boston College reserves have outscored the opponents' reserves in 15 games this season, including each of the last two games ... BC's bench outscored Syracuse's reserves, 14-10, on Feb. 24; and outscored Notre Dame's reserves, 10-4, on Feb. 28 ... BC's bench has scored 30 or more points in four games ... On the season, the BC reserves are averaging 17.5 points per game (27.9 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.
Double Digits, Again: After tallying single-digit point totals in five consecutive games, BC's bench has scored 10 or more points in each of the last two games.
Off the Walls: The major reason for the recent decline in the Eagles' bench scoring has been Kenny Walls' shift to the starting line-up. In the season's first 17 games -- with Walls coming off the bench -- the BC reserves averaged 22.1 points per game (35.1 percent of the team's points). In the last nine games -- with Walls in the starting line-up -- the BC reserves have averaged 9.0 points per game.
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.
THE PLAYERS
#3 MICHAEL COTTON: The junior swingman, who sprained his right ankle late in the first half of the Georgetown game (Feb. 17) and missed the Pittsburgh game (Feb. 20), has returned to action in the Eagles' last two games -- against Syracuse (Feb. 24) and Notre Dame (Feb. 28). Playing in spite of pain, he logged 21 minutes against the Orangemen, registering four points and two rebounds. At Notre Dame, he contributed six points and three rebounds in 32 minutes ... He is averaging 10.0 points and 4.6 rebounds in 29.1 minutes per game. In BIG EAST contests, he averaged 11.2 ppg ... He had 18 points and a team-high six rebounds at Rutgers (Feb. 13) ... He netted 20 points and grabbed five rebounds in a home win over Notre Dame (Jan. 27) ... He netted a team-high 20 points (8-for-10 FG) against Providence (Jan. 17). He scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half ... Against Connecticut (Jan. 6), he finished with 23 points and a career-high 12 rebounds ... Cotton set his career high with 24 points at Pittsburgh (Jan. 10) ... 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.
A Closer Look: Cotton's recent ankle injury has certainly limited his ability to contribute to the Eagles' attack. In the 11 games just prior to his injury (Jan. 6 vs. Connecticut through Feb. 13 at Rutgers), Cotton averaged 14.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. In the three games since his injury (including the Georgetown game in which he was injured), he's averaged 4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
#12 CLINTON SIMS: The freshman guard from Paris, Ky. ranks fourth on the team in scoring with an 8.7 ppg average. In 12 BIG EAST games, he averaged 7.2 points per game ... In his most recent action, he played two minutes against Pittsburgh (Feb. 20) ... He recorded two rebounds in 11 minutes at Connecticut (Feb. 10) ... He has led the Eagles in scoring in six games (the last time: at Seton Hall on Dec. 30) ... 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 17 games ... Sims is the younger brother of former Louisville star Alvin Sims.
#4 JONATHAN BEERBOHM: The sophomore forward tallied 10 points, a team-high six rebounds and three assists in the regular-season finale -- at Notre Dame (Feb. 28). The game marked his fifth double-figure scoring effort of the the season, and the third time he'd led the team in rebounds ... He has started two of the team's last five games. He started at Rutgers (Feb. 13), replacing Kenny Harley (suspended for one game for fighting). The game marked the sophomore's first start since Dec. 8, 1998 (at Miami). Beerbohm responded with eight points and five rebounds in 38 minutes of action ... He replaced the injured Michael Cotton in the starting line-up against Pittsburgh (Feb. 20). He registered eight points, two rebounds, two steals and a career-high five assists in 38 minutes ... Beerbohm registered 11 points in each of the team's first two BIG EAST wins -- over Notre Dame (Jan. 27) and Seton Hall (Feb. 2). He shot 5-for-8 from the field in the win over Notre Dame (Jan. 27) and 5-for-9 in the win over Seton Hall (Feb. 2) ... Beerbohm set his career high with five blocked shots against Notre Dame ... He tied for team-high rebounding honors -- with five -- against Seton Hall ... The Fairbury, Neb. native equaled his career high with 11 rebounds against Monmouth (Nov. 21) ... He started the first seven games of the 1998-99 season ... 1997-98: He played in all 31 games, making five starts. He averaged 3.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
More Minutes: Beerbohm has played 32 or more minutes in three of the last six games. Prior to this recent stretch, he'd played 30 or more minutes in only three of 51 collegiate contests.
BEERBOHM IN THE BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT - CAREER STATS (2 Games)
FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB-AVG. PF PTS-AVG. A TO B S MIN-AVG. 1-1 0-0 1-1 1-0.5 1 3-1.5 0 0 0 1 8-4.0
#5 DWAYNE PINA: The junior averages 4.2 points and 4.3 assists per game ... Pina handed out six assists in the Eagles' loss to Syracuse (Feb. 24). The game marked the ninth time this season he has handed out at least six assists ... The junior scored a career-high 17 points (5-for-8 FG, 3-for-3 treys) against Miami (Jan. 24) ... Pina recorded eight points, six assists (only one turnover) and four rebounds in a home win over Notre Dame (Jan. 27) ... He registered six points, a team-high eight rebounds, and four assists against Providence (Jan. 17) ... In the Eagles' game at Seton Hall (Dec. 30), Pina handed out a career-high nine assists, while grabbing five rebounds ... In a win over Holy Cross (Dec. 19), Pina registered a career-high six steals in 35 minutes ... 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).
Ironman: Pina is one of only two Eagles (Kenny Walls is the other) who has played in all 26 games this season. Pina is the only BC player who has started all 26 games.
Ironman II: Pina is the team leader in minutes per game, averaging 29.9 minutes per game. He has played more than 30 minutes in each of the last 12 games.
PINA IN THE BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT - CAREER STATS (2 Games)
FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB-AVG. PF PTS-AVG. A TO B S MIN-AVG. 1-3 0-1 0-0 0-0.0 3 2-1.0 5 1 0 3 25-12.5
#13 KENNY HARLEY: The sophomore enters the BIG EAST Tournament as one of the conference's "hottest" players. He's led BC in scoring in each of the last four games, netting at least 19 points in each of the games. He's scored 20 or more points in each of the last three games (BC's Antonio Granger scored 20 or more points in four consecutive games in 1997-98 -- against Connecticut, Rutgers, Marquette and Providence last January) ... Harley currently leads the team in scoring, averaging 11.5 points per game. In BIG EAST contests, he averaged a team-high 12.7 ppg ... He has scored in double figures in 13 games this season ... He equaled his career high with 21 points (9-of-17 FG, 3-for-6 treys) at Notre Dame (Feb. 28). He'd previously netted 21 points (9-of-19 FG, 3-for-6 treys) against Pittsburgh (Feb. 20) ... He followed his Pittsburgh effort with a 20-point performance (8-of-16 FG) against Syracuse (Feb. 24) ... Harley recorded 19 points at Georgetown (Feb. 17). He also grabbed five rebounds and made four steals ... He netted four points in 12 minutes of action at Connecticut (Feb. 10). He was ejected (for throwing a punch) with 7:48 remaining in the first half. He missed the Rutgers game (Feb. 13) because of his ejection ... He scored 17 points (6-for-9 FG, 3-for-4 treys) in the Eagles' home win over Seton Hall (Feb. 2) ... 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.
A Closer Look: Harley's recent scoring spree has only continued his string of fine shooting performances. In fact, Harley has dramatically improved his shooting percentage over the second half of the season. Through the season's first 13 games, he shot 38.9 percent from the floor (44-for-113). In his last 12 games, he's shot 48.5 percent from the field (65-for-134).
HARLEY IN THE BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT - CAREER STATS (2 Games)
FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB-AVG. PF PTS-AVG. A TO B S MIN-AVG. 5-10 1-3 0-0 5-2.5 4 11-5.5 1 0 0 0 24-12.0
#21 KENNY WALLS: The freshman swingman from San Francisco, Calif. has started each of the last nine games. He made his first collegiate start against Notre Dame (Jan. 27). He finished with 16 points and four rebounds as the Eagles gained their first BIG EAST win of the season ... He is averaging 13.2 points per game in his nine starts. He averaged 9.4 ppg in his 17 games coming off the bench ... He currently ranks second the team in scoring, averaging 10.7 points per game. He's scored in double figures a team-high 14 times ... In BIG EAST contests, Walls averaged 11.7 points per game ... He has led (or shared the team lead) the team in rebounding eight times ... In the regular-season finale, he contribute eight points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal at Notre Dame (Feb. 28) ... He scored 14 points in the Eagles' one-point loss to Pittsburgh (Feb. 20) ... He scored 12 points and added nine rebounds in 35 minutes of play at Georgetown (Feb. 17) ... He scored a team-high 21 points (12 in the first half -- all on three-pointers) and grabbed five rebounds in 39 minutes at Rutgers (Feb. 13). He equaled his career high with five three-point field goals (also set in a home win over Seton Hall on Feb. 2) ... He netted a career-high 24 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field in BC's win over Seton Hall (Feb. 2). He scored 18 of his 24 points in the game's final 20 minutes ... He scored 15 points -- all in the second half -- against Connecticut (Jan. 6). He was 5-for-9 from the field, including 2-for-3 from three-point range ... Walls scored 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) ... The 1997-98 San Francisco Player of the Year, Walls is a graduate of Galileo High School ... His twin brother, Lenny, is a defensive back on the St. Mary's (Calif.) football team.
#31 OSEI MILLAR: The freshman forward from Brooklyn, N.Y. is averaging 2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 11.0 minutes per game ... Millar recorded two points and one rebound in eight minutes of action at Georgetown (Feb. 17) ... He gave the Eagles a strong eight-minute effort at Villanova (Jan. 13), finishing with three points, two rebounds and two blocked shots ... He 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 5.0 points in 14.6 minutes per game ... He has scored in double figures four times this season ... He scored five points against Syracuse (Feb. 24) ... He scored four points and grabbed two rebounds against Pittsburgh (Feb. 20) ... He netted five points -- all on free throws -- in the Eagles' win over Seton Hall (Feb. 2) ... Deane tallied 14 points in 22 minutes of action off the bench at Villanova (Jan. 13). He also contributed three assists and a career-high four steals ... He netted a career-high 17 points -- all in a 7:16 span in the second half -- at Pittsburgh (Jan. 10) ... In the Eagles' game against Connecticut (Jan. 6), he netted 13 points, while setting career highs with seven assists and five rebounds. He played a season-high 31 minutes.
#45 BRIAN ROSS: The freshman forward, who has started each of the last 19 games after coming off the bench in his first six contests, averages 8.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game ... Ross recorded 15 points and nine rebounds at Georgetown (Feb. 17), then registered his second collegiate double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) against Pittsburgh (Feb. 20) ... Ross netted 11 points in each of the last two games -- against Syracuse (Feb. 24) and at Notre Dame (Feb. 28) ... He scored 20 points in each of two games in early February -- against West Virginia (Feb. 6) and at Connecticut (Feb. 10) ... At Connecticut, Ross shot 8-for-16 from the field, including 4-for-9 from three-point range. He also grabbed 10 rebounds against the Huskies, giving him his first collegiate double-double ... He registered 20 points (6-for-10 FG, 2-for-4 treys, 6-for-9 FT) and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds in a 60-54 home win over West Virginia (Feb. 6) ... 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.
Shooting: Ross has shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in seven of the last nine games. He is shooting 50.6 percent (45-for-89) from the field, including 43.2 percent (16-for-37) from three-point range, in this stretch.
A Closer Look: Ross averaged 3.8 points in his first six collegiate games (coming off the bench in each game). Since then, he's joined the starting line-up and averaged 9.9 points per game.
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 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.
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, starred on the Minutemen's basketball team. He finished his collegiate career with 1,252 points. A team captain as a senior, he has subsequently been elected to the University's Athletic Hall of Fame. Following his collegiate career, Skinner played professional basketball for six years -- with the New York Nets (ABA and NBA), Detroit Pistons (NBA), Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) and Joventut (Barcelona, Spain) ... He 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 ... Skinner has a career record of 159-162.
In Conference Tournaments: Al Skinner has a 7-10 career record in conference tournaments. He had a 6-9 mark in the Atlantic 10 Tournament (while at URI). He has a 1-1 mark in one BIG EAST Tournament (1998).
Did You Know?: One year before Al Skinner took over as the head coach at Rhode Island, he was an assistant coach on Tom Penders' URI team that defeated Syracuse, 97-94, in the 1988 NCAA Tournament (East Region in Chapel Hill, N.C.).
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.
MEDIA NOTES
ON RADIO: Boston College basketball games in the BIG EAST Tournament can be heard on Boston's 50-thousand watt all-sports radio station, SportsRadio 850 WEEI (AM). Ted Sarandis is in 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. 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.
EAGLES AND THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: Boston College has the pleasure of serving as the host institution as the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship makes its first-ever appearance in Boston. The tournament's first and second rounds will be played at the FleetCenter on March 12 and 14, 1999.
