Boston College Athletics
Men's Basketball To Host Marist
November 27, 2000 | Men's Basketball
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BOSTON COLLEGE vs. MARIST
GAME NOTES -- November 28, 2000
HOME RECORD: The 2000-01 season marks Boston College's 13th season in Conte Forum. The Eagles have a 105-72 all-time record in their current home ... Last year, BC had a 7-8 home record, marking only the fourth season it had lost more home games than it had won ... BC has a 34-5 record in its last 39 non-conference home games (1993-94 season - present).
68th SEASON: The 2000-01 season marks the 68th season of varsity play for Boston College. The Eagles have an 873-720 (.548) overall record.
THE TEAM: Boston College returns nine lettermen from last year's team, including four starters and seven of its top eight scorers. While Troy Bell paced the 1999-2000 team with an 18.8 ppg average, swingman Xavier Singletary also finished with a double-figure scoring average at 12.0 ppg. Other starters returning are sophomore forward Uka Agbai (6.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg in 1999-2000) and junior forward Brian Ross (3.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg).
BY CLASS: The 2000-01 Eagle roster features five seniors, two juniors, six sophomores and three freshmen.
GOOD NUMBERS: The Eagles return 87.7 percent of their scoring production from last season, including each of their top five scorers ... BC's returning players also accounted for 82.4 percent of last season's individual rebounding total.
SENIOR SPLASH: Senior guard Kenny Harley has clearly demonstrated that hard work pays dividends. The Bronx, N.Y. product has recorded a point-rebound double-double in each of the Eagles' first two games. Harley had not registered a double-double in any of his first 88 games at Boston College from 1997-2000 ... He tallied 19 points and 10 rebounds against St. Peter's. His 19 points were his highest single-game total since the last regular-season game of his sophomore season (career-high 21 points at Notre Dame, Feb. 28, 1999). He tallied 11 points and 10 rebounds against Brown ... Harley had registered just one double-figure rebounding effort -- 10 rebounds against Holy Cross as a freshman (Dec. 20, 1997) -- in his first three years.
THE SERIES AGAINST MARIST: Tonight's game marks the first-ever meeting between the Eagles and the Red Foxes.
Coach Skinner vs. Marist: Boston College head coach Al Skinner has a 1-0 career record against the Red Foxes. While serving as head coach at the University of Rhode Island, Skinner led the Rams to an 82-77 victory over Marist in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament.
MARIST TIES: After completing his professional playing career, Al Skinner began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Marist. Skinner served two seasons -- 1982-83 and 1983-84 -- at the Poughkeepsie, N.Y. school.
100 POINTS: The 100-point effort against St. Peter's marked the 73rd time in BC basketball history that the Eagles had reached the century mark ... The last time BC had tallied triple figures prior to the season opener was on Nov. 29, 1999 (104-62 win over Hartford).
DOUBLE FIGURES: Five teammates scoring 10 or more points in the same game is not a common occurrence. Five Eagles did so against St. Peter's, marking the first time a BC team had accomplished this feat since Nov. 29, 1999 against Hartford. In that 104-62 win, six Eagles scored in double figures, led by Troy Bell's 22-point, 22-minute effort.
STILL AMAZING: Sophomore Troy Bell, the 1999-2000 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, is the Eagles' leading scorer through two games. Bell is averaging 22.0 points per game on 11-for-19 shooting from the field (.579). He has hit 4-of-7 three-point attempts (.571). The sophomore equaled his career high with 31 points in the season opener against St. Peter's. He shot 8-for-12 from the field (3-for-5 from three-point range) against the Peacocks.
REALLY FREE: Troy Bell has made 18-of-20 free-throw attempts in the season's first two games. In the opener, he converted 12 of 14 free-throw attempts. The game marked the seventh time in his young career he'd attempted 10 or more free throws in one game, and the sixth time he'd made 10 or more in one game ... He was 6-for-6 from the line against Brown. That game marked the ninth time in his 29-game career that he'd been perfect from the line when attempting six or more shots ... Bell finished the 1999-2000 season ranked second among NCAA Division I leaders in free-throw percentage (.894).
MORE THAN A SCORER: Troy Bell's early-season efforts have proved he's much more than just a scorer. After equaling his career high with five assists against St. Peter's, he established a new career high with six assists against Brown ... Bell made a career-high eight steals against St. Peter's. The last time a BC player had made eight steals in one game was Dec. 2, 1985 (Dominic Pressley vs. New Hampshire).
DRAWING ATTENTION: It didn't take too many collegiate games before Troy Bell's talents -- especially his three-point shooting abilities -- were recognized. Long before he captured BIG EAST Rookie of the Year honors last March, Bell had his opponents keeping a special eye -- and sometimes more than that -- on him. Witness this: Last season, Bell was fouled on a three-point attempt 18 times in 16 games, including 12 of 14 BIG EAST games (including twice in each of two games -- at Connecticut and at West Virginia). He made all three free throws 13 times. He made 2-of-3 free throws four times. And what about the other time when he was fouled on a three-point attempt? Well, Bell still hit the trey -- and then made the one free throw that followed (against Hartford).
DOING IT AGAIN: In the Eagles' season-opening win over St. Peter's, Bell was twice fouled on three-point attempts. He made all three free throws the first time, and made 2-of-3 free throws the second time. Entering this game, Bell's collegiate totals in this area look like this: He's been fouled 20 times on three-point attempts. He's made 53 of the ensuing 58 free throws (3-of-3 -- 14 times, 2-of-3 -- five times, 1-of-1 -- once). When he has missed, he's missed the first shot three times, the second shot once and the third shot once.
SEEING DOUBLE: When junior Kenny Walls is racing up and down the court for the Eagles, don't be surprised to see a spectator with a great resemblance to #21 on the sidelines. Indeed, Kenny's twin brother, Lenny, is also a student-athlete at Boston College. Lenny is a starting cornerback for Tom O'Brien's football Eagles.
*** THE FIRST TWO GAMES ***
Boston College 100, St. Peter's 75 (Nov. 19, 2000): Sophomore Troy Bell registered 31 points, eight steals and five assists to lead the Eagles in their season opener. Bell's 31 points matched his career high, while his eight steals were a career best. Bell led five BC players in double figures. He was joined by senior Kenny Harley (19 points), junior Kenny Walls (14), freshman Ryan Sidney (12) and senior Jonathan Beerbohm (11). Harley also grabbed 10 rebounds to record his first collegiate double-double ... BC led 44-23 at the intermission and never allowed the visiting Peacocks to close within 20 points in the second half. BC played without junior Brian Ross (left thigh contusion) and freshman Ludmil Hadjisotirov (middle finger injury on right hand).
Boston College 81, Brown 52 (Nov. 25, 2000): Sophomore forward Uka Agbai scored 17 points and classmate Troy Bell tallied 13 points and a career-high six assists to lead Boston College to an 81-52 win over the Bears. Senior Kenny Harley registered his second double-double in as many games for the host Eagles. Harley recorded 11 points and 10 rebounds. Boston College led 21-14 with 7:34 remaining in the first half, before closing the half with a 24-3 run to take a commanding 45-17 lead at halftime. The Eagles shot 58.3 percent from the field (14-for-24) in the first 20 minutes. Agbai notched 13 points before the intermission. BC increased its advantage to as many as 40 points twice in the second half, before Brown used a 15-0 run to narrow the margin to 70-45 with 4:11 to play.
*** THE EXHIBITION GAMES ***
EXHIBITION #1 RECAP: Freshman guard Ryan Sidney scored 15 points to lead four Boston College players in double figures as the Eagles opened their 2000-01 season with a 92-85 exhibition loss to the BABC Alumni on Nov. 5. Joining Sidney in double digits for the Eagles were sophomore forward Uka Agbai (13 points), senior guard Xavier Singletary (11 points) and sophomore guard Troy Bell (11 points). Boston College trailed 51-37 at halftime, but battled back in the second half. The Eagles trimmed the visitors' advantage to four points - 61-57 - with 10:02 to play. After the BABC Alumni regained a double-figure lead with a 12-6 run, Boston College rallied again. BC narrowed its deficit to three points three times in the final five minutes, the last time on an Agbai lay-in with 2:41 left.
EXHIBITION #2 RECAP: Junior Kenny Walls and sophomore Troy Bell each scored 21 points to lead Boston College to a 97-77 exhibition win over the California All-Stars on Nov. 13. Senior Xavier Singletary added 15 points and a team-high seven assists. BC trailed by as many as 16 points (24-8) in the first half, before rallying to trim the visitors' margin to three points -- 40-37 -- at halftime. BC tied the game at 45-45 early in the second half, then used a 16-5 run to gain a double-digit advantage with 11:30 remaining ... BC outrebounded the California All-Stars, 42-32 ... The Eagles committed just 10 turnovers, while forcing 22.
*** PLAYER NOTES ***
#00 UKA AGBAI: Sophomore forward Uka Agbai scored a team-high 17 points against Brown. Agbai shot 5-for-7 from the field, and 7-for-9 from the foul line. He also added four rebounds ... Agbai's 17 points fell two shy of his career high (19), set at Vanderbilt on Feb. 6, 2000 ... Last year, the 6-foot-8-inch, now 245-pounder averaged 6.6 points and a team-high 5.0 rebounds per game. He scored in double figures seven times and twice registered double-digit rebounding totals (one double-double).
#2 TROY BELL: Sophomore guard Troy Bell proved he hasn't lost a step after undergoing successful arthroscopic surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee last March. He tallied 31 points, five assists and eight steals in the season opener against St. Peter's ... Bell earned All-BIG EAST first team honors in a preseason poll of the league's 14 head coaches. Last winter, Bell captured BIG EAST Rookie of the Year honors after establishing the league record for freshman scoring (averaging 20.1 ppg in league contests). He also garnered Basketball Times Freshman All-America second team honors.
#3 LUDMIL HADJISOTIROV: Freshman guard Ludmil Hadjisotirov, who missed the season opener against St. Peter's because of a sprained PIP joint on the middle finger on his right hand, registered five points and two assists in 14 minutes of action in his collegiate debut -- against Brown. The freshman, who hails from Sofia, Bulgaria, played the last two years at the Winchendon (Mass.) School. This past summer, Hadjisotirov returned to Bulgaria and played with his country's junior national team.
#4 JONATHAN BEERBOHM: Senior forward Jonathan Beerbohm tallied 11 points and seven rebounds in the season opener against St. Peter's. The double-figure effort was the 16th of his collegiate career. In his first three seasons, Beerbohm averaged 5.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in 87 games. In the Eagles' two exhibition games this season, the Fairbury, Neb. native averaged 8.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
#5 RYAN SIDNEY: Freshman guard Ryan Sidney is averaging 9.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. He began his collegiate career with a 12-point, three-assist effort against St. Peter's. Sidney scored all of his points in the second half, shooting 4-for-6 from the floor and 4-for-5 from the foul line in the final 20 minutes ... He earned All-State Class A first team honors as a senior at Ann Arbor (Mich.) Pioneer High School last winter. The 6-foot-2-inch guard was impressive in each of the Eagles' two exhibition games earlier this month. Against the BABC All-Stars (Nov. 5), Sidney scored a team-high 15 points, while also contributing three rebounds, two assists and four steals. Against the California All-Stars (Nov. 13), the freshman netted eight points, while grabbing a team-high seven rebounds.
#10 NICOLAS DUNN: Senior guard Nicolas Dunn joined the team as a walk-on three years ago. The Braintree, Mass. native has seen limited action in 13 games.
#13 KENNY HARLEY: Senior guard Kenny Harley had played in 88 games in his first three seasons, but it wasn't until last Sunday -- the first game of his senior season -- that the Bronx, N.Y. product registered a point-rebound double double. He recorded 19 points and 10 rebounds against St. Peter's. He followed that effort with an 11-point, 10-rebound performance against Brown ... Harley has missed only one game -- at Rutgers (Feb. 13, 1999) -- since arriving in Chestnut Hill in the fall of 1997 ... He has scored in double figures 20 times in 90 collegiate games.
#21 KENNY WALLS: Junior Kenny Walls is averaging 10.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. He ranks second on the team -- behind Harley -- in rebounding ... Walls tallied 14 points and eight rebounds in the season opener against St. Peter's ... Walls is the only member of the 2000-01 team who played in all 57 games over the past two seasons. Last winter, he averaged 8.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He scored in double figures 14 times in 1999-2000.
#23 XAVIER SINGLETARY: Senior guard Xavier Singletary played two seasons at Howard University (1996-98), before tranferring to Boston College. After sitting out the 1998-99 season, Singletary played in 29 games for the Eagles in 1999-2000. He finished his first BC campaign averaging 12.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Through two games this season, the senior is averaging 8.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.
#32 ANDREW DUDLEY: Sophomore center Andrew Dudley saw action in 14 games in his first season with the Eagles. The 6-foot-11-inch, 240-pound Dudley, who played a career-high 16 minutes in the season opener against St. Peter's, is expected to see increased playing time this winter.
#34 ANDREW BRYANT: Freshman forward Andrew Bryant came to BC from Denison (Texas) High School, where he earned All-State (Class 4A) first team honors in 1999-2000 ... The coaching staff has announced their intention to redshirt Bryant this season, giving him four years of eligibility beginning with the 2001-02 campaign.
#40 ADAM DeMONG: Sophomore guard Adam DeMong joined the Eagles just prior to the start of official team practices last month. DeMong, who hails from Glen Ellyn, Ill., earned All-Area honors as a senior at Glenbard West High School. He averaged 15.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game for the Hilltoppers in 1998-99.
#41 JON EKWEOZOR: Senior guard Jon Ekweozor joined the team as a walk-on last month. He scored the Eagles' first basket against Brown to record his first collegiate points ... Ekweozor served as the women's basketball team manager during the 1999-2000 season. He is a resident of Newton, Mass., and is a 1997 graduate of Newton North High School. He earned Bay State League all-star honors as a senior.
#45 BRIAN ROSS: Junior forward Brian Ross recorded five points and four rebounds in 16 minutes against Brown, his 2000-01 debut. He missed the 2000-01 season opener against St. Peter's because of a left thigh contusion ... Ross played in 53 games in his first two seasons with the Eagles. Last winter, Ross battled back problems, but still managed to play in 27 games (starting 18). He averaged 3.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He led the team in rebounding six times.
DWAYNE PINA: Senior guard Dwayne Pina, who had one season of eligibility remaining, will miss the Eagles' 2000-01 season because of a cardiomyopathy. Cardiomyopathy is a structural or functional abnormality of the heart muscle that causes a weakening of the heart and results in its inability to pump blood efficiently. Pina played in 78 games in three seasons.
THE COACHING STAFF: Al Skinner and his staff are in their fourth season at the Heights. Now in his 13th season as a collegiate head coach, Skinner has a career record of 172-182. He was recently inducted into the University of Rhode Island Hall of Fame ... Skinner is assisted by Tim O'Shea, Bill Coen, Ed Cooley and Pat Duquette.
