Boston College Athletics
Men's Basketball Prepares for Wofford
December 01, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
BOSTON COLLEGE VS. WOFFORD GAME NOTES
Silvio O. Conte Forum -- Dec. 2, 2000 -- 2 p.m.
SENIOR SPLASH: Senior guard Kenny Harley has recorded a point-rebound double-double in each of the Eagles' first three games. Remarkably, Harley has accomplished this feat after not registering even one double-double in any of the first 88 games during his first three years at Boston College (1997-2000) ... He tallied 19 points and 10 rebounds against St. Peter's (11/19), 11 points and 10 rebounds against Brown (11/25), and 14 points and 11 rebounds against Marist (11/28) ... His 19 points in the season opener 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). His 11 rebounds against Marist equaled his career high, set against Holy Cross as a freshman (Dec. 20, 1997).
NOT A COMMON OCCURRENCE: Harley's streak of three consecutive double-doubles is not something that happens very often. In fact, the last BC player to accomplish this feat was Danya Abrams '97. Abrams registered back-to-back-to-back double-doubles late in the 1995-96 season (18 points, 11 rebounds against Pittsburgh in the BIG EAST Tournament, 3/6/96, 31 points, 12 rebounds against Syracuse in the BIG EAST Tournament, 3/7/96, and 22 points, 17 rebounds against Indiana in the NCAA Tournament, 3/15/96) ... Should Harley record another double-double today, he'd match Abrams' four straight double-doubles run of February 1995.
THE SERIES AGAINST WOFFORD: Today's game marks the first-ever meeting between the Eagles and the Terriers.
EAGLES VS. SOUTHERN CONFERENCE: Boston College has a 3-0 all-time record against the member institutions of the Southern Conference. The Eagles defeated Davidson, 72-67, in the first round of the Charlotte (N.C.) Invitational on Dec. 29, 1970, defeated Furman, 82-76, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament (Charlotte, N.C.) on March 15, 1975, defeated VMI, 72-70, in Fayetteville, W.Va. on Dec. 30, 1955.
ON THE BOARDS: Through three games, Boston College enjoys a +9.0 rebounding margin (per game) over its opponents. The Eagles are averaging 41.3 rebounds per game, while its foes are averaging 32.3 rebounds per game.
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.
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.
STILL AMAZING: Sophomore Troy Bell, the 1999-2000 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, is the Eagles' leading scorer through three games. Bell is averaging 23.3 points per game on 22-for-40 shooting from the field (.550). He has hit 6-of-13 three-point attempts (.462). 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.
STEPPING UP: Bell netted 26 points in the Eagles' most recent game -- a home victory over Marist. The sophomore scored 16 points in the final 20 minutes, including 10 points in a key 7:20 span in the second half. BC led 41-40 with 14:56 to play, before the home team used a 17-8 run to take a 58-48 advantage with 7:39 left. In that Eagle rally, Bell registered four (including two treys) of his team's seven field goals and assisted on two of the team's other three scores.
REALLY FREE: Troy Bell has made 20-of-22 free-throw attempts in the season's first three 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 collegiate 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.
PUTTING UP POINTS: Troy Bell has scored in double figures in 28 of his 30 collegiate games, including all 18 games played in Conte Forum. The sophomore has registered 20 or more points 14 times (eight in Conte), including two games with more than 30 points (one in Conte).
OVERTIME: Boston College has yet to play an overtime game this season. In fact, the Eagles have not played an overtime game since defeating Seton Hall, 97-87, in the opening round of the 1998 BIG EAST Championship Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 5, 1998 ... BC has a 1-1 overtime record since Al Skinner become the team's head coach prior to the 1997-98 season. The other overtime game was a 68-65 loss to Villanova in The Pavilion in Villanova, Pa. on Jan. 6, 1998 ... The last overtime game in Conte Forum saw Miami defeat BC, 77-71, on Feb. 25, 1995.
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).
HOME RECORD: The 2000-01 season marks Boston College's 13th season in Conte Forum. The Eagles have a 106-72 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 35-5 record in its last 40 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 874-720 (.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.
*** THE PLAYERS ***
#00 UKA AGBAI: Sophomore forward Uka Agbai is averaging 11.3 points per game through three games. He has scored in double figures in each of the last two contests, including a team-high 17 points against Brown. Agbai shot 5-for-7 from the field, and 7-for-9 from the foul line against the Bears. He also added four rebounds ... Agbai's 17 points fell two shy of his career high (19), set at Vanderbilt on Feb. 6, 2000 ... The 6-foot-8-inch, 245-pounder contributed 11 points in the win over Marist.
#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. Most recently, he netted 26 points against Marist ... 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. Most recently, he contributed six points and five rebounds in 10 minutes of action against Marist. In his first three seasons, Beerbohm averaged 5.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in 87 games.
#5 RYAN SIDNEY: Freshman guard Ryan Sidney is averaging 6.7 points and 2.7 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.
#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. He's played in two of the team's first three games this season.
#11 ERIK WITT: Sophomore forward/center Erik Witt will not be in uniform for tonight's game. The Bonn, Germany product is sidelined indefinitely after undergoing back surgery this past summer.
#13 KENNY HARLEY: Senior guard Kenny Harley had played in 88 games in his first three seasons, but it wasn't until Nov. 19, 2000 -- 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, and a 14-point, 11-rebound effort against Marist ... 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 21 times in 91 collegiate games.
#15 WILL POOLE: Sophomore guard Will Poole won't be in uniform today -- and don't expect to see him for about another month. Poole, a starting cornerback for the Eagles' football team, is busy preparing for the team's second consecutive bowl appearance. Boston College will play in either the Jeep O'Ahu Bowl (Dec. 24) or Jeep Aloha Bowl (Dec. 25). Both games will be played in Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii.
#21 KENNY WALLS: Junior Kenny Walls is averaging 8.7 points and 5.7 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 transferring 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 three games this season, the senior is averaging 8.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He recorded his first collegiate double-double against Marist. Singletary finished the contest with 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
#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' last 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 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 173-182. 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.
