Boston College Athletics
Boston College-Vanderbilt Men's Basketball Game Notes
December 28, 2000 | Men's Basketball
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Conte Forum -- Chestnut Hill, Mass.
December 30, 2000 -- 2 p.m. (WRKO-AM Radio)
SATURDAY'S GAME: Boston College hosts Vanderbilt in a non-league game in Silvio O. Conte Forum. The game will mark the eighth meeting between the Eagles and the Commodores.
FAST START: Boston College enters today's game with an 8-0 record, the longest winning streak to begin a season since the 1984-85 team began with 10 consecutive victories. That streak ended with an 82-80 overtime loss at Georgetown on Jan. 5, 1985. The 1984-85 team -- coached by Gary Williams and captained by Michael Adams -- finished with a 20-11 record, advancing to the NCAA Tournament's Midwest Regional semifinal round.
HOT, HOT, HOT: Senior guard/forward Xavier Singletary has scored more than 20 points in each of the last two games. He shot 59.3 percent from the field (16-for-27) in these two contests. Singletary notched a season-high 23 points (8-for-13 FG, 3-for-5 treys) in 25 minutes against Quinnipiac. Prior to that, he scored 22 points (8-for-14 FG, 4-for-7 treys) in 35 minutes at Massachusetts ... He has scored in double figures in each of the last six games. He has made 55.2 percent of his field-goal attempts (37-for-67) in this six-game stretch.
TEAM STATISTICS: Boston College has posted impressive numbers through its first eight games -- all victories. The Eagles lead the BIG EAST's 14 schools in turnover margin (+6.62), while ranking third in steals (10.25 per game), and fifth in field-goal percentage (.477).
THE SERIES: Boston College has a 3-4 all-time record against Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt won the series' first three meetings, before BC rebounded with three straight victories. The Commodores regained the series advantage with last season's 76-58 win over the Eagles in Memorial Gym (Feb. 6, 2000).
LAST YEAR'S MEETING:
Vanderbilt 76, Boston College 58 (Feb. 6, 2000, Memorial Gym, Nashville, Tenn.): Forward Uka Agbai registered a career-high 19 points, grabbed five rebounds and made four steals to lead the Eagles in the loss at Vanderbilt. Forward Jonathan Beerbohm netted a career-high 15 points, while Kenny Harley had a season-best nine rebounds ... BC shot just 31.7 percent from the field, while Vanderbilt shot 54.3 percent, the second-highest percentage by a BC foe during the 1999-2000 season ... BC committed 14 turnovers, five fewer than Vandy ... BC trailed 32-20 at halftime. After Vandy extended its margin to 19 points -- 51-32 with 13:54 remaining -- BC used a 16-4 run to close to within seven points at 55-48 (with 6:56 left). The Commodores then reeled off 12 straight points to regain control.
1999-2000 Game Notes: While both Agbai and Beerbohm established career-high point totals against Vanderbilt, Troy Bell scored a career-low three points (3-for-3 FT). The game remains his lone collegiate contest without making a field goal ... The Eagles faced the Commodores one day after battling St. John's (a 59-58 loss) in Jamaica, N.Y.
THE HEAD COACH: Al Skinner is in his fourth season as the head coach at Boston College and his 13th season as a collegiate head coach. He has has a career record of 178-182. Skinner is a 1974 graduate of the University of Massachusetts, where he enjoyed a stellar collegiate basketball career (1971-74).
Hall of Fame: Al Skinner has been inducted into both the University of Massachusetts Athletic Hall of Fame (1982) and the University of Rhode Island Hall of Fame (2000). Skinner was a three-time All-Yankee Conference first team selection and a two-time NABC All-District first team choice at UMass. He still ranks among the school's career leaders in points, assists, rebounding average and field-goal percentage ... Skinner spent nine years as the Rams' head coach, winning 138 games and guiding URI to four post-season tournaments.
OUR LEADER, LEAGUE LEADER: Troy Bell ranks among BIG EAST leaders in six categories: scoring (sixth, 19.8 ppg), field-goal percentage (12th, .484), free-throw percentage (third, .855), assists (ninth, 4.75), steals (second, 2.62) and assist-turnover ratio (second, 2.71).
MORE LEAGUE LEADERS: Troy Bell isn't the only Eagle who ranks among league leaders. Xavier Singletary ranks among BIG EAST leaders in four categories: three-point field-goal percentage (third, .471), field-goal percentage (sixth, .537), three-point field goals made (14th, 2.0 per game) and scoring (tied-20th, 14.2). In addition, Kenny Harley ranks 10th in rebounding (8.2 rpg), and sophomore Uka Agbai ranks 12th in blocked shots (1.38 per game).
REBOUNDING: Through eight games, Boston College enjoys a +6.1 rebounding margin (per game) over its opponents. The Eagles are averaging 39.4 rebounds per game, while their foes are averaging 33.2 rebounds per game ... Boston College outrebounded its opponent in each of the first five games this season, was outrebounded in two straight contests, and regained the rebounding advantage in its most recent game.
STEALS: Boston College is averaging 10.25 steals per game -- an average that ranks third among the BIG EAST's 14 schools ... The Eagles have made 10 or more steals in five of eight games, including each of the last four. BC made a season-high 16 steals against Youngstown State, the most steals in one game by the Eagles since recording 17 steals in last year's regular-season finale against Villanova (3/4/00) ... Troy Bell is the team leader in steals, averaging 2.6 per game.
LONG RANGE: Boston College is shooting 35.7 percent from three-point range this season. The Eagles currently rank sixth among 14 league schools in this category. Last year, BC finished 11th among 13 league schools in three-point field goal percentage (.302) ... BC hit a season-high 10 three-point field goals in its 93-65 win over Youngstown State. The 10 three-pointers (on 23 attempts) surpassed the team's previous best of nine, set one game earlier against Holy Cross. It also marked the most three-point field goals made in one game by a BC team since the Eagles shot 12-for-24 against St. John's in the BIG EAST Tournament on March 5, 1998 ... BC shot 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from long range against Holy Cross, its best single-game percentage since shooting .529 (9-for-17) in a win at West Virginia on Feb. 19, 2000.
HOME RECORD: The 2000-01 season marks Boston College's 13th season in Conte Forum. The Eagles have a 110-72 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 39-5 record in its last 44 non-conference home games (1993-94 season - present).
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.
68th SEASON: The 2000-01 season marks the 68th season of varsity play for Boston College. The Eagles have an 879-720 (.550) overall record.
*** THE LAST TWO GAMES ***
Boston College 88, Quinnipiac 55 (Dec. 23, 2000): Senior forward Xavier Singletary tallied 23 points and seven rebounds - both game highs - to lead Boston College past Quinnipiac. Sophomore forward Uka Agbai netted 14 points. Senior Kenny Harley contributed 11 points. Sophomore guard Troy Bell and junior forward Brian Ross each added 10 points. BC led 26-22 with 7:50 remaining before intermission, before closing the half with a 20-6 run to take a 46-28 advantage. Singletary scored 17 first-half points, including two three-point field goals. The host Eagles extended their lead throughout the second half. BC led 64-34 with 12:30 left, and raised its advantage to 41 points - 80-39 and 83-42 - twice.
Boston College 74, Massachusetts 65 (Dec. 17, 2000): Senior Xavier Singletary scored a season-high 22 points and sophomore Troy Bell netted 19 points to lead Boston College past the Minutemen in the Mullins Center. The game was the Eagles' first road game of the season. Bell also contributed seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Freshman Ryan Sidney provided a spark off the bench, finishing with nine points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals ... BC shot 57.7 percent in the first half and led 40-26 at the intermission. UMass closed the BC margin to one point -- 56-55 -- with 3:47 remaining, but the Eagles answered with an 11-0 run over the next two-plus minutes to secure the victory. BC was outrebounded, 39-31, but committed fewer turnovers than its foe (UMass 17, BC 14).
FOCUS ON ... TROY BELL
STILL AMAZING: Sophomore Troy Bell, the 1999-2000 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, is the Eagles' leading scorer. Bell is averaging 19.8 points per game on 46-of-95 shooting from the field (.484). He has hit 13-of-34 three-point attempts (.382). The sophomore equaled his career high with 31 points in the season opener against St. Peter's.
REALLY FREE: Troy Bell has made 53-of-62 free-throw attempts (.855) this season ... In the opener against St. Peter's, he converted 12 of 14 free-throw attempts. The game marked the sixth time he'd made 10 or more in one game ... He converted 8-of-10 free-throw attempts at Massachusetts. That game marked the eighth time in his young career he'd attempted 10 or more free throws in one game ... He was 6-for-6 from the line against Brown, and 7-for-7 from the line against Wofford. The Wofford game marked the 10th 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 efforts have proved he's much more than just a scorer. Through eight games, he leads the Eagles in assists (4.8 per game) and steals (2.6 per game). Already this season, he's established a new career highs in assists (seven at Massachusetts) and steals (eight against St. Peter's) ... By the way, Bell has also recorded five blocked shots this season.
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: Already this season, Bell has been fouled on three of his three-point field goal attempts. 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. Against Holy Cross, he made all three free throws when fouled on a three-point attempt. Entering this game, Bell's collegiate totals in this area look like this: He's been fouled 21 times on three-point attempts. He's made 56 of the ensuing 61 free throws (3-of-3 -- 15 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 33 of his 35 collegiate games, including all 22 games played in Conte Forum. The sophomore has registered 20 or more points 16 times (10 in Conte), including two games with more than 30 points (one in Conte).
*** THE PLAYERS ***
#00 UKA AGBAI: Sophomore forward Uka Agbai is averaging 10.6 points per game through eight games. He has scored in double figures in four contests, including a team-high 17 points against Brown. His 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 15 points in the win over Youngstown State ... He grabbed a team-high seven rebounds against Wofford ... Most recently, he contributed 14 points and six rebounds in the Eagles' win over Quinnipiac ... He recorded a season-high four blocked shots at Massachusetts.
#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. He netted 26 points against Marist, 20 against Wofford, and 24 against Youngstown State ... 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, made his presence felt in the Eagles' win over Wofford. In 16 minutes of action, Hadjisotirov tallied 12 points while directing the Eagles' offense ... He tallied six points and a career-high six assists in the Eagles' most recent contest -- a win over Quinnipiac ... He recorded two points, two rebounds, two steals and three assists against Youngstown State ... 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 is averaging 5.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game this season ... He 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. He contributed seven points, four rebounds and a season-high three blocked shots in 14 minutes against Youngstown State.
#5 RYAN SIDNEY: Freshman guard Ryan Sidney is averaging 7.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. He has scored nine points in each of the last two games -- against Youngstown State and at Massachusetts -- but it's the "other things" he's contributed in those contests that has made him so valuable. Against YSU, the freshman also registered five rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals. At Massachusetts, he added three rebounds, three assists and two steals in a season-high 24 minutes ... Sidney began his collegiate career with a 12-point, three-assist effort against St. Peter's. He 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 ... Sidney recorded seven points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals in 21 minutes of action against Holy Cross ... 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 16 games. He's played in five games this season ... He netted his first points of the season against Youngstown State, sinking a three-pointer late in the game to give BC its largest lead of the day.
#11 ERIK WITT: Sophomore forward/center Erik Witt will not be in uniform for today's game. The Bonn, Germany product is sidelined indefinitely after undergoing back surgery this past summer.
#13 KENNY HARLEY: Senior guard Kenny Harley is averaging 9.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this season. He has scored in double figures four times this season. Most recently, he tallied 11 points and six rebounds against Quinnipiac ... 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 fell just one point shy of recording his fourth double-double of the season. He notched nine points and a career-high 15 rebounds against Holy Cross ... 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 22 times in 96 collegiate games.
#21 KENNY WALLS: Junior Kenny Walls is averaging 8.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He is tied for second on the team -- behind Harley and even with Xavier Singletary -- in rebounding ... Walls tallied 14 points and eight rebounds in the season opener against St. Peter's. He registered 13 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals against Holy Cross. Walls contributed 12 points and five rebounds against Youngstown State ... Walls is the only member of the 2000-01 team who played in all 57 games during the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons ... He has scored in double figures 32 times in 65 collegiate games.
Wasting No Time: Kenny Walls has scored 54 of his 66 points -- 81.8 percent -- this season in the first half. That figure has become even more pronounced in the last six games. In this span, Walls has scored 41 of his 45 points -- 91.1 percent -- in the first 20 minutes of play.
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.
Very Rare: Kenny Walls went scoreless in 15 minutes of action against Quinnipiac last Saturday (Dec. 23). That game marked just the second time is Walls' 65-game collegiate career that he did not figure in the scoring column. The only other game in which he didn't score was at St. John's (in eight minutes of action) on Feb. 5, 2000 -- one day before BC met Vanderbilt. He answered that scoring "drought" with a 12-point effort against the Commodores.
#23 XAVIER SINGLETARY: Senior guard Xavier Singletary is averaging 14.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game for the Eagles. He has scored in double figures in each of the last six games. Most recently, Singletary registered a season-high 23 points (8-for-13 FG, 3-for-5 treys) in 25 minutes of action against Quinnipiac. The game marked his second consecutive 20-point effort. At Massachusetts, he netted 22 points (8-for-14 FG, 4-for-7 treys). He scored 15 second-half points against the Minutemen, including two three-point field goals in a late BC run that sealed the victory ... He tallied 13 points (5-for-8 FG, 2-for-3 treys) and seven rebounds against Youngstown State ... He recorded 19 points (7-for-13 FG, 4-for-7 treys) in the win over Holy Cross. He scored 15 of his 19 points in the opening half ... Singletary recorded his first collegiate double-double against Marist, finishing with 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds ... 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.
On The Mark: Xavier Singletary is shooting 57.9 percent from the field (33-for-57) in the last five contests. He has made 58.3 percent of his three-point tries (14-for-24) in this stretch.
#32 ANDREW DUDLEY: Sophomore center Andrew Dudley has announced his intention to transfer to another institution. The 6-foot-11-inch, 240-pound Dudley played in five of the Eagles' first eight games this season. He averaged 0.4 points and 2.0 rebounds per game..
#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 its 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. DeMong, who hails from Glen Ellyn, Ill., has seen action in four games. He scored his first collegiate point in the Eagles' win over Quinnipiac. He sank one free throw with 2:02 remaining in the game ... He 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, who joined the team as a walk-on just prior to the start of the 2000-01 season, has seen action in five games this season. 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 is averaging 3.5 points and 2.8 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per game this season ... He registered his first double-figure scoring effort of the seaon in the Eagles' win over Quinnipiac. Ross finished with 10 points (4-for-6 FG, 2-for-2 treys) in 13 minutes of action ... He 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.
#15 WILL POOLE: Sophomore guard Will Poole won't be in uniform today -- and don't expect to see him for a few more weeks. Poole, a starting cornerback for the Eagles' football team, just returned from Honolulu, Hawaii where the Eagles defeated Arizona State in the Jeep Aloha Bowl on Christmas Day.
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 178-182. He was inducted into the University of Rhode Island Hall of Fame this past October... Skinner is assisted by Tim O'Shea, Bill Coen, Ed Cooley and Pat Duquette.
THE SIGNEES: Three highly-regarded student-athletes have signed national letters of intent to play basketball at Boston College. Jermaine Watson, a 6-foot-3-inch guard from Dorchester, Mass., Kirsten Zoellmer, a 7-foot-1-inch center from Hanover, Germany, and Craig Smith, a 6-foot-7-inch forward from Los Angeles, Calif. will join the Eagles beginning with the 2001-02 season. Watson currently plays at Tabor (Mass.) Academy. Zoellmer plays for the Hanover club team in the second division of the German Club League. Smith plays for Fairfax (Calif.) High School.
