Boston College Athletics
Boston College-Rutgers Men's Basketball Game Notes
January 19, 2001 | Men's Basketball
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FAST START: Boston College's 12-2 record marks the program's best start since the 1996-97 Eagles began their season with the same record. That team finished with a 22-9 mark, advancing to the NCAA Tournament (where it defeated Valparaiso, before losing to St. Joseph's in overtime in the second round of the West Regional in Salt Lake City, Utah.
DOING IT AT BOTH ENDS: Boston College's 12-2 record is a product of its effectiveness at both ends of the court. Offensively, the Eagles are averaging 81.5 points per game on 47.5 percent shooting from the field. BC has scored more than 70 points in each of its 14 games, the longest such streak since the 1978-79 Eagles did so (14 games from Dec. 29, 1978 through Feb. 10, 1979). Defensively, BC has allowed only three foes -- Connecticut, St. John's and Duke -- to shoot 45.0 percent or better from the floor this season.
FG% vs. Miami: In its home win over Miami, BC shot 53.1 percent from the field, including 50.0 percent or better in each half. The team's field-goal percentage against Miami was the highest by a BC team in a BIG EAST contest since Jan. 12, 2000 (60.5 percent at Notre Dame).
BIG EAST RANK: Boston College ranks at least fourth among the league's 14 schools in each of six statistical categories: scoring margin (second), steals (fourth), turnover margin (third), scoring (fourth), three-point field-goal percentage (third) and free-throw percentage (fourth).
NATIONALLY RANKED: Boston College is currently ranked 25th in the both the Associated Press poll and the ESPN/USA Today poll (released Jan. 15). Boston College earned its first national ranking of the season -- and since March 10, 1997 (when it was 23rd in the AP poll) -- on Jan. 8. The Eagles were ranked 24th in the AP poll released Jan. 8 (and 28th in the ESPN/USA Today poll that week) ... Should the Eagles remain ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation when both polls are released early next week, it would mark the first time BC has been ranked in both polls two straight weeks since Jan. 13 and Jan. 20, 1997.
THE SERIES AGAINST RUTGERS: Boston College has a 6-4 all-time record against Rutgers, including a 5-2 edge in the BIG EAST regular-season series ... BC won the first five BIG EAST meetings, before Rutgers defeated the Eagles, 75-62, in the Rutgers Athletic Center on Feb. 13, 1999 to gain their first win in the BIG EAST series. The Scarlet Knights also defeated BC, 78-72, last winter (Feb. 2, 2000 in Conte Forum).
In Conte Forum: Boston College has a 3-1 record against the Scarlet Knights in BIG EAST action in Conte Forum.
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 a career record of 182-184. Skinner is a 1974 graduate of the University of Massachusetts, where he enjoyed a stellar collegiate basketball career (1971-74).
Skinner vs. Rutgers: Al Skinner has a 7-12 career record against the Scarlet Knights, including a 2-2 record as the head coach at Boston College. He was 5-10 in his nine years at Rhode Island.
Eleven Straight: The Eagles' 11-game winning streak to begin the season marked the longest winning streak of Al Skinner's coaching career. His longest winning streak during his nine-year tenure at Rhode Island was eight games (Dec. 21,1991-Jan. 15, 1992).
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.
THE COACHING STAFF: Al Skinner is assisted by associate head coach Tim O'Shea, assistant coach Bill Coen, assistant coach Ed Cooley and administrative assistant Pat Duquette. O'Shea, Coen and Cooley all served under Al Skinner at Rhode Island before joining him in Chestnut Hill. O'Shea was with Skinner for each of his nine years at URI, Coen was with Skinner for eight of the head coach's nine seasons, and Cooley spent one year with Skinner at URI before the move to Boston College.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE ...
** Sophomore Troy Bell ranks among BIG EAST leaders in eight categories: scoring (third, 21.4 ppg), field-goal percentage (14th, .458), free-throw percentage (third, .862), three-point field-goal percentage (ninth, .392), assists (ninth, 4.71), steals (fifth, 2.21), assist-turnover ratio (seventh, 2.00) and three-point field goals made (14th, 2.07 per game).
** Senior Jonathan Beerbohm enjoyed one of the finest games of his collegate career in the Eagles' most recent game -- at Duke. Beerbohm recorded his first double-double of the season -- and second of his career. He finished with 10 points (4-for-6 FG) and a career-high 12 rebounds in 27 minutes against the Blue Devils.
QUICK HITS: Boston College is 12-0 when leading at halftime ... BC has shot a higher percentage from the field than its opponent in 11 of 14 games ... BC has committed fewer turnovers than its foe in 10 of 14 contests.
REALLY, REALLY FREE: In its home victory over Miami -- Boston College shot 24-for-26 from the foul line, 92.3 percent. That effort marked the program's best single-game percentage from the foul line since shooting 18-for-19 (.947) at Villanova on Jan. 15, 2000 ... BC is shooting 69.9 percent from the line this season.
FREE THROW, PART 2: Sophomore guard Troy Bell is the Eagles' top free-throw shooter. Bell is shooting 86.2 percent from the line this season. He's made 106-of-123 attempts this winter ... Bell was a perfect 17-for-17 from the foul line against Miami, tying the school record for free throws made in one game. John Austin '66 and Danya Abrams '97 also made 17 free throws in one game. Austin was 17-for-18 against Georgetown on Feb. 21, 1964, while Abrams shot 17-for-20 at Syracuse on Jan. 7, 1997.
SCORING: Boston College's 81.5 ppg average through 14 games is significantly higher than its scoring averages at the same point in past seasons. In fact, the 1995-96 Eagles were the last team to score at a higher clip through 14 contests.
BIG EAST HONORS: Sophomore guard Troy Bell earned BIG EAST Co-Player of the Week honors (along with Syracuse's Damone Brown) for the week ending Jan. 7. Bell averaged 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in wins over 10th-ranked Connecticut and Miami. Bell was also honored by the conference the previous week. The sophomore gained Player of the Week honors for the week ending Dec. 31 after netting 29 points in a win over Vanderbilt.
MORE LEAGUE LEADERS: Troy Bell isn't the only Eagle who ranks among league leaders. Xavier Singletary ranks sixth in field-goal percentage (.517), Kenny Harley ranks 15th in rebounding (6.9 rpg), and Uka Agbai ranks 13th in blocked shots (1.43 per game).
FAST START: Boston College's 11-0 start was the longest winning streak to begin a season in school history. The previous record was held by the 1984-85 team. That team -- coached by Gary Williams and captained by Michael Adams -- opened the season with 10 wins and finished with a 20-11 record, advancing to the NCAA Tournament's Midwest Regional semifinal round. The 1984-85 team saw its streak end with an 82-80 overtime loss at Georgetown on Jan. 5, 1985.
WINNING STREAK: The Eagles' 11-game winning streak was the third-longest winning streak in Boston College basketball history, and the longest since the 1968-69 season. The 1968-69 team holds the longest winning streak, having won its last 16 regular-season contests and then winning three games in the NIT before bowing to Temple in the title game. The only other team with a longer streak was the 1964-65 team that won its last 14 games, before losing to St. John's in the NIT.
STEALS: Boston College is averaging 9.21 steals per game -- an average that ranks fourth among the BIG EAST's 14 schools ... The Eagles have made 10 or more steals in six games. BC made a season-high 16 steals against Youngstown State, the most steals in one game by BC since recording 17 steals last year against Villanova (3/4/00) ... Troy Bell is the team leader in steals, averaging 2.21 per game.
LONG RANGE: Boston College is shooting 37.5 percent from three-point range this season. The Eagles currently rank third among 14 BIG EAST schools in this category. Last year, BC finished 11th among 13 league schools in three-point field goal percentage (.302) ... BC hit 13 (of 26) three-point field goals in its 73-72 win at Miami. The team's 13 treys marked the highest single-game total since the 1991-92 team hit 13 (of 23) three-pointers against Providence on Jan. 14, 1992 ... BC has hit 10 three-point field goals in each of two games -- its 93-65 win over Youngstown State and in its 97-74 win over Vanderbilt ... BC shot 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from long range against Vanderbilt, its best single-game percentage since shooting .529 (9-for-17) in a win at West Virginia on Feb. 19, 2000 ... BC shot a season-low .158 (3-for-19) from three-point range in its only loss -- at St. John's.
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 21.4 points per game on 82-of-179 shooting from the field (.458). He has hit 29-of-74 three-point attempts (.392). The sophomore equaled his career high with 31 points in the season opener against St. Peter's. He scored 29 points in the Eagles' win over Vanderbilt, and 27 points in two of the team's wins -- over Connecticut and Miami (home).
REALLY THREE: Troy Bell hit a career-high six three-point field goals in the Eagles' 73-72 win at Miami. His previous single-game best was five (set twice). Bell, who has made 29 treys so far this season, has made three in each of two games (St. Peter's and Youngstown State) and four once (Vanderbilt).
REALLY FREE: Troy Bell has made 106-of-123 free-throw attempts (.862) this season ...He has attempted 10 or more free throws in each of six games this season. He has attempted at least 10 free throws in 12 of his 41 collegiate contests ... Bell shot 14-for-16 from the line in BC's win over Connecticut ... He was 17-for-17 from the line against Miami. The Miami game marked the 11th 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).
PUTTING UP POINTS: Troy Bell has scored in double figures in 39 of his 41 collegiate games, including all 25 games played in Conte Forum. The sophomore has registered 20 or more points 20 times (13 in Conte), including two games with more than 30 points (one in Conte).
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 five 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. Against St. John's, he made 2-of-3 free throws. Against Miami, he was fouled on a three-point attempt -- he made the trey and the subsequent free throw. Entering this game, Bell's collegiate totals in this area look like this: He's been fouled 23 times on three-point attempts. He's made 59 of the ensuing 65 free throws (3-of-3 -- 15 times, 2-of-3 -- six times, 1-of-1 -- twice). When he has missed, he's missed the first shot three times, the second shot once and the third shot twice.
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 883-722 (.550) all-time record.
HOME RECORD: The 2000-01 season marks Boston College's 13th season in Conte Forum. The Eagles have a 113-72 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.
*** THE LAST TWO GAMES ***
Duke 97, Boston College 75 (Jan. 16, 2001): Sophomore guard Troy Bell scored a team-high 16 points and senior Jonathan Beerbohm recorded 10 points and a career-high 12 rebounds to lead Boston College in a loss in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Also scoring in double figures for the Eagles were junior Kenny Walls (13 points), sophomore Uka Agbai (13) and senior Kenny Harley (10). BC trailed by as many as 10 points -- 39-29 -- in the opening half, before using a 9-3 run to close the half to cut the Duke lead to 42-38 at the break. The visiting Eagles narrowed the Blue Devil advantage to two points -- 44-42 -- just 57 seconds into the second half. Duke then ran off 11 unanswered points in less than two minutes to take a 55-42 lead. After Harley hit a three-point field goal to break the Duke scoring run , the Blue Devils scored five straight points to extend their lead further. BC then cut its deficit to fewer than 12 points the rest of the way. BC outrebounded Duke, 38-37 ... BC committed two fewer turnovers (Duke 17, BC 15) ... BC shot a season-low 38.4 percent from the floor, while Duke shot 58.3 percent from the field (the best by a BC opponent this season).
Boston College 82, Miami 73 (Jan. 13, 2001): Sophomore guard Troy Bell scored a game-high 27 points, including a 17-for-17 effort from the foul line, to lead Boston College past Miami for the second time in one week. Bell's 17 free throws equaled a school record. Senior Kenny Harley equaled his season high with 19 points, while senior Xavier Singletary netted 15 points. BC used a 10-0 run late in the first half to erase a five-point deficit and take a 38-33 lead. BC led 40-36 at the break. Miami regained the lead in the second half. The Hurricanes led 61-57 with 6:54 to play, before the host Eagles used a 14-2 rally to take an eight-point margin with 2:18 remaining. Miami never got closer than five points the rest of the way ... Harley grabbed a team-high seven rebounds for the Eagles ... Freshman Ryan Sidney contributed 10 points, five rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocked shots in 23 minutes ... BC was outrebounded, 36-32 ... The Eagles committed 16 turnovers, while Miami committed 14 turnovers ... BC shot 53.1 percent from the floor, its best shooting effort in a BIG EAST contest since Jan. 12, 2000 (60.5 percent at Notre Dame).
*** THE PLAYERS ***
#00 UKA AGBAI: Sophomore forward Uka Agbai is averaging 9.6 points per game through 14 games. He has scored in double figures in seven contests. Most recently, he recorded 13 points and five rebounds at Duke ... He tallied 10 points and seven rebounds at St. John's ... He scored 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 ... He contributed 16 points in the win over Vanderbilt ... He recorded a season-high four blocked shots in each of two games -- at Massachusetts and at Miami.
Blocked Shots: Uka Agbai has registered a team-high 20 blocked shots this season.
#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 has netted 20 or more points in seven of 12 games since the season opener, including a 29-point effort against Vanderbilt. He has scored 19 points in each of two games -- at Massachusetts and at Miami ... 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, has played in 12 games this season. He 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' win over Quinnipiac ... He tallied nine points (3-for-5 FG, 1-for-2 treys, 2-for-2 FT) against Vanderbilt ... 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 4.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game this season ... Most recently, the senior enjoyed one of the finest games of his collegiate career. Beerbohm notched his first double-double of the season -- and the second as an Eagle -- at Duke, finishing with 10 points and a career-high 12 rebounds in 27 minutes ... He registered four points and two rebounds in the Eagles' 73-72 win at Miami. Two of those four points, however, came on what very well may have been the most important basket of his collegiate career. With BC trailing 72-71 in the final minute of play, the senior forward tipped in the rebound of a Xavier Singletary missed shot with 27 seconds to play to give the visiting Eagles the victory ... He tallied 11 points and seven rebounds in the season opener against St. Peter's ... 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 8.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. Sidney registered six points and six rebounds in 28 minutes of action at Duke ... He posted an impressive line of 10 points, five rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocked shots in the Eagles' home win over Miami ... He notched eight points and three rebounds at St. John's ... Prior to that, he scored 12 points in two consecutive games -- at Miami and against Connecticut. At Miami, he shot 6-for-8 from the field, while also contributing four rebounds, four steals and two assists. The 12 points equaled his career high ... Sidney recorded 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals in a career-high 30 minutes against Connecticut ... Sidney tallied eight points and a career-high 11 rebounds against Vanderbilt ... Sidney began his collegiate career with a 12-point, three-assist effort against St. Peter's ... 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, and was recently awarded an athletic scholarship by the basketball staff. The Braintree, Mass. native has seen limited action in 17 games. He's played in six 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 10.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures seven times this season, including each of the last two contests ... He has led the team in rebounding in three of the last five games ... Most recently, the senior registered 10 points at Duke ... He recorded 19 points -- equaling his season high -- and a team-high seven rebounds against Miami. He shot 7-for-8 from the field, including 2-for-3 from three-point range. He scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, while also handing out four second-half assists ... Harley registered seven rebounds (and six points) at Miami. Prior to that, he contributed seven rebounds (and eight points and a team-high five assists) in the victory over Connecticut ... He scored 11 points against both Quinnipiac and Vanderbilt ... 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 ... Against Holy Cross, 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 the Crusaders ... 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 25 times in 102 collegiate games.
#21 KENNY WALLS: Junior Kenny Walls is averaging 7.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures in six games ... Most recently, Walls netted 13 points (5-for-7 FG, 3-for-4 treys) at Duke. He scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half ... He scored a season-high 15 points in 23 minutes of action in the victory at Miami. He made three three-point field goals, equaling his season high. He shot 4-for-4 from the foul line ... 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 34 times in 71 collegiate games.
Just Perfect: Kenny Walls is 13-for-13 from the free-throw line this season.
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.
#23 XAVIER SINGLETARY: Senior guard Xavier Singletary is averaging 14.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game for the Eagles. He had his 11-game double-figure scoring streak snapped at Duke. Playing limited minutes because of foul trouble, he finished with seven points against the Blue Devils. His 11-game streak of consecutive double-figure scoring games was his longest streak since coming to Boston College (previous best: seven straight games of 10 or more points from Dec. 7-Dec. 30, 1999) ... He recorded 15 points and six rebounds in a home win over Miami ... Singletary tallied 13 points and seven rebounds at St. John's. His seven rebounds tied him for the team lead ... He registered 15 points (4-for-8 FG, 3-for-6 treys, 4-for-4 FT), five rebounds and three assists in the win at Miami. He scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half ... He equaled his season high with 23 points (9-for-15 FG, 4-for-7 treys) in the Eagles' win over Connecticut. He also contributed five rebounds and three assists in a season-high 37 minutes of action ... Singletary also registered 23 points (8-for-13 FG, 3-for-5 treys) in 25 minutes of action against Quinnipiac ... 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 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.
#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 as a walk-on just prior to the start of official team practices. DeMong, who hails from Glen Ellyn, Ill., has seen action in five games. He scored his first collegiate point in the Eagles' win over Youngstown State ... 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 six 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 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons. 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 2.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per game this season ... He registered his first double-figure scoring effort of the season in the Eagles' win over Quinnipiac. Ross finished with 10 points (4-for-6 FG, 2-for-2 treys) in 13 minutes of action ... In the team's victory over Connecticut -- Ross netted four points, including a key three-point field goal with 4:03 remaining in the game ... He recorded seven points and four rebounds in a season-high 18 minutes against Vanderbilt ... 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.
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 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.
WHAT'S NEXT?: The Eagles return to action on Saturday, Jan. 27 when they face Villanova in The Pavilion in Villanova, Pa. Game time is 2 p.m.
