Boston College Athletics
Men's Basketball Travels To Miami
January 05, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 5, 2001
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Boston College (10-0, 1-0)
at Miami (8-4, 0-1)
Miami Arena, Miami, Fla. - January 7, 2001 - 2 p.m.
TODAY'S GAME: Boston College travels to Miami for a BIG EAST game in Miami Arena. The Eagles, which enter the game with a 10-0 mark, received 30 votes in the latest Associated Press poll and nine votes in the latest ESPN/USA Today national poll.
FAST START: Boston College's 10-game game-winning streak matches the longest winning streak to begin a season in school history. That record is shared with 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.
BIG EAST RANK: Boston College ranks at least fourth among the league's 14 schools in each of eight statistical categories (as of Jan. 5): scoring margin (first), scoring defense (third), steals (third), turnover margin (second), scoring (fourth), field-goal percentage (fourth), three-point field-goal percentage (third) and steals (fourth).
PLEASE TAKE NOTE ...
RANKED OPPONENT: Boston College's victory over Connecticut marked the program's first win over a nationally-ranked opponent since defeating 21st-ranked Marquette, 64-54, in Milwaukee on Jan. 17, 1998.
NATIONAL RANKING?: Boston College's 10-0 start has put the team in position to gain a national ranking. Should the Eagles vault into the nation's top 25, it would mark the program's first national ranking since March 10, 1997 (23rd in Associated Press poll).
THE SERIES AGAINST MIAMI: Boston College has a 9-8 all-time record against the Hurricanes. BC holds an 8-7 lead in the BIG EAST regular-season series ... Miami has won each of the last four meetings ... Boston College's last win was a 59-57 victory in Miami Arena on Feb. 19, 1997.
In Miami Arena: Boston College has a 4-3 record against the Hurricanes in Miami Arena ... Note: Last year's game -- scheduled for Miami Arena -- was moved to American Airlines Arena because of a punctured water pipe near Miami Arena. Miami won that game, 62-54. Last Year's Meeting:
Miami 62, Boston College 54 (Jan. 22, 2000): Troy Bell scored 20 points to lead Boston College in a 62-54 loss to Miami. The game, originally scheduled to be played in Miami Arena, was moved to AmericanAirlines Arena because of a punctured water pipe near Miami Arena. The game marked the first collegiate contest in the new arena ... Forward Brian Ross added six points and a team-high seven rebounds for the Eagles ... BC trailed by as many as 11 points -- 23-11 -- in the first half, before outscoring the host `Canes 15-7 in the final minutes of the half and settling for a 30-27 deficit at the intermission. Miami scored the first nine points of the second half to take a 39-29 lead with 17:19 remaining ... Trailing 40-29 with 14:58 left, BC used a 15-6 run over the next six minutes to trim the UM advantage to two points, 46-44. The home team, however, recovered, scoring six of the game's next seven points to regain control. BC made just one field goal -- a Bell jumper with 16 seconds left -- in the game's final 8:58 ... BC committed 23 turnovers, its highest total since Dec. 22, 1999.
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 180-182. Skinner is a 1974 graduate of the University of Massachusetts, where he enjoyed a stellar collegiate basketball career (1971-74).
Nine Straight: The Eagles' 10-game winning streak marks 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.
QUICK HITS: Boston College has led at halftime in each of its 10 games ... BC has shot a higher percentage from the field than its opponent in nine of 10 games ... BC has committed fewer turnovers than its foe in eight of 10 contests.
REBOUNDING: Through 10 games, Boston College enjoys a +4.2 rebounding margin (per game) over its opponents. The Eagles are averaging 37.9 rebounds per game, while their foes are averaging 33.7 rebounds per game ... Boston College has outrebounded its opponent in six of 10 games.
STEALS: Boston College is averaging 10.0 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, including five of the last six contests. 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 2.6 per game.
LONG RANGE: Boston College is shooting 37.5 percent from three-point range this season. The Eagles currently rank third among 14 league schools in this category. Last year, BC finished 11th among 13 league schools in three-point field goal percentage (.302) ... BC has hit a season-high 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. The 10 three-pointers 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 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.
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 (second, .478), field-goal percentage (sixth, .537), three-point field goals made (10th, 2.20 per game) and scoring (18th, 14.9). In addition, Kenny Harley ranks 11th in rebounding (7.7 rpg).
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 881-720 (.550) overall record.
BY CLASS: The 2000-01 Eagle roster features five seniors, two juniors, five sophomores and three freshmen.
THE LAST TWO GAMES: Boston College 85, Connecticut 68 (Jan. 3, 2001): Sophomore guard Troy Bell scored 27 points and senior forward Xavier Singletary netted 23 points to lead Boston College to the win over 10th-ranked Connecticut before a sellout crowd of 8,606 fans at Conte Forum. The game raised the Eagles' record to 10-0, matching the best start in school history. The victory snapped Connecticut's 23-game winning streak against Boston College. BC had last defeated Connecticut, 64-56, on Feb. 23, 1988 at the Boston Garden. Boston College led 34-33 at halftime and never trailed by more than one point in the second half. Connecticut took its last lead at 48-47 on junior Johnnie Selvie's free throw with 14:02 to play. BC's Bell evened the score with one free throw with 13:55 remaining, before the Eagles began a 22-5 run that resulted in a 70-53 advantage with 6:49 to play. Connecticut never closed the margin to fewer than 12 points in the final minutes. BC led by as many as 20 points -- 80-60 and 82-62. BC freshman Ryan Sidney netted 12 points in a career-high 30 minutes. BC committed just 13 turnovers, while forcing 22 UConn turnovers.
Game Note: The Eagles' 17-point win over Connecticut marked BC's largest margin of victory in a BIG EAST contest since defeating Seton Hall by 17 points (74-57) on Feb. 16, 1997. Boston College 97, Vanderbilt 74 (Dec. 30, 2000): Sophomore guard Troy Bell scored 29 points and classmate Uka Agbai added 16 points to lead Boston College past Vanderbilt. Bell equaled his career high with seven assists. Agbai was a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor. Also scoring in double figures for the Eagles were seniors Xavier Singletary (12 points) and Kenny Harley (11 points). BC led 44-33 at halftime and never allowed the Commodores to narrow the margin in the second half. BC led by as many as 38 points twice -- 80-42 and 82-44 -- in the final 20 minutes. The host Eagles led 19-16 with 10:26 remaining in the opening half, before using a 12-3 run over the next four minutes to gain a 31-19 advantage. After the two teams traded baskets to begin the second half, Boston College used a 23-4 rally to take a 69-39 margin with 13:17 to play. BC freshman Ryan Sidney finished with eight points and a career-high 11 rebounds. BC shot a season-high 58.6 percent from the floor ... BC shot 10-for-19 from three-point range.
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 61-of-121 shooting from the field (.504). He has hit 18-of-45 three-point attempts (.400). 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 the team's win over Connecticut.
REALLY FREE: Troy Bell has made 74-of-88 free-throw attempts (.841) this season ...He has attempted 10 or more free throws in each of five games this season. He has attempted at least 10 free throws in 11 of his 37 collegiate contests ... Most recently, Bell shot 14-for-16 from the line in BC's win over Connecticut ... He was 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).
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 35 of his 37 collegiate games, including all 24 games played in Conte Forum. The sophomore has registered 20 or more points 18 times (12 in Conte), including two games with more than 30 points (one in Conte).
THE PLAYERS
#00 UKA AGBAI: Sophomore forward Uka Agbai is averaging 10.5 points per game through 10 games. He has scored in double figures in five contests, including three of the last five games. 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 14 points and six rebounds in the Eagles' win over Quinnipiac, and 16 points in the win over Vanderbilt ... He recorded a season-high four blocked shots at Massachusetts. It's Good, Very Good: Uka Agbai has made his last 11 field-goal attempts, including a perfect 8-for-8 effort in the Eagles' win against Vanderbilt. He also made his last attempt against Quinnipiac (12/23) and both of his attempts against Connecticut (1/3).
#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 five of nine games since the season opener, including a 29-point effort against Vanderbilt ... 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' win over Quinnipiac ... Most recently, 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 5.1 points and 3.4 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 7.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. In the most recent game, Sidney recorded 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals in a career-high 30 minutes against Connecticut. His 12-point effort equaled his career high ... Sidney tallied eight points and a career-high 11 rebounds against Vanderbilt ... At Massachusetts, he contributed nine points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals in 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 ... 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. Making An Impression: Ryan Sidney's contributions off the bench have certainly made an impression on Eagle fans -- and the media. After BC's victory over Connecticut, Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan had this to say about Sidney: "It can be argued that, absent Sidney's dynamic presence, all the good things BC did to walk away with this triumph might not have added up to victory. Ryan Sidney is one of those players whose immediate entrance into a game is the equivalent of turning on a massive switch. He energizes both the team and the crowd."
#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 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 9.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures five times this season ... Most recently, Harley contributed eight points, a team-high seven rebounds 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 23 times in 98 collegiate games.
#21 KENNY WALLS: Junior Kenny Walls is averaging 7.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game ... 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 67 collegiate games. Wasting No Time: Kenny Walls has scored 58 of his 70 points -- 82.9 percent -- this season in the first half. 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 14.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game for the Eagles. He has scored in double figures in each of the last eight games, his longest streak of consecutive double-figure scoring games since coming to Boston College (he had notched seven straight games of 10 or more points from Dec. 7-Dec. 30, 1999) ... Singletary equaled his season high with 23 points (9-for-15 FG, 4-for-7 treys) in the Eagles' most recent game -- a win over Connecticut. The game marked the third time in the last four games that he'd scored more than 20 points. 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 ... 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 56.6 percent from the field (47-for-83) in the last six contests. He has made 55.6 percent of his three-point tries (20-for-36) in this stretch.
#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 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 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 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 4.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 12.4 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 ... In the team's most recent game -- a 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.
#15 WILL POOLE: Sophomore guard Will Poole won't be in uniform today. Poole, a starting cornerback for the Eagles' football team, recently 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 180-182. 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.
WHAT'S NEXT?: The Eagles return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 10 when they face St. John's in Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
