Boston College Athletics
Wednesday, March 1
Conway, South Carolina
3:30 p.m.
Boston College
vs
Georgia Tech
Photo by: John Quackenbos
Youth Leading Search For Cinderella's Slipper
February 28, 2017 | Women's Basketball, #ForBoston Files
BC kicks off the ACC Tournament on Wednesday
Team Travel Video
Day 2 at the ACC Tournament
With the ACC Tournament's large shadow looming, it would be understandable to bet against Boston College. One of six teams slotted into the first round, the road to glory is the longest. As one of the teams looking up at the league's elite, the road becomes increasingly uphill and steep for anyone.
But March is all about Cinderella and the glass slipper in basketball. For the Eagles, that means putting the past behind them and moving forward with the one-game-at-a-time approach required to play in a tournament against the best competition in the nation. On Wednesday, the first day of the month, the madness begins against Georgia Tech.
"Georgia Tech is a good team on the floor," head coach Erik Johnson said, "but everyone in the ACC is a good, talented team. What we do know is that they're beatable. When we played them earlier this season, we had too many turnovers and gave up too many offensive rebounds. You can't win if you that against any team, but I thought if you took away those points - off turnovers and off those rebounds - we handled them fine."
Back in January, BC trailed Georgia Tech by 14 at halftime but roared back with 21 third-quarter points. Ultimately losing by four, the Yellow Jackets victimized the offensive glass for 20 rebounds, double what BC was able to grab, and forced 27 turnovers.
"You can't give a good team extra opportunities," Johnson said, "but at the same time, we know what we have to do and we do know how we can beat them."
If the Eagles are going to fit themselves for the Cinderella role, they'll need big games out of the emerging triad. While senior Kelly Hughes remains a mainstay and sophomore Mariella Fasoula is developing into one of the ACC's best players, the Eagles are finding themselves with more emerging young talent who experienced a trial-by-fire in the ACC.
Emerging from that talent is freshman guard Tayler Ortlepp. The 5-foot-9 native of Australia projected as the starting point guard to start the season. Two weeks before the season, however, she suffered an injury that kept her out of the early non-conference schedule. She returned to game action for BC's game against Fordham, playing limited minutes while working back into game shape.
After playing 20-plus minutes in five straight games, Coach Johnson reinserted Ortlepp into the starting rotation against Notre Dame. Averaging just under five points per game at that point, she's doubled her production over what's become an 11-game starting streak. Adding in a 35% three-point shooting percentage and 80% free throw shooting percentage for that stretch, she's up to over seven points per game.
"She had the injury early, but she's really been coming on as of late," Johnson said. "She went out and won that starting point guard spot. Then she missed all those games, which were some key non-conference games for her. She came back, played some limited minutes, and is just getting back to form now. Instead of really being able to develop in the non-conference games, she's done it during the ACC schedule, which has really been a trial by fire."
It's a role Ortlepp's embraced and, in turn, made her own. Since joining the starting lineup, she's averaged about three rebounds and three assists per game.
"She doesn't back down as a player," Johnson said. "And it makes the competition fun to watch. The game is starting to slow down for her, and those freshman yips are starting to go away. She's also leading vocally, which is what really makes her special. It's something we really hadn't had before."
Ortlepp's emergence joins a youth movement that's constructing a culture from within. In the ultra-competitive ACC, wins can be hard to come by, and there's no ignoring that the results haven't fallen in BC's favor. But the foundation is being laid for a program that is ready to blossom.
Johnson noted the rise of the team's two power forwards, Emma Guy and Georgia Pineau, and how they bring contrasting styles to the game.
"Georgia is more of an inside-outside player," he said, "and her ball movement is great. She's the type of player who can get assists from the inside. And Emma is a legit tough power forward, but we're just looking for her consistency and poise to continue to get better."
They've combined with Fasoula to form the team's young core. Scoring double figures in eight of the last nine games, her season average scoring leads the team with 15.8 points per game.
"She's an All-ACC type player," Johnson said. "There will be a lot of ballots that go her way, and her progress has been great. She has WNBA-type talent, but we're just looking for more consistency. She's going to deal with more double teams (moving forward)."
It's the consistency that has been the issue for the team this season, ultimately dooming them in games where the margin of error is microscopic.
"Our youngsters are learning what it's going to take to win games," Johnson said. "But the problem is that we'll compete for long stretches but have those lapses. Any team will make you pay in those situations. So we're stressing to have mental, emotional, and physical discipline.
"The rest of the team is accepting their roles, which is great to see," he said. "Our bench players are embracing their role, where early on there was a little angst at role development. Our players have accepted what they're doing, and the competition is good for the rest of the team. But we just have to continue getting better and becoming more consistent (as a team)."
The Eagles kick off the ACC Tournament on March 1st against Georgia Tech at 3:30. Fans can view the game on NESN Plus.
Day 2 at the ACC Tournament
With the ACC Tournament's large shadow looming, it would be understandable to bet against Boston College. One of six teams slotted into the first round, the road to glory is the longest. As one of the teams looking up at the league's elite, the road becomes increasingly uphill and steep for anyone.
But March is all about Cinderella and the glass slipper in basketball. For the Eagles, that means putting the past behind them and moving forward with the one-game-at-a-time approach required to play in a tournament against the best competition in the nation. On Wednesday, the first day of the month, the madness begins against Georgia Tech.
"Georgia Tech is a good team on the floor," head coach Erik Johnson said, "but everyone in the ACC is a good, talented team. What we do know is that they're beatable. When we played them earlier this season, we had too many turnovers and gave up too many offensive rebounds. You can't win if you that against any team, but I thought if you took away those points - off turnovers and off those rebounds - we handled them fine."
Back in January, BC trailed Georgia Tech by 14 at halftime but roared back with 21 third-quarter points. Ultimately losing by four, the Yellow Jackets victimized the offensive glass for 20 rebounds, double what BC was able to grab, and forced 27 turnovers.
"You can't give a good team extra opportunities," Johnson said, "but at the same time, we know what we have to do and we do know how we can beat them."
If the Eagles are going to fit themselves for the Cinderella role, they'll need big games out of the emerging triad. While senior Kelly Hughes remains a mainstay and sophomore Mariella Fasoula is developing into one of the ACC's best players, the Eagles are finding themselves with more emerging young talent who experienced a trial-by-fire in the ACC.
Emerging from that talent is freshman guard Tayler Ortlepp. The 5-foot-9 native of Australia projected as the starting point guard to start the season. Two weeks before the season, however, she suffered an injury that kept her out of the early non-conference schedule. She returned to game action for BC's game against Fordham, playing limited minutes while working back into game shape.
After playing 20-plus minutes in five straight games, Coach Johnson reinserted Ortlepp into the starting rotation against Notre Dame. Averaging just under five points per game at that point, she's doubled her production over what's become an 11-game starting streak. Adding in a 35% three-point shooting percentage and 80% free throw shooting percentage for that stretch, she's up to over seven points per game.
"She had the injury early, but she's really been coming on as of late," Johnson said. "She went out and won that starting point guard spot. Then she missed all those games, which were some key non-conference games for her. She came back, played some limited minutes, and is just getting back to form now. Instead of really being able to develop in the non-conference games, she's done it during the ACC schedule, which has really been a trial by fire."
It's a role Ortlepp's embraced and, in turn, made her own. Since joining the starting lineup, she's averaged about three rebounds and three assists per game.
"She doesn't back down as a player," Johnson said. "And it makes the competition fun to watch. The game is starting to slow down for her, and those freshman yips are starting to go away. She's also leading vocally, which is what really makes her special. It's something we really hadn't had before."
Ortlepp's emergence joins a youth movement that's constructing a culture from within. In the ultra-competitive ACC, wins can be hard to come by, and there's no ignoring that the results haven't fallen in BC's favor. But the foundation is being laid for a program that is ready to blossom.
Johnson noted the rise of the team's two power forwards, Emma Guy and Georgia Pineau, and how they bring contrasting styles to the game.
"Georgia is more of an inside-outside player," he said, "and her ball movement is great. She's the type of player who can get assists from the inside. And Emma is a legit tough power forward, but we're just looking for her consistency and poise to continue to get better."
They've combined with Fasoula to form the team's young core. Scoring double figures in eight of the last nine games, her season average scoring leads the team with 15.8 points per game.
"She's an All-ACC type player," Johnson said. "There will be a lot of ballots that go her way, and her progress has been great. She has WNBA-type talent, but we're just looking for more consistency. She's going to deal with more double teams (moving forward)."
It's the consistency that has been the issue for the team this season, ultimately dooming them in games where the margin of error is microscopic.
"Our youngsters are learning what it's going to take to win games," Johnson said. "But the problem is that we'll compete for long stretches but have those lapses. Any team will make you pay in those situations. So we're stressing to have mental, emotional, and physical discipline.
"The rest of the team is accepting their roles, which is great to see," he said. "Our bench players are embracing their role, where early on there was a little angst at role development. Our players have accepted what they're doing, and the competition is good for the rest of the team. But we just have to continue getting better and becoming more consistent (as a team)."
The Eagles kick off the ACC Tournament on March 1st against Georgia Tech at 3:30. Fans can view the game on NESN Plus.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
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