Boston College Athletics
Photo by: John Quackenbos
Humble Hoopsters Thankful For Each Other Amidst Undefeated Start
November 20, 2018 | Women's Basketball, #ForBoston Files
Off-court persistence is lending itself to on-court success.
Boston College women's basketball head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee has a family tradition around Thanksgiving. She goes around the table with her family, and each member says what they're thankful for. Four games into her first season leading the Eagles, she already has a good idea what she might say.
It might be that the team is undefeated after sweeping to wins over Rhode Island, Saint Peter's, Holy Cross and Houston. More likely, though, it's going to be a little bit deeper.
"We're going to have Thanksgiving dinner together as a team before going to Philadelphia (this weekend)," she said. "If this team wasn't as close as it is, people would be bummer about not seeing family or dreading a road trip. But I can't wait to spend Thanksgiving with them and get out on the road with them. They're my second family, and they view each other like that."
Winning and family have gone hand-in-hand through the first two weeks of the 2018-2019 year. On the court, the Eagles are committed to winning, and their dedication to everything in practice is paying immediate dividends to start a season. Off the court, the players and coaches are committed to each other, using every opportunity to utilize basketball as a tool for study and for life. It's created an intertwined system where both aspects feed off one another.
"My expectations were pretty simplistic for the team to get better in all different ways, both on the court and as a group getting to know everyone," Bernabei-McNamee said. "When it comes to that kind of progress, this group has always been ahead of the curve. It makes everything else fall in line. They show good attentiveness in scouting, and as a young team, I think they see the value of the scout. I've coached teams where you really have to convince the players, but this team has been welcoming to that mentality."
That attentiveness has the Eagles averaging over 82 points in their first four games. They have a +22.2 scoring margin and are shooting over 43% from the field. They've owned the rebounding margin over teams and are gelling quickly within a system designed to make all five players weapons on the court.
BC led each of its first four games by halftime, often by 10 or more points. Four players have scored in double figures in three of the first four games of the year, and two games featured individual double-digit rebounding numbers. It's the result of a shell-shocking pace and grit built by fast tempo and superior physical conditioning.
"One thing I will always say will help us is to be in better shape physically," Bernabei-McNamee said. "It allows you to be more mentally tough. Against URI, that helped us capitalize. We played at a faster pace than what they were probably used to, so we got to dictate the pace (of the game). Against Saint Peter's, we played a team that also wanted to play fast like us. I was hoping it would be a good learning curve for our players. They played us hard, and I felt like we were lucky to help get that confidence into our freshmen."
It culminated with a 64-57 win at Houston over a WNIT team from a year ago. The Lady Cougars played well enough earlier this season to earn votes in the national poll but struggled to gain traction against the pesky Eagles. Freshman guard Marnelle Garraud channeled her inner Ky Bowman with 17 points and six rebounds in 34 minutes, while junior forward Emma Guy poured in 16 points and eight boards. Taylor Ortlepp added four assists in 37 minutes, and Georgia Pineau cleaned the offensive glass for five rebounds en route to an eight-point, seven-board performance.
"I thought the score would be higher than it was," Bernabei-McNamee said. "I thought the game would have been more of a track meet. It was funny how the shots fell, when they pushed and didn't push. It was probably a slower pace than I anticipated. We had our share of turnovers, but Houston forced them. We were able to sprint and locate in transition, and we did a good job on defense.
"That's a test of this young team paying attention to the scout. Some kids are catch-and-drive ready versus catch-and-shoot, and the team did a very good job of understanding where to be and how to translate that on the court. I wasn't very happy with the way we took care of the ball, but we just have to get better there."
BC earned its second straight win over Houston by simply committing its youthful roster to improving. Before the season, the coach indicated how each game was a learning tool capable of continually building the database. Each game could provide teaching opportunities about the Eagles as much as about opponents. After dealing with turnover woes in the first three games, the Eagles refocused for Houston in practice, and the result paid dividends.
"We played 5-on-6 in the full court," Bernabei-McNamee said. "We had scout guys and a couple of other players rotate in a six-man lineup against the five to make it harder than what Houston presented. After the game, Marnelle said that it wasn't as hard as practice. That's what I was looking for since it's really hard to simulate game situations in practice."
For BC, Garraud is the latest example of a budding star within its young nucleus. She scored 19 points off the bench in the season-opener and matched it against Holy Cross. Makayla Dickens scored in double figures in the first three games, with 19 of her own against the Crusaders, and Taylor Soule scored 16 against Saint Peter's.
Junior Emma Guy has experienced a revolution in the front court, with the junior shooting 11-of-13 against Saint Peter's. Fellow junior Georgia Pineau's 12-rebound game was part of a double-double, and classmate Taylor Ortlepp is transforming into an assist machine at the point as the perfect example of the adjustment to the new coach's style of play.
"When I first met (Ortlepp), I clicked with her," Bernabei-McNamee said. "She's a go-getter. She's a high-intensity player, and I really connect with that type of player. She has a little laid back personality that I enjoy as well. In every practice, she's that player that I can count on to work as hard as possible for whatever minutes she's on the floor. But basketball's a change-of-speed game and she always wants to play at one speed, which isn't conducive to being productive. She's a player that wants to be in overdrive, but it's really hard to remember that it's a game that requires you to change speed. She was very poised against Houston."
It's a style the Eagles will continue to develop as they ready for the Hawk Classic hosted by St. Joseph's in Philadelphia. The tournament opens on Saturday with a 2 p.m. meeting against Loyola (Md.) before facing either the host Hawks or Rider University on Sunday.
"I thought Taylor Ortlepp really grew up in the Saint Peter's game," Bernabei-McNamee said. "Makayla Dickens, as a freshman point guard, has two games under her belt where she's been forced into turnovers, and she's learned from it. Marnelle had to shoot the ball with less time because of Houston's athleticism, and she proved she could do that.
"We have a pretty humble team," she said. "They're definitely not big-headed (as people). Our staff is the same. We're thankful for every win we get, and we're definitely not a team that needs to be knocked down at all."
It might be that the team is undefeated after sweeping to wins over Rhode Island, Saint Peter's, Holy Cross and Houston. More likely, though, it's going to be a little bit deeper.
"We're going to have Thanksgiving dinner together as a team before going to Philadelphia (this weekend)," she said. "If this team wasn't as close as it is, people would be bummer about not seeing family or dreading a road trip. But I can't wait to spend Thanksgiving with them and get out on the road with them. They're my second family, and they view each other like that."
Winning and family have gone hand-in-hand through the first two weeks of the 2018-2019 year. On the court, the Eagles are committed to winning, and their dedication to everything in practice is paying immediate dividends to start a season. Off the court, the players and coaches are committed to each other, using every opportunity to utilize basketball as a tool for study and for life. It's created an intertwined system where both aspects feed off one another.
"My expectations were pretty simplistic for the team to get better in all different ways, both on the court and as a group getting to know everyone," Bernabei-McNamee said. "When it comes to that kind of progress, this group has always been ahead of the curve. It makes everything else fall in line. They show good attentiveness in scouting, and as a young team, I think they see the value of the scout. I've coached teams where you really have to convince the players, but this team has been welcoming to that mentality."
That attentiveness has the Eagles averaging over 82 points in their first four games. They have a +22.2 scoring margin and are shooting over 43% from the field. They've owned the rebounding margin over teams and are gelling quickly within a system designed to make all five players weapons on the court.
BC led each of its first four games by halftime, often by 10 or more points. Four players have scored in double figures in three of the first four games of the year, and two games featured individual double-digit rebounding numbers. It's the result of a shell-shocking pace and grit built by fast tempo and superior physical conditioning.
"One thing I will always say will help us is to be in better shape physically," Bernabei-McNamee said. "It allows you to be more mentally tough. Against URI, that helped us capitalize. We played at a faster pace than what they were probably used to, so we got to dictate the pace (of the game). Against Saint Peter's, we played a team that also wanted to play fast like us. I was hoping it would be a good learning curve for our players. They played us hard, and I felt like we were lucky to help get that confidence into our freshmen."
It culminated with a 64-57 win at Houston over a WNIT team from a year ago. The Lady Cougars played well enough earlier this season to earn votes in the national poll but struggled to gain traction against the pesky Eagles. Freshman guard Marnelle Garraud channeled her inner Ky Bowman with 17 points and six rebounds in 34 minutes, while junior forward Emma Guy poured in 16 points and eight boards. Taylor Ortlepp added four assists in 37 minutes, and Georgia Pineau cleaned the offensive glass for five rebounds en route to an eight-point, seven-board performance.
"I thought the score would be higher than it was," Bernabei-McNamee said. "I thought the game would have been more of a track meet. It was funny how the shots fell, when they pushed and didn't push. It was probably a slower pace than I anticipated. We had our share of turnovers, but Houston forced them. We were able to sprint and locate in transition, and we did a good job on defense.
"That's a test of this young team paying attention to the scout. Some kids are catch-and-drive ready versus catch-and-shoot, and the team did a very good job of understanding where to be and how to translate that on the court. I wasn't very happy with the way we took care of the ball, but we just have to get better there."
BC earned its second straight win over Houston by simply committing its youthful roster to improving. Before the season, the coach indicated how each game was a learning tool capable of continually building the database. Each game could provide teaching opportunities about the Eagles as much as about opponents. After dealing with turnover woes in the first three games, the Eagles refocused for Houston in practice, and the result paid dividends.
"We played 5-on-6 in the full court," Bernabei-McNamee said. "We had scout guys and a couple of other players rotate in a six-man lineup against the five to make it harder than what Houston presented. After the game, Marnelle said that it wasn't as hard as practice. That's what I was looking for since it's really hard to simulate game situations in practice."
For BC, Garraud is the latest example of a budding star within its young nucleus. She scored 19 points off the bench in the season-opener and matched it against Holy Cross. Makayla Dickens scored in double figures in the first three games, with 19 of her own against the Crusaders, and Taylor Soule scored 16 against Saint Peter's.
Junior Emma Guy has experienced a revolution in the front court, with the junior shooting 11-of-13 against Saint Peter's. Fellow junior Georgia Pineau's 12-rebound game was part of a double-double, and classmate Taylor Ortlepp is transforming into an assist machine at the point as the perfect example of the adjustment to the new coach's style of play.
"When I first met (Ortlepp), I clicked with her," Bernabei-McNamee said. "She's a go-getter. She's a high-intensity player, and I really connect with that type of player. She has a little laid back personality that I enjoy as well. In every practice, she's that player that I can count on to work as hard as possible for whatever minutes she's on the floor. But basketball's a change-of-speed game and she always wants to play at one speed, which isn't conducive to being productive. She's a player that wants to be in overdrive, but it's really hard to remember that it's a game that requires you to change speed. She was very poised against Houston."
It's a style the Eagles will continue to develop as they ready for the Hawk Classic hosted by St. Joseph's in Philadelphia. The tournament opens on Saturday with a 2 p.m. meeting against Loyola (Md.) before facing either the host Hawks or Rider University on Sunday.
"I thought Taylor Ortlepp really grew up in the Saint Peter's game," Bernabei-McNamee said. "Makayla Dickens, as a freshman point guard, has two games under her belt where she's been forced into turnovers, and she's learned from it. Marnelle had to shoot the ball with less time because of Houston's athleticism, and she proved she could do that.
"We have a pretty humble team," she said. "They're definitely not big-headed (as people). Our staff is the same. We're thankful for every win we get, and we're definitely not a team that needs to be knocked down at all."
Players Mentioned
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