Men's Basketball Preview: The X Factor
November 05, 2018 | Men's Basketball, #ForBoston Files
Ky Bowman takes the on-floor reigns with NCAA Tournament and NBA dreams on the horizon.
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- The 2018-19 Boston College men's basketball preseason provided the Eagles with long dormant feelings of enthusiasm and optimism. The team enters this year on the heels its first postseason berth in almost a decade and there's a general feeling of its springboard potential. Nearly every major piece from last season returned, and the arrival of a bumper crop of freshman talent has hopes surging entering Tuesday's opening night game against Milwaukee.
But there's still that one topic hanging over tonight's game. Last year felt at times like a dream coming true and the realization of BC's basketball potential, but it also represented a bittersweet end of the Jerome Robinson era. His matriculation to the NBA as a lottery pick is still being celebrated, but it created a void in the lineup, one that is turning into an opportunity for his backcourt batterymate, Ky Bowman.
"We can show people that we can still do things without Jerome," Bowman said. "That is not meant as a bad thing for him, but we want to show the doubters that without him, we have the team that can carry us to the NCAA Tournament. My leadership role is going to be big in that. We want to have that defense and the energy that we have to play with from day one. We have to play like we know we can win. That's going to be big for us."
"If we want to win, we have to change our identity," head coach Jim Christian said. "That is why we didn't win last year, especially on the road. There were key stretches where we broke down and did not guard. So that was going to be our change whether Jerome was here or not."
Robinson's departure means Bowman is officially the centerpiece of the Boston College lineup and it becomes the next logical step for a player who has already accomplished personal goals. Bowman's first two years produced an All-ACC Freshman Team selection in 2016-17 and an All-ACC Honorable Mention selection last season. He is already in the Boston College 1,000 point club after reaching the mark in 64 career games.
Last season, Bowman played over 1,300 minutes and averaged 38.2 minutes per game. He played 40 minutes or more in 16 games, including a stretch of five consecutive conference games. He played all 45 minutes in overtime wins in a non-conference game against Richmond and an ACC win over Georgia Tech, playing no less than 35 minutes in every game except for the second game of the year against South Carolina State.
Yet there's still room for growth in his game. Bowman ran into foul trouble at several junctures during the season and fouled out in the team's one-point loss to Miami. He also put too much pressure on himself, resulting in games where his shooting percentage and turnover numbers took a hit.
"My next step is in my decision making," Bowman said. "I tried to hit the home run play, and it's not all about those plays. I like to see a play behind me and if I see something that won't be there, I need to avoid making those plays. I need to play aggressive defense and maintain energy level without fouling. (Steffon Mitchell) and I can play off that same energy, especially on the road and especially on defense. That's our mentality. We played offensively last year, so this year, we're focusing on our defense."
"I think Ky's already better," Christian said. "Everyone gets better. The numbers don't always tell the story, so you can't look at game-by-game averages. Numbers are great, but what are you doing to help the team win the game? I think our whole basketball team would get better defensively as he gets better defensively. The numbers have to equate to a win, and there's a lot of things that happen that aren't on the stat sheet. We have a better grasp of that now."
This year will ultimately prove critical to Bowman, who tested the waters with Robinson for the NBA Draft before choosing to return to Boston College for his junior season. The NBA allows college players with eligibility to declare for its draft, and athletes can meet with teams to go through workouts for feedback about potential draft position. They then can choose to remain eligible for selection or return to college. Bowman went through several workouts, including one with the Boston Celtics that provided guidance for where his next developmental step leads.
"They were my first workout, and they were real with me on how to get better," Bowman said. "I had a connection with the coaches from what they told me to work on and what the other coaches said to work on, both as a person on the court and off the court. They all explained how to be within myself, and how to lift everyone else up."
It was a taste of the big time, and it's still there as a personal goal in the back of his mind. Every basketball player arrives in the ACC knowing the facts about the NBA Draft, and they play annually against top selections bound for future glory. It's a personal goal that won't cloud the team's play, though it's a real presence for anyone playing in the nation's best conference.
"I've never believed that if you play hard, you get in foul trouble," Christian said. "The harder you play, the less you foul because you're in position (to make a play). When you don't play hard, you get out of position, and that's why you foul. You foul when you're not aware, not when you're aggressive. That's a coach talking, but I think he's got the smart. He's not the only guy in the country that plays a lot of minutes, and he knows that. So for him to reach his personal goals, (playing hard) is a huge part of it. You have to become a great player to play in the NBA. You don't just score your way there."
"I think about it when I'm shooting at night," Bowman admitted. "When I get in my own mode, it's a motivation for me. It's time for me to prove myself. Freshman year, I made a statement when I was in the running for ACC Freshman of the Year. This is now another statement for me. The more my team succeeds, the more it can help my personal success."
The Eagles will host the Milwaukee Panthers tonight at Conte Forum at 7 p.m. The game can be seen via the ACC Network Extra with Eric Gallanty on play-by-play and Kerri Shields on color analysis. The game can also be heard on WEEI 850 AM and SiriusXM Internet 986 with Josh Maurer on play-by-play and Danya Abrams on color analysis.
But there's still that one topic hanging over tonight's game. Last year felt at times like a dream coming true and the realization of BC's basketball potential, but it also represented a bittersweet end of the Jerome Robinson era. His matriculation to the NBA as a lottery pick is still being celebrated, but it created a void in the lineup, one that is turning into an opportunity for his backcourt batterymate, Ky Bowman.
"We can show people that we can still do things without Jerome," Bowman said. "That is not meant as a bad thing for him, but we want to show the doubters that without him, we have the team that can carry us to the NCAA Tournament. My leadership role is going to be big in that. We want to have that defense and the energy that we have to play with from day one. We have to play like we know we can win. That's going to be big for us."
"If we want to win, we have to change our identity," head coach Jim Christian said. "That is why we didn't win last year, especially on the road. There were key stretches where we broke down and did not guard. So that was going to be our change whether Jerome was here or not."
Robinson's departure means Bowman is officially the centerpiece of the Boston College lineup and it becomes the next logical step for a player who has already accomplished personal goals. Bowman's first two years produced an All-ACC Freshman Team selection in 2016-17 and an All-ACC Honorable Mention selection last season. He is already in the Boston College 1,000 point club after reaching the mark in 64 career games.
Last season, Bowman played over 1,300 minutes and averaged 38.2 minutes per game. He played 40 minutes or more in 16 games, including a stretch of five consecutive conference games. He played all 45 minutes in overtime wins in a non-conference game against Richmond and an ACC win over Georgia Tech, playing no less than 35 minutes in every game except for the second game of the year against South Carolina State.
Yet there's still room for growth in his game. Bowman ran into foul trouble at several junctures during the season and fouled out in the team's one-point loss to Miami. He also put too much pressure on himself, resulting in games where his shooting percentage and turnover numbers took a hit.
"My next step is in my decision making," Bowman said. "I tried to hit the home run play, and it's not all about those plays. I like to see a play behind me and if I see something that won't be there, I need to avoid making those plays. I need to play aggressive defense and maintain energy level without fouling. (Steffon Mitchell) and I can play off that same energy, especially on the road and especially on defense. That's our mentality. We played offensively last year, so this year, we're focusing on our defense."
"I think Ky's already better," Christian said. "Everyone gets better. The numbers don't always tell the story, so you can't look at game-by-game averages. Numbers are great, but what are you doing to help the team win the game? I think our whole basketball team would get better defensively as he gets better defensively. The numbers have to equate to a win, and there's a lot of things that happen that aren't on the stat sheet. We have a better grasp of that now."
This year will ultimately prove critical to Bowman, who tested the waters with Robinson for the NBA Draft before choosing to return to Boston College for his junior season. The NBA allows college players with eligibility to declare for its draft, and athletes can meet with teams to go through workouts for feedback about potential draft position. They then can choose to remain eligible for selection or return to college. Bowman went through several workouts, including one with the Boston Celtics that provided guidance for where his next developmental step leads.
"They were my first workout, and they were real with me on how to get better," Bowman said. "I had a connection with the coaches from what they told me to work on and what the other coaches said to work on, both as a person on the court and off the court. They all explained how to be within myself, and how to lift everyone else up."
It was a taste of the big time, and it's still there as a personal goal in the back of his mind. Every basketball player arrives in the ACC knowing the facts about the NBA Draft, and they play annually against top selections bound for future glory. It's a personal goal that won't cloud the team's play, though it's a real presence for anyone playing in the nation's best conference.
"I've never believed that if you play hard, you get in foul trouble," Christian said. "The harder you play, the less you foul because you're in position (to make a play). When you don't play hard, you get out of position, and that's why you foul. You foul when you're not aware, not when you're aggressive. That's a coach talking, but I think he's got the smart. He's not the only guy in the country that plays a lot of minutes, and he knows that. So for him to reach his personal goals, (playing hard) is a huge part of it. You have to become a great player to play in the NBA. You don't just score your way there."
"I think about it when I'm shooting at night," Bowman admitted. "When I get in my own mode, it's a motivation for me. It's time for me to prove myself. Freshman year, I made a statement when I was in the running for ACC Freshman of the Year. This is now another statement for me. The more my team succeeds, the more it can help my personal success."
The Eagles will host the Milwaukee Panthers tonight at Conte Forum at 7 p.m. The game can be seen via the ACC Network Extra with Eric Gallanty on play-by-play and Kerri Shields on color analysis. The game can also be heard on WEEI 850 AM and SiriusXM Internet 986 with Josh Maurer on play-by-play and Danya Abrams on color analysis.
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