The New Man in the Middle

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- When the Boston College basketball season ended last year, head coach Jim Christian knew the areas where his team needed to get better. They had a lethal backcourt combination with Jerome Robinson and Ky Bowman, and they had a sharpshooter swingman in Jordan Chatman. What they needed was a player capable of competing with the elite level big men of the ACC.

Enter Steffon Mitchell, a 6-foot-8-inch revelation out of Minnesota.

"We had no four-man, so we needed the position," Christian said of the team's offseason preparations. "We didn't know if we had Teddy (Hawkins), so it was a position of need. (Assistant coach Bill Wuczynski) went and saw him at Sunrise Academy and on film, and we liked him. Even though he wasn't heavily recruited, we liked what we saw and we knew he fit in with what we were trying to do."

Twenty-four games into his freshman year, Mitchell has fit like a hand into a custom fit glove. The Shakopee, Minnesota native is already one of the nation's best rookies, a stingy defender who can run rebound and run the floor, all while adding an offensive flair to the game.

Mitchell is one of four Eagles to appear in every game this year, having started 17 of his 24 appearances. The team's leading rebounder, he's one of only three players nationally to average 7.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 block and 1.0 steal per game. And with a 1.67:1 assist/turnover ratio, he has emerged as a strong candidate for the ACC's talented All-Rookie Team.

"You know a player's skillset and talent," Christian said. "You can see it in everyone, but you never see how quickly they can pick things up. College basketball has a lot of adjustments for freshmen, especially defensively, and he's picked things up really fast. He understood the concepts early on and challenged himself. He's mentally tough and physically tough, which is what you have to be (to succeed).

Mitchell's overall rebounding numbers are better than both Kentucky's PJ Washington and Michigan State's Jaren Jackson, both of whom are considered among the cream of the class among freshman forwards. And earlier this year, he battled head-to-head against Duke's Marvin Bagley III, a player touted as a potential No. 1 overall pick.

Though largely recognized as a defender and rebounder, it's on the offense where Mitchell is filling in some of the team's gaps. He scored in double figures in back-to-back games twice this year, dropping 21 on South Carolina State and 13 on Sacred Heart with a combined 11-of-14 shooting before going for 10 and 13 against Columbia and Central Connecticut. In the latter, he also recorded his first double-double with 14 boards.

"When I'm on the court, I want to defend," Mitchell said. "I want to be one of the best defensive players around (college basketball). I like rebounding, too, so I always try to do that (aggressively). But if there's an open lane and an open shot, I'm going to try to knock it down."

It set the stage for breakout performances in ACC play. Mitchell had a double-double against North Carolina - becoming the first player to tally double-digit rebounds versus the Tar Heels this season - and came within a basket of recording double-doubles against Louisville, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech. Against the Yellow Jackets, he swished a crucial 3-pointer to tie the game with :35 seconds remaining, forcing overtime as the Eagles rallied to win. The freshman logged 43 minutes in that game, the second straight overtime game he played over 40.

"That (3-pointer) felt good, especially in that game," Mitchell said with a smile. "I missed a couple of open threes (earlier) and was like, 'When is one of these going to fall?' Then it went through through and that was just so nice. I was due for one in that game."

Overall, Mitchell's been a force, leading the Eagles in at least one statistical category in 22 of the 24 games. This success has come as has developed on and off the court, just scratching the tip of the iceberg of his skillset.

"I think I wasn't playing as well as I wanted to at the beginning of the year," Mitchell said. "I've gotten more comfortable and I've grown more confident in ACC play. My teammates have really helped me out, too, getting me extra shots in practice and going hard every day so I can feel that confidence in games."

"The thing that makes him a really, really good player is his ability to adjust," Christian said. "When you tell him to do something, he does it. We can tell him to go on the boards harder, and he doesn't sit back and say, 'Well I'm doing the best that I can.' He goes and fixes it. It's the same with all the other areas. He's not playing like a freshman, even though it's February and the freshmen are all just basketball players now. He's one of those guys who just keeps getting better. He's been out there a long time and building confidence."

It's an adjustment that didn't happen overnight. Mitchell entered the season as a bench player behind both Nik Popovic and Deontae Hawkins. He spent only a handful of games behind the duo before Hawkins' season ended with a knee injury. But working with his fellow bigs proved critical to his early season development.

"Niko and Teddy always worked with me, especially before Teddy was hurt," Mitchell said. "I was pretty close with Teddy, and he was a good leader for me, really showing me the ropes."

"The hardest part of being a player at this level is consistency," Christian said. "He's finding that consistency and what he does well. He's doing his job, and that makes him a valuable piece. He does some things that other guys don't want to do, and that makes him invaluable to our team."

It's a confidence built against the most elite teams in the nation. Even though Mitchell is 6'8", he is built like a wing. It makes him unique, where he can swing inside to play against some of the ACC's tallest trees but then step outside in order to compete with the smaller, more agile forwards offered up.

"I didn't know how hard and physical it was (in the ACC)," Mitchell laughed. "I think after the Duke game, I got out of bed (the next day) and I was still sore. I was still tight. (But) I took a post-grad last year, so that helped me deal with practice and helped get me adjusted."

"He's 6'8", so he's fine and big," Christian said. "He's a tough kid. More of it is understanding how to beat people to spots than it is using length or size. It's different, and it's an adjustment for each guy. You'll go from guarding a guy at Virginia Tech like Chris Clarke who is 6'6" to guarding Ben Lammers at Georgia Tech, and he's 6'11". It's just understanding the strengths and the non-strengths of who you're playing."

It's an attitude that Mitchell will take with him as the Eagles prepare for the final seven games of their regular season. BC has earned the right to be in the postseason tournament discussion, but what happens in the last month will determine whether or not the team remains in the thick of it.

"Our goal is to get to the (NCAA Tournament)," Mitchell said. "We want to get into that hunt, and we definitely can. As long as we keep competing, playing good defense, it can go our way."

"The expectation is that we have these games that will dictate our season," Christian said. "Nine games dictate everything; we played well enough in November, December and January to make these games important. This is what the season is all about. This is what you play for."

Boston College Athletics

Related News

Players Mentioned

Ky Bowman

Jordan Chatman

Deontae Hawkins

Steffon Mitchell

Nik Popovic

Jerome Robinson

Related Videos