Boston College
University of Miami
Miles Achieved But Work Remains As ACC Grind Heats Up
January 25, 2019 | Women's Basketball, #ForBoston Files
BC's "grit" is evident every time it's on the court.
The Boston College locker room was quiet and abnormally introspective after its loss to No. 1 Notre Dame. The team knew it faced an uphill battle before the opening tip because it was a road game against the defending national champions, but at the same time, the young roster felt like something was left on the table after a disappointing result.
"We took a 29-point loss against Notre Dame, and that looks like you're getting (beaten badly)," head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee said. "Human nature (is that) teams are going to respond to that by being down and having its confidence shot a little bit. But one of the coolest things about us is that we could have a heart-to-heart in the locker room where we talked about what we want in this season."
That internal discussion struck a nerve, and after traveling back to Chestnut Hill, the Eagles immediately displayed a new layer to its characteristic grit. The coaching staff arrived on campus to break down the game and instead found its team working out, without supervision and with a short term memory that proves just how deep the new culture is running.
"It's not the time they put in with me, but it's the time they put in as an individual to become better," Bernabei-McNamee said. "To do what we haven't done for a while at Boston College, we have to change what we're doing. I thought it was really cool, on our day off, to roll through and see kids in the weight room, getting another lift and conditioning, getting in the gym to work on handles. That's when I realized this team is going to be okay. That's a step in the right direction in what we're building in culture."
It's an attitude driving the Eagles in the direction of new heights. A 13-6 record is almost double the number of overall wins from last season, and road wins over Wake Forest and Pittsburgh equaled the total number of conference victories from last season. But there's a sense of wanting more permeating through Conte Forum where a young roster continues to defy its relative inexperience.
"We're still trying to pursue our goals, but I think we're on the right track," Bernabei-McNamee said. "We're in way better shape than we were in the summer. Our rebounding efforts and what we're trying to do on the boards are better now than, say, the Georgia Tech game. Our grit is something we're constantly talking about because we have high character individuals."
The term "grit" is something the coaching staff installed almost immediately at the outset of the season. It's helped define the players' determination by creating the expectation that no team, regardless of ranking, talent or game situation, will outwork the Eagles. It was on full display against Notre Dame as BC managed to hang tough against the top-ranked Fighting Irish after falling behind by 13 in the first quarter.
The Eagles held the champs to 35 points in the second and third quarter after allowing 32 in the first. Those middle quarters were only a minus-4 point differential as BC scored 31 across that same time period. Notre Dame had 15 offensive rebounds to BC's 13, and the Fighting Irish only had 10 fast break points. ND committed 18 turnovers, 11 of which were in the first half.
"I thought we could compete, especially if Notre Dame didn't play their 'A game','' Bernabei-McNamee said. "And I felt they didn't play their 'A game'. They were turnover prone in that game. Part of it was due to our defense, but part of it was that they played too nonchalant. I was a little disappointed because I thought we could have kept it closer to within 20 or within 15 points, where we had a good fighting opportunity to be in that entire game."
It was a microcosm of the growing pains sometimes associated with a young roster. Each player continues to grow, and there's tangible statistical growth. Emma Guy leads BC in most offensive categories with 13.3 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game. Makayla Dickens is emerging as an ACC-caliber point guard with 11.3 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game. Taylor Ortlepp leads the team in outside shooting and is one of its hustle leaders with 10.7 points per game.
There are now also others are stepping forward on the scoresheet. Taylor Soule had 18 points off the bench against Notre Dame and went 5-of-6 shooting from the floor. It was her second time in three games scoring double figures, and her five rebounds nearly matched a season-high. Georgia Pineau is a block machine, and her 24 rejections are nine better than Guy; they are the only two players with more than 10 on the roster.
There's still work to be done, though, especially in a conference as tough as the ACC. League play requires consistency, which is, by itself, sometimes a reality check for a team that has the heart and hustle but now needs to refine it for sustained success.
"Knowing that we can count on a few things are big components," Bernabei-McNamee said. "Our defense and offense consistency is still a rollercoaster, but we have those staples in effort. From an emotional, leadership standpoint, we're going to have those players who are always going to give their all."
It's charging Boston College into crossroads stage of the season. February is often where contenders rise and pretenders fall on a daily basis as conference play heats up. The ACC is even more spectacular because of the sheer volume of national championship-caliber teams. On Sunday, the next step begins at Miami, a team ranked No. 23 but likely moving up after beating No. 13 Syracuse, 84-71, on the road.
The win moved the Hurricanes to 17-4 with a 5-1 mark in conference play. They currently sit in fourth place, one game behind No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 8 NC State for first and a half-game behind No. 4 Louisville for second. "The U" is also 11-2 at home, having suffered a shocking loss to Central Michigan in December, before falling to Clemson earlier this month.
"Our grittiness isn't necessarily being mean, but it's about taking basketball to another level where we're getting after it," Bernabei-McNamee said. "It's not letting the ACC teams play fast and in transition to score on us (on fast breaks). We kept Notre Dame from getting easy transition buckets, and our next game is against Miami.
"(The Hurricanes) push extremely hard and have a six-foot five presence (in Beatrice Mompremier) that crashes the offensive and defensive glass like it's her job," she continued. "We're going to have a huge test to see where we are with our grittiness. Can we control those controllables? I hope our young team responds (because) their eyes have been wide opened as to what ACC play is all about, and there's nothing remotely resembling an easy game."
The Eagles will take on No. 23 Miami on Sunday from the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla. Tip-off is at 1 p.m. and can be seen via the ACC Network Extra.
Â
