Boston College Athletics
Photo by: John Quackenbos
No Offseason In Building BC Women's Basketball
March 20, 2019 | Women's Basketball, #ForBoston Files
The schedule ended, but the team is still fighting for success.
Joanna Bernabei-McNamee walked into the Boston College locker room in Greensboro that all-too-familiar feeling in sports. Her Eagles' season had just ended following an ACC Tournament loss to Virginia, so there was the stereotypical quiet. There was sadness and disappointment.
So she looked at her team and cut through the silence with a single directive:
The season didn't end with the loss. In fact, it was just beginning.
"There's always going to be sadness and disappointment that the year was over, but I was able to talk to the team very openly with a heart-to-heart," she said. "We didn't have to say good bye to any seniors. Right after that game ended against Virginia, we went into the locker room and talked to the players to look forward at what's coming ahead for us. There are going to be bigger and better things, but we have to start working for it, starting now."
The Eagles returned home from North Carolina immediately after that loss, and they began attacking the 2019-2020 season with the grit that became their trademark this season. The lack of departures enabled the core of the team to remain intact, and it enabled them to connect a single line through one year to the next with a seamless transition.
"There's a change in mindset," Bernabei-McNamee said. "It was nice to talk about that because the last game is usually all about seniors. It's an opportunity to say goodbye with an appreciation for how much they mean to the program. We instead got to talk about our vision and how we're going to turn this program around."
It's the continuation of a transformation that began this past year. BC posted double digit wins for the first time since 2015-2016 and spent most of the year at or above the .500 mark. It won consecutive road games for the first time in five years and put more than a few scares into teams that received the call for national tournament selections. That it happened with a roster built by three juniors and a large bumper crop of freshmen is a small satisfaction, but it's nothing compared to the future goal of becoming one of those teams hearing the call on Selection Monday.
"I'm a 'full speed ahead' kind of person," Bernabei-McNamee said. "I want to ensure that we're not sitting and watching this time of year ever again. Postseason play is what our goal is. I'm not one to make a bunch of goals, but that's our (primary objective). We want to play in the postseason consistently. Everyone wants it, but we know we have to work really hard for it."
It exemplifies a theory once floated by Bill Belichick following a Super Bowl championship. Belichick mused that the teams that didn't win the Super Bowl were weeks ahead of him in terms of next season's preparations. Every team wants a deep postseason run, but the ones that don't get there are the ones that need to dedicate themselves that much harder while the others continue to play.
The current players immediately hit the gym with the staff, intent on finding a new levels of basketball strength and conditioning while further developing current skills. BC scored more and out-rebounded opponents over the course of the entire season, but the numbers weren't consistent enough from game-to-game.
The team had more turnovers than assists and gave up an average of 18 points per game with errors. It gave up more steals and blocks than it caused on the defensive areas, and free throws were, at times, a nagging problem. All of this can be fixed with dedicated hours of study and practice logged in film sessions and on the court.
"Player development is one of those areas that I really pride myself on," Bernabei-McNamee said. "I hired a staff that's very dedicated to developing our current players. We want to work on their skill sets to make them more consistent because consistency was an issue for a young team this year. But we want to develop their skills and broaden their abilities further. Every player wants to get better, and I know our group wants to work at (improving). And we have the coaching staff that will work with every player to get them to where they want to be and where we want them to be."
But it's also two-pronged. College sports programs don't develop players over a ten-year period, so there's a constant need to search for the next crop of athletes. The Eagles will remain a young team next year when the freshmen become sophomores, but the quick turnover in four years forces coaches to immediately begin reviewing the future. So while the work on campus remains ongoing, Bernabei-McNamee is already scouring the youth circuit for the next crop that will help build on the foundation the current group is constructing.
"This offseason is really giving me a chance to get out and really represent Boston College women's basketball," the coach said. "We're (already) working on our 2020, 2021 and 2022 recruiting classes. We're recruiting from ninth grade through juniors in high school because that's a big part of what we want to be as a program. You need to bring in players who will help you get to the next level. We have a great group of returning players in this season, and they're open-minded and excited to keep developing this program (with future athletes)."
It's all necessary for BC to avoid the stinging disappointment it suffered this season. National expectations were modest, but the team believed in itself and its ability to compete on any given night. The near-upset against Miami combined with stretches of success against Syracuse, Notre Dame, Florida State and North Carolina to form an optimism for the future. But now it's about the next step in a season that never really ended, even as the schedule ran out of games.
"We tell the team that players are made in the offseason," Bernabei-McNamee said. "This is their time to become great. We're lucky that we have a group of players who will stay through the summer. That will help us get to know each other better and trust each other more. This is our offseason, which is when teams that make it separate themselves from the ones that don't."
So she looked at her team and cut through the silence with a single directive:
The season didn't end with the loss. In fact, it was just beginning.
"There's always going to be sadness and disappointment that the year was over, but I was able to talk to the team very openly with a heart-to-heart," she said. "We didn't have to say good bye to any seniors. Right after that game ended against Virginia, we went into the locker room and talked to the players to look forward at what's coming ahead for us. There are going to be bigger and better things, but we have to start working for it, starting now."
The Eagles returned home from North Carolina immediately after that loss, and they began attacking the 2019-2020 season with the grit that became their trademark this season. The lack of departures enabled the core of the team to remain intact, and it enabled them to connect a single line through one year to the next with a seamless transition.
"There's a change in mindset," Bernabei-McNamee said. "It was nice to talk about that because the last game is usually all about seniors. It's an opportunity to say goodbye with an appreciation for how much they mean to the program. We instead got to talk about our vision and how we're going to turn this program around."
It's the continuation of a transformation that began this past year. BC posted double digit wins for the first time since 2015-2016 and spent most of the year at or above the .500 mark. It won consecutive road games for the first time in five years and put more than a few scares into teams that received the call for national tournament selections. That it happened with a roster built by three juniors and a large bumper crop of freshmen is a small satisfaction, but it's nothing compared to the future goal of becoming one of those teams hearing the call on Selection Monday.
"I'm a 'full speed ahead' kind of person," Bernabei-McNamee said. "I want to ensure that we're not sitting and watching this time of year ever again. Postseason play is what our goal is. I'm not one to make a bunch of goals, but that's our (primary objective). We want to play in the postseason consistently. Everyone wants it, but we know we have to work really hard for it."
It exemplifies a theory once floated by Bill Belichick following a Super Bowl championship. Belichick mused that the teams that didn't win the Super Bowl were weeks ahead of him in terms of next season's preparations. Every team wants a deep postseason run, but the ones that don't get there are the ones that need to dedicate themselves that much harder while the others continue to play.
The current players immediately hit the gym with the staff, intent on finding a new levels of basketball strength and conditioning while further developing current skills. BC scored more and out-rebounded opponents over the course of the entire season, but the numbers weren't consistent enough from game-to-game.
The team had more turnovers than assists and gave up an average of 18 points per game with errors. It gave up more steals and blocks than it caused on the defensive areas, and free throws were, at times, a nagging problem. All of this can be fixed with dedicated hours of study and practice logged in film sessions and on the court.
"Player development is one of those areas that I really pride myself on," Bernabei-McNamee said. "I hired a staff that's very dedicated to developing our current players. We want to work on their skill sets to make them more consistent because consistency was an issue for a young team this year. But we want to develop their skills and broaden their abilities further. Every player wants to get better, and I know our group wants to work at (improving). And we have the coaching staff that will work with every player to get them to where they want to be and where we want them to be."
But it's also two-pronged. College sports programs don't develop players over a ten-year period, so there's a constant need to search for the next crop of athletes. The Eagles will remain a young team next year when the freshmen become sophomores, but the quick turnover in four years forces coaches to immediately begin reviewing the future. So while the work on campus remains ongoing, Bernabei-McNamee is already scouring the youth circuit for the next crop that will help build on the foundation the current group is constructing.
"This offseason is really giving me a chance to get out and really represent Boston College women's basketball," the coach said. "We're (already) working on our 2020, 2021 and 2022 recruiting classes. We're recruiting from ninth grade through juniors in high school because that's a big part of what we want to be as a program. You need to bring in players who will help you get to the next level. We have a great group of returning players in this season, and they're open-minded and excited to keep developing this program (with future athletes)."
It's all necessary for BC to avoid the stinging disappointment it suffered this season. National expectations were modest, but the team believed in itself and its ability to compete on any given night. The near-upset against Miami combined with stretches of success against Syracuse, Notre Dame, Florida State and North Carolina to form an optimism for the future. But now it's about the next step in a season that never really ended, even as the schedule ran out of games.
"We tell the team that players are made in the offseason," Bernabei-McNamee said. "This is their time to become great. We're lucky that we have a group of players who will stay through the summer. That will help us get to know each other better and trust each other more. This is our offseason, which is when teams that make it separate themselves from the ones that don't."
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