Boston College Athletics
Photo by: John Quackenbos
They're Baaack
October 14, 2020 | Women's Basketball, #ForBoston Files
On Wednesday, the thunder returned to Power Gym.
The COVID-19 pandemic will best be remembered for its initial shock and sudden, abrupt end to normal society as anyone knew it. It cancelled everything and ripped through all facets of life. In the sports world, the NCAA cancelled its national basketball tournaments and ended its basketball seasons before its annual March Madness celebration, and programs everywhere scattered into exile with a precipitous silence casting a shadowy pall over practice gyms and arenas.
In Chestnut Hill, Power Gym's silence tinged the sadness of the end of Boston College's women's basketball season. A magical year's continuation into the NCAA Tournament would have offered iconic moments for the revived program, but instead, the lack of the familiar squeak in the practice gym gave way to an empty, unfulfilling silence.
On Wednesday, that silence roared back to life with the first practice of the Eagles' 2020-2021 season.
"We had a really great first practice," junior Taylor Soule said. "It went longer than our usual workouts, and it was just great overall to be with the entire team. The coaching staff is putting in some new offenses and defenses, so it was great to be getting up and down the court and playing a little bit."
Soule headlines a roster highlighted by eight returning players from last season. She was the ACC's Most Improved Player last season and won both All-ACC Tournament and All-ACC Blue Ribbon second team honors. A two-time ACC Player of the Week last season, she averaged 14.5 points per game and 7.7 rebounds while leading BC in both total points and total rebounds.
She joins both Makayla Dickens and Marnelle Garraud as full-time, returning starters from last season. The two guards averaged 10 points apiece last season and nearly poured 120 three-point field goals into the basket. They both shot just under 40 percent from beyond the arc, and both produced more than 100 assists over the 32-game slate.
With wing shooter and fellow junior Cameron Swartz, BC returns anywhere from three to four starters.
Most personnel is the same, but the Eagles aren't necessarily looking to recreate fire from last season's success. They have three talented freshmen on the roster and a definitive open slot in the front court, and the system is being tweaked enough to present enough of a variation that the difference will be felt on the court.
"We're going to be a little different," Soule said. "We have a lot of returners, but we have three new freshmen. We are now upperclassmen, too, so there are going to be different leadership roles for everybody. I'm excited to see this (as a) new group, and the coaches are switching things up on defense. We're going to be a little different, but different isn't always bad."
"We had a great chemistry last year," Garraud said, "but the time away gave us an opportunity to reset to come back with a new mindset. Even on day one, even with the conditioning practices, we have a new opportunity to build a new chemistry. That's something I know everyone was excited for."
Optimism usually permeates a team's first practice, but this one felt different for BC in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Staff members and student-athletes continued to wear masks throughout practice, and protocol reminders gave visible references that the road to get back on the court wasn't without its own brand of sacrifice.
It additionally brought a new brand of joy just to be on the court. The way the team lost its season last year and the subsequent fallout was a strain on everyone. Basketball, at times, felt relegated to watching Lebron James and Sue Bird claim their fourth respective championships. It bred an entirely different level of appreciation for the little things, and even stepping on a court felt like an individualized victory.
"This is a structured place for all of us," Garraud said. "We can see people every day and get into a routine. Being home all that time felt out-of-body, and being back has been good for our mind, so we can socially be around some people (in a safe environment)."
"We have to shout out (assistant strength and conditioning coach) Katie Simon and (associate director of sports medicine) Hannah Berg for giving us rehab and conditioning while we were away," Soule said. "I'm really proud of the accountability that everyone held themselves to when it came to getting into shape to be back. Not everyone had access to gym, but people got outside and put their bodies into a position so we could go full throttle once we got back."
There's also the issue of the team's schedule. The NCAA announced in September that the women's basketball season would start on November 25, a full 15 days later than scheduled, but the ACC still has not yet released its plan for the regular season. BC won't be able to host a scrimmage or exhibition game, and the non-conference schedule procedure is still unclear to the public.
"We have always had the mentality that it doesn't matter who or where or when you play because it matters how you play," Soule said. "We are going to have to bring intensity no matter when games start or whoever the opponent. We have to be confident that the league is going to put everyone in a safe position to have a season."
"It's a little weird, not knowing when or who we're going to play," Garraud agreed, "but we have enough people who understand what it takes to compete at the level where we want to be. Those who don't know yet are feeding off of our energy, and we're coming together so we can be the best that we can be every day (in practice)."
None of that phased BC or the inward focus on improving basketball. There was a clear appreciation for the moment, for the first day back, and for the hope of a future season. Seven months after a dream season was ripped from their hands, the Eagles were on the court, ready to run it back.
The march back wasn't without its scars. Precautions and testing around the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic are still very prevalent on campus, and the players themselves are subject to stringent protocols imposed for their safety and the health of others. All staff members and student-athletes wore masks on the court, the most visible reminder of the sacrifice in order to start the basketball season.
"Basketball has helped us," Soule said. "These are my primary best friends, and I get to see them every day. We also have a structure that we know we're going to have the weight room or practice, and it's helped my mental state to have things that I know have to get done. It's different, but it's just a part of our new routine."
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In Chestnut Hill, Power Gym's silence tinged the sadness of the end of Boston College's women's basketball season. A magical year's continuation into the NCAA Tournament would have offered iconic moments for the revived program, but instead, the lack of the familiar squeak in the practice gym gave way to an empty, unfulfilling silence.
On Wednesday, that silence roared back to life with the first practice of the Eagles' 2020-2021 season.
"We had a really great first practice," junior Taylor Soule said. "It went longer than our usual workouts, and it was just great overall to be with the entire team. The coaching staff is putting in some new offenses and defenses, so it was great to be getting up and down the court and playing a little bit."
Soule headlines a roster highlighted by eight returning players from last season. She was the ACC's Most Improved Player last season and won both All-ACC Tournament and All-ACC Blue Ribbon second team honors. A two-time ACC Player of the Week last season, she averaged 14.5 points per game and 7.7 rebounds while leading BC in both total points and total rebounds.
She joins both Makayla Dickens and Marnelle Garraud as full-time, returning starters from last season. The two guards averaged 10 points apiece last season and nearly poured 120 three-point field goals into the basket. They both shot just under 40 percent from beyond the arc, and both produced more than 100 assists over the 32-game slate.
With wing shooter and fellow junior Cameron Swartz, BC returns anywhere from three to four starters.
Most personnel is the same, but the Eagles aren't necessarily looking to recreate fire from last season's success. They have three talented freshmen on the roster and a definitive open slot in the front court, and the system is being tweaked enough to present enough of a variation that the difference will be felt on the court.
"We're going to be a little different," Soule said. "We have a lot of returners, but we have three new freshmen. We are now upperclassmen, too, so there are going to be different leadership roles for everybody. I'm excited to see this (as a) new group, and the coaches are switching things up on defense. We're going to be a little different, but different isn't always bad."
"We had a great chemistry last year," Garraud said, "but the time away gave us an opportunity to reset to come back with a new mindset. Even on day one, even with the conditioning practices, we have a new opportunity to build a new chemistry. That's something I know everyone was excited for."
Optimism usually permeates a team's first practice, but this one felt different for BC in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Staff members and student-athletes continued to wear masks throughout practice, and protocol reminders gave visible references that the road to get back on the court wasn't without its own brand of sacrifice.
It additionally brought a new brand of joy just to be on the court. The way the team lost its season last year and the subsequent fallout was a strain on everyone. Basketball, at times, felt relegated to watching Lebron James and Sue Bird claim their fourth respective championships. It bred an entirely different level of appreciation for the little things, and even stepping on a court felt like an individualized victory.
"This is a structured place for all of us," Garraud said. "We can see people every day and get into a routine. Being home all that time felt out-of-body, and being back has been good for our mind, so we can socially be around some people (in a safe environment)."
"We have to shout out (assistant strength and conditioning coach) Katie Simon and (associate director of sports medicine) Hannah Berg for giving us rehab and conditioning while we were away," Soule said. "I'm really proud of the accountability that everyone held themselves to when it came to getting into shape to be back. Not everyone had access to gym, but people got outside and put their bodies into a position so we could go full throttle once we got back."
There's also the issue of the team's schedule. The NCAA announced in September that the women's basketball season would start on November 25, a full 15 days later than scheduled, but the ACC still has not yet released its plan for the regular season. BC won't be able to host a scrimmage or exhibition game, and the non-conference schedule procedure is still unclear to the public.
"We have always had the mentality that it doesn't matter who or where or when you play because it matters how you play," Soule said. "We are going to have to bring intensity no matter when games start or whoever the opponent. We have to be confident that the league is going to put everyone in a safe position to have a season."
"It's a little weird, not knowing when or who we're going to play," Garraud agreed, "but we have enough people who understand what it takes to compete at the level where we want to be. Those who don't know yet are feeding off of our energy, and we're coming together so we can be the best that we can be every day (in practice)."
None of that phased BC or the inward focus on improving basketball. There was a clear appreciation for the moment, for the first day back, and for the hope of a future season. Seven months after a dream season was ripped from their hands, the Eagles were on the court, ready to run it back.
The march back wasn't without its scars. Precautions and testing around the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic are still very prevalent on campus, and the players themselves are subject to stringent protocols imposed for their safety and the health of others. All staff members and student-athletes wore masks on the court, the most visible reminder of the sacrifice in order to start the basketball season.
"Basketball has helped us," Soule said. "These are my primary best friends, and I get to see them every day. We also have a structure that we know we're going to have the weight room or practice, and it's helped my mental state to have things that I know have to get done. It's different, but it's just a part of our new routine."
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