Boston College Athletics
Photo by: Billie Weiss
2020-21 MBB Preview: Rebuilt and Ready
November 23, 2020 | Men's Basketball, #ForBoston Files
It's been almost two years for Wynston Tabbs, but he's back for BC.
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- Wynston Tabbs is a generation removed from his last competitive basketball game. At least, that's what 676 days feels like.
He still remembers losing himself in the competition and how it felt to stare down an opponent in a one-on-one situation. He feels the sweat of late-game fatigue during crunch time situations, and he hears the crowd come to life after a huge basket. He envisions those satisfying the plays, the ones where he either dished a teammate or swished a basket.
It just feels like forever ago, and in college basketball terms, it might as well be. Tabbs' last game was an 87-82 win over #11 Florida State. It was BC's first ACC win of the 2018-19 season and Tabbs scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished three assists in 29 minutes. He made 2-of-5 from 3-point land, including the dagger with under 30 seconds to play against the nationally-ranked Seminoles.Â
A nagging knee injury vanquished him shortly after that win, and surgery ended the remainder of his freshman year. After a few days of practice during the summer of 2019, it resulted in more surgery, costing him his entire sophomore season. On Wednesday, Tabbs finally returns, and the emotional moment will froth to the top when BC plays #3 Villanova in its season opener.
"I love this sport," Tabbs said. "This injury taught me a lot. In my mind, I never want to leave this game because of an injury. It motivated me to keep my body in order, and it's great to be out there with the fellas again. I can't wait to suit up and go to war with my brothers."
At the time, Tabbs' knee injury derailed one of the best seasons by a freshman in 2018-19. He was the first Eagle rookie to score at least 15 points in each of his first three games and scored double-digit points in 11 of his first 15 games. He immediately made a difference by dominating Sacred Heart for 28 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals - just the 12th time an ACC player had recorded the stat line in a single game in 21 years.
He would later score 20 points again, doing so against Fairfield, and his 19 points in the preceding game against Columbia helped earn him National Freshman of the Week honors in December. His star shot from there, almost single-handedly spurring the second half comeback at DePaul with 10 consecutive points. But he sustained the knee injury in a crushing overtime loss to Hartford on New Year's Eve.
Tabbs never really recovered. He missed two of the next four games before the Florida State game, but his dagger 3-pointer was more denouement than a comeback. He shut down his season shortly after that game and the immediate impact sank BC's overall season. The 9-2 Eagles after DePaul finished 14-17 overall, with a 4-10 record in games after Florida State.
That absence extended further last season when his comeback suffered a second surgery setback in September. It eliminated him from BC's 2019-20 plans and ensured he would not play competitive basketball for almost two full calendar years, a stretch nearly extended by the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
"When COVID happened, I stayed up here (at BC) and got some work in the gym, two times per day, and just kept preparing for the season," Tabbs said. "I was mostly alone, so I could sit back and think about how I wanted to push myself. I could think and just prepare. There was a point where it was crazy because I couldn't get in and see an (athletic trainer) at the school. I just tried to stay focused to keep working."
It built an emotional moment and Tabbs' release will finally come this week when BC plays Villanova in the 2K Classic as part of Mohegan Sun's Bubbleville. He is already used to isolation after rehabbing his knee this summer, but now he has an opportunity to play the game he loves with his team. It's an inspiration for teammates forced to watch him rebuild without the assistance of any other piece of the roster.
"Wynston's inspired all of us," Steffon Mitchell said. "He's been through so much. Last year, we thought he was coming back, but he had surgery again. Watching him push through the mental and physical blocks has been great - and he looks great, by the way."
"I really had a chance to watch the team and see who was good at what in what spots," Tabbs said. "I sat back and really paid attention. Now I see more as if I was playing. I have a lot more to help the team with, vocally and physically."
The return won't be a simple, token gesture by a coach for a player. Tabbs used last season to study his teammates from the bench, and he discovered different mental parts of the game. He fused those pieces into his rehab and identified opportunities within his exercises.
"I had to start out with the simple things," he reiterated, "getting rhythm back into shooting and tightening up my handles. During quarantine, I (focused) on those simple things. There were so many reps to get (better) at what I do best, and from there, everything just went up from there.
"The dynamics of the team have changed, but my game is still the same Wynston," he smiled. "I'm still the same, and I'm just happy to get back out there. Fans or no fans, I'm just ready to rock out and play with my boys."
Boston College and No. 3 Villanova will tip off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 25 from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The game can be seen on ESPN with radio broadcast available on WEEI 850 AM.
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He still remembers losing himself in the competition and how it felt to stare down an opponent in a one-on-one situation. He feels the sweat of late-game fatigue during crunch time situations, and he hears the crowd come to life after a huge basket. He envisions those satisfying the plays, the ones where he either dished a teammate or swished a basket.
It just feels like forever ago, and in college basketball terms, it might as well be. Tabbs' last game was an 87-82 win over #11 Florida State. It was BC's first ACC win of the 2018-19 season and Tabbs scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished three assists in 29 minutes. He made 2-of-5 from 3-point land, including the dagger with under 30 seconds to play against the nationally-ranked Seminoles.Â
A nagging knee injury vanquished him shortly after that win, and surgery ended the remainder of his freshman year. After a few days of practice during the summer of 2019, it resulted in more surgery, costing him his entire sophomore season. On Wednesday, Tabbs finally returns, and the emotional moment will froth to the top when BC plays #3 Villanova in its season opener.
"I love this sport," Tabbs said. "This injury taught me a lot. In my mind, I never want to leave this game because of an injury. It motivated me to keep my body in order, and it's great to be out there with the fellas again. I can't wait to suit up and go to war with my brothers."
At the time, Tabbs' knee injury derailed one of the best seasons by a freshman in 2018-19. He was the first Eagle rookie to score at least 15 points in each of his first three games and scored double-digit points in 11 of his first 15 games. He immediately made a difference by dominating Sacred Heart for 28 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals - just the 12th time an ACC player had recorded the stat line in a single game in 21 years.
He would later score 20 points again, doing so against Fairfield, and his 19 points in the preceding game against Columbia helped earn him National Freshman of the Week honors in December. His star shot from there, almost single-handedly spurring the second half comeback at DePaul with 10 consecutive points. But he sustained the knee injury in a crushing overtime loss to Hartford on New Year's Eve.
Tabbs never really recovered. He missed two of the next four games before the Florida State game, but his dagger 3-pointer was more denouement than a comeback. He shut down his season shortly after that game and the immediate impact sank BC's overall season. The 9-2 Eagles after DePaul finished 14-17 overall, with a 4-10 record in games after Florida State.
That absence extended further last season when his comeback suffered a second surgery setback in September. It eliminated him from BC's 2019-20 plans and ensured he would not play competitive basketball for almost two full calendar years, a stretch nearly extended by the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
"When COVID happened, I stayed up here (at BC) and got some work in the gym, two times per day, and just kept preparing for the season," Tabbs said. "I was mostly alone, so I could sit back and think about how I wanted to push myself. I could think and just prepare. There was a point where it was crazy because I couldn't get in and see an (athletic trainer) at the school. I just tried to stay focused to keep working."
It built an emotional moment and Tabbs' release will finally come this week when BC plays Villanova in the 2K Classic as part of Mohegan Sun's Bubbleville. He is already used to isolation after rehabbing his knee this summer, but now he has an opportunity to play the game he loves with his team. It's an inspiration for teammates forced to watch him rebuild without the assistance of any other piece of the roster.
"Wynston's inspired all of us," Steffon Mitchell said. "He's been through so much. Last year, we thought he was coming back, but he had surgery again. Watching him push through the mental and physical blocks has been great - and he looks great, by the way."
"I really had a chance to watch the team and see who was good at what in what spots," Tabbs said. "I sat back and really paid attention. Now I see more as if I was playing. I have a lot more to help the team with, vocally and physically."
The return won't be a simple, token gesture by a coach for a player. Tabbs used last season to study his teammates from the bench, and he discovered different mental parts of the game. He fused those pieces into his rehab and identified opportunities within his exercises.
"I had to start out with the simple things," he reiterated, "getting rhythm back into shooting and tightening up my handles. During quarantine, I (focused) on those simple things. There were so many reps to get (better) at what I do best, and from there, everything just went up from there.
"The dynamics of the team have changed, but my game is still the same Wynston," he smiled. "I'm still the same, and I'm just happy to get back out there. Fans or no fans, I'm just ready to rock out and play with my boys."
Boston College and No. 3 Villanova will tip off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 25 from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The game can be seen on ESPN with radio broadcast available on WEEI 850 AM.
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