Boston College Athletics
Photo by: Billie Weiss
2020-21 MBB Preview: Ashton-Langford Bringing Attitude, Talent To BC
November 22, 2020 | Men's Basketball, #ForBoston Files
What's better than one Langford brother? Two.
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- Makai Ashton-Langford walked out onto the Power Gym court for a pre-practice shootaround when he spotted DeMarr Langford, Jr., his younger brother. The two gravitated towards each other and then fell back into their routine from back home in Worcester, Mass. They prepared for their day by getting more competitive, and little by little, the standard, light shooting turned into a game-like atmosphere.
"This is the first time we are playing together on the same team other than at the YMCA," Ashton-Langford laughed. "We've never played together, and it's at the college level. It's a blessing to use our brotherly love on the court and communicate with each other. It's top notch to do whatever we can do to win.
And of course, neither brother backed down during their game.
"There was one time I got him," he said. "I blocked him, but we don't really guard each other. On the side, though, we play sometimes. We never got the chance to finish because practice started. It was 2-1, me, and I'm going to take that first (win)."
The Langford brothers' reunion is anything but a token, feel-good story. They're legitimate ballers and their time spent together creates two weapons for Jim Christian's offense in 2020-21. DeMarr is a consensus top 100 recruit and a heralded member of Brewster Academy's National Prep School Championship roster. He is another high-level, four-star recruit from a school known for producing NBA-ready talent.
Makai, though, might be BC's most-hidden gem. He likewise won the National Prep School Championship for Brewster Academy and established himself as a consensus top 50 recruit. That national recognition sent him to Providence College and he contributed to the Friars' fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth as the first playmaker off the bench.
"We can come at teams with 10 guys who played college basketball or are older," head coach Jim Christian said of his roster. "We're still waiting on other things, but it's totally different. I'm really, really happy with the amount of talent and quality depth that we have and how we're playing."
Ashton-Langford opted for a new path after his sophomore season and found a new home at the Heights.
"Teams aren't built the same way," Christian said. "You used to get young guys, and they would stay and develop. That's not how it is anymore. It's going to be even harder in the future based on what's going to happen in January if the NCAA is going to pass that transfers can play right away. The development of teams is going to completely change, and it's starting already with...waivers. We were very fortunate to add players that provided unbelievable depth and everything we needed."
"It makes us so much better, all the talent that we have," Makai said. "The competitiveness that we have is top notch. We keep getting better and better every day. When we're on the court, with other teams, it'll show."
Roster construction is very different, but it enabled BC to use two avenues to add unique presences. Both DeMarr and Makai carry confidence in their swagger and add something different to the Eagles' roster. They are accomplished AAU athletes and prep school products who understand how to win at a championship level. They both led their individual teams while training together but now receive an untapped opportunity to produce those same results, together, in a way that they've never imagined.
"We did a lot of stuff on our own," Makai said. "My little brother and I did some ball handling (over the summer), and we had a hoop to get some form shooting in. It was really simple stuff, but it's stuff that will help us later on. I'm up for the challenge. Coach put us in a position, and we're going to thrive in it."
Now, as teammates ready to take on one of America's most difficult non-conference slates, same as when they battled each other on the courts in Worcester or before practice at Power Gym, they won't back down.
"This is the first time we are playing together on the same team other than at the YMCA," Ashton-Langford laughed. "We've never played together, and it's at the college level. It's a blessing to use our brotherly love on the court and communicate with each other. It's top notch to do whatever we can do to win.
And of course, neither brother backed down during their game.
"There was one time I got him," he said. "I blocked him, but we don't really guard each other. On the side, though, we play sometimes. We never got the chance to finish because practice started. It was 2-1, me, and I'm going to take that first (win)."
The Langford brothers' reunion is anything but a token, feel-good story. They're legitimate ballers and their time spent together creates two weapons for Jim Christian's offense in 2020-21. DeMarr is a consensus top 100 recruit and a heralded member of Brewster Academy's National Prep School Championship roster. He is another high-level, four-star recruit from a school known for producing NBA-ready talent.
Makai, though, might be BC's most-hidden gem. He likewise won the National Prep School Championship for Brewster Academy and established himself as a consensus top 50 recruit. That national recognition sent him to Providence College and he contributed to the Friars' fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth as the first playmaker off the bench.
"We can come at teams with 10 guys who played college basketball or are older," head coach Jim Christian said of his roster. "We're still waiting on other things, but it's totally different. I'm really, really happy with the amount of talent and quality depth that we have and how we're playing."
Ashton-Langford opted for a new path after his sophomore season and found a new home at the Heights.
"Teams aren't built the same way," Christian said. "You used to get young guys, and they would stay and develop. That's not how it is anymore. It's going to be even harder in the future based on what's going to happen in January if the NCAA is going to pass that transfers can play right away. The development of teams is going to completely change, and it's starting already with...waivers. We were very fortunate to add players that provided unbelievable depth and everything we needed."
"It makes us so much better, all the talent that we have," Makai said. "The competitiveness that we have is top notch. We keep getting better and better every day. When we're on the court, with other teams, it'll show."
Roster construction is very different, but it enabled BC to use two avenues to add unique presences. Both DeMarr and Makai carry confidence in their swagger and add something different to the Eagles' roster. They are accomplished AAU athletes and prep school products who understand how to win at a championship level. They both led their individual teams while training together but now receive an untapped opportunity to produce those same results, together, in a way that they've never imagined.
"We did a lot of stuff on our own," Makai said. "My little brother and I did some ball handling (over the summer), and we had a hoop to get some form shooting in. It was really simple stuff, but it's stuff that will help us later on. I'm up for the challenge. Coach put us in a position, and we're going to thrive in it."
Now, as teammates ready to take on one of America's most difficult non-conference slates, same as when they battled each other on the courts in Worcester or before practice at Power Gym, they won't back down.
Players Mentioned
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