Photo by: Eddie Shabomardenly
Eagles Finish With Win As Tiring Weekend Comes To A Close
November 23, 2022 | Men's Basketball, #ForBoston Files
Beating Wyoming sends BC home with a 2-1 third place finish at the Paradise Jam.
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- It was easy for Jaeden Zackery to look at the box score and get discouraged. He was playing 30-plus minutes per night, but the memories of his breakout freshman season at the Division I level were starting to slip into a nightmare of canned shots. His production was still strong, but despite turning out double-figures scoring in his first three games, something seemed off for the junior college All-American.
The hope was that things would iron out on their own, but playing the first two games against George Mason and Tarleton State offered styles of play that didn't exactly lend themselves to downhill guard play. More aggressive defenses meant more contact, and the looser, more frenetic paces meant he wasn't getting to the line as frequently. Even as Boston College battered the Patriots in the first round, the teetering veered into parts unknown in the semifinal loss to the mid-major Texans.
Then came Monday night's third place game against Wyoming and a scenario well-suited for the sophomore point guard. The old school basketball atmosphere harkened back to his days at Chipola College, and in the smaller gymnasium at the University of the Virgin Island's Sports and Fitness Center, the grinding feel of the teams' third game in four days offered him an open door to score a game-high 16 points as the Eagles shut down a preseason Mountain West contender in a 59-48 win to finish third in the Paradise Jam tournament.
"I've always kind of been stronger than a lot of guards that we play against," Zackery said, "so I feel like I can get to the rim and kind of ease into my game to see if I can get a few shots going before easing into my jump shot. But I know I'd been struggling a little bit, so getting to the rim was a big part of my game play."
Monday night's 6:45 p.m. local time start forced both BC and Wyoming to play each other on less than 24 hours' notice, but the 9 p.m. start one night earlier meant the Eagles had approximately 16 hours to rest, recover and prepare for a team that started the season getting votes in the Associated Press top 25 poll. And the first half reflected the expected rock fight between two half-court defensive style teams. Neither team hit 40 percent of its shots, and as time wound down towards halftime, both teams were stuck with less than 20 points on the board.
"Obviously we've grown as a team. We've played a lot of young guys and grown as a group, so it's been a good challenge for us over the last week," said head coach Earl Grant after the win. "We discovered that we have to trust some of your younger guys and just put them on the floor by trusting who we have. We played 10 or 11 guys against Wyoming, and all of them gave a great effort. It was very challenging to get prepared after Tarleton because we got back to the hotel at 1 a.m. and had to start watching film to come up with a plan. So I'm just happy for our players and our program showed a lot of pride that really showed up in this game."
It was far from glamorous, but after Wyoming's Hunter Maldonado exited with an injury, the game's energy shifted towards BC's offense and its ability to get itself to the free throw line, where the Eagles converted all six of their attempts. It was a stark contrast from the Cowboys' desire to shoot three-pointers from outside, and the separation between the two clubs occurred when the whistle started blowing.
"We'd been driving it in both games over the weekend," Grant said. "We were a little more physical at the rim."
The primary beneficiary became Zackery, who blasted his way into the lane and was able to draw more contact and fouls from the Pokes' defensive back sets, which in turn freed him up to make plays at the rim. Zackery responded at the free throw line, making a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe while going 4-for-7 on inside and mid-range opportunities. He also limited turnovers and protected the basketball while only committing two fouls, and his defense, while not forcing Wyoming into any turnovers, generated four boards.
"We missed him," Grant said. "He's someone who drives and kicks out, and he's a good shooter. He can drive the ball, but the lane is opening up because of his 3-point shooting percentage from last year. I mentioned to the team in the morning to get him 10 shots and at least 10 good looks because he only had four in the last game."
That turnaround helped anchor BC's ability to dictate the game flow, forcing Wyoming to play a style outside of its comfort zone. A team that went 4-for-9 from outside during an early second half comeback against Drake never got its motor going, and the lack of cohesion from its poor first half found itself quickly poured into concrete in both halves by a tougher, more rugged Eagles effort.
"They weren't as aggressive as Tarleton State," Zackery said. "Tarleton kind of messed us up with its aggression, and Wyoming kind of stayed back and left more gaps to the rim. They kept playing the post, which is why I kept going back to the rim. They weren't helping, and if they did, somebody was left wide open, which opened up a lot for us."
BC now leaves paradise with a good island vibe tempered only by its desire to have played the late game on Monday, but even as an undefeated Drake bolstered its case for the national polls with a close, championship-clinching win over Tarleton, the Eagles saw positives emerge from the trip to the Virgin Islands. The venture was a risky gambit for a team dealing with injuries and illness, but grinding through three games in four days battle-hardened the team. A new layer of skin emerged, and through the quick ups and downs, the tiring, blistering pace sent the players and coaches home with more wins than losses - which is always a nice accomplishment.
"We are always going to want to have played in the championship," Zackery said, "but to end the Paradise Jam with a win is big for us. We're going from playing back-to-back nights to going home to pay next on Sunday. That's good for us to come out with a win and realize that we've got to stick with this. We can't be going on and off every other game. We have to come out and play with the tempo like we did against George Mason and in this game."
Now 4-2, BC is off until Sunday, when the Eagles play Rhode Island at Conte Forum. Tipoff is at noon with television coverage available on the ACC Network. Radio coverage is available on the Boston College Sports Network From Learfield, available in Boston on WEEI 850 AM.
The hope was that things would iron out on their own, but playing the first two games against George Mason and Tarleton State offered styles of play that didn't exactly lend themselves to downhill guard play. More aggressive defenses meant more contact, and the looser, more frenetic paces meant he wasn't getting to the line as frequently. Even as Boston College battered the Patriots in the first round, the teetering veered into parts unknown in the semifinal loss to the mid-major Texans.
Then came Monday night's third place game against Wyoming and a scenario well-suited for the sophomore point guard. The old school basketball atmosphere harkened back to his days at Chipola College, and in the smaller gymnasium at the University of the Virgin Island's Sports and Fitness Center, the grinding feel of the teams' third game in four days offered him an open door to score a game-high 16 points as the Eagles shut down a preseason Mountain West contender in a 59-48 win to finish third in the Paradise Jam tournament.
"I've always kind of been stronger than a lot of guards that we play against," Zackery said, "so I feel like I can get to the rim and kind of ease into my game to see if I can get a few shots going before easing into my jump shot. But I know I'd been struggling a little bit, so getting to the rim was a big part of my game play."
Monday night's 6:45 p.m. local time start forced both BC and Wyoming to play each other on less than 24 hours' notice, but the 9 p.m. start one night earlier meant the Eagles had approximately 16 hours to rest, recover and prepare for a team that started the season getting votes in the Associated Press top 25 poll. And the first half reflected the expected rock fight between two half-court defensive style teams. Neither team hit 40 percent of its shots, and as time wound down towards halftime, both teams were stuck with less than 20 points on the board.
"Obviously we've grown as a team. We've played a lot of young guys and grown as a group, so it's been a good challenge for us over the last week," said head coach Earl Grant after the win. "We discovered that we have to trust some of your younger guys and just put them on the floor by trusting who we have. We played 10 or 11 guys against Wyoming, and all of them gave a great effort. It was very challenging to get prepared after Tarleton because we got back to the hotel at 1 a.m. and had to start watching film to come up with a plan. So I'm just happy for our players and our program showed a lot of pride that really showed up in this game."
It was far from glamorous, but after Wyoming's Hunter Maldonado exited with an injury, the game's energy shifted towards BC's offense and its ability to get itself to the free throw line, where the Eagles converted all six of their attempts. It was a stark contrast from the Cowboys' desire to shoot three-pointers from outside, and the separation between the two clubs occurred when the whistle started blowing.
"We'd been driving it in both games over the weekend," Grant said. "We were a little more physical at the rim."
The primary beneficiary became Zackery, who blasted his way into the lane and was able to draw more contact and fouls from the Pokes' defensive back sets, which in turn freed him up to make plays at the rim. Zackery responded at the free throw line, making a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe while going 4-for-7 on inside and mid-range opportunities. He also limited turnovers and protected the basketball while only committing two fouls, and his defense, while not forcing Wyoming into any turnovers, generated four boards.
"We missed him," Grant said. "He's someone who drives and kicks out, and he's a good shooter. He can drive the ball, but the lane is opening up because of his 3-point shooting percentage from last year. I mentioned to the team in the morning to get him 10 shots and at least 10 good looks because he only had four in the last game."
That turnaround helped anchor BC's ability to dictate the game flow, forcing Wyoming to play a style outside of its comfort zone. A team that went 4-for-9 from outside during an early second half comeback against Drake never got its motor going, and the lack of cohesion from its poor first half found itself quickly poured into concrete in both halves by a tougher, more rugged Eagles effort.
"They weren't as aggressive as Tarleton State," Zackery said. "Tarleton kind of messed us up with its aggression, and Wyoming kind of stayed back and left more gaps to the rim. They kept playing the post, which is why I kept going back to the rim. They weren't helping, and if they did, somebody was left wide open, which opened up a lot for us."
BC now leaves paradise with a good island vibe tempered only by its desire to have played the late game on Monday, but even as an undefeated Drake bolstered its case for the national polls with a close, championship-clinching win over Tarleton, the Eagles saw positives emerge from the trip to the Virgin Islands. The venture was a risky gambit for a team dealing with injuries and illness, but grinding through three games in four days battle-hardened the team. A new layer of skin emerged, and through the quick ups and downs, the tiring, blistering pace sent the players and coaches home with more wins than losses - which is always a nice accomplishment.
"We are always going to want to have played in the championship," Zackery said, "but to end the Paradise Jam with a win is big for us. We're going from playing back-to-back nights to going home to pay next on Sunday. That's good for us to come out with a win and realize that we've got to stick with this. We can't be going on and off every other game. We have to come out and play with the tempo like we did against George Mason and in this game."
Now 4-2, BC is off until Sunday, when the Eagles play Rhode Island at Conte Forum. Tipoff is at noon with television coverage available on the ACC Network. Radio coverage is available on the Boston College Sports Network From Learfield, available in Boston on WEEI 850 AM.
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