With a key injury before the season even starts, Boston College Basketball will be relying on Derryck Thornton for a ton of production. Otherwise, the Eagles could be in big trouble.
Out of the nearly 1,000 transfers this offseason, few are likely to have as big an impact this upcoming season as Derryck Thornton for Boston College Basketball. After two seasons at USC (and one prior with Duke), the former five-star recruit decided to come back to the ACC for his final season of college basketball.
Through 93 total college games (48 starts), the 6’3 guard has averaged 6.4 ppg and 2.8 apg in 23.4 mpg on 38% shooting from the field. He’s not the offensive threat many thought he would become out of high school but Thornton is a quality defender and has the experience to offer. The Eagles were happy to land him, knowing that he would be a nice stopgap for Ky Bowman, who led the team in all major categories last year. He was supposed to be a solid ACC facilitator for the team while providing leadership, defense and experience while the team brings in a set of newcomers.
But Thornton’s plate got a lot bigger this month after the sad news of sophomore guard Wynston Tabbs expected to miss all of the 2019-20 season after undergoing knee surgery. The 6’2 off-guard averaged 13.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 2.7 apg in just 15 games played after dealing with injuries last season as well. Like all freshmen, Tabbs had his share of struggles when it came to efficiency but he was an outstanding scorer when healthy and available.
And with both Bowman and sharpshooter Jordan Chatman gone, he was supposed to have a big sophomore campaign for possible All-ACC honors this year. He was recently listed No. 12 overall for the top ACC returning players for this season according to Mychal Hunter of ACC Basketball Report.
Unfortunately, Tabbs season-long absence now leaves Boston College without three of their top four scorers, with just big man Nik Popovic (14.5 ppg and 7.2 rpg) the only returning player who scored more than 5.6 pg for the team. That leaves a ton of production to be replaced, with just Jared Hamilton and Chris Herren Jr. the only returning rotation perimeter players. There’s now a ton of pressure on a trio of incoming shooting guards (Jay Heath, Julian Rishwain and Kamari Williams) to have a big impact right out the gate to provide the needed scoring production.
In the end though, it’s going to be up to the senior grad transfer Thornton to shoulder the scoring load. And while the collective numbers cast doubt on his ability, don’t discount Thornton and his ability to put the ball in the basket. He reached double figures in seven of his first 14 games for USC last season and is best when he is aggressive. His struggles from deep (29% career total) is a concern as opponents would rather let him kill them from three-point range rather than slashing and kicking it out.
In order for Boston College to fight for a possible NCAA Tournament berth, it’ll be the frontcourt production of both Popovic and Steffon Mitchell combined with what Thornton can give on the perimeter that will ultimately determine their fate. The loss of Tabbs is massive and could already be the death-nail for the team this season. Thornton might not be the best grad transfer switching teams but is certainly one of the most important. Head coach Jim Christian’s job might depend on it.