Simply put, Boston College is still chasing the glory days and are miles away from that success. It’s hard to believe that the Eagles made seven NCAA Tournament in a nine-year stretch in the 2000’s, as they haven’t returned to the Big Dance since 2009. The firing of Al Skinner a year later and subsequent play has led to a downward spiral for a program barely surviving in the ACC.
After another tough showing last season, which included an 11-20 record and a tie for 16th in the conference, the Eagles made a head coaching change and are hoping that their savior has finally come to Chestnut Hill. After his brilliant work on Dan Hurley’s staff at UConn, Luke Murray takes over with hopes to rebuilding the Eagles into a competent program.
Start from the bottom
It likely isn’t shocking to hear that Boston College has very little talent returning from last season, with Murray and this staff basically starting with a fresh pallet. This first offseason hasn’t given them a ton of time to lay the groundwork, but a busy blitz in the transfer portal has Boston College with enough players to field this team and start building for that future.
What does success look like for Murray, his new staff, and his new lineup this season? That’s a question we’ll try to answer as we run through each of the important new faces while considering the challenges ahead for the Eagles. A first-year head coach with a lineup thrown together largely from the portal isn’t typically a recipe for success but perhaps there are some surprises ahead.
Projected Starters
Guard – Money Williams (Senior)
Probably the most important transfer addition of the offseason, Williams is a 6-4 point guard from Oakland who heads east after his prior work at Montana. A former Big Sky Sixth Man of the Year, Williams averaged 20.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists as a junior and was Big Sky Tournament MVP, helming the Grizzlies into the Big Dance. He’ll hope to lead the charge for this new-look Eagles lineup and is both a capable scorer and leader.
Guard – Armoni Zeigler (Senior)
Another veteran backcourt piece, Zeigler comes Boston College’s way after two seasons with Saint Peter’s and a year at Ball State. He’s had double-digit seasons with both squads, including 12.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists for the Cardinals last year. He’s hoping for even better shooting figures, though Zeigler looks like one of the top playmakers for this team moving forward.
Guard/Forward – Andrija Bukumirovic (Senior)
It’s year four of college ball for Bukumirovic, who played a single year at the JUCO level before two seasons at UT Martin. His work in the OVC was impressive, especially after putting up 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds to earn First Team All-OVC honors last season. The native Serbian led that league in effective field goal percentage and has defensive versatility, though we’ll see how his game transitions against much tougher ACC foes.
Forward – Brandon Benjamin (Sophomore)
A 6-8 forward from Newark, Benjamin spent his first year of college basketball checking all of the boxes for the folks down at Fairfield. He averaged 14.2 points and 10.4 rebounds across an impressive freshman campaign, leading the MAAC in rebounding while emerging as one of that league’s top freshmen. He has the size and intangibles to be a great rebounder and interior scorer, though we’ll have to see how his game continues to grow heading into a sophomore season in a much harder conference.
Forward – Luke Hunger (Senior)
After three seasons largely as a reserve at Northwestern, Hunger found a more significant role with George Washington last season. He put up 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in that sole year with the Revolutionaries and now hopes to take on an even bigger role with the Eagles. He’s tough and a hard worker, but a lot of responsibility is cast on his shoulders with some of the frontcourt talent in the ACC.
Key Reserves
Forward – Colby Duggan (Senior)
An important piece on this new bench, Duggan spent two seasons at Campbell before an injury-shortened campaign with Charleston. His sophomore numbers were outstanding, averaging 15.7 points and 3.3 rebounds with the Camels before foot issues and inconsistent play kept him under double-figures with the Cougars. We’ll see what kind of performance he puts up with the Eagles, though there’s certainly a big role for him to play here.
Guard – Ernest Shelton (Senior)
Shelton spent a pair of seasons playing at Gannon, a D2 school, before heading to Merrimack last season. He’s fresh off a really strong junior year where he contributed 15.9 points and 3.1 rebounds while making just under 35% of his 3-pointers. He’s a feisty guard from Philadelphia who can absolutely earn a significant role in this lineup, especially if his long-range shooting takes another big step.
Guard – Jacob Furphy (Sophomore)
A 6-6 wing originally from Australia, Furphy is the one player who legitimately might be a major surprise for the Eagles in the upcoming season. He followed Murray over from UConn where there simply wasn’t a role for him, playing just 35 minutes and scoring only 6 points for the entire season. Furphy projects as an intelligent and skillful forward who can develop into a great scorer and facilitator and just might earn starting minutes this season.
Guard – JB Frankel (Senior)
A 6-4 guard from New York City, Frankel is another interesting transfer addition who brings experience to this lineup. He spent his first three seasons at Northeastern, picking up a handful of starts the last few years while averaging 5.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists as a junior. Frankel has experience at both guard positions and is both a solid scorer with long range and a speedy ball handler, with plenty of potential to backup this backcourt.
Forward – Aly Tounkara (Junior)
Tounkara is a 7-footer from Guinea who’s heading to his third college in three seasons. He was mostly a bench piece with Lindenwood before taking on a larger role at Arkansas State last year, averaging 4.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per night. His size is clearly impressive and he’s a really strong interior presence, though we’ll see if he can continue developing and honing his game and find minutes perhaps as the backup center.
Guard – Jordan Ghee (Freshman)
He’s a 6-5 combo guard and rare freshman addition to this lineup, but Ghee is still looking to find a place in this lineup after great work at the high school level. He’s done notable work as a scorer, rebounder, and facilitator while starring in New England. Ghee seems more like a long-term prospect, but don’t discount his ability to carve out a role with his work ethic.
Guard/Forward – Zak Smrekar (Freshman)
A 6-7 wing from Slovenia, Smrekar is another young addition to this puzzle of Boston College basketball. There’s a lot to like about his game, standing out for his combination of size and shooting ability. Smrekar gained valuable experience playing over in Europe and should be ready to contribute for the Eagles, especially as he continues to get bigger.
Schedule Outlook
You won’t be too shocked to hear that Boston College’s schedule isn’t exactly a murderer’s row of opposition during nonconference play. Three of their first four contests are at home, sandwiching a November 6th Hall of Fame Series game against UMass in Boston. They’ll have another notable game on the road at Harvard on the 18th, though they will eventually leave the state.
The Eagles spend the Thanksgiving holiday in Florida, playing UCF and Cincinnati as part of the ESPN Events Invitational. Less than a week later, they’ll be down at Georgia, facing the Bulldogs in the ACC/SEC Challenge. However, the rest of December is just home games against mid-major foes, though they can’t overlook that matchup against George Washington on the 12th.
A challenging ACC schedule begins with home games against North Carolina and Clemson in early January. Their only looks against Duke and Louisville do come at home in January alongside a trip to Virginia. In reality, the back half of their conference schedule is actually much easier, though it does include a trip west to see the California schools.
Season Outlook
Several coaches have tried to change the fortunes of Boston College basketball and have come up short, leaving Murray to do what feels like the impossible. His recruiting work close by with the Huskies has been impressive, though we’re going to learn a lot about his resolve now leading his own program. With a patchwork lineup largely of former mid-major players, that big turnaround likely isn’t happening this season but perhaps Murray and company can surprise some people.
We’ve already stressed this but Williams is absolutely the biggest key for the Eagles. He’s the most capable scorer and a notable point guard who’s leadership and playmaking ability will be critical for this squad. The Eagles will also lean heavily on veteran guards like Shelton and Zeigler as Boston College tries to figure out just where the scoring is coming from in a lineup of new faces.
Inexperience in the frontcourt also looms large on a team that’s depending on pieces like Benjamin and Hunger whose play has only come at the mid-major level. There’s absolutely some great potential here in Furphy, who really has a chance to flap his wings and show his potential with the Eagles. It’s just that there’s a lot of interesting pieces but you wonder if they have the talent to compete in the ACC.
Regardless of how the season transpires, there will be plenty of new eyes on Boston College under Murray’s leadership. His first offseason isn’t going to fix a program nearly two decades into a downward spiral, but this roster can still show promise. You’re not going to see the Eagles competing for a league title; they might not even contend in the middle of the league standings, but Murray just need to get this team playing hard and they can actually surprise people if Williams and the others truly flourish.
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