Do Threes Grow On Trees?

The officials in the BC basketball game against Hartford woke up this morning with an unfamiliar soreness in their shoulders. In a record setting performance, the Eagles buried their shots from the outside and forced the refs to raise both arms on fourteen separate occasions. It was raining threes in the 94-60 romp of the non-conference Hawks (9-13).

The Eagles shot an impressive 53.8% from behind the arc, and a remarkable 68.8% from the field in a game that afforded Al the opportunity to shuffle around the lineup (drawing from the deep bench of ten...). Despite the lopsided victory, this game was very revealing and was critical in establishing confidence for the less experienced guys on the floor.

The Individuals

As I hoped, Tyler Roche had the chance to play 19 meaningful minutes in the game. Tyler's confidence grew as the 'sharpshooter' hit his first 3 trifectas. I really like seeing this kid on the court. He hits the glass surprisingly hard for a guy his size, and he ferociously ripped the ball away from Hartford's big men a number of times.

Although Tyler doesn't always make his presence felt on the floor with flashy plays, he knows the game of basketball very well. He defends well, has a great court sense, and boxes out. In my opinion, this is more important for the Eagles than being a seven footer without motor skills.

Speaking of seven-footers, I thought Tyrelle Blair put in another solid performance. His six blocks provided a lift on the defensive end, along with seven rebounds and six points. Blair appears to be more comfortable then he was at the beginning of the season and he appears to be controlling his body much better.

The aforementioned players all deserve praise for their efforts, but Jared Dudley is the man that made it happen tonight. First of all, Jared was a perfect 8-8 from the field, which includes three from behind the arc. While the eight rebounds were expected, Jared's six assists tonight exhibited his brilliance as a player. Let me explain...

Dudley understands that the Eagles need former role players (Blair, Roche, etc.) to step up in order for BC to recognize the vision that he has for the season. Both of these players have appeared to lack confidence in their limited time on the court this season. Last night, Jared consciously attracted defenders and dished to his teammates to give them open looks either on the block or from the perimeter. At one point in the second half, as the shot clock was winding down, Jared had a wide open three pointer, but passed the ball 5 feet to Roche in the corner- forcing him to drain a three as the clock expired. The crowd exploded, and Roche looked like he was having fun for the first time all year. This is just one example of the things Jared does that don't appear in the stat line. Could Dudley be using the game to pad his ACC stats? Absolutely. It seems that he would rather get his 21 efficiently (8-8) and let his teammates build the confidence required for success.

Tyrese Rice also deserves praise for handing out 13 assists (only two turnovers). This number would have been significantly higher had his recipients been fouled less frequently underneath. Rice's distribution of the ball has been remarkable for the kid who is still learning how to be a point guard in this league.

John Oates shot 3-4 from three point land, but I was less than satisfied with his performance. I have been giving John a hard time recently, but it is well-deserved. Last night, the tallest Hawk on the court was 6'8". Why on earth is John Oates still tinkering along the three-point line. Granted, he made three of his four shots. Regardless, his season tally is a meager 12, and his three-point percentage was boosted to a mediocre 27.9% (12-43). Oates was one of only two Eagles not to record a single rebound last night- not a single one! Get inside and know your role- there are other guys that can shoot better from downtown and actually play defense (see Roche above). Do you think John cried when he got his tattoo?

Virginia Tech comes to town on Saturday, and I will be curious to see who is on the court when the opening tip is thrown.

In closure, I would like to congratulate Tyler Neville for his performance last night. Tyler has been with the team for five years now, and he might have scored his last points, grabbed his last board, and dished out his last assist. Thank you for all of your hard work!