Props to Coach Donohue

[Mitch]

Talk about having his team prepared to play at Chapel Hill. It was a brilliantly coached game by Coach Donohue---and a risky move by altering his preferred tempo and style of play in order to give the Eagles the best chance to win. What we have seen the last few games is a much more concerted effort on defense. In order to compensate for the team's inside struggles, Donohue is now double teaming the post and rotating the help...which is a very good move because it forces the players into a quick help rotatation---something they have been habitually late in doing out of their base man-to-man.

Could anyone have imagined this BC team holding North Carolina to 48 points at Carolina?

Man, a few weeks ago, BC wasn't able to hold NC under 48 points in either half.

Totally remarkable.

This is a testament to Coach Donohue's versatility as a coach.

The slower tempo offense would have been fine had Reggie Jackson done what Len Elmore kept emphasizing---Jackson needs to do what Tyrese Rice was so great at---with the shot clock approaching 10 seconds, he needs to work his tail off to get the ball and then showcase his game, either to create his own shot or find the open man off penetration.

The reason why this is also such a great idea is that--- just as the double teams force the Eagles to jump into their help rotation---having Jackson take command with the shot clock winding down will force Jackson to take a more assertive role in the team's scoring.

This kid Cahill is a tremendous Cinderella story...anyone notice that seemingly every time he enters the floor the play of the entire team is lifted? It's no fluke. Cahill is like the consummate Ivy League player (something Coach Donohue knows a little something about)---lacking in Div. 1 athleticism, but first rate in basketball IQ and solid all-around on both ends of the court. How about the 3 threes he splashed and the 3 charges he took versus Maryland?

The thing is---smart play leads to smart play. Cahill plays totally within himself and within the flow of the game---which means he takes what the defense gives him---which often means making the extra pass that leads to a higher percentage shot.

I was convinced that after his stunning performance versus Maryland Cahill would start versus NC...and based on the long offensive drought to start the game, he should have. It's clear his teammates are confident in him and the kind of chemistry he brings to the floor. What other BC player has taken 3 charges in a game this year? Anyone even close?

I hope that Cahill stays on another year to play while he goes to grad school. He would be a very steadying influence to the team and a wonderful mentor for the young players coming in.

As for Andy Katz's speculation that Reggie Jackson will forgo his senior year to enter the NBA Draft...while there is no question that Jackson has pro talent...it's still unrealized talent that needs to blossom and to grow. The other thing is---the odds of Jackson seeing more than scrub minutes in the NBA next year are extremely low. Look at Jeff Teague (who was a higher rated prospect coming out)---he's now in his second year and even with Mike Bibby struggling he can't get quality minutes.

So, Reggie, if you are reading this, please return to BC for your senior year and enjoy being the man at The Heights so that you can enjoy playing rather than wasting away on an NBA bench wondering what would have happened if you had stayed. The thing is---Reggie---you return and dominate, you might be a lottery pick in 2012...and by then you will be far more NBA ready. Plus, the team might be surprisingly good next year with a deeper and more talented cast of players...albeit a younger one.

[Hunta518]

BC BBW.... gotta love'em

[twballgame9]

you know who it reminds me of? al skinner when he used to try to take the air out of the ball against dynamic offenses that we didn't have a good answer for on defense.

fire al... i mean steve

what he said.

[BCEagles25]

Steve Donahue can make adjustments. That was the point.

[twballgame9]

Steve Donahue can make adjustments. That was the point.

this statement suggests that the games that bc played in a slow down tempo to limit the offensive opportunities from the other team under al skinner was either dumb luck or a series of fortunate events

come on, duxbury, you're better than that

Yeah, in other words, Al didn't need to make adjustments because he already knew he was playing the right style for the team he recruited.

[Mike_S]

In all seriousness, as I watched the UNC game unfold the way it did, all I could think of was the BC team late in Craig Smith's sophomore year when the team would take 30+ seconds every offensive possession but then play really solid defense and have a chance to win a low-scoring game. I specifically remember the win over Syracuse in the Big East Tournament, it was something like 57-54. I thought the team was OK but not all that great much of that season, but somehow with that style they became very dangerous late in the year. They almost beat Georgia Tech in the tourney who went to the NCAA finals that year -- a few months earlier, to think they could play even with teams like 'Cuse or GTech would have seemed crazy.

I felt the same way much of this year -- the team has been OK, but not all that great, particularly because of poor defense. I think BC's second half against Maryland was the best defensive half they played this season. Followed by this UNC game, a very good defensive game. I found myself thinking that for the first time all year, BC actually felt dangerous. Even when they were down 10+ and the announcers were talking like it was over, it felt like if they could play good D they might get back into it.

Whether they stay with the slow tempo or not, hopefully they can keep up the good D the rest of the way.

[eepstein0]

you know who it reminds me of? al skinner when he used to try to take the air out of the ball against dynamic offenses that we didn't have a good answer for on defense.

fire al... i mean steve

what he said.

The both of you are completely ridiculous. His point was our current coach made an adjustment for a particular games, which I can count on about one hands the number of times Skinner did that. Al just ran his stupid system, be damned the results. This team plus all Al's recruits, Sanders and Ravanel would be about 3-9 in the ACC with those same type of ugly losses we've endured this season. If you think these guys would have suddenly gotten into shape, etc. you're nuts.

[Art Vandelay]

Steve Donahue can make adjustments. That was the point.

this statement suggests that the games that bc played in a slow down tempo to limit the offensive opportunities from the other team under al skinner was either dumb luck or a series of fortunate events

come on, duxbury, you're better than that

Mitch wrote a lot of words so I could have missed it but I didn't see Al Skinner's name mentioned. Why is it every compliment to the current coach has to be taken as a slight to the former coach?

[BCEagles25]

I'm reading it a different way. When I saw "slow down tempo" and "limit possesions" in the post, sure I thought Skinner. But Skinner also made me think about that style of play every game. The Miami game will not include that style of play, which brings me to my point that SD is versatile. He's not stubborn, and is okay with adjustments. I'm sure that was the point of this nice, fridge-worthy essay Mitch typed for us.

If not, then I'm big and dumb and missed the point.

[Mitch]

You had it exactly right Eagle25...what I

was trying to say is that in this particular game, Donohue did the best he could to give the team a chance. The results speak for themselves. If anyone told us last week that BC would have a shot at the buzzer to beat NC at Chapel Hill, we would think he was crazy, wouldn't we?

I don't think Coach Donohue wants to play a slow tempo at all---but he will do whatever it takes to give his kids a chance to win---and that takes a special versatility.

I also think that Carolina's defense was stifling...they are so long and lean and athletic---plus they have excellent shot blockers---which were the reasons why on 3-4 occasions BC actually ran out the shot clock. It wasn't that BC was trying to keep the possession that long---but they were trying to get good high percentage shots, knowing that if they throw shots up quickly and miss NC would have been off to the races---like the one time Trapani rushed a three and NC got a fast break layup to Zoeller down at the other end...who basically took off on the shot.

While I do not like BC walking the ball up---in this game I understood why. They were expending so much energy on the defensive end that they were using the early portions of the shot clock on offense to catch their wind. It was smart and effective.

[Mitch]

While I wasn't trying to insinuate any comparisons whatsoever to Al Skinner's style...what occurs to me now that some of have brought it up is that there is no way the tight flex would have worked versus North Carolina...first of all, they would have switched up everything inside leaving their two shot blockers stationed on the blocks...secondly, they would have denied the entry passes, as every team did...and get this---when they would force BC into the tight elbow to elbow passes...there is noone left at the point when the ball is tipped and stolen. At times too frequently, the flex was a fast break and slam dunk or layup waiting to happen on the other end.

If any of you recall, BC beat NC two years ago at NC...but...they beat them because they abandoned the tight flex and Skinner somehow allowed the team to jack up three the whole second half and the players---like Rakhim Sanders and Tyrese Rice---were eating it up and were on fire.

Funny because, in the next game, Skinner insisted that the team revert back to the flex and would not let the team come out of it---no way and no how---the result? The embarrassing first loss to Harvard.

To make matters worse, down 12 with 4:00 left, Skinner didn't even press---probably because he never had a press at BC---and also probably because he was trying to make his stubborn point that the kids run the flex well or they lose.

Anyway, what I really like about Coach Donohue is that smart adjustments are being made...and that these kids are playing their hearts out. And they move the ball...they don't turn it over like they did in recent years...and they compete.

[Mitch]

Tobacco...are you a BC fan or a fan of another ACC team?

It mystifies me as to how you cannot be impressed with the effort BC put forth in Chapel Hill.

Do you honestly think BC's talent---player for player---is even remotely comparable to UNC's?

They have 4 sure-thing future NBA players on their team.

The fact that BC held them to 48 points in the Dean Dome, does not impress you?

Please make yourself clear.

[twballgame9]

Tobacco...are you a BC fan or a fan of another ACC team?

It mystifies me as to how you cannot be impressed with the effort BC put forth in Chapel Hill.

Do you honestly think BC's talent---player for player---is even remotely comparable to UNC's?

They have 4 sure-thing future NBA players on their team.

The fact that BC held them to 48 points in the Dean Dome, does not impress you?

Please make yourself clear.

Impressed? BC was a shit show on offense. I was impressed with the gameplan, not the execution. I am also perplexed as to why it took 40 minutes of the worst ass-raping in the last 20 years of BC hoop for someone to figure this out.

Holding a team to 48 when you score 46 does not impress me.

UNC doesn't have 4 sure thing NBA players. They have Barnes, a star, Henson, who will be a major flop in the NBA and get absolutely abused, and Zeller, who is destined to warm the 12th man spot for the Knicks for 2 seasons because he is tall. The rest of the team is pretty mediocre at best.

I think BC sucks at defense and UNC is very good at defense. The stats show that BC is very good at offense and UNC sucks at offense. UNC has better overall talent depth wise, but the spread is not that great. And it is certainly made up for by the fact that Roy Williams blows at coaching.

[Mitch]

I find your remarks condescending and predictably moot.

What did you expect when you watched this game?

Did you expect BC to hold NC in NC to its second lowest point total in the history of the arena?

This is the great thing about college basketball. It can surprise you again and again.

This game shocked me.

Sure I was hoping for the best...but what we got in the end was the kind of nail-biter that you hope for when you play on the road versus the #2 best team in the ACC. A team that blasted you for 106 points in your own gym, no less.

This is with a first year head coach...who is making adjustments and who has these kids playing their collective hearts out.

I give him credit for that.

Are you so parsimonious that you simply cannot give credit where credit is due?

[Hunta518]

i like bc basketball. do you like bc basketball? i hope bc basketball wins all their basketballing contests. i also like to point out that people here tend to try to promote the current bc basketball coach to the star level whereas when the former bc basketball coach did the same things he was either ignored or lambasted for it. i like to point out inconsistencies when people take a 180 degree view on something as if they never said or saw the same things previously. do you like inconsistencies.

look, baywatch, i know you are a new hoops weirdo in this place and i appreciate your analysis of this game and its strategy. i'll even point out that i agree with you. i'll just also note that many of the things you identified were also true during the "blowout stretch" where dook, fsu, and carolina beat the living doodie out of this team. did it take 3 drubbings to come to this conclusion and if so, why is he a genius now when he couldn't identify that dook could stifle us defensively and blow our lack of defensive doors off at will?

and while i will agree that it was exciting to be a rimmed out shot from beating carolina in chapel hill, it was also one of the worst bball games i've ever watched... and that includes ALL the al skinner and jobias years

welcome to the show rook

[BCEagles25]

I find your remarks condescending and predictably moot.

What did you expect when you watched this game?

Did you expect BC to hold NC in NC to its second lowest point total in the history of the arena?

This is the great thing about college basketball. It can surprise you again and again.

This game shocked me.

Sure I was hoping for the best...but what we got in the end was the kind of nail-biter that you hope for when you play on the road versus the #2 best team in the ACC. A team that blasted you for 106 points in your own gym, no less.

This is with a first year head coach...who is making adjustments and who has these kids playing their collective hearts out.

I give him credit for that.

Are you so parsimonious that you simply cannot give credit where credit is due?

I agree with a lot of these points but honestly, if we score 46 points and hold UNC to 48 it's still just a loss. It was a nice defensive game, it showed nice adjustments made by Donahue, it's somewhat of a moral victory, etc. However, if we scored 106 and they scored 107, we'd be in the exact same place. Bubble city. The point is we didn't win.

[Mitch]

So I guess the point is that if Jackson hits the shot Donohue is a genius, if not it's just another loss.

OK---I guess there's little sense in offering credit for the fact that Donohue put his team in that position.

[Mitch]

Are you so parsimonious that you simply cannot give credit where credit is due?

you make no mention of the 3 game blowout streak. are you so munificent that you can give credit to one effort but ignore the contrasting flaws presented on 5 seperate occasions (the blowout streak and the two ivies) within the same season?

bc beat a ranked clemson last year... should that have saved skinner's job and erased the losses to maine, harvard or uri (or do we not give credit where it was due in that scenario)?

See you still offer no credit. You are stingy with it. I was correct in inferring that.

Let's take a look at the context and Donohue's body of work as a first year head coach. He has his team squarely on the bubble of making the NCAA Tournament---when rather realistically BC was picked pre-season to be 10th in the ACC.

But you want to dwell on the 3 game losing streak and the two losses to Harvard and Yale.

First of all...BC has an RPI of 45 and has the 15th most difficult schedule in the nation. Guess who is 44 in the RPI. That's right, Harvard. It's not a fluke.

Then take a look at the teams BC lost to in that 3 game losing streak...the top three teams in the ACC! Two of them on the road at FSU and Duke. One at home versus a what was then a red hot UNC team who is still on a 10 game winning streak.

But...the mark of good coaching is how the team responds to losses such as that. The Virginia Tech and Maryland wins at home were HUGE. You think those games were easy?

The one bad loss is Yale.

One.

And there are several wins that you have to give credit for: at Maryland, at South Carolina, at Providence, on a neutral site versus both Texas A&M and California, and home versus Indiana.

Heck, I give them a lot of credit for beating Virginia and Georgia Tech at home...those weren't gimmes by any stretch of the imagination.

That's one bad loss versus 6 good wins in situations where it was generally expected that BC could very well lose.

First year head coach who is coaching his tail off all week and on the sidelines...and for me bringing the enjoyment back to BC basketball.

I feel bad that this isn't happening for you...because from my standpoint it feels like a welcomed relief.

I am talking about giving credit, not cannonization. He deserves a ton of credit. Maybe I'm the only one here who thinks so. So be it. At least I am happy.

[BCEagles25]

yes. i give coach donahue credit for losing to north carolina.

are you happy now?

Now, c'mon. You know that he's talking about the season as a whole. Don't be such a Skinner.

[BCEagle74]

Reggi makes that shot and this thread has a whole new demeanor...

ah winning.....

[twballgame9]

I find your remarks condescending and predictably moot.

What did you expect when you watched this game?

Did you expect BC to hold NC in NC to its second lowest point total in the history of the arena?

This is the great thing about college basketball. It can surprise you again and again.

This game shocked me.

Sure I was hoping for the best...but what we got in the end was the kind of nail-biter that you hope for when you play on the road versus the #2 best team in the ACC. A team that blasted you for 106 points in your own gym, no less.

This is with a first year head coach...who is making adjustments and who has these kids playing their collective hearts out.

I give him credit for that.

Are you so parsimonious that you simply cannot give credit where credit is due?

Call someone's arguments "moot" and then set up a straw man to avoid the 800 lbs elephant in the room that is shitting all over your argument. Well, done, sir, you will fit in well here.

[eepstein0]

Reggi makes that shot and this thread has a whole new demeanor...

ah winning.....

The game would still be ugly and there's no taking away that's the worst basketball game I've ever watched. Donahue didn't do too wonderful of a job in the first game, but no matter what adjustment he made with UNC shooting the ball like that we were going to get annihilated.

As much as I despise Al Skinner as a basketball coach (and trust me it's more than words can explain), I wish we would just put this debate to bed once and for all. It's a waste of time. Donahue has done a nice job with this team this year all things considered (lack of players, new system, etc.) Aside from both those UNC games, this season has at least been fun to watch, which really outside of wins over UNC and Duke in 2008 it hasn't been recently. I think the future is pretty bright here. Let's win the next 4 and play ourselves off the bubble!

[eepstein0]

I find your remarks condescending and predictably moot.

What did you expect when you watched this game?

Did you expect BC to hold NC in NC to its second lowest point total in the history of the arena?

This is the great thing about college basketball. It can surprise you again and again.

This game shocked me.

Sure I was hoping for the best...but what we got in the end was the kind of nail-biter that you hope for when you play on the road versus the #2 best team in the ACC. A team that blasted you for 106 points in your own gym, no less.

This is with a first year head coach...who is making adjustments and who has these kids playing their collective hearts out.

I give him credit for that.

Are you so parsimonious that you simply cannot give credit where credit is due?

Call someone's arguments "moot" and then set up a straw man to avoid the 800 lbs elephant in the room that is shitting all over your argument. Well, done, sir, you will fit in well here.

The only point he's trying to make is that Donahue is doing a hell of a job here this season all things considered.

[twballgame9]

By the way, I could give a flipping shit if the moron sportswriters and coaches of the ACC picked BC 10th. This is a 20 win team, and has been since the beginning of this season. I think the Don is doing a pretty decent job overall, with 3-4 terrible losses, including two Ivies, URI and Miami, and 2-3 good wins. He has no signature wins, a point discussed ad nauseum during games.

[twballgame9]

I find your remarks condescending and predictably moot.

What did you expect when you watched this game?

Did you expect BC to hold NC in NC to its second lowest point total in the history of the arena?

This is the great thing about college basketball. It can surprise you again and again.

This game shocked me.

Sure I was hoping for the best...but what we got in the end was the kind of nail-biter that you hope for when you play on the road versus the #2 best team in the ACC. A team that blasted you for 106 points in your own gym, no less.

This is with a first year head coach...who is making adjustments and who has these kids playing their collective hearts out.

I give him credit for that.

Are you so parsimonious that you simply cannot give credit where credit is due?

Call someone's arguments "moot" and then set up a straw man to avoid the 800 lbs elephant in the room that is shitting all over your argument. Well, done, sir, you will fit in well here.

The only point he's trying to make is that Donahue is doing a hell of a job here this season all things considered.

He's doing a good job. It ain't spectacular. I have said from the beginning: this team should have won 20 games. Probably will. Good job Steve.

[eepstein0]

I find your remarks condescending and predictably moot.

What did you expect when you watched this game?

Did you expect BC to hold NC in NC to its second lowest point total in the history of the arena?

This is the great thing about college basketball. It can surprise you again and again.

This game shocked me.

Sure I was hoping for the best...but what we got in the end was the kind of nail-biter that you hope for when you play on the road versus the #2 best team in the ACC. A team that blasted you for 106 points in your own gym, no less.

This is with a first year head coach...who is making adjustments and who has these kids playing their collective hearts out.

I give him credit for that.

Are you so parsimonious that you simply cannot give credit where credit is due?

Call someone's arguments "moot" and then set up a straw man to avoid the 800 lbs elephant in the room that is shitting all over your argument. Well, done, sir, you will fit in well here.

The only point he's trying to make is that Donahue is doing a hell of a job here this season all things considered.

He's doing a good job. It ain't spectacular. I have said from the beginning: this team should have won 20 games. Probably will. Good job Steve.

I'd say we've over-achieved by about 2 wins or so (I was figuring about 18 wins). These last 4 games will tell the tale of this season

[twballgame9]

I find your remarks condescending and predictably moot.

What did you expect when you watched this game?

Did you expect BC to hold NC in NC to its second lowest point total in the history of the arena?

This is the great thing about college basketball. It can surprise you again and again.

This game shocked me.

Sure I was hoping for the best...but what we got in the end was the kind of nail-biter that you hope for when you play on the road versus the #2 best team in the ACC. A team that blasted you for 106 points in your own gym, no less.

This is with a first year head coach...who is making adjustments and who has these kids playing their collective hearts out.

I give him credit for that.

Are you so parsimonious that you simply cannot give credit where credit is due?

Call someone's arguments "moot" and then set up a straw man to avoid the 800 lbs elephant in the room that is shitting all over your argument. Well, done, sir, you will fit in well here.

The only point he's trying to make is that Donahue is doing a hell of a job here this season all things considered.

He's doing a good job. It ain't spectacular. I have said from the beginning: this team should have won 20 games. Probably will. Good job Steve.

I'd say we've over-achieved by about 2 wins or so (I was figuring about 18 wins). These last 4 games will tell the tale of this season

I'd say they have lost 4 games they had no right losing, won 3 they had no right winning, and the rest were all games that either went to form or were 50/50 games to begin with. So I got him about where he should be.

[Dirtywater75]

We will look back on this as a weird season due to the senior laden makeup of the team and Coach D trying to make the best of it. I also liked the Donahue hire and what I have seen thus far. Next year may be far worse due to the heavy reliance on freshmen. The real wild card to next year will be the ability of the transfer (Humphrey) from Chicago. Judgment on Donahue should be reserved until we see the results of three recruiting classes. I think its very interesting that 4 out of 6 recruits for 2011 came from California. I wonder what is behind that? Is it because the huge size of the California market allows for a lot more under recruited talent of higher quality? Is it an admission that we cannot recruit requisite talent in the east until the program has gotten on the radar some more?

[EagleNYC]

The Skinner era is over, but that doesn't mean that he shouldn't be compared to the current HC. It's a very natural thing to do. I don't read the threads carefully enough to remember who posted what, but there have plenty plenty "Al was lazy/dumb" posts and ever more "The Don is a genius" posts this season. I've written before that I agree it was time for Al to go, and that the last 3 seasons were disappointing. But if we're grading Donahue on a curve since it is his first year (a completely reasonable position) why not be up front about it and let him stand on his own merits? There is no need to denigrate Skinner at every turn.

Again, I don't know if the original poster has done this; standing alone his post is at least lucid, though the subsequent arguments demonstrated that a greater testament to great coaching would have been figuring this out before we played Duke. As an aside, I disagree with the notion that the philosophy should have shifted at half time of the first game: they were down 14 points, so slowing it down was not a high percentage play.

[eepstein0]

The Skinner era is over, but that doesn't mean that he shouldn't be compared to the current HC. It's a very natural thing to do. I don't read the threads carefully enough to remember who posted what, but there have plenty plenty "Al was lazy/dumb" posts and ever more "The Don is a genius" posts this season. I've written before that I agree it was time for Al to go, and that the last 3 seasons were disappointing. But if we're grading Donahue on a curve since it is his first year (a completely reasonable position) why not be up front about it and let him stand on his own merits? There is no need to denigrate Skinner at every turn.

Again, I don't know if the original poster has done this; standing alone his post is at least lucid, though the subsequent arguments demonstrated that a greater testament to great coaching would have been figuring this out before we played Duke. As an aside, I disagree with the notion that the philosophy should have shifted at half time of the first game: they were down 14 points, so slowing it down was not a high percentage play.

Short of God himself playing center for us against Duke, we're not beating them this season. Especially not in Cameron.