The 2024 Boston College men’s basketball season is upon us! First off, what gets you most excited looking ahead to this season?
Curran: It feels like a fresh start at BC. A lot of program stalwarts over the last couple years — Post, Zackery, Madsen, etc. — are out, which opens up a lot of space for Grant to get creative with his roster. I think there could be an opportunity for BC to surprise a lot of people.
Kieran: Is it a bad sign that I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be excited about? I am excited to see the new guys on the roster, especially Dion Brown, who was phenomenal at UMBC. I really think he should be the team’s best player and leading scorer, and he’ll need to score a lot if BC is going to win ACC games.
Brian: I’m excited to see the team Earl has built for this year. This is the first team he has really had to build by himself, so it’ll be interesting to see the roster in action.
Curtis: Watching a new team find its footing is always an interesting journey, and this will certainly be one of those experiences. I’m excited to watch this young and untested group go through a season of ups-and-downs together, and see how they react to the challenge.
Obviously there’s a been a lot of roster turnover for the men’s basketball program in the past several months. How well do you think the new roster will come together?
Curran: It’s going to be a process. This roster has talent, but it has 0 continuity. BC needs to find an identity fast to build around.
Kieran: I am very uncertain exactly what this team is going to look like. Without QP and Zackery, this team is looking for new leaders to step up. But more than that, this team is looking for some new point scorers. So right now, I have no idea what this team is going to look like. I’d say this would be a rebuilding year, but Earl Grant has been rebuilding since he got here. I hope they can be fun and frisky when conference play starts.
Brian: I am not overly optimistic. I certainly hope I’m proved wrong, but I definitely don’t have the highest of expectations headed into this year.
Curtis: I don’t have high hopes. There’s a logjam in the backcourt and some big gaps in the frontcourt. I think it will be a while before this team figures out how to play well together.
That being said, there are a lot of new faces to be excited about! Who’s your player to watch this season?
Curran: C Chad Venning. Dion Brown will probably lead the team in scoring, but the strength of this team is easily its backcourt. Venning will need to be a stalwart down low for this team to have any kind of success. Plus, I’m interested to see what Grant’s offense looks like with a traditional non-shooting big on the floor.
Kieran: I mentioned him already, but I am super excited to see Dion Brown play. He averaged 19 points last season at UMBC and should fill a big need on this roster. I have no idea if he’ll play much, but I’m also excited to see freshman Kany Tchanda.
Brian: The player to watch for me is Donald Hand. Hand can really create his own shot and has showed the ability to score the basketball. This will be a year he needs to take a big step up, and I’m excited to see how his game has developed over the offseason.
Curtis: If Dion Brown can be as electric as he was at UMBC, then I think Earl Grant is going to give him the green light to try to save this offense that seriously lacks shooters. I would not be surprised to see some eye-popping stat lines from him this season.
What are some of the biggest question marks for you heading into this season?
Curran: Easily frontcourt depth and shooting. There are only 3 rostered bigs — Venning, Strong, and Hastings. None of them have significant ACC experience. In terms of shooting — of my predicted starting 5 in Kelley, Brown, Hand, Strong, and Venning, so far only Brown and Hand have shot even average percentages from downtown. I do not think we will be a prolific shooting team.
Kieran: I question what the frontcourt is going to look like without Quinten Post holding down the fort. There’s a three way tie for tallest player on the team and all three are 6’9”, which is questionable on its own. So I’m concerned what might happen when BC matches up with bigger teams.
Brian: This team in general is a huge question mark. The only players returning that played meaningful minutes are Hand and Kelley. This will take a really impressive coaching effort by Grant and his staff.
Curtis: Basically everything. But my biggest concerns are size and scoring. There is not really a true center on this roster and it seems like these guys could possibly get bullied by bigger teams, even if Grant is preaching hard-nosed defense. And while there are a few of players (namely Dion Brown, Chad Venning, and Donald Hand) that should be able to score some points, most of the team could be seriously lacking in offensive playmaking and shooting.
What is the baseline that would make you count this season as a success?
Curran: We lost a LOT of production. Even in this portal era, I think BC lost a disproportionate amount. I don’t think this team will be as successful as last year’s 20-win squad. I want to see a .500 record in the ACC and 2-3 wins in the ACC tournament.
Kieran: This is a hard question because I’m not expecting much and am not even sure what Earl Grant would see as success. I think they need to play .500 ball in the ACC. If they can do that, with this roster, I think that would be successful for BC.
Brian: This season is a serious rebuild. If we won a game or two in the ACC tournament, I would say it’s a success. We’ve been picked to finish last or second to last in the ACC by every analyst, so anything better than that would be a success in my mind.
Curtis: Improvement over the course of the season. My expectations for this team are basically at rock bottom, so I’m just looking for Earl Grant to prove that he can coach these guys to competence over the course of the season. Maybe we’ll be pleasantly surprised! But realistically, “success” is going to be relative to the situation that this program is in.
Any bold predictions or unexpected developments you think could play out for the Eagles this year?
Curran: Dion Brown plays his way onto NBA scouts’ radar. I’m not saying he’s going pro after this year — but I think he is the most dynamic guard BC has had in a while.
Kieran: I think I said this last year so why not try it again. The Eagles play both UNC and Duke in January. I think they’ll win one of those games.
Brian: My bold prediction is Roger McFarlane becomes the go-to scorer for this team and is an All-ACC 3rd team selection. You said bold, right?
Curtis: BC has a top-5 defense in the ACC. That seems to be the one thing this team could really excel at.
Finally, what is your prediction for how Boston College’s season concludes?
Curran: A loss in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.
Kieran: I expect BC to win almost all (if not all) of their out-of-conference games but then be rudely awakened when ACC play begins, finishing 5 games below .500 in 2025.
Brian: BC wins one game in the ACC tournament and finishes the season with 12 wins. I really hope I’m wrong, but that’s my prediction.
Curtis: 5 or 6 conference wins and an early exit in the ACC tournament.