Boston College finished 12-19 overall, and 4-16 in the ACC, making them ineligible for even the ACC tournament. Was this season an utter failure, or just a “rebuilding” year?
Curran: Definitely more of the former, but time will tell if this was a “reset” year from which Grant and the program can rebound from quickly. A year after breaking through to 20 wins and making the NIT, expectations +*-/for this season were lower given the exodus of program stalwarts. I’m of the belief — as I wrote earlier this week — that Grant has earned one more year to prove this season was an anomaly. There’s no question, however, that he has no room for error.
Kieran: This just feels like another season in the Earl Grant tenure. I didn’t think it would be 12-19 (4-16) bad, but I had a feeling it would be bad. So I guess it’s a failure, but it was easy to see coming. Grant has had multiple years that we could have dubbed a “rebuilding” year, but I think his grace period ended a long time ago. It’s time for a change.
Brian: I would like to say I correctly predicted 12 wins. I’d say this season was a failure. There were little to no adjustments made throughout the year by Grant. It was not a very fun team to watch
Curtis: It was supposed to be a rebuilding year, but truthfully it was failure of even that. Donald Hand was already on the roster, so in this “rebuilding” effort, there was nobody that Earl Grant brought in last season who seems like they could be an impact player down the line. A total failure in all aspects of the season.
What’s the biggest reason you attribute this season’s failures to?
Curran: Roster construction. From a lack of positional size (6’4 McFarlane as a power forward? That was never going to translate to wins), to a lack of scoring and ball handling, to just an overall lack of ACC talent — Grant badly, badly missed in his first offseason truly reconstructing his roster through the portal.
Kieran: Unfortunately, this team just did not have the talent or the juice to compete in the ACC this year, and this is a pretty average year for the conference as a whole. I’m not even sure what else there is to say, this team just isn’t very good. There were also plenty of questionable coaching decisions along the way for sure, but it’s hard to win games when nearly every team you play has more talent than you.
Brian: This team was not gritty and it certainly wasn’t pretty to watch. I feel like Boston College has lost an identity. Not that they’ve had one in a long time, but the most frustrating thing is I just don’t see a direction this team and program are headed.
Curtis: The coaching during the season was pretty dreadful, but the entire crux of this problem is the roster. The veterans that Grant brought in from the portal either had some limited positive impact (like Chad Venning) or minimal positive impact (Dion Brown, Joshua Beadle, others). When you can’t even find five quality role players to fill a starting 5, the season is doomed from the beginning.
What are your feelings on Earl Grant as head coach? How long should his leash be moving forward?
Curran: He has one year. Really, he has one offseason. If his portal management is as bad as it was this past year, I highly doubt he makes it the end of next season.
Kieran: If this was almost any other school, Grant would have been fired by now. But, alas, the BC athletic department and administration don’t think like other schools. Grant has failed at bringing in talent and developing his players. I really could not believe it when I saw the news that he would be back. I can’t imagine he’ll be back after next season unless he wins 20+ games and makes noise in the ACC tournament. If it was up to me, BC would be searching for a new coach already. But I’d love nothing more than for Grant to prove me wrong.
Brian: I don’t agree with keeping him to begin with. He just doesn’t seem to be a great recruiter which is extremely important if you want to compete in this era of NIL
Curtis: He needs to make an immediate impact in the portal and on the recruiting trail. And then back it up next season by winning at least ~8 ACC games, hopefully more. Otherwise, BC will fire him as soon as they can afford the buyout.
What were some of your positive takeaways from this season?
Curran: Development of the young guys. Grant’s best attribute at BC has been his ability to develop his recruits, and this year saw the likes of Donald Hand, Fred Payne, and Jayden Hastings take big steps forward.
Kieran: Chad Venning was fun to watch; players like him are harder to come by nowadays and I liked watching him go to work in the post. Donald Hand Jr. also really came into his own this season. I’m not sure if he can be a number-one option on a contending team, but he has grown a lot since last season. Also, BC didn’t finish last in the ACC!
Brian: Donald Hand was my biggest positive takeaway from this season. He has been a great scorer and has developed into a phenomenal player.
Curtis: Obviously Donald Hand was phenomenal to watch and, if he chooses to stay at Boston College, he’ll be a really fun player to watch grow.
What should BC prioritize in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail this offseason?
Curran: BC has 2 sizable off-ball guards coming in in Caleb Steger and Akbar Waheed. Steger is supposedly a rugged defender with a silky outside shot, while Waheed is more of a pure scorer type. Also coming in is 6’10 PF Jack Bailey, who — at only 210 pounds — probably needs a year to bulk up. With that said, BC as of now has all of Kelley, Beadle, Brown, Payne, Toews, Waheed and Steger all vying for backcourt playing time. BC only has Hand on the wing (though I’m sure some of the bigger guys listed before will spend time at the 3) and Strong, Bailey, and Hastings at the 4 and 5. Grant needs to prioritize a bench 5 and a high-quality, sizable wing who can play the 3 or 4.
Kieran: This probably isn’t the best answer, but they need talent. They need higher-ranked recruits from the portal and incoming freshmen. They need guys who can step onto the court against teams like Duke and not be clearly overmatched. I know that’s easier said than done, but BC needs talent, and a lot of it if Earl Grant is going to turn his tenure around. Specifically, I’d like to see them bring in another big man, a second scorer to compliment Hand Jr., a three-and-d wing, and a more traditional, ball-handling point guard.
Brian: Everything….I really hope Donald Hand stays, but who knows. He could certainly be a piece to build around, but other than that, everything needs to be improved.
Curtis: Paint presence. It’s pretty difficult to run a defense-first program when you can’t defend the paint. BC would really benefit from pulling a couple of 6’10”+ guys from the portal.
It’s very early, but what would success for this team look like in 2025-26?
Curran: It’s very hard to say, but I’ll put it like this: If BC has a “successful” season next year, Grant likely keeps his job. I think a winning overall record with a respectable (but sub-.500) ACC record will do that — though I understand BC fans likely want much more.
Kieran: Success for Earl Grant and his squad in 2025-26 has to be winning 20 games and finishing around .500 in ACC play. There really shouldn’t be lower expectations than that, and you have to imagine that Grant really will be coaching for his job next season. It’s going to take a huge turnaround to make that happen, but crazier things have happened.
Brian: A direction. This program has zero direction at all and that is by far the most frustrating part. Grant said gritty, not pretty. He has accomplished one of those but not the other, and that does not lead to wins
Curtis: An overall record above .500, and at least 8 ACC wins. Certainly not where we’d like to be in Year 5 of this coach’s tenure, but I would see that as a success considering where the program is right now.
Any additional thoughts, feelings, rants?
Curran: Grant needs to be ruthless this year. No more waffling back and forth on roster decisions. He has too many guards on this roster who won’t win at the ACC level. His job is on the line; I want to see him coach like it.
Kieran: I firmly believe that the BCI staff would have won more than 12 games this season if we had coached this team. I think BC’s athletic department should give us a shot next year. And even if we don’t win more games than Earl Grant, we would be much more entertaining to watch.
Curtis: Will the suffering ever end? Is BC basketball doomed to this fate for all of eternity? I’m starting to genuinely believe that this program will get downgraded to some kind of NIL Division 2 before they ever make another March Madness.