Hope: Demolished

March 11th, 2010 by warrenlent

Remember everything I said last night about this Virginia game last night? Yeah forget about it. BC lost in one of many disappointing losses this year. At one point in the first half, they led Virginia 23-17 and everything looked dandy. Then there was a swing where the Hoos went on a 12-2 run and took a double digit lead heading into the second half. The hole was too deep for a team that hasn’t been able to comeback from a serious deficit this year since the second Miami game.

I was really impressed with Rakim Sanders (22 points) as he carried the team from beginning to end. Reggie Jackson preformed at a very high level and almost had a double-double as well (18 points, 9 rebounds) If both of those players can be constant for the team next year, I will feel 10 times better than I do or ever did about this season.

Joe Trapani was non-existent today (2 points) and obviously the loss can directly attribute to that stat.  Dallas Elmore contributed 10 points off the bench and played solid defense as usual. Corey Raji had a decent game and no one else truly contributed effectively.

As many BC fans are, I am shocked at what happened today and I personally did not see this coming. Of course, I did not see the majority of this season coming, but I should have expected this.

I will have a post out on next season and what the future holds for this Boston College basketball team.

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Talking BC Basketball with Atl Eagle

March 11th, 2010 by warrenlent

I had the pleasure of interviewing William Maloney of atleagle.blogspot.com about the upcoming BC basketball games in the ACC tourney. Here it is…

We know that it is ACC tourney victors or bust for BC to get into the field of 64, but are you still holding out an ounce of hope for this team?

I always hope, but don’t think this team will win four straight. I think they can upset Duke but they have yet to show the consistency to maintain that over a four day stretch.

Who has to be at the top of their game every tourney game this weekend for BC to pull the miracle?
It will really come down to Reggie Jackson. When he is playing well, BC can hang with anyone in the conference.
Who has been the most disappointing to you in this tiring regular season for the Eagles?
Rakim Sanders. He dealt with an injury early this season but that doesn’t explain the poor decision making we saw when he was healthy. Sanders has the body to be a great player. Unfortunately his game is not there yet.
The most impressive?
Can I say no one? Honestly there have been good moments from guys like Trapani and Jackson. Elmore and Ravenel have surprised some people. Yet no one has been impressive.
How deep must the Eagles go in order to secure an NIT bid?
I think they have to win 2 games.
Where will the Eagles have to improve this week in order to be ready for UVA and possibly beyond? rebounding? free throws?
Defense. BC allows more easy baskets than anyone in the conference.

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The Time Has Come

March 10th, 2010 by warrenlent

In a few hours, Boston College will play the University of Virginia. While BC did lose their regular season opener, the ACC tournament sets up a clean slate for the Eagles. In the first round, they will play a Sylven Landesberg-less UVA squad that will not want to prolong a season that has placed them in the doldrums of the ACC conference once again. With BC’s success versus Virginia this year (68-55 victory with Landesberg playing) I expect a BC win.

This year, we have rarely seen BC on top of its game and using its maximum potential. They did seem to have a pretty decent run going until last Sunday’s loss to North Carolina State. I believe in Al, and I think he will have his boys ready for game 1 of the vaunted ACC Tournament.

P.S. I hope everyone is ready and watches the game tomorrow from wherever you are able. I would talk about round two against Duke, but I am not going to count on anything with this team. Let’s just get past UVA first, then worry about everything else later.

Follow me on twitter: Twitter.com/WarrenLent

I will be on all game and ready to talk anything BC

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Spring is in the Air: Boston College Football

March 2nd, 2010 by warrenlent

At Boston College last spring there were questions about stability within the program. Coach Jagodzinski had been fired only two months before, and a career assistant subsequently headed the Boston College program.

With the whirlwind surrounding the coaching situation as well as an offensive quarterback situation (Only four games of starting experience at the college level between three candidates) yet to subside, but Boston College and new head coach Frank Spaziani felt that there was a least one constant in their football program; their defense.

As stars like Mike McLaughlin (Achilles) and Mark Herzlich (Cancer) started to fall out of starting positions, chaos ensued in and around Alumni Stadium.

2009 ended for the Eagles with an eight-win season. The fall was filled with multiple cases of surprising underclassmen who stepped into key leadership roles during the 2009 campaign. The Eagles head into 2010 with eight returning starters on both sides of the ball, and look to build off of what many analysts call a comeback season for the ages.

By March 15, the Eagles will begin their 2010 spring practices. As many would expect, the spotlight is on Mark Herzlich.

Herzlich is coming back from a seemingly impossible journey from a cancer patient, to a cancer survivor. If he is able to return to the form he possessed in 2008, the Eagles should have high expectations once again for their defense. Herzlich provides strength to every player on Boston College and has given them motivation to work as hard as he has worked for the past year.

Ambition and courage are just two characteristics Herzlich brings to the table, and as he hopes, out onto the field. If that occurs, Herzlich’s starting position at linebacker is all but secure.

But for many other players vying for a starting spot on the team, the battle has only just begun. Here are some position battles that I believe will make some waves with BC coaches and fans alike.

Quarterback: Dave Shinskie vs. Chase Rettig

The battle of the 26-year-old sophomore vs. the 18-year-old freshman. Landing the starting job after a strong performance against Wake Forest last year, Dave Shinskie had a season similar to the Superman rollercoaster at Six Flags.

Shinskie and the Eagles have soared in great performances against Florida State and Central Michigan, but had their wings clipped in games against Clemson and USC. The USC game left a bad taste in a BC fan’s mouth, and many are looking for change.

That change could very well come in the form of freshman Chase Rettig. Arriving here in January and having a great showing at the Under Armour All-American game catapulted Rettig from a contender to a favorite for the job as field general.

Strong Safety: Okechukwu Okoroha vs. Jim Noel

In the 2009 season, BC had a rock in their secondary named Marcellus Bowman. Marcellus delivered mind-blowing hits every single Saturday (including one on Kent State’s Eugene Jarvis). Bowman has now graduated, and it is time for another safety to step up in his place.

Jim Noel will be a true sophomore next season and received more playing time than Okoroha did. With Noel’s lanky yet athletic 6’5” frame, I believe he has the upper hand on Okoroha at this point.

Okechukwu did come to the Heights with what many thought to be a huge ceiling. It will be very interesting to see how these common interest stories and position battles shake out for the next few weeks.

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Final Sunday Remarks

February 28th, 2010 by warrenlent

Baseball: Baseball had a tough extra inning loss to Auburn. I really love this teams offensive talent, but their pitching needs some early season work. It still is very early in the season and this offense will help out the boys in the long run when the hurlers start getting worn down a bit.

Men’s Basketball: After a two game winning streak, the boys went back to their losing ways as they lost to Georgia Tech 73-68. I did really like the defensive effort though, and it seemed like everyone (besides post defense) was up for the game. To be fair, BC big men were completely over matched against the likes of Derek Favors and other skilled big men. Southern did not play too well today even though I might have seen some nice drives to the hoop by the big dude.

Reggie Jackson just keeps getting better at the point too. The reason why BC lost on Saturday was pure and simple, Rakim Sanders had ZERO points. Love it or hate it, the Eagles cannot live without a good showing from Sanders night in and night out. If we want to have a better season next year, we should begin by having Rakim Sanders shoot at least ten times in the first half.

My disappointment with this team grows with every loss, but we have to understand that this is just not the right season for the boys. Hopefully some new blood coming in will help pump some life into the team next year.

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Boston College Eagles at the 2010 NFL Combine

February 27th, 2010 by mikeblewitt

All the usual suspects have arrived in Indianapolis for the 2010 NFL Combine this weekend and each promising player will be poked, prodded, and interviewed sufficiently before even hitting the carpet for their workouts. Boston College may not necessarily be the first school that comes to mind for producing NFL talent but with 25 players in the league in 2009, three consecutive first round draft picks (including two top 10 selections); you can be assured that the scouts love the kids BC churns out.

Center Matt Tennant and Linebacker Mike McLaughlin earned invites to the combine and will look to improve upon their stock after having noteworthy weeks at the Senior Bowl last month. A consistent team that runs a pro style offense and possesses a stalwart defense is an excellent breeding ground for players to make it to the next level. Let’s take a look at these two standouts:

Matt Tennant

It should be noted that BC, often referred to as “O-Line U”, had eight different offensive lineman drafted in the last decade, two of them in the first round. Tennant came to BC by way of Cincinnati powerhouse Archbishop Moeller high school and proceeded to start his last 41 games at center for the Eagles. The only senior on the Eagles’ offensive line, Tennant was named team captain for his senior campaign and led the way for RB Montel Harris’ breakout season in which he topped 1,400 rushing yards and recorded eight 100-yard contests. At 6’5”, 300 pounds, he may be considered tall for his position but he is nimble enough at his lighter weight to keep in front of any oncoming blockers.

He was solid all during Senior Bowl week during drills and will likely be a strong addition to any team, even if he is not elite at this point. Only six centers were drafted in 2009, we often see the position filled by converted guards, but Tennant is pure at the position. He will likely need to add some bulk to his frame in order to be a star in the league but many said the same about former BC center Tom Nalen and he fashioned an All-Pro, Super-Bowl winning career for himself in Denver.

Analysis: Teams looking for a center will not reach on Tennant so he is a mid-to-late round selection in April’s draft. His pedigree and game tape speak for themselves so the combine will solidify his status and could even push him up a round or two but don’t expect him to fly up draft boards based on anything that happens in Indy this weekend.

Mike McLaughlin

As the defensive captain for the last two seasons at Boston College, inside linebacker Mike McLaughlin set the tone for a defense that ranked in the top 20 in scoring defense both seasons. Considering this defense included NFL players B.J. Raji, Ron Brace, Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Robert Francois, and All-American Mark Herzlich it is no small feat that he earned that type of respect. Known as a very vocal leader, he impressed at Senior Bowl week with his ability to run the defense as well as showing the versatility to be a long snapper when called upon.

His senior campaign at Chestnut Hill was hampered somewhat by a ruptured Achilles suffered during an offseason workout. He came back from the injury after missing the first three contests to contribute in the middle and on special teams throughout the remainder of the season. At 6’0”, 240 lbs, “Mac” may not have the elite athleticism of some linebackers but as you can see in this clip at the 13-second mark, he can certainly hold his own: http://bit.ly/a25jFl

Analysis: BC linebackers have found their way in the NFL for a long time and McLaughlin should be no different.  He is a tireless worker who will be fighting his way for a starting job in the league for the next several seasons. His versatility on special teams—and long-snapping if he chooses to do so—will be an asset for any team in the league. Expect a mid-round selection for McLaughlin but if he runs well at the combine next week then his stock will absolutely be on the upswing.

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Boston College Football: 2010 Recruiting Wrap-Up

February 24th, 2010 by warrenlent

After a roller coaster 2009 season, Boston College coach Frank Spaziani has his first full recruiting class under his belt. Unlike last year, there were not too many gaping holes to fill this year.

Last year, Luke Keuchly (Freshman All-American) was pressed into action because of injuries to all three starting linebackers, although this seemed to work out extremely well as Keuchly went on to have the second most tackles in all of college football.

Spaziani knew that this type of luck couldn’t last forever, and the coaching staff started establishing their 2010 class. Their first commitment of this class ultimately became their highest-ranked player.

Kevin Pierre-Louis is from The King & Low Heywood Thomas School in Connecticut and first committed to BC under the Jeff Jagodzinski regime, but withdrew that commitment after Jagodzinski was fired last January. He soon recommitted to Boston College after building a great relationship with the new coaching staff. Along with Pierre-Louis, the Eagles received pledges from other great defensive players like Steele Divitto, Dominic Appiah, and C.J. Jones.

Pierre-Louis and Divitto received a great amount of fanfare coming to the Heights, but we must not forget about some great talent on offense. Having two different starters in the 2009 season, the quarterback situation looked bleak for the Eagles.

In July of 2009, Chase Rettig of San Clemente, California committed to Boston College. Rettig is known to have exceptional velocity when he releases the ball, but still has to try and hone his accuracy in order to vie for the starting slot come September.

Another great offensive playmaker the Eagles were able to sign was Shakim Phillips of New Jersey.

After receiving nearly 20 offers from college programs, it was apparent that Shakim had some sorting out to do. It actually came as a surprise to many BC fans that Shakim displayed his loyalty to the Eagles.

Shakim played special teams and wide receiver at DePaul Catholic HS and was a playmaking threat every time he touched the ball. For Eagle fans hoping to see the likes of Matt Ryan and a new breed of wideouts at Alumni Stadium, they may very well get their wish as soon as next year.

Without any National Signing Day publicity, like many other top tier programs had, Boston College quietly put away Spaziani’s first class as a head coach. The Eagles did receive some great talent to fill necessary holes for next year, but they did fail to sign some great players they had atop their board.

That being said, only losing three starters on both sides of the ball this past year will be a great way to slowly get these new recruits in the process. This 2010 class doesn’t feel the same type of urgency that the 2009 class felt a year earlier, and I am confident that fans of Boston College hope that will translate to success immediately, as well as a few years down the road.

Headliner: Chase Rettig, QB

Sleeper: Josh Bordner, QB/LB

Grade: B+

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New Ownership/Weekend Recap

February 22nd, 2010 by warrenlent

Hello and welcome to the Boston College Raycom Sports Blog presented by Warren Lent. Before we go over the happenings in and around the Heights, let me first say that I am absolutely thrilled to be apart of the Raycom blogging communtity, and I hope you, the reader feels the same. I am a die-hard BC fan who hasn’t missed a minute of the action with any one of BC’s major sports. Of course if you have any complaints about the way I am handling this blog, please let me know. Anyway, who really cares about who I am, it is Boston College that you are here for.

On Saturday, Boston College took care of an already struggling UNC hoops team. The final score was 71-67. I watched/listened to every portion of the game and I personally felt like BC had the game in their hands as the second half started. I was impressed with Reggie’s Jackson work as the starting PG. At times, he was erratic. At other times, he was absolutely brilliant. He has amazing court vision which is a characteristic of great point guards. He personally would like to play off the ball, but this team needs him to lead as a sophomore. Jackson has the full support of Eagles fans after an astounding freshman campaign last year. Reggie hasn’t disappointed a bit this year. In fact, he has been the most consistent eagle on the floor. Here are some Pro’s and Con’s of the UNC game.

Pro’s:

  • Reggie Jackson’s ability to move the ball from the point and distribute the ball to his teammates
  • Evan Ravenel: This fellow sophomore showed more talent in his right pinky than Southern and Dunn combined. Obviously I am exaggerating, but I loved his intensity and his offensive rebounding ability. After the game, Skinner even called Ravenel his best offensive rebounder.
  • Rakim Sanders attacking the basket: It’s safe to say that Rakim has been the biggest disappointment for Eagles fans everywhere. Sanders has made somewhat of a redemption tour in the past few games and I think this can be attributed to a healthy balance of outside shots and drives to the basket.

Con’s

  • Joe Trapani’s offense: I love Joe as a player and as a competitor but his play in the UNC game was non-existent. He didn’t hit many of the shots he had the opportunity to make. I know he was man to man against taller players but I still thought that with his talent, he would be able to overcome some of those difficulties.
  • Josh Southern: Slow-Motion Picture. That’s basically all I think about when I watch Southern play. He has a decent elbow shot but cannot attack the hoop with post moves and can’t utilize his height to any extent. I really hope he can contribute these remaining games and possibly be a factor next season.

Baseball: BC took 2 of 3 versus Tulane over the weekend. Besides the final game, they looked extremely good hitting and Pat Dean seems to pick up where he left off last year. I will have much more about Baseball later on in the week. Maybe even an interview. (2-1 to start the season)

Hockey: After losing to Northeastern on Saturday, Men’s Hockey absolutely dominated the Huskies on Sunday while they were broadcasted on ESPNU. BC hockey is now ranked #7 in the most recent hockey poll.

Women’s Basketball: BC women’s had a great game against VT on Sunday as they fall to 14-13 on the season. They have been giant killers this year (beating UNC and Duke) but have failed to keep that level of excellence against the lesser teams in the ACC.

I will have more later on in the week about all things BC. Give me some feedback so I know what to write about and what not to. Hope to see you very soon.

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A Look At Boston College

December 16th, 2009 by Mike Gminski

Boston_College_1No program flies more under the radar in their own media market than Boston College and that is just fine with Coach Al Skinner. Boston is a pro town and they expect success and Skinner has certainly provided that since his arrival at Chestnut Hill. He has led this program to the post season eight of the last nine years, including seven trips to the NCAAs. He has a great sideline demeanor and his teams reflect his temperament- unflappable and tough. He and his staff have a knack for finding players that fly under the recruiting radar and turning them into stars- witness Craig Smith, Jared Dudley and Tyrese Rice. Since coming into the league, BC has been a formidable foe and should continue to be exactly that.

The biggest task for Skinner will be replacing the departed Rice. He was an all-league performer who did so much for this team over his career. He led them in scoring and assists and was the dominant personality in the locker room. He also made huge plays in the most crucial parts of games. His void will be tough to fill.

There is a lot of returning talent that Skinner can rely on. Transfer Joe Trapani had a solid year last year. He averaged 13 points and six rebounds and provided some solid three point shooting. Rakim Sanders also returns as a double figure scorer. He has the size at big guard that Skinner loves and uses that size well to play effectively in the lane. These two will be counted on to elevate their offensive game with the departure of Rice. Biko Paris should take over the primary ball handling responsibilities and should step up to be a vocal leader as well. The staff is very excited about Reggie Jackson. He showed signs of greatness last year and could have a breakout year. Inside, Josh Southern gave his team solid minutes and looks to improve in the Flex offense. Skinner also thinks that Evan Ravenel can blossom this year after limited minutes last season.

The interesting thing about this year’s Eagles team is that there are no freshmen. This was done by design as the team has six juniors returning so the staff decided to save scholarships for next year’s class. That should make it easier for this group to gel early in the season.

The key will be how this group comes together without Rice. He dominated the ball and there was a tendency to stand and watch him. They must find other people to make plays and free throws down the stretch. BC invariably plays close games so step up guys must show up. No team is harder to prepare for than BC because of their unorthodox offense. Some years it takes Skinner’s teams a while to gel completely. The schedule dictates this group must come together quickly as they are challenged by an early three-game run versus Providence and Michigan on the road followed by their ACC opener against Miami at home. If the bigs step up their game and they identify go to players, this could be a very dangerous team.

–Mike Gminski

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Winners Announced for the Raycom Sports’ “Race to Win a $250 Shopping Spree” Comment Contest

November 18th, 2009 by admin

The winners are in!  These 2 lucky people commented on the Raycom Sports Team Blogs and are cashing in.  Drum roll please…

The Grand Prize Winner of a $250 Shopping Spree from Original Retro Brand goes to “Pablo”.

The 1st Runner Up Prize of a $100 Shopping Spree from Original Retro Brand goes to “Sebastian”.

Congratulations, and thanks for being a part of the Raycom Sports Blog Network!

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