2009-10 Men's Basketball Season Preview
November 11, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 11, 2009
BOSTON - The one word heard most often over the past year’s election cycle was Change. Certainly, that word applies to the Boston University men’s basketball team, as it begins a new era in its 101st season under head coach Patrick Chambers. Chambers comes to Boston University after a successful five-year stretch at Villanova University, which included a trip to last season’s Final Four. From his first press conference on April 8, he has promised to bring a new attitude to this program while elevating it to the next level.
Chambers inherits a veteran team of eight seniors, including four returning starters. He is hoping that experience will help the team improve upon last year’s 17-13 (11-5 America East) squad that finished third in conference play. He is not the only one who has noticed BU’s potential, as the Terriers were a unanimous pick to finish first in the America East coaches’ poll.
“It’s exciting to be able to work with eight seniors and help them cross the finish line in getting their degree at a great academic institution and also make their final year with the team a memorable one,” Chambers said. “They’ve experienced a lot of adversity with injuries the last couple of years and changing to a new coach, but they’ve continued to stay focused. I look forward to helping them accomplish their goals.”
STAFF
Helping Chambers guide the team this year will be a very familiar face and two new ones. Brockton native Orlando Vandross returns for his 13th season on the BU coaching staff and third as associate head coach. He helped play an instrumental role in the Terriers reaching the postseason four consecutive seasons between 2002-05, including a spot in the 2002 NCAA tournament. Joining him will be Philadelphia native, Brian Daly, who most recently was the head coach at Monsignor Bonner H.S. in Drexel Hill, Pa. and former Villanova letterman Ross Condon, who went to the NCAAs with Radford University as the director of basketball operations in 2009.
“I‘m excited about my staff and I’m confident there isn’t a harder working group in the country,” stated Chambers. “I’m glad Orlando Vandross decided to stay with us at Boston University. His experience and knowledge of the America East conference will be a major help to all of us this season. I know he will have his chance to run his own program sometime soon. I have known Brian Daly for almost twenty-five years, and I am thrilled he has joined my staff. Brian is a former Division I player and tireless worker whose great personality will help immensely on the recruiting trail, especially with his deep roots in the Philadelphia area. I had the opportunity to coach Ross Condon at Villanova, and I am happy he decided to leave Radford University to come to Boston. Ross is a young, energetic coach who knows the style of play I want to implement and what it takes to succeed in this system.”
Adam Fisher also joins the staff as the new director of basketball operations after serving as a graduate assistant at Villanova for the past two seasons.
“Adam helped me immensely the last two years while we were at Villanova,” said Chambers. “I have the highest level of confidence that he will do a great job helping run our program.”
SCHEDULE
With the return of the top six scorers, Chambers has scheduled a challenging slate of non-conference games that includes at least five postseason teams from last season and an invite to the third annual ESPN O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off, the program’s first trip outside the United States since the 1996-97 season when the team played East Carolina in Nova Scotia.
“The schedule presents great challenges and excitement,” commented Chambers. “The non-conference games will prepare our team for a very competitive America East conference. I am especially looking forward to giving the team the opportunity to travel to Puerto Rico to play in a premier tournament against some of the best teams in the country.”
The entire 13-home game schedule boasts six in BU’s Agganis Arena with a record four conference games taking place in the 7,200-seat facility.
“We are so lucky to have two home courts located on our campus,” he said. “I don’t know of many programs that have that advantage. We are looking forward to kicking off the season in Agganis Arena and having Terrier Nation provide us with one of the most energized home courts in the America East.”
After beginning the regular season at Iona on Friday, Nov. 13, the Terriers open Agganis with the first of two scheduled Atlantic 10 opponents in George Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 17, followed later by a trip to Dayton. They will also have match-ups in Case Gym against 2008 Northeast Conference champion and 2009 runner-up Mount St. Mary’s along with continued cross-town rivalries against Northeastern and Harvard. Besides having the opportunity to play Big 12 power Kansas State in San Juan and possibly storied programs like Indiana and Villanova, BU’s crown jewel on the schedule will be Big East powerhouse Connecticut.
The meeting against the Huskies marks BU’s first game against an opponent from the previous season’s Final Four since the 1993-94 season when the team visited Michigan. BU basketball fans will be excited to see the Terriers’ first meeting against UConn since a preseason NIT contest in 1997. The two teams were former members of the Yankee Conference during the 1970s and have faced off twice in the NCAA tournament with the Terriers winning a first round meeting in 1959.
The schedule will help prepare BU for an annually difficult league season that features two teams that reached the postseason last year in defending AE champion Binghamton and College Basketball Invitational (CBI) quarterfinalist Vermont. Last season, the conference recorded an RPI ranking of 17, a 10-spot improvement from the previous year and the fourth-best finish in league history.
“The America East is always such a deep conference,” Chambers said. “I am honored to have the opportunity to be a part of the great tradition and history. There have been so many great coaches and players who have been part of this league. Our team knows that we must be ready for a battle every night, and that to be successful, you must play hard every possession.”
BACKCOURT
Featuring two 2009 All-America East First Team honorees in Corey Lowe and John Holland and 2007 AE Rookie of the Year Tyler Morris, the Terriers’ most dangerous weapon is its backcourt. With only four men over 6-7 on the active roster, the Terriers will expect to create the most havoc through their guard play. Having another scorer capable of posting 30 points in Carlos Strong gives Chambers a wide range of options and the chance to implement a new up-tempo style of play.
Leading the way for the Terriers will be senior co-captain Lowe, a 6-2 guard who currently ranks 10th all-time in the BU record book with 1,334 points. Whether he’s driving the length of the court to make last-second baskets or draining deep treys, he’s a threat who can score from all angles. Last year with the season-ending injury to Morris, he moved from shooting guard to the point and finished the year with personal bests in points (498), assists (120) and rebounds (117).
“Corey is a talented young man who I will ask a lot of this year,” Chambers said. “He must use his experiences over the past three years to become a BU guard - someone who not only scores, but defends, rebounds and does it all for his teammates. I am confident Corey can do all of these and become a leader on this team.”
On Lowe’s wing will be 6-5 guard/forward combo Holland, a 2008 AE Rookie of the Year who became the first player since BU Hall of Famer Tunji Awojobi in 1997 to score at least 500 points in a season with 538. He along with Lowe combined for 1,036 points last year, the most by two players since 1995 when Awojobi (658) and 1995 AE Rookie of the Year Raja Bell (421) tallied 1,079 together. Previously named to the All-Defensive team in 2008, he continued to be a defensive force as a sophomore, finishing fourth in the conference in steals (1.8 spg) and 10th in rebounding (5.6 rpg).
“John is a gifted scorer who has really learned how to use his offensive tools to mix in all aspects of his game,” commented Chambers. “He must continue to show effort on the defensive end, using his length and athletic ability to get in passing lanes for steals and crash the boards for rebounds.”
Named All-Conference Second Team in 2007, Morris missed the first nine games as a sophomore due to an offseason ankle injury and had a difficult time finding his form that year. Last season, he started the first six games averaging 3.8 ppg but found his groove in the following six, averaging 10.2 ppg, before tearing his ACL during a practice session. A 6-2 senior co-captain, he’s fully recovered and will be expected to be back at the point bringing up the ball against pressure defenses.
“I am so proud of Tyler for working hard to get back on the court,” Chambers explained. “He has been through a lot of adversity over his career, but he has continued to keep a great attitude and has battled back every time. Tyler is our most vocal player, and I will look for him to use that leadership as our point guard.”
Tearing his meniscus in the 12th game last season against Holy Cross, Strong, like Morris, has fully recovered and will be a valuable asset in Chambers’ arsenal. Having scored as many as 30 points in a contest, the 6-3 guard brings plenty of experience with 25 starts in 68 career games. A deep offensive threat, he holds the school record for most 3-pointers made in a game with eight and has the ability to be a strong rebounder as well. Last year at Mount St. Mary’s, he led BU in both points (18) and rebounds (6) before tying a career high in rebounds with seven against Marshall.
“Carlos is another talented scorer who has proven that on any night he can put up some big numbers,” Chambers said. “I have challenged Carlos to become a complete player, a BU guard. I know with Carlos being a tough competitor that he will respond. He is another senior who has stepped up as a vocal leader in the locker room.”
Providing minutes off the bench will be Sherrod Smith, who appeared in 10 games last year and had an impressive performance against Hartford where he contributed five points in 16 minutes in an overtime victory. He’s joined by fellow walk-on seniors Tunde Agboola and Michael Schulze, both of whom are essential members of the team and provide more depth in the backcourt.
“Sherrod is another senior guard we will definitely look to give us some quality minutes.” Chambers explained. “He is a lefty who can get to the rim and finish. Tunde and Mike are two more seniors who have done everything that has been asked of them from day one. They are outstanding young men and excellent students who will provide us with energy and toughness everyday we get on the floor.”
FRONTCOURT
While the focus of fans will be on the flashiness of the backcourt, their counterparts under the basket may end up playing the biggest factor in deciding whether the Terriers achieve their goals this year. Last year, the Terriers allowed opponents to score 66.3 ppg, the highest average (67.8 ppg) since the 2000-01 season. A reason for the increase in offensive output was the disparity in rebounding. The BU coaching staff has worked hard this offseason to instill a toughness within the group that will improve the defensive tenacity.
Since arriving on campus, 6-9 senior co-captain Scott Brittain has started 74 games and also previously represented Canada in the FIBA U-23 World Championships. For the third consecutive year last season, he finished in the top two on the team in rebounding at 4.9 rpg. He missed the first two games due to suffering a concussion in a fall practice, but by conference play, he was back on track, averaging 11.1 ppg and 6.1 rpg against league opponents. Brittain is currently four rebounds shy of reaching 500 in his career.
“Scott is another senior who has stepped up as a leader,” said Chambers. “He has done all the little things throughout his career that makes his team win, and I will expect the same. He is one of our best rebounders and will have to continue to give the same effort down low every night to make this team successful.”
Setting a school record for minutes played (1,043) by a freshman after starting in 29 of 30 games, Jake O’Brien presents every opponent with a difficult decision of how to defend the 6-8, 220-pound forward who can score from anywhere on the court. Named 2009 America East Rookie of the Year, he led all freshmen in scoring (12.6 ppg), while finishing in the top 10 in blocks per game (1.0 bpg) and free throw percentage (.772) among the entire conference. In the final 16 games, he totaled over 10 points 15 times and recorded a season-high 25 at UMBC. For his second year, the coaches want to see him take his interior play to the next level on both ends of the court.
“Jake may have had one of the best freshman years ever for a Terrier, and we are excited about his future,” said Chambers. “I have challenged him to do more for this team. Being such a versatile player at 6-8, I want him to mix it up down low on offense, rebound the basketball and be a tough defender.”
Valdas Sirutis, a 6-7 senior forward from Lithuania, presents another post option off the bench for the Terriers. He’s appeared in 72 games and has totaled over 100 rebounds the last three seasons. Last year against Harvard, he played a valuable 11 minutes of action when others were in foul trouble and hit a key 3-pointer that sparked a run against the Crimson.
“Valdas is yet another senior who will be asked to help lead this team this season,” commented Chambers. “He is another forward who provides great versatility in being able to step behind the three-point line. Valdas has proven to me that he is into his teammates and will do anything that is asked of him to make sure this team reaches its potential.”
A 6-9, 240-pound center, Jeff Pelage appeared in 26 games as a freshman and had six games with at least five boards. Against Maine in February, he tallied his first career double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds after posting nine points and eight rebounds in the previous game against Iona. He’s a physical presence that few teams have in the America East, and Chambers hopes to be able to use him even more in his sophomore year.
“Jeff provides us a big-body that can bang down low,” said Chambers. “He brings toughness to the floor and could be one of our better rebounders. Jeff has done a remarkable job in the offseason getting in better physical shape, and I hope he can use his new physique this season in sprinting the floor and dominating the paint.”
NEWCOMERS
With the Terriers being in the unique situation of having eight seniors, the coaching staff had the opportunity to bring in only one player for the Class of 2013. A 6-3 point guard, B.J. Bailey, is a McDonald’s All-America nominee out of New Jersey who earned Atlantic City Press Player of the Year honors after averaging 17.6 points per game for Holy Spirit.
“B.J. was a standout player at Holy Spirit, and we are glad he chose to come to BU,” said Chambers. “He is in a unique situation being the only freshman on a senior-laden team. I hope B.J. will be able to learn from the upperclassmen what it takes to play BU basketball. We expect great things from B.J. during his collegiate career.”
Still, Chambers made sure he wouldn’t have to focus on rebuilding next year by bringing in three junior transfers who will have to sit out this year but will have the chance to practice and learn the new system. Matt Griffin, a 5-10 guard, joins BU from Rider, while 6-6 guard Darryl Partin and 6-6, 220-pound forward Patrick Hazel come from LaSalle and Marquette, respectively.
“Transfers are sometimes looked upon as if there is something wrong with the player, but I can ensure you this was not the case for any of these three young men,” explained Chambers. “They all are character kids and good students from great academic institutions who made the decision to come to BU because of their desire to become better basketball players.
“Patrick was Marquette’s third-leading shot blocker and will bring a level of toughness from the Big East that will help this team get better everyday in practice,” he added. “Darryl is a dynamic scorer, who scored 30 points against UMass last year while at LaSalle. It will be a challenge each day for our guys to have to defend him. Matt was chosen team captain at Rider as a sophomore, which in itself speaks of the type of leadership qualities he brings to our program as a point guard. I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to coach all three of these guys in the future.”
