Boston College men’s basketball entered the 2018-19 season having just reached the postseason for the first time in seven years and produced its first-ever NBA Lottery pick in Jerome Robinson. The Eagles were returning four starters, including All-ACC Honorable Mention Ky Bowman and Jordan Chatman—one of the conference’s most lethal 3-point shooters—in addition to welcoming the team’s first ESPN 100 recruit in 16 years, Jairus Hamilton. Factor in three-star guard Wynston Tabbs, and BC had everything it needed to take the next step in its return to Power Five relevance.
Well, that was the assumption. Even when the Eagles were healthy, they lost to the likes of IUPUI and Hartford, and when the injury bug rapidly spread, what once looked like a potential NCAA Tournament program spiraled into a bottom-tier ACC team—a far cry from last year’s group that upset then-No. 1 Duke, reached the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, and clinched an NIT berth. BC dropped all four of its overtime games, blew 10 second-half leads, and posted a meager 3-4 record against ACC opponents with a sub-.500 conference record. While there were some high points along the way, the season ended on a sour four-game losing streak—perhaps a reminder that, even with two NBA prospects on hand, BC hasn’t cracked the ACC cellar.
Best Moment: Upsetting Then-No. 11 FSU to Finally Enter ACC Win Column
In 2017-18, the Eagles won seven games in league action, their most ACC victories in five years. So when they started out 0-4 in conference play this season, BC fans couldn’t help but wonder when the team was going to turn it around. It appeared as if the wait was finally over as soon as the Eagles upset then-No. 11 Florida State on Jan. 20, 87-82. While the win—BC’s only victory over a ranked opponent in 2018-19—ultimately didn’t change the scope of the season, it certainly was inspiring for a program in desperate need of a pick-me-up. Not only that, but it looks better by the day, considering that FSU is currently amid another NCAA Tournament run.
For just the second time all year, Bowman and Chatman each hit two or more 3-pointers in the same game—in fact, they shattered that mark, combining for 11 of the team’s season-high 13 triples. Wynston Tabbs was the only other Eagle to knock down a shot from long range. His second 3-pointer served as the dagger, capping an impressive BC comeback that shaved 10 points in the second half of play, en route to the biggest win of the season.
Worst Moment: Losing to 14th-Seeded Pittsburgh in the First Round of the ACC Tourney
When North Carolina State handed the Eagles a 73-47 loss in the regular season finale, BC’s lowest scoring output since Feb. 6, 2016, it seemed like head coach Jim Christian’s team had hit rock bottom. Then, just three days later, the Eagles found themselves down 27 points to 14th-seeded Pittsburgh in the first round of the ACC Tournament. To put that in perspective, the Panthers had lost 13 of their last 14 games, including a 66-57 decision against an ailing BC team that was without Nik Popovic, and had only won three conference contests over the course of the 2018-19 campaign
No Eagle eclipsed the seven-point mark in the opening frame, as BC shot an abysmal 25 percent from the field in the first half. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh’s blossoming backcourt duo of freshmen Xavier Johnson and Trey McGowens took turns embarrassing the Eagles’ defense. Eventually, BC established somewhat of a rhythm, making the final score look respectable. But Bowman, who finished 3-of-10 from the floor, never got in sync and, despite leading the nation in minutes per game, ended what could very well be his last game in an Eagles uniform on the bench, looking on in dismay.
Most Valuable Player: Ky Bowman
On any given night, Ky Bowman is capable of posting a triple-double. After all, he was the only player in the ACC to rank in the top 10 in scoring (fourth), rebounding (10th), and assists (ninth) this season. He averaged 19.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 39.3 minutes per game—the highest usage rate in the country, according to KenPom. Without Robinson, Bowman was the life and blood of the Eagles’ offense. That said, it became clearer and clearer as the season progressed that he couldn’t do it all on his own. When Tabbs went down with his left knee injury, Bowman’s stats started to slide, and so did BC. In the 16 games without Tabbs on the court, Bowman shot just 35.1 percent from the field—11.1 percent worse than his 46.2 percent Tabbs-inclusive clip.
Most Improved Player: Nik Popovic
Last year, Nik Popovic doubled his playing time and bumped his scoring average up from 6.6 to 9.9 points per game, earning our Most Improved Player award at the season’s end. In 2018-19, he made an even bigger jump. The junior averaged about three more minutes on the floor but tacked on 4.6 more points to his scoring average, transforming into one of the ACC’s better centers in the process. Popovic was the Eagles’ most efficient high-volume scorer this season. While averaging 14.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, he shot 52.6 percent from the field, a career best. Down the stretch of the season, he often teamed up with Bowman to carry the Eagles’ offense. Popovic closed the final 14 games of the season averaging 15.1 points per game, recording 20 or more points four times in that span.
Rookie of the Year: Wynston Tabbs
All the talk surrounded Jairus Hamilton this summer, and rightfully so—he was BC’s most coveted recruit since Craig Smith. Yet at the end of the day, he wasn’t in the season-opening starting rotation, Tabbs was. It only took him 31 minutes of action to show everyone in Conte Forum why: The freshman guard shot 6-of-11 and logged 16 points in his collegiate debut against Milwaukee, starting what became a highly intriguing first half of the season. Following the Fort Myers Tip-Off Tournament, Tabbs averaged 20.2 points per game in the next five games, earning ACC Rookie of the Week honors as a result. Unfortunately for BC, a left knee injury spoiled his ACC All-Freshman Team campaign and, to some degree, the Eagles’ season.
Top Three Plays of the Year:
1) Bowman Sinks Game-Winning 3-Pointer at Wake Forest
With under 20 seconds remaining in regulation, four seconds left on the shot clock, and the game tied at 61 points apiece, Bowman was double-teamed by Chaundee Brown and Olivier Sarr. The star point guard faked a pass, bent around Brown, and launched an off-balanced 3-pointer to beat the shot clock and, in effect, the Demon Deacons.
2) Steffon Mitchell Does His Best Steph Curry Impression at Cameron Indoor Stadium
Trailing then-No. 2 Duke in Durham, N.C., Bowman pushed the ball up the court in transition, drawing both Tre Jones and Cam Reddish before dishing a bounce pass to Steffon Mitchell. The sophomore forward—known for everything but scoring—elevated with his left foot and spun 180 degrees to evade Reddish and promptly threw up a circus-like layup that kissed off the top of the glass and fell through the net for an improbable two points.
3) Jared Hamilton Uses Emphatic Two-Handed Dunk to Tie the Irish in Holy War Finale
On the break, Jordan Chatman delivered a bounce pass to Jared Hamilton. The junior transfer—who recorded a season-high 17 points in the loss to Notre Dame—had a few steps on Prentiss Hubb and made the most of the opportunity. Hamilton caught the ball just outside the paint and immediately rose up for a powerful two-handed flush, which tied the game for the first time since the midway point of the first half and culminated in a celebratory roar.
Season Storylines:
1) Overtime Woes
In 2017-18, BC was 7-4 in games that were decided by six or less points and 2-1 in overtime contests. If the Eagles duplicated that kind of performance this season, they could have very well found themselves back in the NIT. Instead, Christian and Co. went 4-6 and 0-4 in the aforementioned categories. BC’s four overtime defeats were particularly concerning, given that the Eagles were outscored, 50-32, in the extra frame. BC never surpassed the 10-point mark in the added five minutes and conceded an average of 12.5 points. As was the case against N.C. State and Georgia Tech, the Eagles stitched together inspiring second-half comebacks before ultimately collapsing in overtime.
2) Injury Bug
Unlike the season prior, the Eagles had depth in 2018-19—on paper, that is. Much like its Holy War rival Notre Dame, BC was badly bitten by the injury bug. Tabbs missed 16 games, Chatman and Mitchell sat out four contests, and Popovic was sidelined three times. All in all, the Eagles walked out 13 different starting lineups over the course of the season, including four in the span of six games. Players like Chris Herren Jr. and Jared Hamilton, who were expected to contribute off the bench, were thrown into the rotation, and the results were mixed at best. Because many of the injuries didn’t overlap, they can’t be linked directly the Eagles’ decline, but they certainly didn’t help a program that’s ranked outside the top 200 in bench minutes in four of Christian’s five years at the helm—the other being 2015-16 when two-thirds of the team were infected with norovirus.
3) Hot Seat
Christian signing a two-year extension through the 2021-22 season last April seems like a distant memory. During the back half of the 2018-19 campaign, BC fans relentlessly debated whether not the the fifth-year head coach should be fired. ESPN’s Jeff Goodman even got in on the “fun,” noting that former Director of Athletics Brad Bates had interviewed Mike Hopkins—now with Pac-12 regular season champion Washington—but instead elected to hire Christian, who, since coming to BC, is 18-72 in ACC play and a horrid 6-45 on the road. Although Christian’s first three years at BC were a wash, and understandably so, the past two seasons, 2018-19 in particular, have raised major concerns, despite overall improvement. Bad non-conference losses, nail-biting ACC defeats, and defensive breakdowns have haunted the Eagles to no end. For the moment, though, Christian is safe.
What’s Next?
Last week, Yahoo! Sports’ Pete Thamel reported that, according to sources, Christian will return next season. Thamel’s tweet read that BC plans “to commit additional resources, support staff and provide overall program enhancements.” While vague, the report—which has yet to be confirmed by BC—seems credible, especially after the school stuck with head football coach Steve Addazio this past winter. With or without Christian, BC could be staring at another rebuild in the making. If Bowman leaves for the NBA, as he hinted on Twitter late in the season, the Eagles—coupled with the departure of Chatman—will lose 45.5 percent of their scoring output. On the bright side, Popovic is looking more and more like a premier ACC center, and BC has another star growing in its backcourt in Tabbs. If Jairus Hamilton plays to his potential, and the rest of the Eagles’ pieces come together, only then will Christian have a chance to repair what appears to be a program hovering between mediocrity and embarrassment.
Featured Image by Celine Lim / Heights Editor
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