Pilchard
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 3, 2011
- Messages
- 17,192
- Reaction score
- 6,471
NOTE: THE UPDATED SCOUTING REPORT FOR BC IS ON PAGE 10 OF THIS THREAD
After a successful first 6 weeks of the season, the Deacs play only conference games for the rest of the regular season. First up: the BC Eagles fly into the Joel Wednesday night for WF's first conference home game of the season. It's a matchup of two teams sitting at 1-0 in conference; so, technically the game is for early conference supremacy. Here is the report on the Eagles, and their coach:
BC Coach Earl Grant: Earl Grant and Steve Forbes share Gregg Marshall as a significant mentor. During his dominant run at Winthrop, Marshall hired Grant as a 27 year-old Citadel assistant. Grant worked under Marshall for 3 seasons at Winthrop, and then Grant followed Marshall to Wichita State for three more seasons (2007 to 2010), before Grant returned to his home state to work under Brad Brownell at Clemson. After serving as Brownell's top assistant for 4 years, Charleston hired Grant as head coach in 2014. Grant impressively rebuilt the Cougars program before tailing off over his last two seasons; his year by year record at Charleston:
- 2014-5: 9-24
- 2015-6: 17-14
- 2016-7: 25-10 (NIT) CAA COY
- 2017-8: 26-8 (NCAA)
- 2018-9: 24-9
- 2019-20: 17-14
- 2020-21 9-10
Grant's Charleston teams played SLOW, valuing every possession: in his his 8 years as a HC at Charleston and BC, Grant's team ranked in the bottom of quarter in the nation in pace each year. Last year's Charleston's team ranked #345 in tempo. This year's BC team is #328 in tempo (WF is #1 in the ACC in tempo - guess Grant and Forbes developed differing coaching tendencies, despite sharing a mentor). As detailed below, Grant is off to a 6-5 start at BC.
2021-22 Eagles: BC heads to W-S with a 6-5 (1-0) record and #126 ranking. KP projects BC to finish the regular season with a 12-18 (7-13) record. To date, BC has one top 100 win - a dominating 73-57 over #54 ND, and one horrible loss - an inexplicable 61-57 home loss to #307 Albany (BC's last game). Otherwise, BC essentially beat all of the bad teams on their schedule, and lost to all of the good teams on their schedule. Largely as the result of their style of play, all of BC's 5 losses have been reasonably close (margin of loss: 8, 7, 6, 11, 4). BC is a mediocre offensive (#125) and defensive (#139) team. On offense, the Eagles' strengths are: offensive rebounding (#52), getting to the line (#47 in FTA per FGA) and shooting the 3 (35% - #88). Even though BC makes a solid percentage of 3s, BC doesn't shoot many (last in the ACC in 3 point FGA per overall FGA) as most of BC's offense comes from two point shots and FTs. On defense, BC doesn't allow teams to run (4th in the ACC in length of defensive possessions), rebound missed shots (#8 in preventing offensive boards) and doesn't foul (#60 in opponent FTA per FGA). Essentially, BC gets back on D, doesn't give up easy baskets and forces the opponent to make the one shot that they get on each offensive possession. A solid defensive strategy that Grant's teams have consistently followed.
Roster:
Starters - Last time out BC started:
G 6-2 Jaeden Zachary Fr.: JUCO (Chipola) transfer with 4 years of eligibility because of a COVID year; started all 11 of BC's games; high scorer in the loss to Albany; 50% from 3; 2nd in minutes and assists
G 6-3 Makai Ashton-Langford Sr.: played two years at Providence; started every game of his BC career; 2nd in scoring 11 ppg; first in assists; scored in double figures in 9 of BC's 11 games
G/F 6-5 DeMarr Langford So.: Makai's younger brother; leading scorer (12 ppg); 2nd leading rebounder; doesn't shoot the 3 (1 for 3 on the season)
F 6-9 TJ Bickerstaff Jr: Drexel transfer; 44% from 3; leading rebounder -- 8 rpg; coming off an awful game at BC (1 point; 0 for 3 from the field)
C 6-9 James Karnick Sr.: Lehigh transfer; 43% from 3; 58% from 2; had the game of his life in the ND upset: 17 points 13 boards
Bench:
C 7-0 Quinten Post Jr.: Mississippi State transfer; from the Netherlands; leads in blocks; started two games; 13 points against Albany
G 6-4 Kayne Jones Fr.: scored 12 points in the opener against Dartmouth; has scored 17 points total in the last 10 games; struggling from the field: 23% from 3; 25% from 2;
Note: G Brevin Galloway who was one of the top players for Grant at Charleston, and he followed his coach from Charleston to BC and was projected to play a major role for the Eagles. Galloway recently had knee surgery and is out until January; also reserve G/F Frederick Scott has also missed BC's last 4 games. BC has major depth issues right now as they played 7 in the Eagles recent loss to Albany.
Projection: KP projects a 73-65 WF win in 68 possessions. This game will be a battle of tempo. WF will want to run; BC will want to slow dance. WF has the size, skill and talent edge; so, the more possessions the better for the Deacs. If social media is to be believed, Jake LaRavia will be back for Wednesday's games, and he is a bad match up for the Eagles. The Deacs missed LaRavia against VMI and Charlotte, but still found ways to win. With LaRavia back, WF should win this game. The margin may be another story as BC hasn't been blown out all year, and 8 points is a lot against a team that limits possessions like BC. Would shade WF if the line is 7.5 or below and the under if the total is 138 or higher, but hard to be super confident in projecting how the game will be played when either team could lose a player (or multiple players) to COVID at any point. Let's get this win and head into Christmas healthy and at the top of the ACC.
After a successful first 6 weeks of the season, the Deacs play only conference games for the rest of the regular season. First up: the BC Eagles fly into the Joel Wednesday night for WF's first conference home game of the season. It's a matchup of two teams sitting at 1-0 in conference; so, technically the game is for early conference supremacy. Here is the report on the Eagles, and their coach:
BC Coach Earl Grant: Earl Grant and Steve Forbes share Gregg Marshall as a significant mentor. During his dominant run at Winthrop, Marshall hired Grant as a 27 year-old Citadel assistant. Grant worked under Marshall for 3 seasons at Winthrop, and then Grant followed Marshall to Wichita State for three more seasons (2007 to 2010), before Grant returned to his home state to work under Brad Brownell at Clemson. After serving as Brownell's top assistant for 4 years, Charleston hired Grant as head coach in 2014. Grant impressively rebuilt the Cougars program before tailing off over his last two seasons; his year by year record at Charleston:
- 2014-5: 9-24
- 2015-6: 17-14
- 2016-7: 25-10 (NIT) CAA COY
- 2017-8: 26-8 (NCAA)
- 2018-9: 24-9
- 2019-20: 17-14
- 2020-21 9-10
Grant's Charleston teams played SLOW, valuing every possession: in his his 8 years as a HC at Charleston and BC, Grant's team ranked in the bottom of quarter in the nation in pace each year. Last year's Charleston's team ranked #345 in tempo. This year's BC team is #328 in tempo (WF is #1 in the ACC in tempo - guess Grant and Forbes developed differing coaching tendencies, despite sharing a mentor). As detailed below, Grant is off to a 6-5 start at BC.
2021-22 Eagles: BC heads to W-S with a 6-5 (1-0) record and #126 ranking. KP projects BC to finish the regular season with a 12-18 (7-13) record. To date, BC has one top 100 win - a dominating 73-57 over #54 ND, and one horrible loss - an inexplicable 61-57 home loss to #307 Albany (BC's last game). Otherwise, BC essentially beat all of the bad teams on their schedule, and lost to all of the good teams on their schedule. Largely as the result of their style of play, all of BC's 5 losses have been reasonably close (margin of loss: 8, 7, 6, 11, 4). BC is a mediocre offensive (#125) and defensive (#139) team. On offense, the Eagles' strengths are: offensive rebounding (#52), getting to the line (#47 in FTA per FGA) and shooting the 3 (35% - #88). Even though BC makes a solid percentage of 3s, BC doesn't shoot many (last in the ACC in 3 point FGA per overall FGA) as most of BC's offense comes from two point shots and FTs. On defense, BC doesn't allow teams to run (4th in the ACC in length of defensive possessions), rebound missed shots (#8 in preventing offensive boards) and doesn't foul (#60 in opponent FTA per FGA). Essentially, BC gets back on D, doesn't give up easy baskets and forces the opponent to make the one shot that they get on each offensive possession. A solid defensive strategy that Grant's teams have consistently followed.
Roster:
Starters - Last time out BC started:
G 6-2 Jaeden Zachary Fr.: JUCO (Chipola) transfer with 4 years of eligibility because of a COVID year; started all 11 of BC's games; high scorer in the loss to Albany; 50% from 3; 2nd in minutes and assists
G 6-3 Makai Ashton-Langford Sr.: played two years at Providence; started every game of his BC career; 2nd in scoring 11 ppg; first in assists; scored in double figures in 9 of BC's 11 games
G/F 6-5 DeMarr Langford So.: Makai's younger brother; leading scorer (12 ppg); 2nd leading rebounder; doesn't shoot the 3 (1 for 3 on the season)
F 6-9 TJ Bickerstaff Jr: Drexel transfer; 44% from 3; leading rebounder -- 8 rpg; coming off an awful game at BC (1 point; 0 for 3 from the field)
C 6-9 James Karnick Sr.: Lehigh transfer; 43% from 3; 58% from 2; had the game of his life in the ND upset: 17 points 13 boards
Bench:
C 7-0 Quinten Post Jr.: Mississippi State transfer; from the Netherlands; leads in blocks; started two games; 13 points against Albany
G 6-4 Kayne Jones Fr.: scored 12 points in the opener against Dartmouth; has scored 17 points total in the last 10 games; struggling from the field: 23% from 3; 25% from 2;
Note: G Brevin Galloway who was one of the top players for Grant at Charleston, and he followed his coach from Charleston to BC and was projected to play a major role for the Eagles. Galloway recently had knee surgery and is out until January; also reserve G/F Frederick Scott has also missed BC's last 4 games. BC has major depth issues right now as they played 7 in the Eagles recent loss to Albany.
Projection: KP projects a 73-65 WF win in 68 possessions. This game will be a battle of tempo. WF will want to run; BC will want to slow dance. WF has the size, skill and talent edge; so, the more possessions the better for the Deacs. If social media is to be believed, Jake LaRavia will be back for Wednesday's games, and he is a bad match up for the Eagles. The Deacs missed LaRavia against VMI and Charlotte, but still found ways to win. With LaRavia back, WF should win this game. The margin may be another story as BC hasn't been blown out all year, and 8 points is a lot against a team that limits possessions like BC. Would shade WF if the line is 7.5 or below and the under if the total is 138 or higher, but hard to be super confident in projecting how the game will be played when either team could lose a player (or multiple players) to COVID at any point. Let's get this win and head into Christmas healthy and at the top of the ACC.
Last edited: