Roche, Paris to captain Eagles hoops

By Julian Benbow, Globe Staff

The obvious question for the Boston College men’s basketball team going into the 2009-2010 season was who would fill the leadership role left by guard Tyrese Rice.

Head coach Al Skinner announced his captains yesterday, tapping senior forward Tyler Roche and junior guard Biko Paris.

Neither player was a starter a year ago, but they’re both two of the most well-liked players on the team, and in Paris' case his skills as a pure-point guard were always highly-regarded by the coaching staff.

Paris averaged 3.4 points and 1.7 assists in 34 games last season, shining brightest in when he scored a season-high 15-points against Duke in the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament. Several times throughout the season Paris would run the point while Rice was on the floor. He and sophomore guard Reggie Jackson developed an instant chemistry and could likely see a lot of minutes in the back court together.

Tyler Roche, the only senior on the roster, averaged 3.5 points and 1.5 rebounds a year ago. He and Josh Southern were the Coaches Award winners a year ago, earning the honor for their intangibles. After seeing Roche score 15 points in against South Carolina-Upstate last December after he had waiting patiently on the bench for much of the Eagles first eight games, Skinner praised Roche, saying, "You're talking about a guy that's started for this program. He could have been a little upset. He probably was. He could have quit, too. But he didn't."

The Eagles, who went 22-12 a year ago falling to Southern Cal in the first round of the NCAA tournament, open the season Nov. 13 against Dartmouth.