This group worthy of praise, ranking
When the student body pours onto the floor and your ears are ringing as you walk to the work room, you know something good has happened.
Well, the kids poured and the ears rang at Conte Forum last night. It was a joyous night at The Heights, as the sixth-ranked Boston College Eagles answered the challenge of the ninth-ranked Syracuse Orange, walking off with a 65-60 decision in what was merely the most anticipated regular-season BC home game in 38 years.
Seriously.
Not since BC knocked off the Jimmy Walker-led Providence Friars Feb. 18, 1967, has there been a game with this kind of interest. Nope, not even those great Georgetown teams created this type of hoop fervor in Chestnut Hill, because none of those Hoya squads played a BC team owning such an exalted ranking, and you can be sure none of them were playing for a potential No. 2 (or better) NCAA Tournament seed. This was BC's chance to demonstrate the ranking was for real, and this was the BC student body's chance to show they appreciate the superb team Al Skinner and his staff have given them.
"They were out there two hours before the game, cheering for us as we entered the building," marveled Jermaine Watson, whose closing free throws gave him the nightly Keith Foulke Award. "They rushed into the place when the doors opened. This was the definition of college basketball, and it was fun to finally be a part of that."
Of course, you ask yourself, if people aren't going to get aroused about this team, what's it going to take? Will Teddy Sarandis have to immolate himself at midcourt in order to alert people to the fact that Boston College is one of the great spectating treats in the country, and never mind the ranking. First, sixth, 16th, or whatever, BC is an exemplary basketball team, one that truly thinks and plays as a team.
There are a few better teams, but there is no team that functions quite like this one. Take, for example, the starting center, Nate Doornekamp, a 7-foot senior from Odessa, Ontario. "When you get your `5' man with six assists," mused Skinner, "that says a lot about the quality of your team."
Like so many modern big men, Doornekamp has no inside game to speak of. He'll get his rebounds (eight last night), but the way he makes the best use of his size is as a passer. He has excellent floor vision and he has creativity. He doesn't miss cutters, whether they are slashing down the lane or skulking on the baseline. It is a major BC weapon. He was the key man as BC opened the second half with a 12-2 run that turned a 29-27 halftime deficit into a 39-31 lead that forced the visitors into a catch-up posture for the remainder of the game. His fast-break trailer 3-pointer put BC ahead to stay at 32-29. He then found both Jared Dudley and Sean Marshall for layups against the vaunted Syracuse 2-3 zone. He has been making these kind of subtle contributions all season long.
It was, truth be told, a classic 2004-05 BC triumph, because the team's two star players acted like star players and everyone else did something to help. The one big twist was that one of the supplemental players was forced into a primary role, and, of course, he came through.
That would be backup point guard Steve Hailey, the sophomore from Boston and Worcester Academy who was brought into the game with 11:58 remaining when starter Louis Hinnant had to leave after picking up a fourth personal and a technical from referee Reggie Greenwood. In college ball, a technical also counts as a personal, so it was bye-bye for Hinnant with BC leading, 44-39.
Hailey had missed seven games with a severely sprained ankle and hadn't played big minutes consecutively in a long, long time. But he turned out to be a welcome change-of-pace element in the game, he being far more of a push-it-up player than Hinnant. Hailey enabled BC to pick up some transition baskets before the Orange could set up that dreaded zone. His five assists were huge in this game.
The BC bench was immense. Hailey had those assists. Watson had 11 points and two big baskets, one a 3-pointer and the other -- an up-and-under, fast-break finish -- an 11 on the Ooh-And-Ah-meter. And then there was electrifying freshman eraser Sean Williams, whose spectacular block of a Darryl Watkins dunk attempt led to a 3-on-1 fast break, and who had Syracuse wondering where he was on every possession.
But all this wouldn't have mattered so much if the studs hadn't been studly. In a game loaded with high-class athletes, Craig Smith was the baddest hombre of them all, scoring 16 points and hauling in a season-high 15 rebounds. He had twice as many offensive rebounds (8) as Syracuse lottery pick Hakim Warrick had rebounds, period (4).
"I just knew I had to do whatever was necessary for us to win," he declared.
"That's something we needed," said Skinner. "If we're really going to be a good team, that's the kind of effort we need from him. When he works that hard, he makes it easier for everyone else."
Smith is a Man's Man out there, all right, but the best all-around player on the team is sophomore Dudley, who, as is his custom, scored 16 of his 21 in the second half. There are more acclaimed players. There are more obvious pro prospects. But there is no better pure basketball player in the Big East than this kid from San Diego, who goes out there every night and embarrasses recruiters up and down the West Coast. How, how, how could everyone have failed to see what this kid brings to the table?
"He's cerebral and he's tough." noted Skinner, "and that's a nice combination for us."
The same could be said for the whole team. They are cerebral, they are tough, and they are now in the top 5, for sure. What else do you need to know?
Bob Ryan is a Globe columnist. His e-mail address is ryan@globe.com.
