For better or worse, the Boston University men’s basketball team had developed a reputation around the America East Conference in recent seasons.
When the going gets tough, BU folds.
Early exits in each of the past two conference tournaments did nothing to silence those doubters, but since the hiring of coach Patrick Chambers last April, an enthusiasm has been injected into the this year’s Terriers that makes them different from their predecessors.
Critics may still question BU’s legitimacy as the America East preseason favorite. What they can no longer condemn, however, is its mindset.
Injuries to senior co-captains Scott Brittain (concussion) and Tyler Morris (broken right hand), along with the departure of touted freshman guard B.J. Bailey, could have easily crippled the Terriers’ promising season. Instead, the adversity has fueled them.‘
BU (8-8, 3-1 AE) will take a three-game winning streak since losing Morris into Thursday’s game against defending America East champion Binghamton University (7-11, 2-1) at Events Center in Vestal, N.Y. Like the Terriers, the Bearcats have faced plenty of obstacles in 2009-10, with coach Kevin Broadus suspended indefinitely and six players released from the program during a scandal-ridden offseason.‘
In Chambers, BU has a bench boss who demands optimism ‘- no matter the circumstance.
‘Every day we practice for the worst-case scenario, whether our shots aren’t falling or there’s foul trouble or injuries,’ junior forward John Holland said. ‘We prepare for the worst, and I feel like that helps us in games when times get rough. We can rely on knowing we’ve gone through it in practice and know what’s going to happen.’
‘It all starts with Coach and the attitude he brings every day,’ senior guard Corey Lowe said. ‘He’s always energetic and ready to go, and that helps us keep a positive attitude. He always wants us to be positive, even in bad times, and I think that’s helped us. When things are starting to fall apart in games, he brings us all together and gets things going back in the right direction.’
Over BU’s past three contests, no Terrier has gone in the right direction more than Lowe. The co-captain rebounded from a 3-for-16 shooting day against Stony Brook University on Jan. 2 by averaging 26.3 points in wins over the University of New Hampshire, the University of Hartford and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
Why the recent spike in production?
‘I just think it’s this attitude Coach has helped me create, and that’s working hard every day in practice,’ Lowe said. ‘In years past, maybe I wouldn’t have done that. If I knew I had to play a lot [in games], I might have conserved. But now I just try to come to practice and give it my all every day. Coach has really helped me do that, and it’s paying off in games.
‘The games come easier now because of how I’m practicing.’
With Morris expected to be sidelined until at least early February, Lowe will serve as the team’s primary ballhandler in the interim. The Newton, Mass., native enters Thursday with per-game averages of 16.8 points and a team-best 4.7 assists.
‘Corey’s done a great job of letting me get after him and not backing down,’ Chambers said of BU’s fifth all-time leading scorer. ‘I want him to be a pitbull. When you think ‘pitbull,’ you think ‘ballplayer,’ somebody that does everything, and that’s what he’s been doing. He’s not relying on his 3 as much. When Corey Lowe gets to the foul line, gets to the paint and gets to the basket, it opens up a lot of things. That’s where he’s becoming a better player.
‘I think he’s starting to become the player we all envision him to be. He could be something special by the end of the year if he keeps going on this path.’
As evidenced by their 6-2 record since Dec. 2, the Terriers’ path has trended upward just in time for America East play.
‘I’m happy for these kids,’ Chambers said. ‘They’re under so much pressure. They came in with so much hype, and it’s just been one injury, one setback, one bit of adversity after another for this group. We had a very difficult non-conference [schedule]. We were 2-6 at one point, so to get back to .500 is a tribute to them not giving up.
‘I think they understand now that this is a journey and it’s not going to be easy. They’re accepting the challenge.’
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
