You can never have too much of a good thing.
For the Boston University men’s basketball team, having three quality guards and only two starting guard positions is a problem that BU Coach Dennis Wolff is happy to have. Last year, Wolff was put in the situation of having to start an unproven freshman, Chaz Carr, at guard. What could have turned into a long, tough season without junior Matt Turner, who was lost to a shoulder injury in early December, turned into a showcase for Carr’s talents, as he was named to the All-Conference Second-Team and America East All-Rookie First Team.
Carr was joined most of the season in the backcourt by current junior Kevin Fitzgerald, just as he was in the starting lineup Monday night against Stanford University, and just as he has been in every game of his BU career. Fitzgerald’s assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.53 led the America East conference last season, and his leadership will be counted on in the backcourt to keep the run-and-gun Terrier offense under control and within their limits.
During Monday night’s close game against the Cardinal, Fitzgerald showed exactly what Wolff is expecting from him. He played strong man-to-man defense, and controlled a jumpy and excited team that was playing its third straight game on national television, going back to last year’s NCAA Tournament game against the University of Cincinnati and the America East title game against the University of Maine. On numerous occasions, Fitzgerald yelled to his teammates to slow down off a rebound as he calmly walked the ball upcourt and called out the play. While Carr may be talented and have the ability to score in bunches, he is still just a sophomore. It will be up to Fitzgerald to keep Carr under control and feed him the ball in spots that best utilize his talent.
Unlike last year, Carr and Ftizgerald, will not have to go it alone. Red-shirt junior Matt Turner returned from a shoulder injury Monday night after nearly a year off, and while he played limited minutes, he showed flashes of what he can do, tallying five points, including a three-pointer. While Turner cannot be expected to average 17 points right off the bat as he did last season before his shoulder injury, the collection of talent in the backcourt should be able to take some of the pressure off his separated shoulder and allow him to ease back into the offense.
The three-man rotation will be bolstered by 6’6′ senior Paul Seymour. With his size, as opposed to the 6-foot stature of Carr and Turner, Seymour will see time at shooting guard and small forward. Seymour, a former America East Rookie of the Year, struggled early last year, as his sophomore year scoring average of 12 points per game dropped to just over 6, but he seemed to regain his touch as the season progressed and will be counted on to drop some open shots off the bench this season.
Even with the expected fast breaks, three-point shooting and slashing offense provided by the guards, Monday night’s game showed one of the most important aspects that Wolff will be looking for from his backcourt: team defense.
Monday night, a quality opponent in Stanford did not score its first basket until the 13:42 mark of the first half, when Matt Lottich hit a 3-pointer from the corner.
The BU defense, which finished in the top 10 nationally last season in field goal percentage allowed, forced the Cardinal into a six for 24 first-half performance from the field. The Terrier guards played in-your-face defense, forcing 11 turnovers in the first half and jumping out to leads as high as 8-0 and 12-3.
With expectations high this season for the Terriers, the unanimous choice to be No. 1 in the America East conference, the backcourt will be counted on to provide patience and leadership to a team that wants nothing more than to run up and down the floor. This fast-break style could get them in trouble if they don’t take care of the ball.
In a league where quality guards are tough to come by, the Terriers are graced with three of the best in the conference, and only two staring positions. No one seems to hear Coach Wolff complaining.
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