It’s a joke, right? We’re going to put up a team of mostly untested freshmen and backups against the No. 1-ranked college basketball team in the country, including future NBAers J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams? That’s what we can look forward to on Nov. 14, when Boston University takes on Duke University in the preseason National Invitation Tournament at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham. It’s like pitting the neighborhood softball team against the Red Sox.
It’s a joke. Please tell me it’s a joke.
BU men’s basketball, of course, has never exactly been the pride of the school. Back in my day, the lone bright spot was a trip to the NCAA tourney in 2002. Unfortunately, were crushed by Cincinnati 90-52 in the first round. Their campus paper heaped it on, exclaiming “What do you expect, when your center is a 6’7″ sophomore named [Ryan] Butt, as in ‘of jokes?'”
Bad as that was, it looks like this season will be even worse for the team. Just take a look at our roster and you’ll see what I mean. We have a team of rookies and injured bench sitters. Most of the team averages about five points per game. For some of them, this will be the first real college game of their lives. Multiply the five points per game by five players and you’ll get the total number of points we can expect them to score against Coach K’s team.
I understand, of course, that at BU most of the money goes to the hockey team, but the seeming lack of any recruiting effort for basketball is appalling. Part of the problem is the vicious cycle of poor results leading to poor recruiting which leads to even poorer results and so on.
While I agree that the team needs more television exposure on a national level, getting beaten decisively in the season opener in front of a national audience is not the kind of exposure you want. That kind of humiliation will only ensure that no one with even the slightest talent will ever consider playing for BU.
I really hope that more effort is put into recruiting and retaining top-notch players, as well as more general support for BU basketball. We have a new stadium and a great coach, and it’s really possible for us to be the next “Cinderella Story” of the NCAA, it just takes will and effort.
Majid Ikhwan ENG ’03
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