Ranked 22nd in the nation in points per game at 20.6, sophomore guard Cedric Hankerson has been one of the few bright spots for the Boston University men’s basketball team this season.
In the 2013-14 season, Hankerson made the Patriot League All-Rookie Team by averaging 6.0 points per game in 14.6 minutes per game.
“Cedric is Cedric,” said BU coach Joe Jones. “Cedric is starting to understand that he can affect the game in a lot of different ways, and I think he’s trying to do that.”
Due to the departure of several key players from last season, Hankerson has had to step up for a depleted BU (1-4) squad.
Hankerson has increased all of his totals from his previous campaign and is either leading or second on the team in steals, assists, rebounding and minutes.
Starting with BU’s 89-65 loss to No. 1 University of Kentucky on Nov. 21, Hankerson has scored at least 22 points in each of his team’s last three games and grabbed his first career double-double in a 75-68 loss to the University of New Hampshire on Nov. 25.
“We just have to keep going,” Jones said. “We have to keep pushing and trying to get better. I like what Cedric’s doing, and I feel like he just has to keep working hard and keep trying to get better while keeping a positive attitude.”
BU receiving boost from newcomers
With Hankerson occupying the role of primary scorer, it is up to other members of the team to find their own identity, among the new members of the Terriers’ roster.
“I don’t know if there’s really one guy,” Jones said. “We’ve got like seven new players, because you have three guys that didn’t really play last year, and then you got four freshmen.”
The two newcomers who have had the most significant impact so far have been freshman guard Cheddi Mosely and sophomore guard Eric Fanning, who transferred to BU from Wagner College.
Fanning is serving in a sixth man role for the team, as he is averaging 20.4 minutes per game off the bench with 6.8 points per game. Meanwhile, Mosely has started all but one game for the Terriers.
Mosely is also fourth on the team in points and leads the team in 3-point percentage, where he is shooting at an impressive .429 clip.
The Jersey City, New Jersey native may be too reliant on the 3-point shot though, as 80 percent of his shots this season have come from long range.
“Collectively I’ve seen some development,” Jones said. “Obviously, Cheddi Mosely has played more minutes, but I like what I’m starting to see from practice, starting to see some guys develop. We have to be able to use our bench more. If we can extend the bench a little bit, and get some more time and some more productivity out of the bench, I think that’s going to help.”
End of game gaffes
Even though their record may not indicate it, the Terriers have proven to be a tough opponent this season. Excluding the Kentucky (7-0) game, each contest has been decided in the last few minutes.
In the season opener against Northeastern University on Nov. 16, the game was tied at 60 with 3:11 left on the clock after a pair of Hankerson free throws, before five straight points from the Huskies (5-1), put them in the driver’s seat for the remainder of the contest.
Against New Hampshire (3-2), another pair of Hankerson free throws cut the deficit to two with 12:30 remaining before the Wildcats manufactured a 12-7 run to end the game in a span that included two crucial BU turnovers.
In their most recent game against the University of Massachusetts-Lowell Sunday, the Terriers had an opportunity for a comeback victory, as they were only down three points with 2:58 remaining. Seven BU fouls and four missed shots later, the Terriers found themselves at the losing end of another close contest.
“We have to get comfortable, with guys kind of getting a better feel of what to do, what decision to make,” Jones said. “That’s been one of the things that we’ve had to work on, and it’s kind of our first time going through it, and there’s no substitute for that. The one thing we can practice though is situations and sort of help them develop into a better team that plays well down the stretch.”
