As one of two returning starters on a roster filled with an inexperienced roster and a wealth of question marks, junior guard John Papale was expected to be a key piece in the plans of the Boston University men’s basketball team. Previously known for his spot-up shooting abilities, his role on the team has shifted dramatically to that of a primary ball handler.
Even before BU’s (8-11, 4-4 Patriot League) most recent game against Bucknell University on Saturday, Papale’s dramatic role change was evident. Thus far, he has accumulated 73 assists, just two assists shy of the marks he put up in his freshman and sophomore seasons combined. Papale is also averaging six more minutes of playing time than he earned in the 2013-14 and 2012-13 campaigns.
In a 92-77 loss to the Bison (11-10, 6-2 Patriot League), the backcourt player took charge for BU as he led the team with a career-high 22 points, including a 3-for-5 success rate from 3-point range.
In the same game, Bucknell (11-10, 6-2 Patriot League) guard Chris Hass put on a 3-point shooting exhibition as he went 6-for-7 from deep to accumulate 28 points and lead his team to a 92-77 victory.
This was seemingly a battle of players within the top-10 in the Patriot League in 3-point field goal percentage, but BU coach Joe Jones said it was the flow of the game that dictated Papale’s aggressiveness.
“They [Bucknell] controlled the game, and the kid was 8-for-13, and that’s the most aggressive I’ve seen him in a long time,” he said. “To sit here and say, ‘Hey, he was trying to go shot for shot,’ we need him to be aggressive. I was happy that he was being aggressive, 8-for-13, 3-for-5 from three. That’s a pretty good line right there in terms of his production that way.”
Like his coach, Papale was also quick to note how his newfound aggressiveness on the court contributed to his shooting success.
“I have to keep being aggressive, and when help defenders step up, I have to kick it to the open guy, and I thought tonight [Saturday], I was open a lot, so I kept shooting,” Papale said.
Last season, in his sophomore year, Papale shared the floor with playmakers such as guard D.J. Irving and forward Dom Morris, both of whom graduated following the season’s end, and point guard Maurice Watson Jr., who transferred to Creighton University.
In the 2013-14 season, Papale thrived as a 3-point specialist in the Terrier offense as 65.7 percent of Papale’s overall shot attempts came from behind the arc.
This seemed like a natural fit for the guard’s skills as he nailed 41.4 percent of these shots to boost the Terrier offense.
With the departure of integral players from last year’s 24-win squad, Papale was asked to reconfigure his game as there are no seniors on the current Terrier squad and only three juniors.
This season, Papale has changed his game to cater to providing for his teammates, becoming a pass-first player within the offense.
“It’s something that has come easier in some games than others, and obviously I’ve been one of the top guys in terms of creating for a lot of people, which is something I didn’t really do much the first two years I was here,” Papale said.
While the Wallingford, Connecticut native still has a proclivity for the long ball, as his percentage of 3-pointers from his total field goal attempts has dipped from 65.7 percent to 60.5 percent. Making these shots still comes easy for Papale as he is converting at a 40 percent clip.
Papale’s 73 assists lead the Terriers and he sits second in the Patriot League in assist-to-turnover ratio, an encouraging sign for his ability to handle the ball.
Moving forward, the Terriers will continue to depend on Papale to create shots for himself and others, a challenge that he said he has the tools to accomplish.
“It’s definitely been an adjustment, just your mindset going in that you need to get yourself going, and you need to get other guys going,” Papale said. “It’s more difficult than I thought it would be, but I’m trying to adjust to it, and some games I’ve been better than others.”
