When senior forward Justin Alston went down with a season-ending injury, it was clear the Boston University men’s basketball team would be forced to work harder to secure rebounds.
Alston averaged 5.4 rebounds per game for the Terriers (10-11, 3-5 Patriot League) last season in a position that already lacked depth.
The mix of increased playing time for sophomore forward Nick Havener and continued effectiveness from senior forward Nathan Dieudonne has helped offset the loss.
Dieudonne and Havener average 7 and 6.7 rebounds a game, respectively. Both players sit in the top five in the Patriot League in rebounding, while junior guard Eric Fanning is the next highest Terrier with 4.1 boards a game.
Havener has emerged after a freshman campaign where he only played in 16 games and started just two. This season, Havener has been in all 21 Terrier contests including eight starts.
“No doubt that Nick and Nate are doing an outstanding job on the glass,” Jones said. “Both are sort of leading the league in rebounding, both are quick off their feet and very tenacious. It’s an area where we really improved, and Nick’s a great rebounder, which has really helped us.”
With a current rebounding margin of -0.9, the Terriers still have work to do, yet the emergence of Havener has given them a firm base to build off of.
Terriers defined by hot and cold streaks
Basketball is said to be a game of runs, but that usually does not translate so literally for the Terriers. Since Dec. 2, BU has almost exclusively had alternating streaks of wins and losses.
“We had that issue last year and I just think it’s the overall inconsistency of what we’re doing,” Jones said. “It’s just a lack of a lot of things. … Now, if that’s a lack of experience or lack of toughness or understanding, it’s probably a combination of all those things.”
Jones highlighted improved defense as a way to eradicate his team’s up-and-down form.
“If we start to defend better, then that will be the reason we will beat some of these better teams and string together some wins,” he said.
BU started Patriot League play by dropping its first three contests, only to win the next three in a row.
While the team has dropped its last two contests, there is still ample time to right the ship, as each conference opponent awaits at least one more time.
Free throw shooting improvements needed
While BU’s free throw-shooting sits at a respectable fifth place in the Patriot League, it’s also often been inconsistent and affected the outcome of games.
In the team’s most recent game — a 74-71 loss to Bucknell University — the Terriers shot 66.7 percent from the foul line.
BU only has three players who shoot at or above 80 percent from the line, with Havener and Dieudonne both under 60 percent. This is especially pertinent for Dieudonne, as he is a close second on the team in free throw attempts.
The leader in attempts for BU is Fanning, who has only played 15 games thus far while shooting a respectable 77.2 percent from the line. He has a penchant for attacking the rim, as evidenced by the 22 free throw attempts he earned in a Jan. 18 win against Loyola University Maryland.
“Free throws are wild,” Jones said. “Sometimes you hit ‘em, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes there are games where you don’t make them. We are a very good free throw-shooting team. I know we can make tough and important ones. It’s just a matter of going out there and doing it.”
