Amid the residual excitement of Boston University hockey’s thrilling victory Saturday night, the blow to men’s basketball’s chances for an America East title next season had an opportunity to fly under the radar.
The statement issued by Athletic Director Mike Lynch was brief, mentioning Jake O’Brien’s desire to explore opportunities elsewhere and the coaching staff’s desire for him to remain at BU. The phrasing was standard-issue.
We’ve seen this before. Talented forwards arrive on campus only to leave shortly thereafter. Remember Tony Gaffney? Last year he was third in the nation in blocks per game and finished second in his conference in steals per game and rebounds per game. The conference was the Atlantic 10. Gaffney played for University of Massachusetts-Amherst last season.
To be fair, Gaffney would have graduated from BU before the 2008-09 campaign barring a redshirt season ‘-‘- the 6-8 forward sat out a year before joining the Minutemen. The issue in question, however, has nothing to do with Gaffney’s eligibility. No, it has to do with his departure from Boston.
Gaffney wasn’t alone in leaving Boston. Etienne Brower, Ben Coblyn and Will Creekmore all logged minutes in the Terrier frontcourt before jumping ship. Former head coach Dennis Wolff was often assigned blame for the high rate of exit.
Now, 15 long years after his arrival, Wolff is out and Pat Chambers is in. It seems fitting that the firing of the program’s longest-tenured coach prompted yet another instance of precisely what Wolff was criticized for.
Writing a basketball eulogy for Wolff in this space serves little purpose. His story is well known to most Terrier fans; the peaks and valleys of his career well-documented. What is purposeful, however, is constructing a snapshot of the program in its present state, and from there, project where BU basketball may be headed next.
Given O’Brien’s comments concerning his reaction to the head-coaching change, it’s reasonably safe to assume the freshman forward was planning on returning for next season before Wolff’s release. Daniel Munoz has also de-committed, presumably in response to the coaching change. This gives the Terriers two more open scholarships, for a total of three.
The specifics of how Chambers plans on filling the available roster spots are still unknown, but the Terriers figure to be competitive in the short-term despite the changes to next season’s roster. In Corey Lowe and John Holland, BU has two members of last year’s America East All-Conference first team. Tyler Morris and Carlos Strong should be healthy and are expected to contribute. Scott Brittain and Jeff Pelage have complementary skills in the post. Incoming freshman B.J. Bailey is highly touted.
Being competitive isn’t the goal for next season ‘-‘- winning the conference is the goal. And if the team fails, Chambers has a built-in excuse as a first-year coach. The real test for Chambers will come the following year.
Brittain, Lowe, Morris and Strong are all scheduled to depart a year from now. This is where O’Brien’s absence complicates things. Holland will be a senior for the 2010-11 season; if his first two years in Boston are any indicator, he will be a force to be reckoned with. O’Brien, however, was slated to be the Robin to Holland’s Batman. Unless Bailey emerges next season or Pelage finds a way to harness his considerable athletic ability, the Terriers’ number 23 will have no proven secondary weapon.
Wolff, despite the exodus of recent years, has a well-earned reputation as a capable recruiter. Chambers arrives with a similar reputation, albeit earned in a different role (assistant coach), and in a different region (the Mid-Atlantic). Those skills will need to be put to good use, and soon. If the Terriers figure to be a top contender beyond next season, the necessary pieces are almost certainly not on the roster at this point. Chambers will have to find them.
Finding them, however, won’t be enough. Don’t underestimate the task placed in front of the former Villanova assistant coach. Beyond just finding talent, Chambers has to convince that talent to attend a school with an apathetic fan base. Should players choose to attend, Chambers has to convince them to stay. Winning consistently isn’t easy. If it was, everyone would be doing it.
Still, the athletic department’s decision-makers are convinced of Chambers’ ability to handle the massive expectations placed upon his shoulders. Those expectations were spelled out, albeit implicitly, by Wolff’s dismissal. Failure is not an option, either on the court or off it.
All speculation about the Terriers’ future on-court performance, of course, is inhibited by a simple fact: we haven’t seen what a Chambers-coached team looks like. Villanova played at a fast pace, but does Chambers’ offensive philosophy resemble Jay Wright’s? Until we see whom Chambers recruits and how he utilizes the talent on the roster, we don’t know enough to make many meaningful predictions.
There’s just under seven months of dead time before college basketball resumes in earnest ‘-‘- and when it does, we’ll begin to find out whether an America East title is in the cards.
Until then, I’ll be holding my breath.
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