Boston College adds load of transfers in hopes of sparking turnaround

Boston College adds load of transfers in hopes of sparking turnaround | iNFOnews.ca
FILE - Boston College guard Donald Hand Jr. (13) goes up against Miami guard Nijel Pack (24) during the second half of the Atlantic Coast Conference NCAA college basketball tournament Tuesday, March 12, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Boston College (12-19, 4-16 ACC)

After winning 20 games, finishing a respectable 11th in the ACC and reaching the quarterfinals of the conference tournament in 2024, the Eagles plummeted to second-to-last in the conference last season.

BC has added eight new players, with transfers from Baylor, Butler, Missouri and South Dakota. The four incoming freshmen are among 11 underclassmen, the second-most in the league. Guard Donald Hand Jr., who led the Eagles with 15.7 points and 6.1 rebounds last year to earn honors as the ACC’s Most Improved Player, is the key returning player.

Players to watch

Hand is the first BC player to earn a preseason vote for the conference player of the year since 2018 (Ky Bowman).

Boden Kapke (6-11, 4.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg for Butler) could give the Eagles a post presence they haven’t since Quinten Post – their best big man in decades – was drafted by Golden State in 2024.

Chase Forte led South Dakota with 17.9 points, 3.1 assists and 1.9 steals and was the Summit League’s Defensive Player of the Year and a member of the All-League First Team.

Departures and arrivals

Other than Hand, who started all 31 games last season, only Jayden Hastings (5 games started) and Fred Payne (1) saw time in the starting lineup. The Nos. 2-4 scorers after Hand are all gone: Chad Venning (12.4 ppg), Elijah Strong (9.6) and Dion Brown (7.5), as are the Nos. 2-5 rebounders: Roger McFarlane (4.9 rpg), Strong (4.1), Venning (4.1) and Brown (3.9).

Also arriving via the transfer portal is Aidan Shawm who spent three seasons as a bench player in Missouri. As a sophomore in 2023-24, he started 10 games and averaged 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 16 minutes. Jason Asemota played sparingly in his only season at Baylor.

Top games

The Eagles open at Florida Atlantic on Nov. 3. They play at Duke on Feb. 3. Stanford and California make their first ACC visits to Conte Forum on Feb. 11 and 14.

Facts and figures

BC hasn’t reached the NCAA tournament since 2009, the longest slump in program history. … Coach Earl Grant is in his fifth season in Chestnut Hill. He is 61-72. … Hastings blocked 39 shots last year, 10th in the ACC. … The Eagles have had at least two international players for each of the past nine seasons. This year’s foreign-born players are Marko Radunovic of Montenegro, Luka Toews from Japan and Kany Tchanda from Congo.

Boston College adds load of transfers in hopes of sparking turnaround | iNFOnews.ca
FILE – Butler forward Boden Kapke, who has since transferred to Boston College, passes the ball away from St. John’s center Vince Iwuchukwu (8) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Indianapolis, Ind. (AP Photo/Marc Lebryk, File)
Boston College adds load of transfers in hopes of sparking turnaround | iNFOnews.ca
FILE – Boston College head coach Earl Grant shouts to his players in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Clemson, Wednesday, March 5, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

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