SAME FEDORA-NEW CROWN?

[Wayne23]

I love that kind of ending!

[PointGuard]

Nov. 29, 2030: #14 Boston College Eagles (4-1) vs Marquette Golden Eagles (3-2) at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI

Boston Herald

EAGLES TARNISHED BY GOLDEN EAGLES

After travelling to California where they eked out a last second two point victory over Stanford, the Boston College Eagles began their way back east by stopping off in Milwaukee to take on the Marquette Golden Eagles last night.

The game began with both teams employing scrappy defenses which made it difficult to get clear shots and resulted in a bunch of turnovers. BC’s offensive problems continued longer than did Marquette’s and after 9 minutes of play, the Golden Eagles held an 18-5 lead. Late in the half Boston College finally began hitting their shots and narrowed the gap to 4 with 2 minutes left and that was the difference when the teams were sent to the locker room with the score 37-33 in favor of Marquette.

Two minutes into the 2nd half, PG Bobby Grannum cashed in a 3 to give the Eagles their first lead at 38-37. The score stayed close until Marquette went on a 7-0 run midway through the half. The Golden Eagles extended their lead to 63-54 with 5:45 to play. A deadly combination of poor shooting and frequent turnovers prevented BC from catching up. The final score was 69-63 in favor of Marquette.

The only Boston College player to score in double figures was PG Bobby Grannum who had 15 points, although that was offset by him making 11 turnovers.

“It was disappointing to let this game get away from us in the final 10 minutes. But Marquette just played a little better defense than we did,” said Coach Fred Aura.

The Eagles now move on to finish up their road trip by going up against the Missouri Tigers.

[PointGuard]

Coach Aura commenting to 1st Assistant Coach Darrell Montgomery after the game:

“Damn! That was a p--- poor effort. Even though I have to give credit to Marquette’s defense, we just never really seemed to get up for this game. We got here early yesterday, so its not like our guys didn’t get enough rest. They just never ignited. We have to kick up the intensity level and not be so damned lackadaisical out there. I know its tough to win on the road, but we were the better team tonight. We just sort of seemed to be going through the motions. We need to kick our guys in the butt and let them know to never put it on cruise control and that they need to play every game like it’s the national championship game, no matter who we play.”

[PointGuard]

Dec. 2, 2030: #14 Boston College Eagles (4-2) vs Missouri Tigers (3-0) at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Missouri

PG Bobby Grannum

The day after our loss to Marquette, Coach Fed got us into a Junior College gym and ran the hell out of us. He really got on us about failing to play all-out. I feel like I let the team down since I made a bunch of turnovers in that game. I FELT like I was trying though, but just had trouble with Marquette’s defense. And maybe some of our guys weren’t playing as hard as usual and that caused some of my turnovers by them being a half-step slow. I get bent out of shape when my teammates don’t play all out and I’m not bashful about letting them know it, so I’m definitely not the best liked guy on the team (yeah, I know I can be a hard-ass). But Coach Fed has it right about guys taking it easy. I’m sure hoping Coach Fed feels like we put out in this game against Missouri, though. Another practice like he just ran will likely kill us.

Here’s the highlights and lowlights of the game:

*Off to our patented slow start, down 6-0 and 9-2.

*Refs called 2 fouls on me in first 4-1/2 minutes. To the bench. NOT happy!!!!

*Coach benched all the starters with score 15-2.

*Subs scored but no defense. We’re down 31-14 with 7-1/2 to go in half. Starters back in (less me).

*We cut into the lead a little but still trailed 44-35 at the end of the half. Coach Fed blasted us in the locker room about our defense.

*Missouri makes first 19 points in 2nd half. We’re scoreless at the first media timeout and Coach Fed is furious.

*We get our first point, not points, on free throw with 13:27 to go. Trail by 27.

*All starters sent to far end of the bench.

*Our first FG of half comes with 11 minutes left in the game.

*Coach Fed puts in walk-ons for first time in season. 8:14 to go and we’re down 73-47.

*Game finally over. A 94-69 slaughter.

*Reserves Glen Robinson with 16 points and C Tim Cotton and Mike Williams with 8 each are the top scorers for us. No starter played even 20 minutes.

*Tough practices are on the horizon. At least the road trip is finally over though.

[PointGuard]

Janeka Aura

Got a call from Malik. He was depressed. After starting 5 straight games and playing 30+ minutes in each of them at Georgetown, he’s upset about riding the bench in the Hoyas last two games and playing just 15 minutes and 8 minutes in those 2 games. I tried to buoy his spirits but was unsuccessful.

Fred was at work, so I had him call Malik. I also texted Omari at Providence to get him to talk with Malik.

That night Fred told me he reminded Malik that he’s a freshman and there’s a big learning curve in going from high school ball to Division I ball and that at Georgetown he’s got a lot of talented teammates. Fred went over his last two games in which he scored 10 point in the combined 23 minutes on the court and hit 4 of 6 shots. Malik has not shot well in his games before those two games, so Fred told him to be happy about starting to get his shooting back in shape. He told him to just keep working hard in practice, keep his spirits up, and to be ready to just contribute in any way he can during games, rather than worrying about starting.

Not sure what Omari said. But since Omari didn’t start regularly until he was a junior at Providence but is now (in his senior season) the Friars top rebounder and shot blocker aand is the 2nd highest scorer on the team, I think his brother will listen and learn from him. I’m going to try to get down to DC for a Hoyas’ game as soon as I can. I was hoping Fred could accompany me, but Georgetown has 4 straight home games coming up the next 3 weeks and BC plays the same nights each time, so that won’t work. I’ll take Devany along with me. She can always brighten her brother’s spirits.

Speaking of Devany, she switched from playing soccer to field hockey. While she was a good soccer player, she seems to be a natural at field hockey. I think Fred was hoping she’d play basketball, but she wanted to go her own way and do something different than her father and brothers.

[PointGuard]

RyReys Blog, Ryan Reynolds

2+2 is not equaling 4 for Boston College basketball. The Eagles land what are believed to be great recruits and transfer players and have strong and experienced players returning from last (in my book that’s “2”) plus are ranked #5 in the pre-season polls and picked to be the top team in the ACC (yet another “2”), but have posted 3 losses in their first 7 games. And the last 2 losses have been abominations. The had a late game meltdown against Marquette and an embarrassing total misfire against Missouri…two opponents that are not going to light Division I on fire. The team has dropped from 5th in the polls to 8th to 12th to 14th to 24th (and totally out of the top 25 in one poll).

Who’s ultimately responsible for this season’s debacles? I posit that it’s the one at the top of the BC totem pole. Yes, I’m referring to Coach Frederick Aura, the coach brought it to SOLVE the Eagles basketball woes and lead them to dominance in the ACC and to nirvana in the post-season. But it seems any positive aura is off Aura who is totally squandering the talent that is on his roster. Yeah, the team now has a home game against a patsy (George Mason) so should post a win, but then they go to Providence, a team they’ve had absolutely NO success against the past few seasons and which already has won 7 of their 9 games.

To those in power at BC: How long are you going to maintain blind faith in a head coach who obviously is unable to take the team to the next level?

[PointGuard]

Dec. 6, 2030: George Mason Patriots (2-4) vs #24 Boston College Eagles (4-3) at Silvio O. Conte Forum in Chestnut hill, MA

Coach Fred Aura

We dropped to #24 in the Media Poll and totally out of the Coaches Poll. We deserve the big fall.

This past summer I got our AD Jason Braxton to schedule this game since my ex-assistant coach, David Woodruff, is now the head coach for George Mason. Even if the Patriots lose to us, it’s a feather in David’s hat to go up against us. And with the way we’ve played of late, the Patriots might just win.

I’m so upset with how the starters have played that I told the team we were going to shake things up. We’ll have an ENTIRELY NEW starting 5 for this game. We’re going with Tim Cotton at C, Mike Williams at PF, Maynard Gardner at SF, Adrian Moss at SG, and Rashon Thorn at PG. I’m not sure when I’ll put our usual starters in, but plan to do it as a group, and when I do it, let them know that they need to PRODUCE…or the new starters will be back on the court.

Thorn hit a 3 after we controlled the tip in. I’m hoping that ignites our new starters. First media time out, we’re up 7-0 and my old starters are rather surprised that they continue to sit. With 13 minutes left in the half the new starters are up 11-4 but their legs are giving out, so I bring in our usual starting 5 (less Corey Graham who is nursing a sprained ankle so Glen Robinson will go in at SG). Let’s see how they do. Not all the impressed. 7-1/2 minutes later we’re up 21-13. 3 of the 5 to the bench. 30-21 at the half. We only hit 34% of our shots, but held the Patriots shooting to 26%. We got out-rebounded 22-17. So in the 2nd half we need to get our shooting eyes adjusted and attack the boards.

I start the new starting 5 in the 2nd half also. 33-27 at the first media time out. Let’s see if our usual starters can pull this one out. Alright! We’re up by 19 six minutes later. With 8 minutes to go we’re up 57-36. We scored 24 points in 8 minutes by the original starters. We cruise with a hodgepodge lineup the rest of the way and win 74-50. So a pretty good 2nd half.

All 12 of our players scored. SG Glen Robinson was the only one in double figures…he hit for 20. Robinson’s now scored 36 points in our last two games and hit 13 of 21 from the field and 8 of 11 from 3-point distance. Bobby Grannum had 8 points, 7 rebound, 7 assists and 2 blocks tonight.

[PointGuard]

Dec. 13, 2030: Boston College Eagles (5-3) vs #19 Providence Friars (7-2) at Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island

3rd Assistant Coach Jeremy Anderson (scouting)

Providence has a lock-down defense, having allowed just 60.2 ppg which is 29th best in the nation. Defensively they use m-2-m primarily but also mix in a 1-3-1 zone. They play a slow-down offense and shoot poorly so are only scoring 63.8 ppg (which is 276th best in Division I). Their primary offensive set is a motion offense. The Friars are a good rebounding team, particularly Coach Aura’s oldest son Omari (7.7 rpg). SG James Young is their top scorer (11.2 ppg) and is one of their few good shooters, hitting 53% of his FG’s and 50% of his 3’s. The only other Friars who have been productive offensively are PF Omari Aura (9.7 ppg) and SF Michael Butler (8.9 ppg). I like our chances but the Friars have been our nemesis since they became our non-conference rival and they have yet to lose at home this season.

Coach Aura has returned to the normal starting five, minus Corey Graham, who is still bothered by a sprained ankle. While he may get into the game for a while, Glen Robinson will start at SG. Glen’s had very strong games the past two games.

Providence hit their first 4 FG’s but we were scoring well also. But the refs tagged us with a bunch of fouls. Midway through the half we began having a really tough time hitting our shots plus became careless resulting in too many turnovers. With 6-1/2 minutes remaining we were behind 28-17. By the end of the half we trailed 42-27. Providence outshot us 50% to 33% and got to the foul like 11 more times than did we. But 12 turnovers really were our undoing.

Providence maintained a double-digit lead in the 2nd half until there was just 6 minutes to go. While we got the deficit to a single digit, we could never get closer than 6 points and ended up on the losing end of a 71-63 score. We hit just 39% of our FG’s and only 18% of our 3’s.

C Ben Schau scored 16 and SG Glen Robinson added 12.

We’ve lost other games, but this one seemed to affect Coach Aura much more than the others. He didn’t say anything, but you could tell it by his facial expression…a mix of frustration and disappointment.

[PointGuard]

Janeka Aura

Fred’s been having a hard time handling how his team is playing this season. He’s complained about the negatives being written about him and the team by blog writers and others and how the support of the alumni has been eroded.

The loss to Providence really got to him. He’s holding himself responsible by advocating the change of non-conference rivals to Providence. He’s concerned that every season his team has been less motivated than the Friars for the rival game. But he holds himself responsible.

So now I have TWO despondent members of my family. Malik continues to fret about the loss of playing time at Georgetown. In the last 4 games his time on court has gone from over 30 minutes per game to 15, then 8, then 7, and most recently just 4 minutes.

[PointGuard]

Dec. 20, 2030: #21 Wisconsin Badgers (7-2) vs Boston College Eagles (5-4) at Silvio O. Conte Forum in Chestnut hill, MA

Gerald McEntire, president of “Eagles Soar”

I’m trying my best to maintain positivity toward the team and Coach Aura. And that requires that as president of the Eagles Soar fan club I have to try to reduce the negative comments coming from a growing number of our club’s members, help generate enthusiasm, and provide the members with hope as well. Many of our members quickly became accustomed to the Eagles doing better each season. But this season the team is barely above .500. Wisconsin is BC’s final tuneup for ACC play, so it’s important the Eagles put together a good game. After missing two games, its been reported that SG Corey Graham is fully recovered from his ankle injury and will start tonight

I recently remarried so my new wife Monica is attending her first game at Boston College. When I divorced my previous wife Renee after 32 years of marriage, she took her half of the season basketball tickets for BC and maintained her membership in Eagles Soar. Sometimes I think its just to spite me. But Renee has been attending home games this season and of course sitting in the club’s seating section. It can make things a little dicey since there are those in the club that have sided with her and look askance at the May December relationship that exists between Monica and me. But so what! They’re just jealous that I, at the age of 59, now have a 28 year old wife.

BC started off well…not particularly strong offensively but their defense was stellar. Hopefully they can keep it up to mollify the malcontents in our club. We were ahead 26-12 midway through the half, but the damned refs are whistling too many fouls on us. Two starters are now on the bench with 2 fouls apiece. A lot of our members are grousing that Coach Aura isn’t being tough enough on the refs. Three starters now off the court with foul troubles and Wisconsin is within 5 points with 6-1/2 minutes left in the half. The half ends with the Eagles on top 41-35. By then 4 of our starters and a reserve had been relegated to the bench due to fouls.

During halftime, Monica and I make our way to the club’s private room at Conte Forum. Janet Renwick is in there talking to Renee. I’m sure they’re making snide comments about Monica. When she sees Monica and I enter, she smiles and says, “Oh Jerry, let me buy the two of you drinks. I assume you’d like your usual Old Fashioned. And what for your wife? A Shirley Temple?” She and Renee snicker. I can’t help myself and respond, “No, since you were in here first, Janet, I’m sure there’s no longer any bourbon remaining to make an Old Fashioned.” I quickly usher Monica away from the two of them and join up with my buddies in the club. Lots of grumbling about the refs and Coach Aura being too laid back. But my mind is continuing to seethe about how Renee is acting. She’s being totally unreasonable. She got a reasonable divorce settlement (too much so in my mind), so she should be happy. Monica can’t help it that she’s a lot better looking and elsewise.

The Eagles again have a solid start. I’m watching the game, but my attention wavers as I notice out of the corner of my eye that Renee looks to be bad-mouthing me to any and everyone. BC goes on a run to go up by a 64-44 score with 9 minutes to go. The home crowds become energized in the 2nd half and Wisconsin has had to burn timeout trying to curb BC’s momentum. The Eagles triumph by a final score of 79-67. Turnovers (19 by Wisconsin and just 9 by the Eagles) were a key factor in BC’s dominance.

Two reserves…PG/SG Glen Robinson with 18 points and SF Maynard Gardner with 14 points, led the scoring for the Eagles with starters SG Corey Graham and PG Bobby Grannum scoring 13 and 11 points, respectively.

A pretty good game by the Eagles, but we have club members who feels we should win by 20 or more points every time at home.