SAME FEDORA-NEW CROWN?

[PointGuard]

Jason Braxton, Athletic Director

Courtland Reese was our only player to receive an award. He was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s All-Conference 2nd Team. He’s graduating after playing extremely well for us for 4 straight seasons and achieving a 3.7 GPA.

Other players graduating are Winston Minahan and walk-on Andy Dawson. The scholarships being vacated by Reese and Minahan have been filled by:

Ben Schau from Lusby, MD. He’s a 6’6” PF who averaged 18.9 ppg, 3.8 apg, 10.2 rpg, 2.9 bpg, and 3.5 spg as a high school senior. He’s been a great scorer and rebounder and is also strong defensively. He was ranked as the 28th best recruit.

Mike Williams from Nappanee, IN is a 6’6” PF who averaged 16.8 ppg, 3.4 apg, 6.9 rpg, 2.6 bpg, and 2.i8 spg in his senior high school season. He also is a very strong scorer and rebounder and a good defender. He was ranked as the 32nd best recruit.

Those additions together with the improvements of our returning players sets the stage for a very strong team this coming season. But we’re all concerned about the new NCAA transfer rules that opens the door for a lot more guys to transfer since they will be able to play immediately and no longer have to sit out a year. Because we have a lot of talented players, it wouldn’t be surprising if some of them give serious consideration to transferring to a team where they think they can start or at least get more playing time. But we just have to wait to see how it all turns out.

Coach Aura met all of the goals I had set for him before the season began, including improving our prestige (from 60 to 63). His coaching record to date is as follows:

2019-20: Towson, 18-15, .545, unranked, 6th (tie) in CAA, No post-season tourney
2020-21: Towson, 13-17, .433, unranked, 5th in CAA, No post-season tourney
2021-22: Towson, 24-9, .727, unranked, 2nd in CAA, NCAA (Round 1)
2022-23: Towson, 27-7, .794, ranked 24th, 1st in CAA, NCAA (Round 2)
2023-24: Towson, 30-4, .882, ranked 15th, 1st in CAA, NCAA (Sweet 16)
2024-25: Towson, 25-8, .758, unranked, 1st in CAA, NCAA (Round 1)
2025-26: Boston College, 21-17, .553, unranked, 10th in ACC, CIT (Finals)
2026-27: Boston College, 25-10, .714, ranked 25th, 3rd in ACC, NCAA (Sweet 16)
2027-28: Boston College, 34-5, .872, ranked 2nd, 1st in ACC, NCAA (Final 4)
2028-29: Boston College, 30-6, .833, ranked 2nd, 1st in ACC, NCAA (Round 2)
2029-30; Boston College, 26-9, .743, ranked 8th, 2nd in ACC, NCAA (Round 2)
Career Record: 273-107, .718

Obviously with that kind of record, it isn’t surprising that there are some very good college basketball programs showing interest in his coming their way. But fortunately Fred has decided to remain at Boston College.

2nd Assistant Coach Chris Evans has decided and has taken a job as 1st assistant coach at Western Carolina. It’s a nice step forward for Chris.

Coach Aura has hired Landon Friel to serve as his new 2nd assistant coach. Landon is 43 years old and was the 3rd assistant coach at Oregon State the past 3 years and 3rd assistant coach at Texas Christian the previous 2 seasons. He’s strength is player development. Therefore, Coach Aura is moving 1st assistant coach Darrell Montgomery from player development to recruiting.

Fred has been politicking for a facilities upgrade, but I let him know I was pretty certain the board wouldn’t go for it. He therefore asked for a budget increase, but the board wouldn’t even approve that. Needless to say, Fred was not happy.

[PointGuard]

2030-2031 SEASON

[NOTE: Imported the DDSCB2021 association into DDSCB2022 for all future activity]

Landon Friel (2nd Asst Coach)—call from a friend
Jerry: Hey buddy, congrats on your new job. Couldn’t happen to a worse guy.
Landon: Hah! Thanks loads. But yeah, I was really happy when Coach Aura let me know they wanted me here handling player development and practices.
Jerry: Well that’s your forte. You’ve always been good working with young guys.
Landon: That’s because I began my coaching career at the high school level.
Jerry: Speaking of high school. I just got done watching your boy.
Landon: My boy???
Jerry: Yeah, I had a contracting job in Maryland this winter and spring and got to watch Ben Schau a lot. The guy’s a freakin’ stud.
Landon: Ah, OK. Yeah, I have been looking over his stats but really haven’t had a chance yet to watch any video on him.
Jerry: Hell. Landon. If you’d had a guy or two like Schau at Oregon State, the Beavers would have been on top of the Pac-12 instead of stuck near the bottom all these years. Schau is an absolute beast on the boards. He’s only 6-6 but I watched him manhandle some much bigger guys. He knows how to position and then out-muscle guys. The guy really is able to put the ball in the hoop also. He led his team not only in rebounding but also scoring. He’ll get most of his points inside, but he can connect from long range as well. And for that matter, he gets a lot of blocks and steals too.
Landon: Yeah, like I said, I saw his stats and had a big smile on my face as I went over them.
Jerry: I’d say his only weaknesses are at the foul line, and maybe more importantly, his ball handling. You need to work with him on his hands. Sometimes he just doesn’t control the ball well when he gets a pass or when he puts the ball on the floor.
Landon: I’m glad you called me and let me know what you observed. I trust your basketball sense so that helps me know what to expect.
Jerry: What’s your take on Fred Aura?
Landon: Much too early to say. I barely know him at this point. But there’s no doubt he’s a great coach who’s built up two very different Division I programs in a pretty short amount of time. I’m excited about working with him and think I’ll learn a lot.
Jerry: You all settled in yet or still living out of suitcases?
Landon: Connie came back as soon as I found out I got the job. She found a place fast and now has the house pretty well like she wants it. I just pretty much stand back on that front and let her do whatever she thinks is right.
Jerry: That’s cool, man. If I can get up to New England this winter be sure to leave me a ticket. I’d like to see the Eagles play. If they win, I’ll buy the drinks…if they lose, it’s on you, buddy.

[PointGuard]

Meeting between Coach Fred Aura (FA) and Athletic Director Jason Braxton (JB)

JB: What’s up on the transfer front, Fred?
FA: I’ll tell you, I’m in the dark on that. This new system the NCAA unleashed on us has got all us coaches wondering what will happen. There’s no doubt most all of us will have guys who decide to fly the coop and try latching on elsewhere.
JB: So let’s talk some names. Who’s most likely to possibly leave our program?
FA: I can’t say who is MOST likely. But here’s my take on some guys who I think are iffy:
• Adrian Moss: There’s no doubt he wasn’t happy with how few minutes he’s played the 2 years he’s been with us. He’s gonna be a strong player, but still is developing. But he thinks he’s good enough to start. He gets along well with the rest of the team though and hopefully that will offset what’s probably some disappointment in me for not playing him more.
• Maynard Gardner: He’s got even more potential that Moss and is developing more quickly. I was surprised that he actually was considering declaring early this spring. It’s good he opted not to do it since he’s really not ready for the pros yet. But like Moss, even as a freshman last season he wanted to play a lot more. I’m sure he knows that there are teams where he could be a starter. Here he’ll be fighting for a starting job, but right both Darius Hein and Keith Kolder have an edge over him at SF.
• Tim Cotton: Yet another guy that’s pretty much in the same boat as Adrian and Maynard…having tremendous potential but not quite ready yet to start for us. And since he also wants to play a lot, that creates a possibility he could bolt even though next season he will be playing a lot more for us that he did last season. But all 3 of these guys are good guys who get along well with the rest of the team. I’m just hoping that’s enough cement to keep them all with us.
• Bobby Grannum: Totally different situation. The guy starred for us as a freshman this past season, starting every game. He’s a 5-star player and a real key for us this coming season, so losing him would really hurt. But, he’s got a personality that rubs people wrong at times and his relationship with his teammates is poor. He and I get along pretty well though. I’m just concerned that his failure to fit in with the rest of the team could make him think things will be better elsewhere.
• Rod Thorn: His relationship with the team and coaches was pretty tenuous early in this past season, but it slowly improved as the season ground along and I’m hoping that will be enough to keep him in the fold. He’s not concerned about playing time so that’s not an issue fortunately.
• Darius Hein: Another guy whose relationship with the team and coaches needed fortifying at the begging of the season. I think we did a pretty good job of doing that, but it’s still not where I’d like it. He got the minutes he wanted this season so I don’t think that will be an issue, but I’m not sure he will start next season even though he did this past season. And he probably knows that as well so that makes him a slight possibility to transfer.
JB: Damn. That’s a pretty bleak picture, Fred. You really think we could lose a bunch of players?
FA: Like I said, I just don’t know. I’m not thinking we’ll lose a lot of guys, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if one or two take a hike. The uncertainty does make me a bit nervous. This new transfer system makes it just too attractive for guys to look for greener pastures. We’ll know soon though. In the meantime, I’m walking on eggshells.
JB: Switching topics…what you looking for regarding our pre-conference schedule this year? Tough? Patsies? Home? Away?
FA: Let’s get as good of teams as we can, but as many at home as we can. That’ll make you happy, won’t it? Fill the seats here and fill our school’s coffers. Maybe then the stingy administration might see their way to actually spend some of the extra money on the facilities here or increasing our recruiting budget to give us a better opportunity to recruit with the likes of Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse, and Louisville.
JB: I’ll see what I can do. A lot of the good teams don’t want to play tough competition, particularly away. They’d prefer to schedule a bunch of powder puffs they can slaughter so that they look good to the pollsters. How’s things with the family and how are your boys doing?
FA: We’re doing pretty well. Janeka’s mother is still battling cancer and so Janeka spends a lot of time helping out at her parent’s house. Devany’s now old enough to be a big help in that respect as well, at least when she’s not tied up with her soccer practices and games. You know Omari did well playing for Providence this season and should be a big key to Providence’s success next season. Malik is excited about leaving home and playing for Georgetown. Providence will already be on our schedule as our non-conference rival, but maybe you can get Georgetown to play us also. That would be cool, although Malik is scary good and could help to pile up two losses to my sons this year.
JB: Yeah, I’ll work on that. But let’s beat Providence this season. I’m already tired of losing to them and they’ve only been our rivals for 2 years.
FA: Hey Jason, you’re preaching to the choir. You gotta know I take a lot of heat from Omari after a loss to Providence.
JB: By the way, congratulations on landing the 20th best recruiting class this past year. Well done!
FA: Thanks. I’m excited to see how Mike Williams and Ben Schau do for us. But I see that Providence was #6, Georgetown was #7, and Duke was #10 on that list. I take some of the blame with respect to Georgetown since Malik was a key to their rating so high. Fortunately Providence and Duke lost some outstanding players who declared early this spring, but they just keep reloading. Duke’s budget just totally dwarfs us…that makes it tough to compete for the best recruits, particularly on the international front.
JB: Well, I’ve got confidence that you can overcome their monetary advantages and whip the Blue Devils this coming season. I’m not going to change the goals we had last year: Win 20+ games (preferably 30+), finish in the top 3 in the ACC (preferably #1), qualify for the NCAA (and preferably go deep), improve our prestige, and absolutely no academic ineligibility! Quite doable, right?
FA: No promises. We’ll do as well as we can. The administration likes that we’re winning and that we get to the Big Dance every year. I’m telling you right now though. It’s time, past due time, for that same administration to reward our success by improving our facilities and increasing our budget this coming year. I’m tired of their denials.
JB: I know, I know, Fred. Me too, but let’s just stay focused on what we can do. We just have a very conservative board of directors. You know we’re all very pleased with what you’ve done for us and want you to continue building BC into the ACC powerhouse.

[PointGuard]

FOLLOW-UP ACTION (following meeting with his AD):

Coach Aura contacted the following players about working on 3’s more:

Rashon Thorn—didn’t want to initially, but agreed to do it.
Bobby Grannum—agreed immediately.
Glen Robinson—resisted it preferring to do pretty much the same as he’s done throughout his career.
James Pratt—agreed enthusiastically.

[PointGuard]

Phone call from AD Jason Braxton to Coach Fred Aura:

JB: Hey, Fred, your one crappy clairvoyant.

FA: Whatcha mean?

JB: You were worrying me about all the guys who might transfer away from us. And what happens? No one transfers.

FA: (Laughing) I’m happy to be wrong about that. In fact, I’m ecstatic. But not having anyone transfer hasn’t been the case at a lot of colleges. The transfer list is HUGE!

JB: Yeah, that’s what I’ve heard too.

FA: I was looking over the list this morning and there’s some guys on it that I’d like to have. But to be honest, none that I’d trade for any of our existing players. While some of the transfer players are maybe more talented that a few of ours, I’m not about to break up our team to get any of them. And some of the talented players on that list might have some attitude issues that could impact our team chemistry. For example there’s Adam Crenshaw who was great at C for Louisville as a freshman last season. But I’ve heard rumblings that he’s not got a great personality and can rub his teammates the wrong way and also that his work ethic is horrible. An example of an extremely talented guy who will likely never do as well as he could or be the team player you want.

JB: Crenshaw’s just one of 5 guys who are transferring from Louisville.

FA: Well, Louisville just finished a terrible season, so that probably caused a lot of dissent. But there’s 5 from North Carolina State also. I have no idea what’s going on in Raleigh.

JB: By the way, I think your son Omari has cemented himself at SF again this season. I see two SF’s from Providence are on the transfer list.

FA: I doubt Omari had anything to do with that, but yeah, I’m pretty sure he’ll be the Friar’s starting SF again this year.

JB: And from what I’ve seen of Malik, he’s gotta be a lock to start at SG for Georgetown. You gotta be proud.

FA: Now that you mention it. I am. Both are better players than their dad was in college.

[Wayne23]

Interesting. I had one transfer last season and none this season. We should probably pay attention to that.

[PointGuard]

Coach Fred Aura receives a call from David Woodruff a couple weeks later:

FA: Hey, David, good to hear from you. While I’m glad you got the head coaching job at George Mason, I’m still missing not having you on my staff any longer.

DW: Thanks, Fred. This head coaching job is a lot more work than I had envisioned. And our record last season sucked.

FA: Yeah, there’s a lotta different aspects to the job, but hey, you won one more game that your predecessor had done the season before you took the job. He didn’t leave you with a lot of talent to work with, I’m afraid. But I’m confident you’ll be successful there.

DW: I hope so, but we had 3 guys transfer away this past week. One was a starter and another had a chance to be a starter this coming season.

FA: I’m no fan of the new transfer rules, but we all have to live with the change. A positive is that there are a lot of very good players wanting to find new homes, so aggressively go after a few of those. I really hope you land 3 very strong players. We’re not going to be participating in the scramble for transfer players so you won’t have to compete against us.

DW: Thanks. Hey, I see that Malik will be playing for Georgetown...pass along my congratulations to him. But I sure wish he’d decided to play several miles east of Georgetown…for US.

FA: I’ll pass along your comments to him. I got guys waiting to meet with me so I have to run. But thanks for the call, David…and the best of luck to you this year. I’m really proud that you got a good head coaching job and know you’re more than capable.

[PointGuard]

Call from Coach Fred Aura to Coach David Woodruff:

FA: David, I think you stole 3 good transfer players. Congratulations!

DW: Yes, they all have good potential to really help us, I think.

FA: So, do you now like the new way they’re doing transfers?

DW: If these 3 guys help us do a lot better this year, you may have me saying “yes” to that question.

FA: I think for a mid-major like George Mason, the big increase in the number of transfer players could be a windfall since there will be some good players at big name programs who are transferring because they didn’t get enough playing time and mid-major programs will look real good to those players.

DW: Let’s both have great seasons this year, Fred…and meet in the NCAA Tourney!

FA: That’s a good thought.

[PointGuard]

1st Asst Coach Darrell Montgomery

In my first year handling the recruiting actions for Coach Aura, I want to get some great recruits. We had the 20th best recruit class last year so my goal is to have an even better one this year. Coach Aura and I would like to add a SG and big man, but we have agreed to try to land the best recruits we can get this year since we aren’t expecting any holes in the lineup next year even after SG Glen Robinson, SF Keith Kolder and PF Danny Toliver leave us after graduating the end of this season.

We’ll be attending the Indy Elite Camp and the Big Apple Showcase this summer.

[PointGuard]

Janeka Aura

We got exciting news today. Omari has been nominated for the Norton Award. He’s worked hard and played well for Providence for 3 seasons, so this is a cap to his collegiate career. Omari and our entire family are ecstatic about the nomination.

For Boston College, freshman Ben Schau and junior Corey Graham have also been nominated for the award. So today was a triple bonus day for Fred.