Terriers Shoot For Title

This Could Be the Year it All Comes Together for BU

by Jeff Cohen

Flashback to Last Year (2008-2009): 17-13 (11-5 America East), lost in America East quarterfinal to UMBC.  Swingman John Holland (18.1 ppg) and shooting guard Corey Lowe (17.2 ppg) paced the Terriers offense while center Jake O'Brien (12.5 ppg) won America East Rookie of the Year honors.  O'Brien earned the starting nod when Scott Brittan missed the early part of the season with a concussion.  Brittan returned to provide the Terriers a defensive spark and leadership inside.  Season-ending injuries to point guard Tyler Morris and sixth man Carlos Strong in early January limited the team's offensive explosiveness and the team's depth.  Last season's co-Captains, Matt Wolff (4.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and Marques Johnson (1.3 ppg, 1.4 apg), helped lead the team to the third seed in the America East Tournament.

New Sheriff in Town: Former Villanova associate head coach Patrick Chambers takes the helm as Terriers head coach after Dennis Wolff's 15-year tenure came to an end.  Chambers is considered a high-energy leader who demands the best from his players both on and off the court.

High Expectations: The heat will be on Chambers early this season since the Terriers have been voted America East favorites for the third consecutive season.  Raising the temperature even higher, the Terriers were voted unanimous conference favorites.

We're Baaack!: The nucleus from last year's squad remains intact for one more season.  Senior Corey Lowe ('10) and junior John Holland ('11) were named to the All-Conference team entering this season and remain America East's most dangerous 1-2 punch.  Sophomore Jake O'Brien ('12) should only improve off his solid rookie campaign.  Senior guards Tyler Morris ('10) and Carlos Strong ('10) are fully healthy and will make opposing defenses two more offensive threats to worry about.  Senior forward Scott Brittan ('10) is sidelined with a concussion to begin the season for a second straight year, but his leadership and saavy in the paint is extremely valuable.

Bench Power: Unlike last season, when only seven or eight players took the floor each game, BU will be showcasing its tremendous depth this season.  Senior forward Valdas Sirutis ('10), who has shown a tremendous work ethic so far in practice, will see plenty of minutes inside while Brittan recovers from his concussion.  Sophomore center Jeff Pelage ('10) will also see plenty of time inside.  Pelage has shown the ability to dominate games inside, but needs to do so on a more consistent basis.  Senior guard Sherrod Smith ('10) played in 10 games last season and will provide a solid shooting touch off the bench.  The big offseason prize was freshmen guard B.J. Bailey ('13), who possesses tremendous offensive talent and adds even more depth for a loaded Terriers backcourt.  Seniors Tunde Agboola ('10) and Michael Schultze ('10) provide the Terriers with an important veteran presence and will certainly contribute to the Terriers' success.

See You Next Year: Junior transfers Darryl Partin ('11), Matt Griffin ('11) and Patrick Hazel ('11) must sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules, but will be relied on heavily next year when the eight current seniors graduate.  Chambers has also already assembled an impressive group of recruits for the 2010-2011 season.

Team Strength: Three point shooting.  The Terriers are lethal from beyond the arc, sinking over 36% of their three-pointers and close to nine per game.  Holland (80 three-pointers made) and Lowe (team-leading 85) connected on 39.6% and 37.3% of their threes respectively.  Jake O'Brien showed a mix of an inside and outside game and made 36.5% of his threes.  Morris (who won the three-point shootout during Terrier Tip Off) and Strong are also threats from deel.

Team Weakness: Interior defense.  While the Terriers did a great job of shutting down opposing guards  BU had trouble slowing down opposing big men.  UMBC's Darryl Proctor scored 33 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in the Retriever's 79-75 victory over BU in last year's America East Tournament, fouling out both O'Brien and Brittan late in the game.  Meanwhile, UMBC point guard Jay Greene, one of the top point guards in the conference last season, was limited to only two points.  In a loss at Vermont, two-time player of the year Marquis Blakely collected 13 rebounds while adding 12 points against the Terriers.  In a 77-67 win over Albany, the Terriers limited All-Conference guard Tim Ambrose to seven points, but allowed 28 to forward Will Harris.  If BU is going to win the America East conference, they need strong defensive efforts inside from Brittan, O'Brien, Sirutis and Pelage.

X-Factor: Jake O'Brien.  The sophomore power forward impressed many last season, but the expectations are higher going into this season.  O'Brien worries defenses as a third scoring threat and can score from both inside and outside.  His height (6'8") also makes him difficult to shoot over inside.  However, O'Brien has a tendency to over-rely on the three-point shot when he should be backing down smaller defenders inside.  On defense, bigger or stronger players can push him around a bit.  It's clear O'Brien can score and has a very good outside game, but if he can strengthen his inside game, both offensively and defensively, the Terriers will be tough to beat.