Boston University Men’s Basketball End of Season Report Card
By Greg Levinsky and Matt Doherty
With the end of the regular season and Patriot League tournament approaching, it’s time for a second edition of a BU Men’s Basketball report card. In our midseason report card, we graded the performance of each player on the roster, and we will do so again by looking at their body of work in the season’s entirety.
Seniors:
Cedric Hankerson, Guard: 13.5 PPG, 41.0% FG, 33.8% 3FG
Greg: After struggling with his shot in non-conference play, Hankerson erupted for 33 points in the Patriot League season opener at home against Army. Despite missing five games due to injury, he compiled an impressive 48.2 field goal percentage and a 40.4 3-point percentage in conference play. I left him off of our postseason awards due to the injuries, but I firmly believe he is the team’s best player when healthy.
Matt: Hankerson is the Terriers’ best all around player and his injuries this year certainly limited this team from reaching its full potential. When he’s been healthy, he’s played well. Hankerson has had a very good Boston University career.
Greg: A-
Matt: A-
Nick Havener, Forward: 6.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.0 BPG
Greg: Another player who struggled with injury, Havener played the entire season with a torn labrum. While he started off hot, a subsequent knee injury forced him to miss a few games and play less minutes while recovering while sophomore forward Max Mahoney emerged.
Matt: I have to give Havener a ton of credit for playing most of the season with a torn labrum. He played extremely well when healthy and his injury hurt the Terriers scoring depth. Still, Havener is able to provide solid defensive minutes off the bench despite being a liability on offense now.
Greg: B-
Matt: B+
Will Goff, Guard: 6.0 PPG, 39.6% 3FG,
Greg: The sharp-shooter played half of the season in a starting role, and he probably did not expect to get 30+ minutes in five games and average 25.6 minutes per game. After starting out on a blistering tear from beyond the arc, Goff returned to earth. His defense was a plus, and you’ve got to commend him for always playing his role.
Matt: Goff has definitely came back to reality after being in the top 10 nationally in 3-point shooting. He’s still a threat from the behind the arc and is a reliable defender. You know what you’re going to get from Goff game in and game out.
Greg: B
Matt: B-
Eric Johnson, Guard: 2.9 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 1.9 APG
Greg: Johnson never got tons of time, but was steady in his appearances. With two freshmen starting at guard the majority of the season, Johnson did not get the lion’s share of minutes, but found himself in some good spots.
Matt: I feel like Johnson never hit his upside as a player at BU because he was always in a backup role. Johnson doesn’t hurt you and is a solid passer.
Greg: B-
Matt: B-
Juniors:
Kamali Chambers: 1.6 PPG, 2 Starts
Greg: Chambers came in and sparked the Terriers in times of need and the walk-on provided nice bursts.
Matt: Whenever he plays, Chambers brings some type of spark, like the Navy game mentioned above.
Greg: B-
Matt: B-
Sophomores:
Tyler Scanlon: 10.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.8 APG
Greg: Scanlon did not play the role I expected him to, but turned out to be an improved facilitator and rebounder while improving his scoring arsenal. He averaged 12.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in conference play and shot .484-.429-.807 which is really quite good.
Matt: Scanlon is never going to be the guy but he’s a perfect complementarily player in the Patriot League. He can play and defend multiple positions, stretch the floor, and rebound. Scanlon is an integral part of the program in the future, and it feels like he can develop into a point-forward type of player. Averages of 12.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, and 5.0 apg as a senior are not out of the question.
Greg: B+
Matt: A-
Max Mahoney: 12.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 60.7% FG
Greg: Mahoney took a massive jump forward in his second season and blossomed into one of the premier back to the basket players in the Patriot League. As the season went on, Mahoney continued to display confidence in the post, earning him Third-Team All-Patriot League honors.
Matt: Mahoney will only get better as time goes on. He’s one of the best post players in the conference and he took the big “leap” this season. It felt like Mahoney averaged more than what he did. He’s becoming the face of the program.
Greg: A
Matt: A
Freshmen:
Walter Whyte: 9.0 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 48.5% FG
Greg: It was Whyte’s four game absence that proved his value for this team. His offensive rebounding prowess and deceptive quickness aided the Terriers to close the regular season with a pair of victories upon his return.
Matt: The Terriers lost all four games Whyte missed and then proceeded to win two in a row once he returned. That’s all you need to know.
Greg: A
Matt: A-
Andrew Petcash: 2.3 PPG, 44.2% FG
Greg: Petcash played more as the season went on due to the aforementioned injuries to Hankerson and Whyte. He had 11 points in a loss to Lehigh and eight points in a contest against Bucknell.
Matt: Petcash showed some scoring promise when he got extended run this season. He proved he can shoot the ball from downtown.
Greg: B
Matt: B-
Javante McCoy: 8.6 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 42.9% 3FG
Greg: McCoy took the starting point guard reigns from game one and kept a firm grasp on them all year. He’s got a lot of untapped potential, but looked pretty good at times in the process. More experience will help him reach high marks.
Matt: It was a learning year for McCoy in the point guard role. He had some ups and down but he will only get better as time goes on. At 6’5″, he has the makings of being a terrific guard in the conference.
Greg: A-
Matt: B
Sukhmail Mathon: 2.3 PPG, 2.8 RPG
Greg: The third big man in an thin frontcourt in terms of bodies, Mathon got some fairly consistent playing time. He’s a good passer, but is still developing.
Matt: Mathon is a project who will take time. In his limited minutes, he showed he can rebound and defend. He needs to develop his offensive arsenal down the road to become a complete player.
Greg: B-
Matt: B-
Note: We decided to not include neither Cheddi Mosely nor Destin Barnes who missed the remainder of the season due to injury after playing just two games.