Men’s Basketball: Laying out the 2021 frontcourt options

By: Ethan Fuller

When Boston University men’s basketball head coach Joe Jones spoke to WTBU Sports this week, he addressed how the Terriers will fill the Max Mahoney-sized hole in this year’s rotation.

“We’re capable of impacting the game differently,” he said, “and we just have to be open-minded as we’re figuring our team out.”

It’s not a specific answer, but Jones’ response sends a message: he feels comfortable that BU has the versatility and personnel to throw different frontcourts at different teams. Mahoney started all 34 games last year and averaged 27.1 minutes per contest. His All-League impact won’t be easy to replace.

But based on last year’s lineups, and Jones’ comments from this week, BU has an intriguing array of options to fill out the frontcourt. Below, I’ve laid out all the options, from the safe bets to the long shots.

The Incumbent: Sukhmail Mathon

Only two true “bigs” return from the 2020 title squad. We’ll open with Suk Mathon, who started 22 games for the Terriers last season, including that fateful championship game.

Mathon is a bruiser at his core. At 6-foot-10 with a well-built frame, he primarily hustles on the glass, battles inside and contests paint shots on defense. He and Mahoney started together often down the stretch, and as Jones admitted, the pair was even more effective together than he expected. This was because they complemented each other in a lot of ways; Mahoney was a more mobile big with elite foot speed, while Mathon is physically stronger and tougher to move on the block.

I’d also note Mathon’s underrated touch on short jump hooks and mid-range shots out to the elbow. He can put up a quick hook shot from anywhere in the paint, and if a defender leaves him open inside the arc, Mathon can knock it down. He even showed long-range promise in last year’s practices (for obvious reasons, I haven’t had the chance to check in on this season).

Mathon has a major trouble area — his mobility is limited. On offense, the senior caused a lot of turnovers by getting stripped or intercepted because he simply couldn’t create much on his own. Defensively, Mathon was a liability in space. And while he’s a good individual paint defender, Mathon isn’t a rim protector — he blocked nine shots in 34 games last season.

Jones heaped praise on Mathon’s preseason work, saying he’s been “tremendous” in practice. While it remains to be seen what that looks like, it’s safe to say Mathon will be a key piece for BU’s frontcourt.

The Shooter: Jack Hemphill

https://twitter.com/TerrierMBB/status/1253428323117498368

A 6-foot-9 junior, Hemphill brings one signature skill that neither Mathon nor Mahoney possess: legit range.

Hemphill shot 32 percent from downtown on the season, but canned a strong 38.7 percent of his threes in conference play despite averaging only 8.2 minutes per game. He can set his feet quickly and shoot off the catch with success.

From a theoretical perspective, Hemphill’s potential is tantalizing. BU loved to send Mahoney up to the top of the arc early in the shot clock to help facilitate. But defenses could sag off of the star center because he was not a threat to shoot; seriously, he did not attempt a single three-pointer in college. Imagine Hemphill making those defenders pay and opening up chances for his teammates in the process.

As a junior, Hemphill is still learning where and when to pick his spots. He can try to do too much, especially inside against stronger bigs.

“I think Jack Hemphill, when he keeps things simple, can be very productive,” Jones said. “But he has to keep things simple.”

Can Hemphill and Mathon thrive on the floor together? That pairing brings a nice blend of size and shooting. And as Jones pointed out, it creates options for a monster-sized lineup.

“When you play Suk and Jack together, and you have Walter Whyte and Javante [McCoy], that’s a big team,” he said.

The Forwards: Walter Whyte and Fletcher Tynen

The other option is to run one of Mathon and Hemphill with one of BU’s combo forwards. This is what the Terriers often did in late-game situations, typically with Ethan Brittain-Watts, Jonas Harper and Javante McCoy at guard and Whyte and Mahoney in the frontcourt. With no Mahoney, perhaps Mathon slides back in or Hemphill moves up.

Walter Whyte has just about everything you could want in a small-ball power forward. He’s a monster on the glass, according to his 8.0 rebounds per conference game in 2020. The redshirt junior also is a three-level scorer and solid defender, and at 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds, really isn’t “small” for the league. Whyte can blow past guys, power through them and shoot over the top. There’s a reason the league has him pegged as an Preseason All-Patriot League Team member.

Junior Fletcher Tynen backed up Whyte last year, and his skill set is particularly enticing. Tynen was a fixture in BU’s second unit where he averaged just over 14 minutes per game. On offense, Tynen has mostly been a finisher in his career. He has overhauled his jumper through two seasons, with modest improvement, but never shot or handled the ball with confidence. That could be changing.

“I think Fletcher’s a guy that has taken a step offensively,” Jones said. “I’m not telling you he’s gonna come in and be Paul Pierce, but he’s definitely more confident.”

But it’s no hot take to say that Tynen might be the most versatile defender on BU’s roster. He’s a long 6-foot-7, capable of guarding 2-through-4 and even some smaller centers. When Joe Jones needed a clutch stop, he typically subbed out Brittain-Watts for Tynen, and that five-man group was lethal.

Tynen makes sense in a greater role if BU rolls with the shooting of Jack Hemphill. He probably would not start in place of Whyte, but Tynen could inherit more minutes depending on bench matchups.

Of course, there’s one more tasty hypothetical. Picture a super-small-ball frontcourt of Whyte and Tynen — an uber-switchable, fast-paced duo that could feast on opponents without a bruising big. The Patriot League lost a lot of its interior talent this summer; now would be the time to test the pair out. Jones said he was approaching rotations with an open mind. I would love to see an EBW-Harper-McCoy-Tynen-Whyte quintet for spot minutes.

The Reserves: Andrew Patnode and Tim Uzoegbu

From an outsider’s perspective, it seems that some combo of the aforementioned players will hold down the fort inside. But no one ever knows how injuries and a pandemic could wreak havoc on a roster. Patnode and Uzoegbu don’t have obvious paths to playing time this season, but they are part of the team’s depth.

A freshman from Saratoga Springs, NY, Patnode is more of a traditional inside-out big. At 6-foot-8, 230 pounds, he’s a fighter inside who battles on the glass. Patnode is also a lefty, which could be a unique advantage against defenders.

In our spring Q&A with Patnode, he emphasized that he takes pride in his passing out of the post — an attribute Jones appreciated in Mahoney. There’s obviously a ways to go as a freshman, but Patnode checks a lot of boxes as a classic BU big.

Tim Uzoegbu walked onto the team in October 2019 along with fellow sophomores Tarkan Taboglu and Mike Quinn. Uzoegbu is only 6-foot-4, but he has serious length. He spent most of his freshman year practicing with the bigs, and might be suited for a hybrid forward-type of role.

Uzoegbu has only logged five total minutes as a Terrier and will likely be a part of the reserve well once again. His length and developing frame are similar traits to BU’s other forwards.

Featured image courtesy of Hannah Yoshinaga/WTBU.

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