Men’s Basketball: Terriers Return Experienced Roster, But Seek Improvements Ahead of 2021-22 Campaign
By Hannah Yoshinaga
The last time the Boston University men’s basketball team played in front of fans, it was celebrating its first Patriot League title since 2011 — and the Terriers begin the 2021-22 season with similar aspirations Tuesday.
After being named the preseason favorite last year, BU fell short of expectations and finished as the 7-seed. However, with a chip on their shoulder and some of the least roster turnover in the league, the Terriers feel they have a shot to regain the top spot in the league and earn an NCAA Tournament berth.
Top Dogs
The Terriers return one of the most veteran-heavy rosters in the conference, for which they were voted the Patriot League’s top preseason team for the second year in a row.
“Honestly, I just love the type of people that they are,” Jones said of this year’s squad. “It’s a close team, they get along really well.”
Yet, he believes there are no guarantees even with an experienced lineup.
“I told our guys I didn’t think we deserved to be the preseason favorite,” Jones said. “I didn’t think we earned it last year. You have to earn that right.”
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Specifically, Jones wants a bigger buy-in from his team when it comes to adopting a tougher and more consistent mindset.
“We have to do things that good teams do, and good teams do the hard stuff well. Right now, that’s what I’m most concerned about, are we going to make the toughness plays, are we going to play through when things get really hard.”
The BU coaching staff is also putting extra emphasis on defensive principles in practice, including footwork, communication and rebounding.
Jones noted that the Terriers were a top rebounding team during their 2019-20 championship run — putting up 36.2 boards per game — but that they need to return to a similarly effective level this year.
The Return of Non-Conference
Jones hopes that being able to play non-conference games this season will provide an opportunity to work out some of the kinks before league play begins in January.
In addition to URI, the Terriers’ non-conference slate includes opponents such as Boston neighbor Northeastern and SEC powerhouse Florida State, which was ranked 20th in this season’s first edition of the AP Top 25.
BU will also travel to Jacksonville, Fla. to play in the Jacksonville Classic Basketball Tournament on Nov. 21 and 22.
“I think we’ll know more about who we are,” Jones said. “It’s going to be tough and challenging. And I think we’ve got to embrace the hard.”
New Kids on the Block
BU will have an opportunity to embrace the hard right off the bat when it comes to getting healthy, as guards Ethan Brittain-Watts, Caelan Jones and Miles Brewster were among those being held out of practice as of Tuesday, Oct. 26. With multiple players sidelined, others — including newcomers Malcolm Chimezie and Nevin Zink — will be expected to play larger roles than originally anticipated.
Freshman forward Chimezie was ranked the No. 8 recruit in New York by ESPN and was a nominee for McDonald’s All-American honors in 2021. In his final season at Archbishop Stepinac High School last winter, the Yonkers, N.Y. native averaged 10 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.
Zink comes to BU as a junior transfer from USC Upstate after averaging 7.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 0.6 blocks and 22.7 minutes per game as a Spartan. He shot 62% from the field last season, the fourth-best mark in program history. A former NEPSAC All-New England Honorable Mention, he graduated from St. Andrew’s School in nearby Barrington, R.I.
“They’ve been awesome,” Jones said. “Both those guys are really coachable guys, they’re great guys, they’re tough. It’s been a lot of fun being around those two and coaching them so far.”
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The Terriers kick off their season on the road at URI’s Ryan Center on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.