{"id":39203,"date":"2023-11-04T13:36:20","date_gmt":"2023-11-04T17:36:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=39203"},"modified":"2023-11-04T16:00:58","modified_gmt":"2023-11-04T20:00:58","slug":"in-a-brand-new-era-can-bu-mens-basketball-get-back-to-the-top","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2023\/11\/04\/in-a-brand-new-era-can-bu-mens-basketball-get-back-to-the-top\/","title":{"rendered":"In a brand new era, can BU Men\u2019s Basketball get back to the top?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photo courtesy of Helen Gui<\/em><\/p>\n

By Sam Robb O’Hagan<\/em><\/p>\n

Less than two weeks before Boston University men\u2019s basketball opens the 2023-24 season, the noise inside Case Gymnasium stops.<\/span><\/p>\n

The gym has been loud throughout this Tuesday’s practice. Staying quiet isn\u2019t an option for these 15 student-athletes, who are all desperate to prove themselves before a brand-new season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eight of them are new this year. The other seven weren\u2019t around when the Terriers last won the Patriot League Championship in 2020 and are about to lead the team themselves, without teammates from that title-winning group, for the very first time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All 15 of them are, one way or another, entering uncharted territory. It is not the time to sink under the radar. But at this moment, they all stand silent, because head coach Joe Jones has a lesson he needs to teach.<\/span><\/p>\n

The team\u2019s performance in a one-on-one drill was poor. But that isn\u2019t the problem \u2014 after all, with so many new faces this year, everyone around here is expecting growing pains. What <\/span>is <\/span><\/i>a problem, though, is body language that was once so eager and optimistic that is now, evidently, disheartened and defeated. Jones\u2019 message is clear.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Stop worrying about the results.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A new era at Case Gym<\/b><\/p>\n

It would have been hard to catch Jones barking those words in the two seasons before this one. At times, it felt like the results were the <\/span>only <\/span><\/i>thing to worry about for a core returning from that title win. Last year, BU started three graduate students and two seniors; the year before that, future NBA guard Javonte McCoy and conference player of the year Sukhail Maton led the Terriers to the semifinal of the Patriot League tournament.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, none of those players remain. And the eight that arrived this year make up the largest roster turnover in Jones\u2019 13 seasons at BU.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to handle yourself like a champion before you become a champion, and we\u2019re learning how to do that,\u201d Jones says, sitting in his office two days later. \u201cWe\u2019re not there yet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It can be tough for Jones\u2019 players to see that vision. Four of them are freshmen. Two of them are junior transfers from Division 2, and two more are former student managers who were added to the roster as walk-ons this offseason. When a shot clanks off the rim, a slump in the back can often follow. It is precisely the habit Jones wanted to work out of them when he stopped that one-on-one drill.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re caught up in the process, and not the results,\u201d Jones says, \u201cyou\u2019ve got a better chance of getting where you\u2019re trying to go.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

If everything else has changed, the Terrier process hasn\u2019t. The staff has instilled what they call BU\u2019s \u201cpillars,\u201d things like playing \u201cinside-out\u201d on offense \u2014 which prioritizes working the ball inside the paint before settling for a three \u2014 and BU\u2019s \u201ccore principles,\u201d things like being tough, resilient, selfless, and vocal. During that practice, many of the players wore base layers that read \u201cATTITUDE.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s more important than the outcome,\u201d Jones says. \u201cDid you do what we\u2019re asking you to do to the best of your ability? If you did that? We got nothing to worry about.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But before BU opens the regular season at Northeastern on November 6, there are more questions than answers. With eight players new to Division 1 \u2014 more than half of the roster \u2014 who is ready to play significant minutes in a local rivalry game on the road? Of the seven returning players, four of them have played less than 300 minutes at BU \u2014 how have they improved before assuming a larger role this season?<\/span><\/p>\n

And how do all of those parts, most of them still unknown individually, work together to form a group that can compete come conference play?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s never been this,\u201d Jones says. \u201cIt\u2019s never been this many questions about who\u2019s going to do what.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The returning players<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, the king,\u201d assistant coach Curtis Wilson says, walking into his office across the street from Case Gym. He is, of course, referring to Miles Brewster.<\/span><\/p>\n

If there is a sure thing on the roster, it\u2019s Brewster, a senior guard whose 1,000 career minutes at BU are the most of any returning player this season. In many ways, he is the face of the team this year. Mostly because he\u2019s almost the only familiar face.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt might be the most turnover in college history,\u201d Brewster jokes. \u201cIt\u2019s been a wild ride.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But, with Brewster, there are still questions. He\u2019s never been an unquestioned leader in Case Gym, and in fact, he\u2019s never even been an unquestioned starter.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited, I\u2019m really excited,\u201d Brewster says. \u201cBut I\u2019m definitely nervous.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He\u2019s notoriously self-critical. A proud defense-focused guard, he\u2019s always been quick to point out his mistakes, saying he \u201ccan\u2019t really be satisfied.\u201d Many around the program agree it\u2019s one of Brewster\u2019s best qualities. But, it can be a slippery slope. Brewster vividly recalls a sophomore year bus ride back from Lehigh, when he was distraught after not playing in two consecutive games.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt can definitely be defeating, or almost tiring, and non-productive,\u201d Brewster concedes. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say it\u2019s always a good thing, and it\u2019s definitely something that I\u2019ve worked on trying to curb.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, as a certain game-to-game starter for the first time, it will all be tested.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe big thing with Miles,\u201d Jones says, \u201cis not to put it all on his own shoulders.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Brewster is one of seven returning players. He\u2019s alongside two more seniors, forward Andrew Patnode and guard\/forward Anthony Morales, one junior, forward Malcolm Chimezie, and three sophomores, guard Ben Roy and forwards Nic Nobili and Otto Landrum.<\/span><\/p>\n

Three of them haven\u2019t even played 100 career minutes. The three that have \u2014 Morales, Chimezie, and Landrum \u2014\u00a0 have only reached the floor in relief of veterans from that title-winning team.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, they all step into the spotlight.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jones says there\u2019s reason to believe in each one of them. Chimezie and Morales both have experience that only Brewster can match. Patnode is a senior who\u2019s played 19 career minutes, but Jones says he\u2019s \u201cgoing to be a guy that I think we will go to.\u201d Jones raves about Roy\u2019s improvement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But Nobili and Landrum, the two sophomore forwards, are names that keep coming up.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s pretty hard <\/span>not<\/span><\/i> to talk about Landrum. The 6-foot-9 forward played 254 freshman-year minutes with his head on fire (literally, he rocks an iconic ginger mullet). He\u2019s a lot. There\u2019s never a dull moment \u2014 either an almost overly enthusiastic smile on the bench or a pulsating scream on the court. He\u2019s a lot for opposing bigs, too, desperately pursuing rebounds and imposing his will whenever he can. A young spark-plug for a veteran team last year, Landrum faces a far larger role this year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s just an incredible kid,\u201d Jones says. \u201cEverybody loves Otto. But I\u2019ll say this, he\u2019s very, very much improved.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jones says Landrum can score inside and stretch the floor with perimeter shooting, making him a perfect fit within BU\u2019s \u201cinside-out\u201d offensive pillar.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 6-foot-10 Nobili, Landrum\u2019s fellow sophomore forward, figures to play a similar role. Jones makes sure to mention him, saying he can shoot, pass, and play off the dribble, even if he doesn\u2019t do as much work inside as Landrum. Jones says Nobili was BU\u2019s leading scorer in their first pre-season scrimmage.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHim and Otto together right now, presents some issues, because they both can step away from the basket,\u201d Jones says. \u201cThat really helps you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But, of course, there are questions there, too. In 254 minutes last season, Landrum attempted one three-point shot and missed it. Nobili took nine and made one, but in only 71 total minutes on the floor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even the returning players face a potentially steep learning curve. And Brewster knows it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest thing I\u2019ve learned is probably just to stay with it, to stay the course,\u201d Brewster says. \u201cIf I could talk to my 19-year-old self, I would just tell myself, don\u2019t worry so much about the small hiccups or the small setbacks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The largest roster turnover in 13 seasons<\/b><\/p>\n

Perhaps no Terrier can vouch for the process before the results quite like junior guard Ethan Okwuosa.<\/span><\/p>\n

A transfer from DII Southern New Hampshire, Owkuosa was a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic\u2019s effect on recruiting in College Basketball. D1 offers came, but then existing players at those schools were granted an extra year of eligibility, and the need for fresh recruits like Okwuosa dwindled. The offers, including from the Patriot League\u2019s Lafayette, were rescinded, and Okwuosa settled for DII. After moving to a private high school his sophomore year to focus on basketball, it was not the immediate result he wanted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was kind of hard to swallow,\u201d Okwuosa says.<\/span><\/p>\n

But, knowing he had to make it to the NCAA\u2019s top division, Okwuosa worked through a broken hand his freshman year to win all-conference honors his sophomore year, averaging 12.4 points per game and 5.9 rebounds a game, despite being a 6-foot-2 guard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe more I accepted it, the more I knew it was temporary, and worked towards it being temporary, rather than slacking and then ending up there for four years, it was really a blessing in disguise,\u201d Okwuosa says.<\/span><\/p>\n

In early April, Okwuosa entered the transfer portal, and by the middle of the month, Jones and BU came calling (\u201cscreaming in my ear,\u201d Okwuosa says). They offered him a scholarship before he even took an official visit, and two years after his D1 dream was derailed, Okwuosa is finally here.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a funny position for Okwuosa to be in. His journey to BU is direct evidence of the \u201cprocess over results\u201d mentality that Jones is trying to instill, but it is precisely that journey that makes ignoring the results harder.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo be honest, I need to learn that,\u201d Okwuosa says. As the primary ball-handler in many of BU\u2019s five-on-five drills during that practice, he says he wants to stay aggressive and confident, but in a new offense, there have been bumps. He starts to say it\u2019s been a smooth transition but stops himself. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say smooth, It\u2019s been a learning curve, right?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m overthinking it too much to where it\u2019s kind of affecting my decision-making,\u201d Okwuosa says. His head coach agrees. \u201cI want him thinking less and playing more,\u201d Jones says. During that Tuesday practice, Jones pulled Okwuosa aside multiple times for a private reminder.<\/span><\/p>\n

Okwuosa is working through many of the same problems that his seven fellow newcomers are. Jones and Brewster are quick to point to the flip side of that coin \u2014 the talent there is to build on, the potential there is to build towards.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s such a huge upside with this team,\u201d Jones says. \u201cIt might not look great early, but certainly, this is a group that could come on as we get some experience and gain some confidence.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Okwuosa is strong and quick, according to Jones, and despite being a new player, he gathered 1,018 minutes of playing time just last season at SNHU, more than Brewster has played in his entire career.<\/span><\/p>\n

Junior guard Ben Palacios, a fellow DII transfer and Okwuosa\u2019s roommate, \u201ccan really shoot it,\u201d according to Brewster. Both Jones and Brewster affirm that freshman guard Michael McNair \u201ccan really score,\u201d while Jones says that freshman guard Spencer Joyner is \u201cprobably the best athlete on the team.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Both speak glowingly of freshman guard Kyrone Alexander, who Jones says \u201cis a fast learner who picks up on things really quickly.\u201d He recalls a drill where the staff instructed their players to run to the weak side of the court, and Alexander was the only one that did.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jones tries to be tempered about 6-foot-7 freshman forward Matai Baptiste, but he alludes to a big name around here when discussing his potential. \u201cHe can be a Walter Whyte-type player for us,\u201d Jones says. Whyte, who graduated from BU last season, played almost 4,000 minutes under Jones and averaged 12.7 points per game over a five-season playing career.<\/span><\/p>\n

But on November 6, with 0 minutes to their names, they\u2019ll all be thrown into the deep end. Jones says he is counting on his most experienced player to point them in the right direction in the face of early struggles. He compares Brewster to leaders from the 2019-20 title-winning team, who always kept the team focused on the process.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe need Miles to be that guy where if we lose a game, we don\u2019t have a hangover because we lost,\u201d Jones says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It feels like that responsibility is in pretty good hands. Brewster sports an afro, usually accompanied by a thoughtful yet confident grin, and he\u2019s as expressive as anyone around these parts. And, critically, he\u2019s been through all of this before.<\/span><\/p>\n

He talks at length about nerves. The eight new players around him will undoubtedly be nervous. But Brewster is, too, and he isn\u2019t ashamed of it. He wants his teammates to know that.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care if you\u2019re nervous, you should be nervous, you\u2019re weird if you aren\u2019t nervous,\u201d Brewster says. \u201cBut go out and play your game, don\u2019t let that let you play timid.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Playing their individual games and playing BU\u2019s game doesn\u2019t feel mutually exclusive. And regardless, to do both, the eight new faces will need to remain confident. \u201cInside-out,\u201d the Terriers\u2019 main offensive pillar, is predicated on the guards aggressively attacking the paint. Jones wants to take threes, but not when they\u2019re settled for. Assistant coach Mike Quinn spent most of the 12-minute film session before that Tuesday’s practice showing the players examples of timid threes from an earlier scrimmage.<\/span><\/p>\n

But attacking the rim takes guts, and Brewster needs to keep the train on the tracks. It\u2019s a role he\u2019s proudly assumed. He says he\u2019s consulted with Deyja Enriquez, a sports psychologist at BU, on being a true leader. He\u2019s inspired by leaders he learned under during his first three seasons, but with his trademark attitude that makes him so beloved.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be a better leader than them,\u201d he says with a laugh. \u201cA big thing was really being vocal, I don\u2019t think they were as vocal as they could have been, and that\u2019s something that I can step forward and be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He is, of course, referring to members of the only title-winning team in his head coach\u2019s 13 seasons at BU. But he says it with his chest, the kind of confidence that is needed before a season with so many unanswered questions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMiles has been as good of a leader as we\u2019ve had here,\u201d Jones says. \u201cHe\u2019s been outstanding.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The thrill of the unknown<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cSo I\u2019ll say this,\u201d Jones says, pondering the first inquiry into the experience of preparing a group with so many new faces. For four seconds he pauses, searching for a word.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis has been delightful,\u201d Jones says.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are 11 days left before he leads his team into Matthews Arena to face Northeastern. He\u2019s quick to emphasize that the goal is still to win the Patriot League, saying \u201cevery time we lace them up at BU, we\u2019re trying to win a championship.\u201d Brewster smiles about it, but he\u2019s blunt. \u201cIt\u2019s the only thing I\u2019m ever thinking about. Never thinking about anything else,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Neither of them knows who the starting five will be on November 6. That\u2019s fine by them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s just so much unknown,\u201d Jones says. \u201cThat makes it so much fun.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It feels like Jones is the perfect coach to steer this brand-new ship. He\u2019s never eager to praise himself, but he does say that one of the things he does especially well is going from one game to another, not worrying about the results of the past and the implications they have for the future. There\u2019s a method behind the one-game-at-a-time mindset.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo then when it\u2019s over, that\u2019s when I look back and say, \u2018man, how good did that guy get?\u2019 But in the moment, I\u2019m not thinking that, I\u2019m thinking \u2018Right, what do we got to do to help this guy get better?\u2019\u201d Jones says.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, no matter what happens on November 6, Jones won\u2019t overreact. November 6 will become November 10, when BU travels to Piscataway, New Jersey to take on Rutgers. And back to the Terrier process, they will go.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t put limits on them,\u201d Jones says, \u201cthey\u2019ll surprise the hell out of you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He opens the laptop next to him and quickly navigates to BU\u2019s 2019-20 schedule, the last and only time Jones won a Patriot League title with the Terriers. He goes straight to the losses.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow about this,\u201d Jones says. \u201cAt one time that year we lost one, two, three, four, five games in a row. And we won the championship.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

BU started that season 3-7. They <\/span>did<\/span><\/i> lose five straight games \u2014 two of them by more than 20 points. It\u2019s all the evidence that Jones needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re trying to do is really hard, it\u2019s really demanding,\u201d Jones says. \u201cWe have got to just keep going, no matter what.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And so, the deep end awaits. Jones and the Terriers cannot wait for it. He consistently marvels at his team\u2019s energy and their willingness to be coached. Besides, he isn\u2019t worried about the results anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m telling you,\u201d BU head coach Joe Jones says, \u201cwe\u2019ve got the right guys.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo courtesy of Helen Gui By Sam Robb O’Hagan Less than two weeks before Boston University men\u2019s basketball opens the 2023-24 season, the noise inside Case Gymnasium stops. The gym has been loud throughout this Tuesday’s practice. Staying quiet isn\u2019t an option for these 15 student-athletes, who are all desperate to prove themselves before a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21477,"featured_media":35772,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1026,1027,19,1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39203"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21477"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39203"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39208,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39203\/revisions\/39208"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}