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LOCATION: Boston, MA
CONFERENCE: America East
LAST SEASON: 9-18 (.333)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 5-13 (8th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 3/2
NICKNAME: Terriers
COLORS: Scarlet & White
HOMECOURT: Case Gym (1,800)
COACH: Dennis Wolff (Connecticut '78)
record at school Kevin O'Brien (Tufts '80)
career record Larry Greer (Northeastern '89)
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ASSISTANTS: Orlando Vandross (American International '92)
RECORD AT SCHOOL 86-61 (5 years)
CAREER RECORD 116-79 (7 years)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 15-18-25-19-9
RPI (last 5 years) 146-119-38-88-242
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference first round.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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No team in America East was more disappointing in 1998-99 than Boston University. Perhaps no season was more frustrating in the career of coach Dennis Wolff. "It was tough, but if anything it gave me an idea of what a fine line there is for every team that's trying to be successful," said Wolff. "Hopefully, we learned a little something to avoid going through it again." The Terriers had lost just one starter from a team that tied for the league regular-season championship and were supposed to be in the mix again. Problem is they picked the wrong recipe. Instead of battling for a title, BU found itself battling to stay out of the America East Tournament preliminary round, which it did not. Strangely, a team with five seniors seemed to lose focus very quickly after three straight losses to start the season and never had the necessary leadership. Now Wolff must find a way to recapture those intangibles with a roster that has just two seniors and 11 freshmen and sophomores.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C+ BENCH/DEPTH C
FRONTCOURT C+ INTANGIBLES C
Just a year removed from an America East co-championship, the Terrier's 1998-99 season was a disaster. The seniors forgot the team concept, and the season never really got started after BU lost its first three games. This will be a transition year for the Terriers. There will be no league championship or postseason appearance. Coach Dennis Wolff has too much youth. Eleven of his 13 players are either freshmen or sophomores. "How quickly we become a decent team will depend on how quickly I can get these five or six new guys going," Wolff said. "But, come February, I wouldn't be surprised if we are a better team than we were last year." BU does have more depth and a little more size, but Wolff will be banking on production from a few freshmen. If guards Matt Turner and John Sadusky, and forwards Jacob Kudlacz and Jason Grochowalski don't contribute at some point this season, the Terriers might be in for a long year. Dereck Franklin was a freshman last season who proved he could play in America East. Two or three of the players in BU's current freshman class need to do the same. Quite often that's too much to ask. Ignacio Rodriguez and Jerome Graham needed an entire season, and maybe more, to feel comfortable at the collegiate level. "We do have a lot of question marks. I'm not trying to portray us as something we are not, but I also think that people who are totally writing us off are making a mistake," Wolff said. |
"The whole look of our team has changed, but I don't think that is entirely a bad thing. We need to get a fresh thing going," Wolff said. The sixth-year BU coach will look to 6-4 senior Mike Costello (7.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 43 assists, 26 steals). Never anything but a role player, Costello has still been a Terrier mainstay who has improved steadily throughout his career. The role has been that of shooter. Costello led the team in three-pointers (48) and percentage (.364) a year ago. However, that's about all Costello does. He made just 12 two-point field goals, playing more than 22 minutes per game. Costello was hampered by a back injury during the second half of last season. If he stays healthy, perhaps he can be more than just the standstill shooter he's been most of his career. Although Wolff won't miss the distractions and immaturity of his three seniors, he still needs to find other ways to compensate for the loss of 33.3 points per game provided by starters Walter Brown (11.5 ppg), LeVar Folk (12.7 ppg), and Billy Beal (9.3 ppg). Senior Jean Avebe and sophomore Dereck Franklin showed promise a year ago. Both, however, are each still relatively inexperienced. The 6-7 Avebe (7.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg, .538 FG%) has played just four seasons of basketball in the United States. Despite his improvement in three years at BU, Avebe still has lapses in some of the game's finer points, mainly because he still has trouble absorbing basketball lingo and the nuances of the English language. Defense has always been Avebe's strength. He will need to be more of a scorer this season. Franklin (7.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 69 assists) spent his first year in Boston learning behind and sometimes playing alongside Folk. After starting 22 games a year ago, mostly on the wing, he will begin the year in Folk's point-guard role. The 6-0 Franklin was second on the team in assists and earned a place on the America East All-Rookie team. However, Franklin is more suited to play shooting guard. How long he stays at the point will depend on two freshmen. John Sadusky, 6-0, is a pure point guard from Fairfax, Va., who played for the legendary Morgan Wooten at DeMatha HS. If and when he is ready, Sadusky will play. That could present the coach with a nice problem if Matt Turner also develops as Wolff expects. Turner is just 5-9, but showed a knack for being able to score against bigger players, averaging 22 points and helping St. Thomas More (Conn.) to the finals of the New England Prep School Championships. Wolff likes Turner's strength and toughness. He could eventually push Costello for minutes. Jason Grochowalski (Worcester Academy/Shrewsbury, Mass.) is another freshman who could battle for time on the wing. He is 6-6. The learning curve for BU's young guards may be slowed if Wolff doesn't find a proven interior weapon to ease the pressure on the perimeter. Someone in the small group of Avebe and sophomore forwards Ignacio Rodriguez and Jerome Graham will have to greatly improve his offensive output. The two question marks are the two sophomores, Graham and Rodriguez. "They showed at times a little bit of ability, but at other times they weren't consistent with it," Wolff said. "Part of that was being freshmen on a team that was in some turmoil. It's not easy being a freshman where the seniors aren't happy with what's going on." Rodriguez (4.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 11 blocked shots, .500 FG percentage) made 15 starts in 1998-99, but had more downs than ups. As the likely full-time starter at power forward, the 6-8 Rodriguez will have to find some consistency to his game almost immediately. The 6-7 Graham (1.3 ppg, 1.2 rpg) is less experienced than Rodriguez. He played in just 16 games and averaged 6.5 minutes. With the lack of depth up front, Graham will certainly play more this year. That could also leave time for 6-7 freshman Jacob Kudlacz, who averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds for Long Island Lutheran, which was the New York State Tournament runner-up in Grochowalski's final two seasons. Kudlacz is a solid post-up threat, something the Terriers lacked last year. Wolff also added 6-6 power forward Stijn Dhondt, a Belgian who played one year at Cuesta JC in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and will have three years of eligibility. Two sophomore guards, 6-4 Marshall Crane (0.8 ppg, 0.3 rpg, four games) and 6-0 Mark Michalek (0.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 15 games) will again fail to make the rotation.
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