New England isn’t exactly a national hotbed of college basketball. Outside of what is happening in Storrs, Connecticut, New England hasn’t consistently been on the national radar in over 30 years. Not since a young John Calipari turned a team from Amherst, Massachusetts, into a national power has New England had a reason to be excited about basketball. In fact, the prep school scene in New England has a stronger and longer national presence than any college basketball program not named the UConn Huskies. Two programs with new head coaches are looking to show that Connecticut isn’t the only New England state that can consistently have a strong basketball program. The Boston College Eagles and Providence College Friars are eager with the excitement that comes with a fresh start.
Boston College Eagles
In the last 40 years, Boston College has had just five coaches but has also had just 10 NCAA Tournament appearances. Seven of those appearances came in a nine-year span under Al Skinner from 2000 to 2009. In that time, the Eagles advanced past the second round just once and for just the second time since 1994, when they reached the Elite Eight under Jim O’Brien. Since Skinner was let go after the 2010 season, there have been no NCAA Tournament appearances and just two NIT berths. Since 2014, when Jim Christian took over, the Eagles have gone 150-224 with just two seasons finishing above .500.
With the program circling the drain, the Eagles reached out to the gold standard in Storrs and landed one of the top assistants in the country to guide their ship. Not only does Luke Murray have a famous father, but he’s also built quite the pedigree as an assistant coach. He has spent the last five years as Dan Hurley’s top assistant at UConn, but before that, he had stops at six different schools as an assistant, beginning as a graduate assistant at Arizona in 2009.
Murray has a tall task ahead of him in turning Boston College around. It’s his first head coaching gig, and he inherits a team that went 11-20 last season and has won a total of eight ACC games in the last two years. In what could be seen as a blessing for a new coach, he also gets to build his program with a clean slate, as the only returning player on his roster is Jack Bailey, a 6-10 redshirt freshman.
The incoming class consists of two recruits and 10 transfers. Jordan Ghee is a 6-5 combo guard from Connecticut, and Zak Smrekar is a 6-7 wing from Slovenia who has a decent shot at cracking the Eagles’ rotation. The transfers come from all over and all levels. Headlining the class is Money Williams, a 6-4 guard from Montana who led the Grizzlies in both scoring (20.4) and assists (4.7) last season. Brandon Benjamin is a 6-8 power forward from Fairfield who averaged a double-double last season. Murray went backcourt-heavy in the transfer portal, bringing in five guards. In addition to Williams, Ernest Shelton from Merrimack and Armoni Ziegler from Ball State combined to average 28 points, eight rebounds, and four assists last season. Of the six guards, Murray brought over a member of the UConn Huskies, 6-5 Jacob Furphy.
In terms of frontcourt additions, Murray brought over Benjamin, but outside of that, Andrija Bukumirovic from Tennessee-Martin and Colby Duggan from Charleston are both 6-7 forwards with different styles. Bukumirovic can stretch the floor, shooting 36% from deep for the Skyhawks last season, and Duggan works more efficiently in the painted area. Aside from returning Bailey, only two players on the roster are taller than 6-8. Luke Hunger is a 6-10 center who was a part-time starter at George Washington last season. Aly Tounkara is a seven-footer who started for Arkansas State but is on the thin side, weighing just 215lb.
Looking at the roster, Murray wants an athletic team that will likely play at a faster pace, but frontcourt depth could be an issue if guys get into foul trouble.
Providence College Friars
Much like Boston College, the Providence College Friars have struggled to find consistent success. Since reaching the Final Four nearly 40 years ago in 1987 under legendary coach Rick Pitino, the Friars have advanced past the first round of the NCAA Tournament just three times.
This season, the Friars will enter their eighth regime since that trip to the Final Four. Former Arkansas State and South Florida head coach Bryan Hodgson makes his way to Providence. Hodgson is a longtime Nate Oats assistant, serving under him at both Buffalo and Alabama before getting his first head job at Arkansas State in 2023-24. He spent two years with the Red Wolves, compiling a 45-28 record with notable wins over both Louisville and Memphis. The success in those two years made him a hot commodity in the coaching ranks. Last year, Hodson took one of the most difficult jobs in the country. In 2023, Amir Abdur-Rahim led the South Florida Bulls to the program’s best 25 wins. Days before the 2024 season was to begin, Abdur-Rahim passed away due to medical complications. Last year was an understandably difficult year for them, but now Hodson arrives, hoping to build upon the success that Abdur-Rahim started.
Like Boston College, the Friars also had their roster gutted by transfers and graduation. They also return just one player, swingman Ryan Mela, who started 22 games for the Friars last season. Hodgson has brought in three recruits, the best of whom is Dink Pate. The 6-8 guard out of the G League is lengthy and athletic, and is comfortable with the ball in his hands, averaging 16 points, 6.6 rebounds, and nearly four assists for the Westchester Knicks.
The transfer class is eight players deep, including five guards and three frontcourt players. The Friars will have some serious backcourt depth this season with four of the guards averaging in double figures at their previous stop.
Miles Byrd is the most notable name, coming over from San Diego State after averaging 10 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. The other three all have one big thing in common aside from being able to put the ball in the basket: they’re very good at distributing the ball. Malik Mack from Georgetown, Devin Vanterpool out of Florida Atlantic, and Ryan Sabol from Buffalo combined for just under 10 assists per game.
Also, like Boston College, the frontcourt for Providence could be an issue. They have just three players on the roster taller than 6-8. Arrinten Page comes over from Northwestern, where the 6-11 big man scored 10 points and 4.5 rebounds. Joining him is Samson Aletan, who started all 29 games at Yale last season. Jacob Bannarbie is a 6-9 forward who played at UNLV and should play a key reserve role for the Friars.
New England collegiate basketball will be led by UConn for the foreseeable future, but with fresh starts in Chestnut Hill and Providence could change that. New coaches, new hopes, and new beginnings are the first steps to a resurgence.
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