Dan Duggan covers the Boston College Eagles for the Boston Herald. You can find his work at: http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/college/

Mr. Duggan can also be found on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#%21/DDuggan21

Baltimore Sports and Life appreciates Mr. Duggan for answering a few Eagles questions prior to the Boston College / Maryland game this Sunday.

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Under former Head Coach Al Skinner, the Eagles were known for their physical play. Structurally, what changes have you seen under the new Head Coach Steve Donahue?”

Dan Duggan: “The biggest difference is the offense is more open up than Skinner’s tight flex. Everything is predicated on player and ball movement, and the players have picked up on the system quickly. Defensively, BC mixes up its looks. They’ll play some man, but they also use a 1-3-1 zone a lot and will mix in some 2-3 and match-up zones in the half-court.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “BC lost their second game of the season to Yale, but have won 6 of the past 7 games including wins over Texas A&M (Big 12), California (Pac-10), Indiana (Big 10), UMass (A10), and Providence (Big East). Pretty strong out-of-conference results for a team that was picked 10th in the preseason ACC Basketball Media poll. Was BC underrated?”

Dan Duggan: “Hard to call them underrated, because no one knew what to expect. Donahue even admitted as much after Wednesday’s win over Providence. But looking back, clearly the expectations were too low. It’s really been impressive considering they have only 8 scholarship players on the roster.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “The Terps were active in the recruitment of Corey Raji. I know the Senior missed the recent wins over UMass and Providence. Is he expected back against Maryland? He started every game the past two seasons, but is now coming off the bench. How is he handling that transition?”

Dan Duggan: “He suffered a concussion and missed the last two games, but is expected back Sunday. The move to the bench could have been an issue, considering a freshman (Danny Rubin) took the starting job, but Raji has handled the move fine. He’s still basically playing the same amount of minutes as he has throughout his career and his numbers are the same – or better – than last season.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “The Jr. Guard Reggie Jackson is leading BC at 19.6 ppg, including 47.7% from 3. (Up from 29% in 2009-10) Where else has his game matured?”

Dan Duggan: “He’s lifted his entire game to another level. He never seemed like a good fit in Skinner’s system and is really flourishing in Donahue’s offense. His shooting numbers are so improved because he is taking better shots. He’s easily BC’s most talented player. He’s a great athlete who can get to the rim and shoot from the outside. He’s the guy BC will look to in crunch time and he loves the big moments. His assist totals haven’t changed, but he’s doing a better job running the offense and keeping the ball moving.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “6’8, 228 lb Senior Forward Joe Trapani is averaging 6.1 boards. He also has taken at-least four 3 point attempts in 7 of BC’s 9 games. Is the outside shooting the strength of his game? Will he attempt to bang with anyone in the post?”

Dan Duggan: “Trapani really isn’t an inside player. He gets rebounds basically because BC doesn’t have much size so someone has to do it. They were killed on the boards by Providence, and big/athletic front-lines will give them problems. Trapani should be a good fit in this offense because he is 6’8, can handle the ball and shoot. But he’s struggled badly shooting so far (35.5% from the field, 26.8% on 3 pointers). The Eagles will need him to come around if they are going to be a factor in the ACC.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Guard Bikio Parris has increased his field-goal attempts from 4 last year, to 8.1 as a Senior. Correspondingly his scoring has doubled to 9.6 ppg. I see he is averaging 3 assists to 2.7 turnovers. Is he rattled against pressure defense?”

Dan Duggan: “Parris looks a lot more comfortable this year. He put in a lot of work in the off-season and shown more confidence and a better stroke than in previous years. Jackson has assumed most of the ball-handling duties, which is obviously a good thing based on Paris’ turnover totals. He’s a good player, but is somewhat limited.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Senior Center Josh Southern (6’10, 248 lbs) figures to get the defensive assignment against Maryland’s Jordan Williams. I see Southern has picked things up the last two games averaging 16 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, and 2 blocks over 29 minutes per. I also note Southern was not playing a lot in the first 7 games. What has changed?”

Dan Duggan: “He was injured most of the preseason into the start of the season, so he’s still working his way back into shape. He’s really played well the last two games. He’s not a dynamic player, but he’s been converting his chances – 12 of 13 shooting the last two games. He’s a real X-factor. If he continues doing what he’s doing it will make a big difference for BC.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Tell me about the rest of the roster, who else should we be aware of?”

Dan Duggan: “We’ve covered most of the key pieces. Danny Rubin will start at the 3rd guard, and he’s a pretty interesting story. He got no looks from mid-to-high level schools last year and was heading to prep school until Donahue got hired and needed to fill the roster. Rubin is a recruited walk-on, but has started the last seven games. He’s a knock down shooter and does a lot of the little things. He still needs to develop physically, so I think he could be in trouble against bigger, athletic wings.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “I know BC has been pretty good this year at limiting turnovers, and received contributions from the bench. If the Eagles are playing their game, what will that look like?”

Dan Duggan: “They want to move the ball and get good shots, mostly from the perimeter. If they’re making 3-pointers they are dangerous. Jackson will control things and is capable of getting to the rim and getting out in transition. Defensively, they’re pretty disciplined. They won’t be looking to get into shootouts, but they’ve won a few high-scoring games.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Predictions for this game?”

Dan Duggan: “I think this will be a good test for BC. I’ll give Maryland a slight edge because they are at home and say: Maryland 76, BC 72.”

Chris Stoner
Chris Stoner

Owner

Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.

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