BC Basketball | Looking Ahead To Next Year

With only 1 player leaving and no incoming recruits, BC's basketball team will look very similar to this year's. That means that our young group must really work hard this season to further develop and hone their games. I take a look at each player's areas of development and what they must work on to help contribute and improve.

Rakim Sanders

            Sanders has all the physical tools to be a force in the ACC. But, right now the sophomore is lacking consistency. Next year Sanders will be relied upon to be a consistent scorer night in and night out, which is something he has yet to prove. He must learn to mentally prepare for each and every game because next year, without Rice, Sanders needs to be the guy to lead the offense. If he can develop some consistency, the sky is the limit for him. He would also benefit from working on his handle, which has been erratic at times in the past. As a two guard, Sanders must prove he can handle the ball and limit his turnovers if he wants to be the star of this team.

Joe Trapani

            Trapani adapted to the level of play in the ACC much quicker than most. Trapani showed the ability to knock down the trey, but he was often overmatched down low. With this team’s lack of size, Trapani must continue to add strength to his frame. He did manage to lead the team in rebounding, but with more strength he will be better situated to hold his own against bigger bodies in league play. Trapani faded towards the end of the season, which may be partly due to fatigue. He has not played a full season of basketball since high school. If Trapani adds muscle he should be better suited to finish off the year strong. Trapani must also develop his ball handling skills as he turned the ball over too often against the press. Trapani is a key man in BC’s press break and he has to hone his ball handling skills.

Reggie Jackson

            Jackson showcased his potential and athleticism in big games this year against North Carolina and Duke. With only one natural point guard on the returning roster, Jackson will likely be relied upon to share point guard duties. Reggie has to improve his ball handling. He has an unusually high dribble and sometimes gets into trouble in traffic. Reggie must also develop his outside game. He has a tendency to fall away from the basket when he shoots. If he can improve his perimeter game he will become a valuable offensive weapon.

Josh Southern

            Josh showed little improvement from his freshman to sophomore seasons. He is frequently in foul trouble and struggles against more athletic big men (see Taj Gibson). Southern must improve his conditioning in the off-season. Most of his fould occur because he has slow feet and gets out of position defensively. Better conditioning should allow him to stay in games longer and become a bigger factor on the defensive end.

Tyler Roche

            Roche, like Trapani, is asked to play inside because of the team’s lack of height. Tyler must continue to get stronger and more aggressive. He won’t be able to out-jump many opponents, but with more toughness he will at least be able to scrap and fight for rebounds and loose balls. We saw too often opponents steal boards away from him this year. Roche with more tenacity, Roche may be able to provide Southern, Raji and Dunn some help on the glass.

Courtney Dunn

            Courtney made strides this year after seeing almost no action as a freshman. Dunn will see plenty of time again next season, but he is still a long ways away from becoming a significant contributor offensively. Dunn has to add muscle in order to be effective in the post. At this point Courtney is so raw he has no offensive game. Opponents would literally leave him wide open when he caught the ball away from the basket. If he develops some type of post move, a baby hook or a turnaround jumper, he could become a factor offensively. Dunn provides a big body this team desperately needs, but he still needs to add strength. He had trouble getting shots off against taller, stronger opponents in the ACC.

Biko Paris

            Biko will be the guy to run the offense next year. With two years in the system, he has a pretty good understanding of what Skinner wants. Paris needs to improve his decision making with the ball. We have seen him force tough passes, most of which result in turnovers. As the only true point guard on the roster, we need Biko to play smart and take care of the ball when distributing to his teammates. We don’t need him to score like Rice, but if he can manage the offense and play efficiently the team will be better off.

Corey Raji

            We saw in the final game of the season against USC Corey knock down several open jumpers, Raji gets plenty of looks at open jumpers when the team is running the flex, yet Corey hasn’t been able to capitalize with his inconsistent shooting. At 6’6 Raji is too small to post up regularly, therefore he must develop his mid-range game, the 12-15 footers that he knocked down against Southern Cal. He will get several of those looks a game next season and he must prove he can hit the shot on a more consistent basis.          

Evan Ravenel

            Evan is a mystery to many BC fans at this point. He provides the size this team needs, but he was less than impressive in his brief minutes this season. Ravenel must shed his excess weight and improve his defensive fundamentals. Like Dunn, he is raw offensively, but he can work hard on the glass and get garbage buckets by using his large frame to box out. Ravenel is a guy that needs to work hard this off-season to prove he belongs in the ACC and can contribute positively to this team.

Dallas Elmore

            We did not see much of Dallas in action this year, but with most of the team returning next season Elmore must find his niche on the squad. Whether it is as a defensive