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Just three years ago, it was hard to imagine that John Oates could be in this position. When Oates signed on to play at Boston College weeks before the beginning of the fall semester in 2004, to say he was behind the eight-ball would be an understatement.
"Coming in, I signed so late in August and I just had no idea what was going on freshman year," Oates said. "It took me a while to get on track, get on pace and everything."
Learning coach Al Skinner's flex offense is no easy task. All the passing and screening that the Eagles are known for isn't something commonly seen in a high school game, and Oates, like most freshmen, had some problems with it.
"It's not like you step in and you play," Oates said. "It takes a while to understand what we're trying to do and to get it right. It's a consistent thing. And it takes a while to learn."
Oates sat on the bench for all but six games of that first season, forced to watch his teammates get off to that 20-0 start and win the Big East regular-season title while still just trying to learn the playbook. It would have been easy to write Oates off after that season, but with some help from his team members, like Nate Doornekamp, Craig Smith, and Jared Dudley, Oates started to feel more comfortable as the Eagles moved closer to March.
A spot in the starting lineup opened up for Oates when Doornekamp graduated and Sean Williams was suspended for the first nine games of the 2005-06 season. He has started every game since.
"When I was a freshman, I listened to Nate but I didn't know exactly what he was saying because it was such a whirlwind my freshman year," Oates said. "Because I was really thrown into the mix my sophomore year, Craig really took me under his wing. And then even Jared last year, even though I had a year of experience, he still helped me a lot because he had a lot more experience than I did. They all took me under their wing, very much so."
Now, it's Oates who is returning the favor. With five freshmen joining the program this season, the team has a younger feel and Oates, one of only two seniors on the team (and the only one who has been with the program for four years), has emerged as a team leader.
"Especially with guys like Nate my freshman year, Craig and Bird [Louis Hinnant], and then Jared and Sean [Marshall], it's kinda like a double responsibility because you're trying to get yourself back in the swing of things and teach all the younger guys," Oates said. "So, I definitely feel like a senior. It's cool, it's nice to have that responsibility."
In particular, Oates has been looking after his fellow big guys, trying to instruct 6-foot-8 Courtney Dunn and 6-foot-10 Josh Southern on the details of playing forward in an offense that even he is still trying to master.
"Obviously I know the offense better than the freshmen or some of the younger guys do," Oates said. "But I still don't even know it completely in and out. I'm not a complete expert, I'm still learning, I still make mistakes."
Looking at Oates on the court, he may not be the kind of guy who can break away from the system for a possession here and there. He may not have the pure physical strength to overpower people, like Craig Smith, or have the versatility of a Jared Dudley. And he certainly doesn't have the quickness of a Tyrese Rice. No, but what Oates does is play within the system and himself.
"I am absolutely not the most athletically gifted person," said Oates with a laugh. "I'm not a klutz, but I'm not Sean Williams. I'm certainly not Sean Williams. You have to buy into what Coach Skinner to trying to do and you have to listen to him and use his system to make it work for you. Otherwise you're not gonna do well.
"It's not the type of system that's gonna favor a person that just goes out and does whatever. If you're an athlete and you can just play within the system, then you can succeed, but if you're just some guy that goes out there and just plays and just wings it, that's not what we're trying to do. It's a system and you got to follow it."
Still, sometimes, playing within himself, and the system, hasn't won over some BC fans. From time to time, Oates may hear a small smattering of boos at Conte. Oates, however, says Skinner doesn't allow it to become a distraction.
"Coach is very adamant about us staying focused and not worrying about the fans," Oates said. "Even in a positive light, when Jared would get a bucket and try to hype up the crowd, he would always say, 'Leave the crowd alone. Stay focused on what we're trying to do.' And that goes both ways. So if the crowd gets down on you a little bit, you pay it no mind and just stay focused because you know once you start doing well they're gonna start cheering for you again, so it's really no big deal."
For Oates, this is the fourth straight year he has shared the power forward/center position with a big-time shot-blocker.
For three years, it was the Sean Williams Block Party, but now it is Tyrelle Blair, a strong defensive player in his own right. Oates talked about how hard it was to move on after Williams was kicked off the team last January.
"A lot of people said, 'Good, dude, you get more playing time.' And it's like, no, I'd rather play with Sean Williams and play less," Oates said. "We probably would have won some games with him that we lost and maybe he would have been the X-factor that would have pushed us over the edge, like he was in many games when he was here.
"I just want to win, that's the biggest thing. When he left, it was really hard. Just from a basketball standpoint it was hard, but he's your teammate, he's your friend. We're all family and one of those guys is now gone."
For Oates, who has learned so much and is now giving back, that concept of family is a strong one.
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