Zone Defense Stifles St. Francis

When Steve Donahue was hired as the new men's basketball coach, Boston College fans expected an up-tempo offense and a flood of 3-pointers. They got that on Saturday night. But what they didn't anticipate is something that may come to define this team and program during the Donahue era: dominating defense.

On the way to a 79-49 evisceration of St. Francis on Friday night, the Eagles used several different schemes to shut down the Terriers. Vacillating between halfcourt man-to-man pressure and a 1-3-1 zone, BC held St. Francis to two points over the first 12 minutes of the game.

"The 1-3-1 is something that's really good for this group," Donahue said. "It's something they've really bought into, and it's something that's hard to play against."

St. Francis found that out first-hand. The Terriers were overmatched by the different looks that BC threw at them and were unable to get into an offensive rhythm. When they started to get accustomed to the hard-nosed man defense, Donahue had the team switch to the zone, or use a full-court press for brief spurts that was rarely seen during the Skinner years.

"They're further along than I would ever have imagined," Donahue said about the defense. "I also feel this group can be very good defensively. We have good size."

He wasn't referring to the Eagles frontcourt of Josh Southern and Cortney Dunn, but rather to a different group. Joe Trapani, Corey Raji, and Reggie Jackson all "play bigger than they are," Donahue said, capable of rebounding and defending against larger opponents, and able to defend multiple positions that will likely prove invaluable to Donahue's schemes this season.

Raji has been the team's most aggressive rebounder for the past three years, and Trapani has shown the ability to go head-to-head with other power forwards and centers. But Jackson showed how valuable he could potentially be in the 1-3-1. Although he collected only two boards, Donahue said the junior point guard will play a crucial role in the team's defense by helping out with rebounding on the defensive end, something Donahue admitted is often a weak spot of the zone.

"Teams I've had in the past have had a difficult time rebounding out of that," Donahue said. "It just seems [the Eagles] can rebound out of that, and I think it will be a defense that will really help us."

Running regular man to man, the team showed off its above-average length, consistently blocking passing lanes and preventing the Terriers from getting good looks at the hoop. The tweener lineup of Jackson, Raji, Trapani, Biko Paris, and Dallas Elmore proved that it can lock down an opponent defensively and thrive on fast breaks with a group of five ball handlers and four 3-point shooters. And with a squad that figures to run more this season, locking down on defense and forcing turnovers will be critical if the Eagles wish to maximize their advantages offensively. They accomplished that on Friday, forcing 18 turnovers.

"That's kind of what our mind-set was coming in – play good D, play intense D, take the baseline away," Trapani said. "The offense will take care of itself as long we continue to do that."