With the basketball season just a few weeks away, it should be an interesting year for Boston College’s women’s team as the 2021-22 season has been full of ups and downs. The Eagles seemed to fly high, nearly missing the NCAA Tournament as one of her last teams and making WNIT. Players then began announcing transfers from the program before the Eagles’ WNIT run was completed. This was the largest group to leave the program under coach McNamee, but she has shown some consistency in her time at BC, including Allie Palmieri, who left the team mid-season last year. I’ve seen players transfer. McNamee also has an almost entirely new coaching staff this season.
A massive exodus of players last season left BC without seniors and grads on its roster, robbing BC of most of its scoring with players like Taylor Soule, Cam Swartz and Marnell Garreau. If even one or two of their players remained in the program in their final year of eligibility, BC could be in the news again as a potential tournament team. Instead, the Eagles once again find themselves in a position to prove themselves to many skeptics.
Whatever success the Eagles have this year will likely be led by the sophomore class, especially Maria Gacden and Arie Vantimeren. Gakden was one of her top freshmen in her ACC last season, leading the Eagles in rebounds (207) and blocks (73), and was her third on the team in points (294). Gakden is a star in both offense and defense, and is expected to perform remarkably regardless of whether the Eagles win or lose. Conversely, BC is in big trouble when she gets hurt or goes off-game. Gakdeng’s fellow her sophomore, Van Timmeren, has had a little more NCAA experience since joining the program a semester early. VanTimmeren will be his BC’s best chance to replace some of his three-point shots that the program lost to Swartz, Garreau, and McKayla his Dickens exit.
Juniors Kaylah Ivey and Dontavia Wagoner also have a chance to be BC’s impact players this season. Ivey has the ability to make smart passes and set up good plays, especially if he can limit turnovers as he is likely to take over Garraud’s place as BC’s main playmaker. Like VanTimmeren, Ivey also has a solid 3-pointer in him, and with more consistency he could be a big impact player in that respect. Wagoner, a BCI favorite, will have the biggest impact on defense. She’s an aggressive, energetic player and she was starting to improve her shooting as last season ended.
The Eagles also have some pretty highly regarded freshmen this year, Taina Mare and Tiyana Todd, and with such a young team that’s lost much of its star talent, they’ll have to adapt to college play. There is. If BC wants to start the season with a few wins, there will be no clashes along the way.
The biggest question facing BC this year is what will happen to the atmosphere in the locker room and benches. The Eagles have one star player in Gacden and some talented players who need to be consistent this season. We also know that a program that loses most of its scoring and starters will have a difficult year. To some extent, it depends on the coaching whether the players are up to the challenge of defying everyone’s expectations. Many questions swirl about the program’s culture, which sees so many transfers, especially about the two players who entered the transfer portal midway through WNIT, and this year will be critical as to whether fans will lose confidence. With this coaching staff.
