Boston College has been through several highs and lows in their storied past. The program reached its apex in 1994, the year head coach Jim O’Brien led the Eagles on a spectacular run to the elite eight. BC eventually fell to Florida in that season’s NCAA Tournament, but their consecutive wins over one-seed UNC and a powerhouse Indiana squad showed how special that team was.
The Eagles didn’t get past the round of 32 again until the 2006 NCAA Tournament. Led by future NBA players Jared Dudley and Craig Smith, the 2006 BC squad lost 60-59 in the Sweet 16 to a phenomenal Villanova team led by Randy Foye. Had they advanced, Boston College would’ve gotten an opportunity for revenge against Florida.
Since then, the team has only been invited to the big dance twice, in 2007 and 2009. Players like Ky Bowman, Reggie Jackson, and Quinten Post have provided the fans with something to be excited about, but the ultimate goal in college basketball is making the NCAA Tournament. Earl Grant seems to have the program heading in the right direction.
Despite finishing 11th in the ACC and a losing conference record in 2023-24, Coach Grant got the team to 20 wins for the first time in over a decade. They’ll need to use that momentum heading into the upcoming season. With Post, Jaeden Zackery, and Claudell Harris gone, there are questions as to who will play what role heading into the 2024-25 season. Let’s further examine their history as a program to provide some lore with a Boston College Basketball All-Time Starting Lineup.
Boston College Basketball All-Time Starting Lineup
Guard: Dana Barros
Dana Barros may be an unfamiliar name to young college basketball fans. Nevertheless, he was a force to be reckoned with back in his hardwood days. Originally from Boston, Barros finished his collegiate career with 2,342 points which ranks third on BC’s all-time scoring list. In 1985-86 Barros was named Big East Rookie of the Year during a highly competitive year for the conference. Unfortunately, the Eagles weren’t great that season going 13-15 to end coach Gary Williams’ tenure in The Heights. The undersized guard solidified his Big East Legacy making the All-Big East Team from 1986-87 through 1988-89. Aided by the Flutie effect, Barros helped Jim O’Brien establish himself as a head coach finishing fourth in the 1988 NIT.
Guard: Troy Bell
Troy Bell is unarguably the GOAT of Boston College Basketball. The Minneapolis native has the most points in program history with 2,632. Bell carried BC to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in his sophomore and junior campaigns. Surprisingly, in Bell’s senior year, Boston College didn’t get a bid. He was still named the Big East Player of the Year and led the Eagles to a first-place finish in the Big East. Bell shared the Big East Player of the Year Award with Troy Murphy for the 2000-01 season and was named to the All-Big East First Team three times. Bell certainly left his mark on Big East his 22.91 points per game rank second all-time as do his 22.91 win shares.
Forward: Jared Dudley
These days Jared Dudley is on the Mavericks bench, as a coach instead of a player. During his time with Boston College Dudley was known as a scrappy, do-it-all forward. Which is how he earned the nickname junkyard dog. A long way from home coming from San Diego, Dudley didn’t let it deter him from making the 2003-04 All-Big East Freshman Team. Also, he steadily improved as a collegiate player. For example, “Junkyard Dog” shot 31.6% from deep his freshman year, but by his senior year was shooting 44.3% on three-point attempts. As previously mentioned, Dudley helped the Eagles make their most recent Sweet 16 appearance. If not for a Sean Williams goaltending violation, Dudley and BC could’ve advanced to the elite eight. It would’ve been just the fourth time the Eagles had advanced that far in the postseason.
Forward: Craig Smith
Much like Dudley, Craig Smith came from the West Coast growing up in Inglewood. Standing at a bruising six-foot-seven and 250lbs he fittingly earned him the nickname Rhino. Smith ended his career at Boston College first all-time in rebounds with 1,114. Additionally, Rhino is second all-time in points with 2,349 and 10th in blocks with 100. Smith made the NCAA Tournament every year except his first, in the aforementioned controversial decision by the committee to keep BC even with the team finishing first in their conference. Smith only competed in the Big East up until his senior year when Boston College moved to the ACC. Despite this, he is ranked seventh all-time in Big East two-point field goals with 663 total.
Forward: Bill Curley
Bill Curley is still in Boston nowadays, coaching Emerson College. He took over the Lion’s program after a few years as an assistant under his former coach Jim O’Brien. As an Eagle, Curley helped O’Brien bring Boston College Basketball back to national prominence. During the big man’s first three seasons, the team struggled in the Golden Era of the Big East. Teams like Syracuse, Seton Hall, and Georgetown routinely defeated the Eagles. However, the hometown hero’s senior season was much different. BC finished third in a highly competitive Big East Conference. Following an embarrassing loss to Georgetown in the Big East Tournament, Curley led the Eagles to possibly their greatest NCAA Tourney run in team history. He finished his career at BC fourth all-time in scoring and rebounding, with 2,102 total points and 996 boards. In the Big East Conference Curley is ninth all-time in true shooting percentage at 62.2%.
