Eagles are in search of more consistency

Upsets last season give Post, teammates reason for optimism

BOSTON — Boston College center Quinten Post was the Atlantic Coast Conference’s most improved player last year.

The Eagles are hoping that with his next big step, he carries the team with him.

Post was the biggest contributor for coach Earl Grant last season, when the Eagles flirted with .500 after winning 13 games the year before (and four in the pandemic-shortened season before he arrived). BC went 9-11 in the ACC, beating three top-25 teams last year — including a 63-48 victory over No. 6 Virginia, its first win over a top-10 team since 2017.

That was good enough to earn Grant an extension through 2028-29.

After missing the first 13 games with a foot injury, Post averaged 15.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 43% on 3-pointers. The 7-foot senior is the first player since Creighton’s Doug McDermott in 2012-13 to top 50% from the floor, 40% from 3-point range and 80% from the free-throw line while averaging at least 15 points.

Back again: Jaeden Zackary, Devin McGlockton, Prince Aligbe, Mason Madsen and Chas Kelley are also back.

Zackary, who averaged just less than 11 points, is the other top-five scorer who returns; BC was 7-0 when he scored at least 15 points. Madsen led the Eagles with 40 3-pointers last year after transferring from Cincinnati and committed 12 turnovers in 418 minutes over his last 22 games. McGlockton led BC in at least one category in 16 of the 33 games he played.

Aligbe started 24 of 27 games, hitting a game-winning buzzer-beater against Cornell in the opener. McGlockton started 10 of the last 11 games last season, including the victory over Virginia and five of the Eagles’ nine regular-season ACC wins. former Landstown High star Donald Hand Jr. of Virginia Beach returns after tearing his ACL in his second game last year.