Boston College Basketball 2011-12 Player Evaluations
By Joe Micik
2011-12 evaluation: Above average to good
Clifford took some strides forward during his freshman year and has the ability to mature into a fine, ACC-caliber center. It was not always evident, but he had enough good games to convince me that he can get there. As the season wore on, however, Clifford appeared to hit the proverbial wall.
A few issues I had with his game this year is that he, a 7-footer and maybe the tallest guy on the court on any given day, had a few too many of his shots blocked and did not even average five rebounds per game. On the plus side, he showed some nice post moves and can actually dunk the basketball, which is something BC hasn’t had in years. He also wasn’t afraid to show some occasional range with his shot.
Clifford, like everybody else on this team, could use a spring and summer in the weight room, but this was not a bad BC debut.
2011-12 evaluation: INC
The grandson of the late Supreme Court Chief Justice played ten minutes this season and just 41 during his three years as a walk-on.
Like Nick Mosakowski, he was the kind of guy you always rooted for to hit a three when he came in off the bench.
2011-12 evaluation: Needs work
Rubin’s minutes were slashed from 16.8 minutes per game in his freshman year to 6.8 this year; his field goal percentage and point totals dropped as well. He appeared in most games this season but vanished onto the bench for the majority of ACC play.
He made little impact this year outside of the very occasional three-pointer.
Patrick Heckmann | 33
Freshman
2011-12 evaluation: Start of season: Good to very good; End of season: Needs work
What could have been? Heckmann started his BC career with a bang but did not score more than eight points in a game during the entirety of ACC play. Yes, he was injured and he did contract mono, but Heckmann trailed off badly before and after it.
He ended up losing his starting role completely, but even with the lesser playing time, he still couldn’t always prevent some of the sloppy turnovers and only contributed on a limited basis.
This is not to say Heckmann didn’t have some great games, because he did and he showed that he has ability, but something was not quite right this season. I still have faith in him and I don’t know what to make of his freshman year, but it will be interesting to see what he can do if he is healthy and bulkier next season.