Boston College Basketball: Dennis Clifford Out for Season

Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Boston College junior center Dennis Clifford will miss the remainder of the 2013-14 season, head coach Steve Donahue announced on Friday.

Clifford appeared in two games this season, playing 33 minutes as he attempted a comeback from long-lasting knee injuries. He scored six points in the win over Virginia Tech last weekend.

When he first appeared during the Clemson game two weekends ago, Boston College’s radio announcers noted that he could conceivably play a few games and still qualify for a medical redshirt if he were to be shut down. Alas, Clifford only made it into two. He was intended to play against Syracuse, but missed that game with a different injury, and now we know he will not play again this season.

Clifford’s appearance on the team this year was probably a waste of time for all parties involved, and it is a shame that new injuries have manifested themselves. In any event, at least we know that Clifford, if granted the redshirt, will not lose any eligibility on a lost-cause season. The good news for Clifford is that if he redshirts, he could potentially play two full, healthy seasons under a new regime. Of course, Clifford becoming healthy again at all is something for which we will all hope.

The Eagles only seemed to manifest confidence on the court when Clifford returned; now that he is gone again, it will be interested to see if the team packs it in or if they play hard for their coach. The interior defense will probably return to its pre-Clifford suffering state, but it remains to be seen.