CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Somewhere in New England, a guy is wandering into his local barbershop. It’s one of those places that sits in the middle of the city square and the chairs are manned by the same guys who have been there for generations. It is the place where the local high school football helmet is prominently displayed and the televisions are cranking out ESPN from open until close.
The conversations are churning, lamenting the potential fall of the regional football powerhouse or why the local pro basketball squad looks like an 18th banner is still a ways away. But sure enough, once that barbershop is done solving many of the world’s problems, someone will embrace the most wonderful time of the year and pull up YouTube.
“Hey, did you see what happened with the Herren kid over at BC?”
Could Chris Herren Jr. ask for a better present this year than A SCHOLARSHIP?! 🎁#WeAreBC🦅(@BCMBB, @CHJ_24) pic.twitter.com/UzSgoqIjmd
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) December 21, 2018
New England loves a good hometown story and Chris Herren Jr. was this week’s subject. The freshman guard received a scholarship after practice on Thursday – the last practice before the team ends its first half against DePaul. That combined with a breakout performance in just his second collegiate start makes for a happy story.
In true Boston College fashion, the scholarship award was not simply because Herren Jr. can shoot the basketball. It was a fitting measure for a well-rounded young man, someone who has made an impact in a short time at the Heights.
“It has as much the do with the way he carries himself off the court as the way he has played on the court,” Christian said. “I am so proud of him. He is a high-caliber young man who fits the culture of our program to a tee.”
Herren enjoyed the best game of his rookie season, leading BC with 22 points in a win over Fairfield this past Sunday. He played 35 minutes and shot 8-of-13 from the floor, making 4-of-7 from 3-point land. He and fellow freshman Wynston Tabbs – who captured every major weekly rookie honor this past week – combined to score over half of BC’s points. It improved the Eagles’ record to 8-2 on a day where starters Jordan Chatman and Steffon Mitchell both sat out with injuries and Ky Bowman struggled to consistently knock down shots.
“If you’re minus two starters and your best starter (shoots poorly), you have to have other guys step up,” Christian said following the game. “You just have to keep moving forward.”
Herren Jr. became an early threat in that game, scoring 13 of his 22 in the first half. In just his second collegiate start, the 6-3 guard began to fill it up once the ball was tipped.
“You can sometimes tell what can happen in shooting lines, but you can’t really tell what’ll happen in the game,” he commented in the post-game press conference. “You get into those layup lines feeling good, but you’ll never know if it will translate in the game. You can’t get the same feel. But when you’re out there, you can tell right away if you’re feeling it.”
“I think starting last game and gradually getting more minutes, I’ve gotten more confident and comfortable playing out there. I’ve slowed down in my head, which is the biggest thing for freshmen,” he added.
Since making some big shots off the bench at the Fort Myers Tipoff, Herren Jr. has sshownsigns of becoming a solid contributor for the Eagles going forward into ACC play. And while this week only adds to the lore of his family’s basketball odyssey – a story that is well-established in this region for the past two decades – it bears asking: is the past the prologue, or is this a completely new story in the series?
Chris Herren Jr. is fast at work trying to navigate the college game with the drive that has propelled so many recent backcourt standouts in a program that is quickly making its reputation as a place where guards go to grow. And now that drive gets a full ride. One heck of a story for the barber shop
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