Steve Donahue

This is the tale of four programs, four coaches. At Boston College, coach Steve Donahue is two-thirds of the way through his second season. It has been more worst of times than best of times, but the Eagles' 64-60 upset of No. 15 Florida State Wednesday night ended a six-game losing streak. At the University of Connecticut, Jim Calhoun was coming off an unexpected national championship with high expectations this season. But the Huskies have struggled, and Calhoun's Hall of Fame career might be coming to an end because of ongoing back problems that have sidelined the 69-year-old...

ATLANTA - For one last game, Steve Donahue tried to wring everything he could out of his freshman-laden Boston College team. The coach implored the Eagles on defense, waved them to spots on offense, and cruised the sideline for two hours, ignoring his designated chair. Only once did he lose his patience, screaming, "Hands off the knees!" with about 10 minutes to play. But there was only so much Donahue could do, and 12th-seeded BC got bounced out of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, 78-57, by fifth-seeded North Carolina State at Philips Arena Thursday.

The roster is replete with newcomers (nine freshmen). Expectations have been scaled down to the lowest level; a double-digit win total and a finish higher than 12th in the Atlantic Coast Conference will be regarded as a surprise. For Boston College and second-year coach Steve Donahue, baby steps are being taken back to respectability, with a core group of freshmen Lonnie Jackson, Ryan Anderson, and Dennis Clifford. But there is a shadow roster as well, made up of the last recruiting class of Al Skinner, who was fired by the Eagles two years ago. Skinner is...

Welcome to the Blue Devil-Tar Heel Invitational. Sure, the official name is the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, but Duke and North Carolina have turned college basketball's hallowed postseason shindig into nothing more than an exclusive showcase for the Big Two. The ACC's powerhouse programs have divvied up 14 of the last 15 tournament titles, with Duke winning 10 of them. From all indications, it will be more of the same when this year's tournament begins Thursday in Atlanta.

Boston College basketball coach Steve Donahue is in Florida on a recruiting mission, but apparently he is ready to fill the opening on his staff created when associate head coach Joe Jones left the Eagles last month to take over as the head coach at Boston University. According to BC and Ivy League sources, Donahue is going to dip into the Ivy League pool once again and hire Hobart coach Izzi Metz. Metz spent five years at Cornell as Donahue's assistant before taking over the head job at Hobart in 2006.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Temple coach Fran Dunphy would rather be cheering for Cornell than trying to find a way to send the Ivy League champion home. Dunphy’s disdain for his first-round matchup in the NCAA Tournament has less to do with the opponent than the fact he’s facing close friend Steve Donahue. Dunphy-led teams have lost 10 straight NCAA games and are 1-11 overall. Cornell is 0-5 with quick exits the past two seasons under Donahue, who spent 10 years under Dunphy as an assistant at Penn.

From the beginning, it was never a settled situation. Matt Humphrey went to Oregon because the basketball coach, Ernie Kent, had a connection with him. They were both Illinois guys, Humphrey from the South Side of Chicago, Kent from Rockford. Kent loved the way Humphrey's parents raised him. In fact, when Humphrey came to Eugene in 2008, people would hear him speak at booster events and swear he was Kent's son. "He's somebody that I'll always be connected with at the hip in some way," Kent said.

Joe Jones was ready to enter his second season as the associate coach at Boston College when something happened a few miles away that sparked his interest. Now, just three weeks later, Jones is the 25th coach at Boston University, replacing old friend Patrick Chambers, who ended a successful two-year run with the Terriers by taking the same position at Penn State earlier this month. “I’d like to thank Pat Chambers, a dear friend, who I think did a tremendous job here,’’ Jones, 45, said Monday at his BU welcoming press conference, “and we’re really looking to...

WEST HARTFORD - One minute, Hartford forward Nate Sikma was hanging his head in utter disbelief that his basketball IQ had abandoned him at the worst possible moment. It was a reaction more than anything. He saw Darryl Partin, Boston University's best player and the best player in America East, swipe the ball loose for a steal and then sprint toward the basket for a certain dunk. Not just any dunk. A dunk that would have put the Terriers up, 43-38, a dunk that would snatch whatever momentum the Hawks were clinging to. So Sikma chased Partin down and wrapped him up. All his coach,...

Steve Donahue remembers the bad old days, when he was trying to establish himself as a head coach at Cornell. He had a team with little talent that produced few wins and drew few fans. Some gatherings at Cornell’s Newman Arena could be measured by the dozens. He also remembers his recruiting mantra back then: Bring in good people, and good players will follow — eventually. And they did, so much so that when Donahue left Ithaca, N.Y., last spring for Boston College, he had turned the Big Red into an Ivy League power with three consecutive conference titles.

WEST HARTFORD - One minute, Hartford forward Nate Sikma was hanging his head in utter disbelief that his basketball IQ had abandoned him at the worst possible moment. It was a reaction more than anything. He saw Darryl Partin, Boston University's best player and the best player in America East, swipe the ball loose for a steal and then sprint toward the basket for a certain dunk. Not just any dunk. A dunk that would have put the Terriers up, 43-38, a dunk that would snatch whatever momentum the Hawks were clinging to. So Sikma chased Partin down and wrapped him up. All his coach,...

This is the tale of four programs, four coaches. At Boston College, coach Steve Donahue is two-thirds of the way through his second season. It has been more worst of times than best of times, but the Eagles' 64-60 upset of No. 15 Florida State Wednesday night ended a six-game losing streak. At the University of Connecticut, Jim Calhoun was coming off an unexpected national championship with high expectations this season. But the Huskies have struggled, and Calhoun's Hall of Fame career might be coming to an end because of ongoing back problems that have sidelined the...

The strategy was as simple for Boston College coach Steve Donahue to see as it was difficult for his freshman-laden team to execute. Find a way to shorten this Atlantic Coast Conference game against North Carolina State to the point where the Eagles could compete until the final minutes, if not seconds. The Eagles did all of that last night at Conte Forum, but still came up short, dropping a 56-51 decision that left them at 7-15 overall and 2-6 in the conference. North Carolina State, led by Scott Wood's 16 points, improved to 16-7, 5-3. "We outscored them in...

The roster is replete with newcomers (nine freshmen). Expectations have been scaled down to the lowest level; a double-digit win total and a finish higher than 12th in the Atlantic Coast Conference will be regarded as a surprise. For Boston College and second-year coach Steve Donahue, baby steps are being taken back to respectability, with a core group of freshmen Lonnie Jackson, Ryan Anderson, and Dennis Clifford. But there is a shadow roster as well, made up of the last recruiting class of Al Skinner, who was fired by the Eagles two years ago. ...

From the beginning, it was never a settled situation. Matt Humphrey went to Oregon because the basketball coach, Ernie Kent, had a connection with him. They were both Illinois guys, Humphrey from the South Side of Chicago, Kent from Rockford. Kent loved the way Humphrey's parents raised him. In fact, when Humphrey came to Eugene in 2008, people would hear him speak at booster events and swear he was Kent's son. "He's somebody that I'll always be connected with at the hip in some way," Kent said.

PROVIDENCE - Boston College coach Steve Donahue is not discouraged by the Eagles' slow start to the basketball season. "I think we make progress every day," Donahue said after a 64-57 nonconference loss to Providence last night. "When you're starting to build a program from where we're at - in terms of totally new, no players who played in college last year - what you see is slight progression every day. "But it's not going to be smooth. The other thing is, it's not necessarily going to show on the scoreboard.

PROVIDENCE - Boston College coach Steve Donahue is not discouraged by the Eagles' slow start to the basketball season. "I think we make progress every day," Donahue said after a 64-57 nonconference loss to Providence last night. "When you're starting to build a program from where we're at - in terms of totally new, no players who played in college last year - what you see is slight progression every day. "But it's not going to be smooth. The other thing is, it's not necessarily going to show on the scoreboard.

ATLANTA - For one last game, Steve Donahue tried to wring everything he could out of his freshman-laden Boston College team. The coach implored the Eagles on defense, waved them to spots on offense, and cruised the sideline for two hours, ignoring his designated chair. Only once did he lose his patience, screaming, "Hands off the knees!" with about 10 minutes to play. But there was only so much Donahue could do, and 12th-seeded BC got bounced out of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, 78-57, by fifth-seeded North Carolina State at Philips Arena Thursday.

Boston College basketball coach Steve Donahue is in Florida on a recruiting mission, but apparently he is ready to fill the opening on his staff created when associate head coach Joe Jones left the Eagles last month to take over as the head coach at Boston University. According to BC and Ivy League sources, Donahue is going to dip into the Ivy League pool once again and hire Hobart coach Izzi Metz. Metz spent five years at Cornell as Donahue's assistant before taking over the head job at Hobart in 2006.

Joe Jones was ready to enter his second season as the associate coach at Boston College when something happened a few miles away that sparked his interest. Now, just three weeks later, Jones is the 25th coach at Boston University, replacing old friend Patrick Chambers, who ended a successful two-year run with the Terriers by taking the same position at Penn State earlier this month. “I’d like to thank Pat Chambers, a dear friend, who I think did a tremendous job here,’’ Jones, 45, said Monday at his BU welcoming press conference, “and we’re really...