ESPN

As we welcome a new year, ESPN Boston writers have checked their crystal balls and are making some bold predictions. Here are three for Boston-area colleges:

1. Charley Molnar and UMass win more than one game. The transition to Division I-A was never supposed to be easy, but things were incredibly difficult for Molnar and the Minutemen in 2012. Their first win didn’t come until Week 10 against Akron, and there wouldn’t be another one as they finished 1-11 (1-7 in the Mid-American Conference).

Attendance at Gillette Stadium suffered as a result.

Things should get better in Year 2 at the BCS level. Molnar and his staff have had a year to recruit talent to fit the level, and the players on the roster have a better idea of what it takes (on and off the field) to compete.

That should translate into more than a single victory in 2013.

2. BC wins more than two games. Nine days after new athletic director Brad Bates fired Eagles football coach Frank Spaziani, he hired Steve Addazio to lead the program. The fiery former Temple head coach and Florida offensive coordinator (and interim head coach) continues to remodel the BC program, starting with new coordinators Ryan Day (offense and quarterbacks coach) and Ron Brown (defense).

While by no means facing an easy task rebuilding the BC program, it would be shocking if Addazio didn’t squeeze at least three wins out of the Eagles’ roster in 2013.

3. No Massachusetts teams go dancing in March. For four of the six Division I men’s basketball schools, this isn’t going out on much of a limb. Boston University isn’t eligible for the America East postseason since it’s leaving for the Patriot League in 2013-14, so an NCAA berth is a long, long shot. It’s been a long time since Holy Cross (2007) and Northeastern (1991) made the Big Dance. Boston College is mired in a rebuilding phase, last making the tourney in 2009.

UMass (last in the Dance in ’98) and Harvard probably have the best chance, but even they face long odds. UMass has to contend with an improved Atlantic 10, now featuring No. 25 Butler and Virginia Commonwealth. Harvard is trying to contend without stars Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry, and may not have the depth and experience to beat teams like Princeton.

Check out ESPN Boston's 13 predictions for 2013 by CLICKING HERE.

For some Boston colleges, 2012 was a banner year. For others, things could’ve been better.

Across the Commonwealth, college teams produced some truly memorable moments -- from MIT’s unexpected run to the national title game in Division III men’s hoops, to UMass men’s lacrosse spending time as the No. 1 team in the country en route to a CAA title, to Boston College men’s hockey winning another national title for head coach Jerry York.

And, of course, there are the moments fans would like to forget. Those likely include the entire season for the Commonwealth’s two Division I football programs; two separate allegations of sexual assault against Boston University hockey players and a subsequent task force to examine the culture of the program; and an academic cheating scandal at Harvard that embroiled many athletes, including two would-be men’s basketball captains.

So as 2012 winds down, here is one observer’s five most memorable moments in college sports in and around Boston in the past year:

5. BC football bottoms out

It was an ignominious end for Frank Spaziani.

The longtime assistant coach became head coach in 2009, and proceeded to watch his teams get worse each year he was in charge. The Eagles finally hit rock bottom (or so they hope) in 2012, as they went 2-10 (with a few fans wearing brown paper bags over their heads at Alumni) and had only one win against an FBS opponent (Maryland).

Spaziani was dismissed the day after the season ended with a loss at NC State.

4. BC hoops no better

On the hardwood, things weren’t much better. In his second season, Steve Donahue’s men’s basketball team finished with a record of 9-22, the most losses in Eagles history. And while Donahue has high hopes for the group he’s put together, they’re off to just a 6-5 start so far in 2012-13.

One of those losses was to Bryant University, which finished last season 2-28 and plays in the Northeast Conference. The Eagles also lost at home to Harvard, for the fifth straight season.

3. BU hockey, Harvard hoops dogged by scandal

There were scandals on both sides of the Charles in 2012.

On Comm. Ave., it began with two Boston University men’s hockey players being arrested and charged with sexual assault -- one, Corey Trivino, ultimately pleaded guilty to assault and battery and was sentenced to two years’ probation; the other, Max Nicastro, had charges dropped when the prosecution filed a nol pros statement, indicating it couldn’t prove the charges.

Those incidents led university president Robert A. Brown to launch a task force investigation, which found a lack of oversight of the program broadly and a “culture of sexual entitlement” on the team specifically. The task force delivered 14 recommendations, including, among other things, stripping longtime coach Jack Parker of the title of executive director of athletics and requiring hockey players to undergo sexual assault prevention training.

In Harvard Yard, the scandal reportedly began when a professor noticed the same odd typo appearing in multiple take-home exams in the “Introduction to Congress” class. Ultimately, the scandal involved as many as 125 students -- including would-be senior co-captains Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry.

Both Casey and Curry withdrew from school to protect their eligibility as the investigation continues. They would have faced one-year bans if they remained in school and were charged.

2. Harvard goes dancing

For the first time in 65 years, Harvard played in the NCAA tournament. After winning the first outright Ivy League title in the program’s more than 100-year history, Harvard earned its first NCAA berth since 1946.

Leaning heavily on senior captains Keith Wright and Oliver McNally, along with juniors Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry, Tommy Amaker’s team was ranked in the Top 25 for the first time in Harvard history (reaching as high as No. 21) along the way to Albuquerque, where they were beaten by Vanderbilt.

1. BC hockey wins the national title

While things haven’t been this bad on the gridiron and the hardwood for a long time, things haven’t been this good on the ice since … well, 2010. Coach Jerry York and the BC men’s hockey team won another national title, their third in the past five years (2008, 2010, 2012), banking on the superb goaltending of Parker Milner and the steady play of defenseman Tommy Cross and forward Chris Kreider.

Oh, and goals like this one from freshman sensation Johnny Gaudreau.

York closed out the year with another huge accomplishment, becoming the all-time leader in wins among college hockey coaches.

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

Call it anticlimactic, but a win is a win is a win.

And for Boston College hockey coach Jerry York, Saturday's 5-2 triumph over Alabama-Huntsville was win No. 925 in a long and illustrious career, giving him sole possession of the all-time collegiate victory record, surpassing Ron Mason.

Admittedly, the matchup against the independent Chargers (3-15-0) in the opening leg of the Mariucci Classic in Minnesota didn't qualify as high drama. But the convincing win by the No. 1 Eagles (12-2-1) seemed somehow appropriate, simply because it took place far from the media glare of Boston.

After all, York, according to his assistant coaches and legions of former players, has never been concerned with the spotlight. It's never been about winning at any cost. He has always been more interested in shaping the lives of young men. He has always wanted to win, but only if his teams won the right way.

Now he can take a large measure of pride in accomplishing both.

"As he was approaching this milestone, I started to reflect back a little bit, and the most impressive thing to me is that Jerry York is the same great person that came up to Levack [Ontario] to recruit me to Clarkson in 1973," said Dave Taylor, a former collegiate All-American and NHL All-Star who is now an executive with the St. Louis Blues. "As a person, he's absolutely the same great guy.

"I was talking to Bill O'Flaherty [who took over the Clarkson program when York departed for Bowling Green in 1979] when Jerry was getting close to becoming the winningest coach in Division I hockey," said Taylor. "And Billy said, 'Well, the old adage that nice guys finish last certainly doesn't apply in this case.'"

As a testament to York's legacy as a coach who not only won often but did so with his moral compass intact, the BC coach has been swamped with emails, phone calls and texts -- and even tweets on his new Twitter account -- from former players who want the Watertown, Mass., native to know how much his milestone means to them as well.

"He just loves it," former BC captain Matt Price said. "You can just tell he loves everything about his job. I think he loves being around the guys he helps. He loves helping the guys get better. From day one, it's the littlest things. When the raindrops are freezing and Coach says, 'Oh, it's hockey weather.' Everything reminds him of hockey, and he has such a passion for the game that I don't think he can help but bring energy, because I don't think he can imagine doing anything else."

For York, the delight is in the details, teaching the game and seeing the results of those efforts producing banners and trophies for his program and school. He has won five NCAA championships: one at Bowling Green and four at BC.

"When you think about Jerry, it's hard not to talk about what type of person he is," Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna said. "It's a hockey story and a hockey accomplishment, but he just distinguishes himself. It's not just the winning, because some people make the argument, as [BU coach] Jack Parker says, the coach that gets off the bus with the best players usually wins. But there's more to Jerry than just having great players.

"He tries to let everybody be a part of these things and share in them. He really does not like attention. I've been to his house, and he doesn't have a lot of trophies and plaques. It's very modest. It's not an act. I really think he's uncomfortable with people talking about him. So he's probably not looking forward to whatever accompanies this record."

But the record was bound to raise eyebrows, and York, after his record-tying victory over Boston University on Dec. 1, seemed genuinely embarrassed by the attention it garnered. However, the celebrations had to be put on hold after the Eagles failed to hold onto a 3-1 lead against Providence on Dec. 7 and settled for a 3-3 tie when the Friars scored with less than 11 seconds remaining in regulation. That result emphasized the reality that York refers to often -- winning hockey games is not easy.

"The parity in college hockey has never been more obvious," said former BC captain and current Providence Bruin Tommy Cross. "Anyone can beat anyone else on a given night, yet Coach still finds a way to win 30 games a year."

The comment echoes those made by BC associate head coaches Mike Cavanaugh and Greg Brown, who agreed that while BC has been fortunate to recruit superb players, it isn't the only school that's been able to do so. However, York's teams have achieved a consistent level of excellence that's rare.

"The extra thing is Coach and the culture he has established at BC," said Cross. "It's more than just a framework, more than just a foundation. It's been secured year in and year out.

"Everyone understands that the culture isn't going to change. The culture is what it is. Team before individual, Energy and passion, being good citizens -- that's what Coach has established."

It is a culture that has followed York through his stints at Clarkson (1972-79, 125 wins) and Bowling Green (1979-94, 342 wins).

"He's seen all of us come and go, and I'm sure he'll see a few more," said Rob Blake, a former Bowling Green All-American, NHL All-Star and current NHL executive. "But he's also been able to adapt to the game. You can keep a certain style for a certain amount of time, but the games change. College games change. NHL games change. And I'm sure he's had to adapt with that."

To earn the record, York surpassed Mason, the man he succeeded at Bowling Green. But despite his success with the Falcons, including his first national championship in 1984, York's greatest success has come with his alma mater.

As a player for the Eagles, York improved every year, according to longtime rival and foil Boston University's Parker, who stands in third place on the career win list with 886 entering BU's Saturday night game versus Denver.

"He became a terrific offensive player his senior year," said Parker, referring to York's 1966-67 All-American season. "In high school, he was a pretty good player, but I don't think he was a huge recruit coming out of BC High. He was a guy who got better and better as his career went on."

York has made a career of helping his players follow the same blueprint.

"What's most important is that you need good players," said York. "But you need good players who want to get better every day."

That formula hasn't changed in four decades.

"He always stressed, 'You don't stay the same as a player. If you stay the same, you're falling behind. You're regressing. So you've got to work to improve,'" said Taylor. "He always pushed the players to improve, working on the small details, working on the strength training, eating properly, all the little details to make yourself better as you went along.

"As I reflect back on 40 years, that's a trademark of Jerry York's teams. For me, the players that go to him get better over their career. The teams seem to get better over the course of the year, and they seem to peak during playoff time. So certainly a lot of credit to Jerry as a coach and the methods and how things have evolved for him over the years."

York has taken that ideal to an entirely different level behind the Boston College bench (458 wins in 19 seasons). Taking over a team that was battling through a rare downturn in the early 1990s, York constructed a perennial contender at The Heights. The Eagles have made the NCAA field of 16 in 13 of the past 15 years, winning four national titles during that span, including three of the past five.

"They play an incredible transition game, and they're always fun to watch," Bertagna said. "And they're particularly fun to watch late in the year, when they seem to have everything going.

"There is something about that team, in the (NCAA) Regionals. You watch them playing pretty well, and all of a sudden, they just click. The puck is not on their stick for a second. Jerry always says that people talk about how fast our skaters are. But fast hockey isn't skating; it's moving the puck. And when they're doing that, when they're clicking on all cylinders, that's fun to watch."

So what's the secret?

"People asked me all the time: 'What is it that we do at BC?'" Cross said. "There's really not anything different. There's only so many systems, so many forechecks you can do. Coach says it all year: 'I don't have a magic wand. We're not going to just make a run in February and March. We need everyone to buy into everything we're doing. The culture doesn't have a lot to do with hockey and the X's and O's. It's more about attitude, commitment to the program and selflessness. Those kinds of things that happen off the ice but also affect the result on the ice as well."

And Jerry York has the record to prove it.

"I'm just very proud, and very appreciative, to have been a part of it for just a sliver of his years," Price said. "Especially now, having left, you see how much it means to him but also how much the wins are insignificant to everything else that his program is about. Just how much he cares, and the little things he remembers.

"It's about winning hockey games, but it's also about making the members of his program better as young men. It's nice that that can all culminate in a significant number of wins and championships."

Not that York will talk about them. Odds are he'll be too focused on Sunday's game against No. 4 Minnesota to consider what, if any, significance the record holds for him.

"I was part of Jerry's first recruiting class, which was a stroke of good fortune for me," Taylor said. "But that was 1973, 40 years ago. And he's still the same person. He's got that bounce in his step. He's always optimistic. He truly enjoys what he does. It's just a way of life for him."

They've gone head-to-head on national TV, and now they're competing for the honor of being named the nation's top college point guard.

Harvard's Siyani Chambers and UMass' Chaz Williams battled back and forth during their team's meeting in the ESPN Tipoff marathon on Nov. 13, with the Minutemen winning on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, and now both have been named to the watch list for the 2013 Bob Cousy Award on Thursday, according to a release by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, which sponsors the award.

Players are nominated for the award, which is then selected by a panel of media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Fame members.

Chambers, a freshman, is second on the Crimson is scoring (12.1 points per game) and leads the team and the Ivy League in assists at 5.1 per game. He's twice been named Ivy League Rookie of the Week (Dec. 3 and Dec. 17).

Williams, a junior, is also second on his team in scoring at 15.4 points per game, and first in assists at 7.0 per game.

Williams' assist average ranks him in a tie for 10th in the country, while Chambers checks in at 56th overall.

The two point guards are among more than 80 players on the initial watch list, which will be cut down to 20 around Jan. 1, to 10 around Feb. 1 and to a final five by approximately March 1. The winner of the award will be announced during the Final Four, during the Hall of Fame's announcement of the 2013 class.

“The Hall of Fame is proud to continue its mission with Mr. Cousy to celebrate and honor the top collegiate point guards in the country,” John L. Doleva, president and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame, said in a release. “This list represents a large range of college basketball's top student athletes from across the country. We are excited to recognize these players for their continuous hard work and dedication.”

Previous winners of the Cousy Award include Jameer Nelson, Raymond Felton, D.J. Augustin, Ty Lawson and UConn's Kemba Walker.

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

Boston College coach Steve Addazio named two more assistant coaches today. Jeff Frye will be the offensive line coach and Bill McGovern will coach linebackers.

Frye was the offensive line coach under Addazio at Temple for the last two seasons and was a graduate assistant with Addazio at Florida for two years (2009-10).

“Justin Frye has played for me, been a graduate assistant for me and has coached the offensive line with me,” Addazio said in a press release. “He is a great young coach who has had a knack at forming great relationships with his players while developing outstanding offensive linemen. He’s coached some of the finest offensive linemen in the country that are currently great successes in the NFL and will continue the great tradition of offensive linemen at Boston College.”

McGovern has been BC’s linebackers coach for the last 12 seasons and the defensive coordinator for the last four.

“Bill McGovern is one of the most respected coaches in the Northeast, not only as a defensive coordinator but as a linebacker coach,” Addazio said. “He’s one of the finest recruiters in the country. He’s a Boston College guy. He loves this place and has a great passion for Boston College. He has great relationships with current and former players and will be a tremendous, vital person in our program as we move forward.”

AMHERST, Mass. -- Despite a 5-3 record and a season's worth of heart-stopping victories, the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team really hadn't found its rhythm entering Wednesday night's game at the Mullins Center against Ohio.

But on Wednesday, junior guard Jesse Morgan hit a groove that would make salsa-dancing UMass alum Victor Cruz jealous.

Morgan erupted for 35 points and sparked a 23-1 first-half run that paced UMass (6-3) to its best outing of the season, an 85-76 win over the Bobcats (7-4).

Morgan's outburst came on 12-of-18 shooting, 7-of-10 from beyond the arc. He came within 3 points of the school record at the Mullins Center set by Marcus Camby in 1996. Morgan's previous career high was 25 points last season.

"I've seen him do that before, but to see him do that in a college game was really kind of uplifting for the team, I think uplifting for the fans," UMass coach Derek Kellogg said. "And as a coach, when he's rising up and you think it's going in, instead of praying it goes in, I felt really confident."

Save for Sampson Carter's uncontested layup off the opening tip, the Minutemen came out disjointed on both ends of the court, with Ohio taking an 18-6 lead after a UMass turnover and a breakaway layup by D.J. Cooper with 15:19 remaining. At that point, the Bobcats were 6-of-8 from the floor, the Minutemen 2-of-7. That would change in a heartbeat.

Out of the break, the trio of Cady Lalanne, Maxie Esho and Freddie Riley entered the game and helped provide the energy and spark the Minutemen were lacking. Add in some unconscious shooting by Morgan, and UMass had found its formula for success.

Lalanne and Esho took control of the paint under the UMass hoop and started cleaning up the glass, which was a problem in the early going. Offense? That was Morgan's department.

The junior from Philadelphia was coming off his worst game of the season, and one of the worst of his career, hitting just 1 of 9 shots in a 78-73 overtime win over Elon on Saturday. In fact, Morgan has had trouble finding his stroke much of the season. In his previous six games, he was just 25-for-81 from the field (31 percent) and 14-for-37 (38 percent) from behind the arc. Take out a 7-for-14 game against Northeastern on Dec. 4 and the numbers fall to 27 percent from the field and 33 percent from deep.

But Morgan has shown in the past he can heat up in an instant. Morgan's outburst in the first half Wednesday was a certified bonfire. Morgan fueled the 23-1 run, scoring 16 points, that exhibited the promise UMass has fulfilled only sporadically to this point in the season.

In a flash, the 18-6 deficit was a 29-19 lead, with Morgan doing much of the damage from 3-point land. He finished the half with 22 points and was 4-for-4 on 3-balls, and UMass led 48-40.

After Ohio erased the Minutemen's lead in the first five minutes of the second half, Morgan had another outburst, immediately answering with the first of his three 3-pointers as part of a 13-2 spurt that put UMass in control for good.

Morgan said he was firing away from his "in-the-gym range." "After a while I just black out," he said. "Shots just fall."

But Morgan's night started with an emphasis on defense, as he was the primary defender on Cooper, Ohio's leading scorer and floor general.

Morgan said the assignment helped him get in the flow of the game.

"Coach was talking about what a good player he is so I want to step up and take on the challenge. I didn't visualize this," Morgan said, referring to his career night offensively. "I visualized that I was going to play defense and play well."

While it's hard to look past a night like Morgan's, we all know that 3-point shots can come and go. More encouraging for the long-range hopes of the Minutemen was the performance of Lalanne, who asserted himself in particular on the offensive glass and showed the energy UMass will need from him.

"I thought he played a really good game," Kellogg said of the 6-foot-9 Lalanne. "Defensively he took up a lot of space and those offensive-rebound putbacks are huge."

Lalanne finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds (5 offensive) in 23 minutes, and came up big defensively at key stretches.

It was Lalanne's second game after serving a 12-day suspension, missing one game, after his Dec. 1 arrest for disorderly conduct at an on-campus event. Since a solid outing in the season opener against Harvard, Lalanne's impact had been limited, averaging 4.3 points and 4 rebounds in less than 20 minutes per game.

Lalanne said he used the time off to get his legs stronger and get his wind up.

"I'm feeling a lot better," he said. "Coach has said to bring energy so that's what I'm trying to do."

Boston College has hired UConn’s Don Brown to be its new defensive coordinator, new coach Steve Addazio announced Wednesday.

“We’re very excited to have Don Brown joining our Boston College family,” Addazio said in a statement. “Don is a New England guy who has tremendous ties and relationships in the Northeast to go along with a great coaching resume.”

Brown, who spent the past two seasons as the defensive coordinator for Paul Pasqualoni, has deep roots in the Northeast.

The Spencer, Mass., native has been a head coach three times -- at Plymouth State (1993 to 1995), Northeastern (2000 to 2003) and UMass (2004 to 2008). He also has ties to the ACC, as he was the defensive coordinator at Maryland for the two seasons (2009-10) prior to joining the staff at UConn.

“He has tremendous character and is a great family man who is a perfect fit here at Boston College,” Addazio said.

Brown, 57, will take over a BC defense that was in disarray in 2012. The Eagles finished 113th in the country in rushing defense, 73rd in passing defense, 75th in scoring defense and 102nd in total defense in Frank Spaziani’s last season in the Heights, according to cfbstats.com.

“Coach Addazio has presented me with a great challenge -- one that I am very excited about,” Brown said in the statement. “I’m excited to be back in the ACC. The positive thing for me is that I’m a New England guy. I’m from Massachusetts. Coaching at Boston College has always been a wish of mine.”

As for philosophy, Brown’s approach may be music to the ears of Eagles fans.

“I’m a firm believer that you play the game on the balls of your feet, not on your heels. From day one, we’re going to be aggressive,” he said. “We’re going to attack the line of scrimmage. We’re going to get after the quarterback. We’re going to play with our hair on fire on defense. I’m a big believer in playing for tackles for loss and being disruptive and making life difficult for the quarterback. We’re going to attack. That’s the style of defense that I’ve employed. We’re going to fly around and attack the pass.”

While at UConn, Brown led a turnaround on D. The Huskies went from 58th in total defense in 2010, the year before he was hired, to 51st in 2011 and 10th in 2012.

The Huskies ranked seventh in the country in rushing defense in 2012, allowing an average of just 97.92 yards a game.

Brown’s defense also proved capable of getting to the quarterback, with 33 sacks in 2012 -- good for a tie for 19th in the country. BC finished dead last, 124th, with just six sacks in 2012.

Addazio also officially announced the hiring of Ryan Day as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

New athletic director Brad Bates praised Addazio’s hires on Twitter on Wednesday, writing: “Coach Addazio assembling excellent staff. Ryan Day and Don Brown will be terrific coordinators.”

The news also made its way to defensive lineman Connor Wujciak, who said via Twitter:

Don Brown as Defensive Cordinator??? Wow I am PUMPED.

— Connor Wujciak (@Wuj90) December 19, 2012

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

University of Massachusetts center Cady Lalanne was reinstated to the team Friday by athletic director John McCutcheon after being suspended for 12 days following his arrest at an on-campus event.

Lalanne, who had started all six games prior to his suspension, missed two contests -- both wins -- before returning for Saturday’s 78-73 overtime win over Elon.

The 6-foot-9, 250-pound sophomore had six points and six rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench against the Phoenix. He’s averaging 5.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in 2012-13.

Lalanne was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, assault and battery on a police officer and resisting a police officer making a lawful arrest on Dec. 1.

According to the university, the case is still pending but until it is resolved Lalanne will be eligible to practice and play with the Minutemen.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- He’s only a freshman, nine games into his college career, but already Harvard coach Tommy Amaker is running out of things to say about Siyani Chambers.

“What can you say about Siyani?” Amaker asked rhetorically. “He’s been the heart and soul for us so far this year. He had to guard those guys and then on this end he’s the savior for us. He made every big play that we needed -- free throws, obviously the game-winning shot.”

Ah, yes, the game-winning shot. It was a big one, with the clock running down and his team down a point after a big shot from visiting Boston University. But Chambers didn’t hesitate, except to ball fake on-rushing defenders and clear his line of sight.

The Golden Valley, Minn., product capped his huge second half with a game-winning jumper with just 4 seconds left on the clock to lift Harvard to a 65-64 win over the Terriers on Tuesday night, forcing his coach to search for new ways to praise him and sending BU home with a familiar bad taste in its mouth.

Those guys Amaker was referring to Chambers guarding are the BU backcourt of Maurice Watson Jr. and D.J. Irving, who went back and forth with Chambers and Wesley Saunders all night.

“I thought that their guards were outstanding -- Watson and Irving were so quick and tough driving the ball to the basket,” Amaker said.

In fact, Amaker took his backcourt to task for the way they played defensively in the first half.

In a battle of preternaturally mature freshmen point guards, Watson took the first round.

The similarities between the two are striking.

Both Watson and Chambers wear No. 1. Both have the distinction of being the shortest player on their respective teams (Watson at 5-foot-10, Chambers at 6-foot). Both have played big minutes right off the bat (26.5 for Watson, 36.8 for Chambers). And both are at or near the top of their respective leagues in assists.

Watson seemed to get wherever he wanted in the first half, driving past Chambers and through converging Crimson defenders to find layups for himself or open shots for teammates. He finished the first half with 8 points, on 4-for-6 shooting, and Irving had 11 to lead all scorers, as the Terriers took a seven-point lead into the locker room.

But after a quiet first half (1-for-4 shooting for 4 points), Chambers took the second round by a knockout.

He scored the Crimson’s first seven points after the break, including a four-point play when he threw up a 3-pointer with the shot clock at one, hit the shot and got fouled by Watson in the process.

His shooting seemed to wake up the Crimson, who went 0-for-8 on 3s in the first half and then shot 7-for-9 in the second half to finish 7-for-17 (41.2 percent).

“It looked like it gave our team a little confidence boost, gave us a little more energy,” Chambers said of his first 3 in the second half. “In terms of the shot, it didn’t do anything for me, but hopefully for the team it sparked a little energy.”

In the end, it wasn’t how Chambers started the half that was most impressive but how he finished it.

After Saunders hit one of two free throws with 47.0 to go in the game to put Harvard up one, all the Crimson needed for the win was a stop. But stops had been hard to come by, especially when the Terriers got the ball into Irving’s hands.

The junior seemed to have the answer whenever Harvard made a run in the second half. When Chambers hit a 3 to put the Crimson up 40-38, Irving came right back with a 3 of his own. Laurent Rivard hit a 3 from the corner to put Harvard up 55-53, but back came Irving with another 3 to push the visitors back in front.

So, of course, when the clock was running down and the Terriers needed a bucket, they turned to Irving.

He came running off a screen and took a pass from Dom Morris at the top of the key, then curled around the key, stopped on a dime and drained a pull-up jumper with just 19 seconds to go.

For once this season, one in which the Terriers already had lost two games at the final horn, it seemed the Terriers were about to pull out a nail-biter.

But Chambers wasn’t fazed. He took the ball up the court after Irving’s jumper, used a ball screen to free himself, calmly assessed his options, ball-faked and stuck a short jumper from just outside the right block with just four ticks to go.

“I came off the ball screen trying to first create for my teammates, but then when the shot opened up I just took the shot,” he said matter-of-factly.

Asked about the decision to let the clock run rather than call a play, Amaker said that’s the way the Crimson like to do it.

“We don’t want the defense to get set,” he said. “Down one possession, we want to play it through unless it’s so low on the clock that we can’t get it up the floor without calling something from the end line for a long pass. We love doing that. That’s our philosophy.

“I thought Siyani drove it and did an excellent job of having composure and shot-faking it. … That’s exactly what happens at the end of games, guys get antsy and chase the ball a little bit. And he showed the composure as a freshman to stop and knock down a 12- or 13-foot shot. We couldn’t ask for anything better. You can’t draw up a play that’s going to give you a better opportunity than we got.”

But the opportunity wouldn’t have meant anything if the Crimson didn’t have a player ready to take advantage of it. Chambers was.

And though he may have seemed cool as a cucumber taking the potential game-winner, Chambers admitted afterward that wasn’t the case.

“It was a pretty nerve-wracking shot,” he said, with a small smile.

A shot that produced a thrilling ending for the home team, and forced a coach to find a new way to praise his most important newcomer.

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

Jerry York's coronation as college hockey's all-time winningest coach is on hold for at least three more weeks.

Boston College blew a 3-1 lead Friday night at Providence College, which forced overtime by tying the game at 3-3 with just 11 seconds remaining in regulation. A scoreless extra session ensued, so York remains stuck on 924 career wins, tied with Ron Mason for the college record.

"Providence played hard, they played physical, and they were difficult to play against," York said, according to The Boston Globe. "We take the point, we leave with some real good learning experiences for our club, too."

BC won't take the ice again until Dec. 29, when the Eagles will play Alabama-Huntsville in Minneapolis at the Mariucci Classic.

One of the key reasons Brad Bates chose Steve Addazio as Boston College's new head football coach is his ability to recruit.

With his passionate, fiery personality, Addazio plays well to a crowd, but the coach is also able to build meaningful relationships with recruits and, if he gets them to sign on, his players.

In fact, when he was an assistant to Urban Meyer at Florida he managed to get a top recruit in the Northeast to decommit from UConn and head south to play for the Gators.

"He was definitely one of [the reasons I committed], because he's a straightforward guy," New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez told ESPNBoston.com's Field Yates on Thursday. "He doesn't just tell you what you want to hear. That's what you want from a coach."

Asked on WEEI's "The Dennis & Callahan Show" on Thursday morning about recruiting Hernandez, Addazio said he pitched the tight end on the chance to contribute to a top-flight program and to make an impact in a high-powered offense.

"I had a great relationship with him," Addazio said. "I had a great trust factor, obviously being from the state of Connecticut going into Connecticut [to recruit]. I thought [Florida] ended up being a terrific fit for him. And certainly so, so proud of all the things that he's accomplished. He's a great guy with a great work ethic and great talent."

Hernandez was also full of praise for his former coach.

"He's a great coach," he said. "He's a great person on and off the field. He can be a little intense at times, but I loved him and I loved having him as a coach."

On the morning talk show, Addazio was also asked about the academic standards at BC and how that will impact recruiting, leading to this exchange:

Isn't it true that there are going to be players you can't get past admissions at BC?

"Yes it is," Addazio answered, matter-of-factly.

And you're prepared for that?

"Yes, I am," Addazio said. "Obviously there are plenty of really talented student-athletes that are really looking for a powerful degree and want to play a high-energy and passionate, great brand of football and want to be in a city like Boston and be on a beautiful campus like Boston College. That group is out there and I'm really looking forward to attacking it."

Hernandez was asked a similar question later Thursday, about how Addazio will fare recruiting in New England and bringing talent to the Heights.

"I know it's hard to get into a school like BC," Hernandez said, "but he's a great recruiter, and knows how to get recruits, so I'm sure he'll get a bunch of athletes there."

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey. Information from ESPNBoston.com Patriots reporter Field Yates was used in this report.

Steve Addazio has called his new job at Boston College his "dream job." I had a chance to ask him why, and plenty more during a recent phone conversation after he was introduced in Chestnut Hill.

Why are you the right fit for Boston College?

SA: First off, I’m a Northeast guy. I’ve recruited the Northeast my whole career. And I’ve got a real proven track record throughout the Northeast and just have great relationships with high school coaches. and then of course, I’ve recruited into Florida. I’ve had a great bunch of relationships in that state, and really did a fair amount of national recruiting at Florida, so really I feel like I can get into Florida and understand where I can go with the right programs. And then of course being at Notre Dame, recruiting nationally, always my main target was in the Northeast, but I was involved in Indianapolis, Chicago, Ohio Catholic Leagues and just being at an institution where you’re really looking for players, student-athletes that really respected the opportunity to get a great education and be at a Catholic university. That’s a piece of it.

For me, my Catholic faith is very important to me and my family. That’s absolutely an important piece. This is a family place. It’s a small school. My whole thing is great chemistry, kids that respect football, respect academics. I just love the atmosphere here, the all for one and one for all among the coaches, the faculty and administrators. My experiences, where I’m from, my recruiting, they want the big thing here is a guy who can excite, unite the alumni, the fan base, the city, Boston College and bring in here a great deal of energy and passion and embrace recruiting and embrace all the things that go along with college football. Honestly, it felt right, right from the start. When I met everybody here, I walked away and I was like, this is me. This is a tremendous fit and sometimes you feel good about certain things, but I felt good about everything.

How did the whole process go down?

SA: It happened pretty quickly. They reached out to me. We had a chance to get together, and they were exactly what I was looking for and I was exactly what they were looking for. It was just a sincere click. Right away you felt this was right. Brad (Bates) is one of the really great ADs in the country. I’ve known of him and known him and all the people I know and respect, (Florida athletic director) Jeremy Foley and those guys speak the world of Brad, and (former coach) Gerry DiNardo and so an opportunity to be with him really meant a lot to me. So yeah, it happened pretty quick and I think both sides just felt like this is really, really the right fit, the right chemistry.

There have been some down times, and Boston College is in a tough division. What is it going to take to get things turned around and get back to playing for ACC championships?

SA: Obviously recruiting. You’ve just got to do a great job recruiting. That was a big component here, the ability to recruit. You just can’t come into the Northeast and show up as some coach who’s never recruited here and think you’re going to have great success. You’ve got to pay your dues. Just building a real chemistry and an energy and a toughness I think there’s a lot of things that can be done. You’ve got a veteran quarterback coming in here, and a young defense.

I just think we have to keep recruiting, we have to keep developing and there’s absolutely no reason why we can’t get back to where we were, and go beyond that. That’s the job at hand right now. It’s not a quick thing. It’s not like bam, bam and you’re all set. You’ve got to build it. Recruiting takes time. It’s all about getting on the young players and developing relationships and Boston College, and I am, we’re in it for the long haul. We’re going to build it, develop it and then win as many games as we can win. I like the future, but I know the work that’s at hand. The real grind. There’s a reason why I’m here.

Check back Friday for the second part of our interview, where we talk about his offensive philosophy and fitting what he likes to do with the team's strengths.

NEWTON, Mass. -- Like many interested observers, more than a few Boston College players were surprised by Brad Bates' hire of Steve Addazio to be their next football coach.

"A lot of the guys were surprised," quarterback Chase Rettig said. "This is why you can't listen to everything that's going on in the media, because there's a lot of names out there and Coach Addazio wasn't necessarily one of the different things people were talking about."

No, Addazio wasn't mentioned in many (any?) reports, but he's here now. The new coach introduced himself to the team in a 2 p.m. team meeting in the Barber Room of the Yawkey Center, then met with the media, boosters and athletic department staff in the same room an hour later.

And while Bates might have been stealthy about whom he was hiring, there's little stealthy about the man he hired.

A big man with a bald head and a booming baritone, Addazio can make quite the first impression.

"Obviously he brings a lot of passion and enthusiasm," Rettig said. "He wants to create a buzz for our football program."

In regard to personal style -- and certainly volume -- the difference from former coach Frank Spaziani couldn't be starker. While Spaziani sometimes seemed to be whispering in postgame sessions with the media, Addazio barely needed the microphone on the podium.

Heck, he barely even used the podium, instead wandering around behind it, gesturing to accentuate his points.

The energy, which Bates mentioned multiple times Tuesday night after announcing the hire, is already rubbing off on his new charges.

"Just having him in here today, it made me very excited," linebacker Steele Divitto said. "He's basically told us to buckle up and be ready for a tough offseason, and I'm looking forward to it. And I'm looking forward to this team's successes going forward."

Divitto said he knew Addazio a little previously, since both are Connecticut natives. The linebacker is impressed with his résumé, but the first thing he mentioned was that personality.

"He brings a lot of energy to the table," Divitto said. "I think it's very important to have a head coach that the players get excited to play for. It makes the game more exciting, it makes the players more excited, it makes it more enthusiastic. It makes them want to be out there and compete at the highest level.

"And that's something that a lot of guys have been looking for, and it seems like we're getting it now."

Said Rettig: "He's bringing passion, enthusiasm and he wants to do something special."

But back to that résumé for a moment. In two years at Temple, Addazio went 13-11 (9-4 the first year, 4-7 the second) and won a bowl game (37-15 over Wyoming in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl in 2011). Before that, he spent six years on Urban Meyer's staff at Florida, where he helped the Gators win two BCS National Championship Games (in 2006 and 2008).

Being at Florida in those halcyon days, of course, meant he also coached a certain famous quarterback who now plies his trade (sparingly) in New York.

"Even the guys he's coached, Tim Tebow," Divitto said. "I love Tim Tebow. He's extremely passionate, extremely intense. I love that. That's kind of the way I am. So personally I'm very excited. I know a lot of the guys are excited, as well."

On Wednesday, Addazio wore one of the rings he got in his time at Florida -- an accessory not lost on the Eagles.

"Experience is a big thing, because the more experience they bring to the table the faster kids will buy in," Divitto said. "And that's what we're looking for."

In Addazio, the Eagles hope they've found the coach they were looking for. Now, all that's left to do is to get to work.

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

NEWTON, Mass. -- In his sometimes-thunderous introduction to the Boston College community, new head football coach Steve Addazio said all the things you would expect.

He's dreamed of being in this position all his life, he said. There's no place like BC, no place like Chestnut Hill on a football Saturday in the fall.

Addazio declared that he's here for the long haul, which had to be reassuring to Eagles fans with memories long enough to remember back past the Frank Spaziani era to Jeff Jagodzinski and the chaos that has ensued since the latter left after just two seasons to pursue bigger ambitions.

When questioned after his opening remarks about just what the long haul means to him, Addazio left no wiggle room.

"I want to be here and finish my career here," he said. "This is where I want to be. I have a home up in Cape Cod. I'm in New England. I'm at the most wonderful place I could possibly be at. I couldn't be more clear about that."

The big man paused, then turned a bit where he stood and went on.

"You can ask that lady in the red jacket right there," he said, gesturing to his wife, Kathy, seated in the front row.

"It's not red," she replied, drawing laughs from the room.

"In that maroon jacket right there," Addazio said, correcting himself as the laughter continued.

When the room quieted down again, the line of questioning shifted to something else Addazio had said in his remarks. Something you might not have expected, knowing the situation at the Heights at the moment: that you can win a national championship at Boston College.

"I think that any time you're at an institution like this," he said, "which has great tradition, has a beautiful campus, has a great education, in a city like we're in, in the city of Boston -- you can recruit, you can build, you can compete and you can win a national championship.

"It's been done. It's been done at a lot of places. That's the job, that's the mission, that's what we strive for. I've been in a couple of those. I've been there when that confetti comes down, and the feeling and elation and all the hard work that goes into it. There's absolutely no reason why that can't be accomplished at Boston College."

Heady words, indeed, especially coming as they do on the heels of a 2-10 season (which followed a 4-8 season, which … you get the point).

When he was pressed further, in one-on-one interviews, Addazio clarified. He isn't saying the Eagles will win a national championship, he's saying he believes it's possible they can.

"Can you? Absolutely you can," he said. "And I'm not coming in here as some bragging coach, 'Oh, yeah, we're gonna go win the national championship.' That's just not my style."

The task at hand, Addazio knows, starts with simpler ambitions.

"Where are we right now as we stand here?" he asked in his remarks. "We're currently not playing in a bowl game. We're disappointed. We're hungry.

"I talked to the team earlier before we came in here. I said to the team, 'As you sit in that chair I hope there's a disappointment. I hope it hurts. I hope there's a hunger. I hope there's a drive. I hope that you understand that you came to Boston College to win championships. I hope that fuels as we start this offseason workout program. Because we're all striving for success, and we're all competitors.'"

Linebacker Steele Divitto said part of the new coach's message to the players was, "Trust in me and I'll trust in you."

Addazio didn't just set out some lofty goals and leave it at that. He told the Eagles what he believes they'll need to do to achieve them.

"How are we going to get there?" he asked. "With a great offseason, by pushing each other, by pain and sacrifice, by strong will, a tough spring and a great summer, leadership by our seniors and a foxhole mentality. That's my job. We're going to have the toughest offseason we've ever had with winter conditioning and spring football because by pain and sacrifice you build bonds.

"And we're going to build a great chemistry, and we're going to feed off that hunger that's in everybody's belly and that disappointment. We're going to drive. That's what we're going to do. That's going to happen -- step by step."

It's clear the new coach has a vision for the program he wants to build at Boston College, and if Wednesday was any indication he should be able to communicate that vision well.

Where exactly that vision will lead, remains to be seen. But it sure had to sound good to Eagles fans.

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

NEWTON, Mass. -- While introducing Boston College’s new head football coach, athletic director Brad Bates had words of praise and also a warning.

“For those of you who have yet to meet Steve,” Bates said in a crowded conference room at the team’s Yawkey Center, “buckle up.”

Steve Addazio then took to the podium and talked -- or, more accurately, preached -- about dreams, about family, and, yes, even a little about ambition.

“I’m very humbled and I’m very honored to stand here as your head football coach at Boston College,” Addazio said. “This is my dream job. … I’ve been a lot of great places, and everywhere I’ve been and all the friends that know me and the people that I’ve worked with, knew that I wanted to one day be here at Boston College.”

His voice rising and falling as a preacher’s would from a pulpit, Addazio talked about how thrilled his family had been to get the chance to move to Philadelphia two years ago when he took the head-coaching position at Temple.

“And now I have a chance to come to New England, which is truly home, and we’re just ecstatic,” he said.

“I’m here for the long haul and I’m here to win championships,” he said, “and to win championships with class and honor. And develop young men on the football field and off the football field and in the classroom. Men that are gonna leave Boston College one day and are gonna go make a difference in this society, in this world that we live in, in a positive way.”

The new coach said he was excited about the family feel at BC, and called that an important factor for him.

Addazio said he’s evaluating his staff, and had one announcement to make: He’s bringing Ryan Day with him from Temple to be the Eagles’ offensive coordinator.

Day, of course, was the Eagles’ wide receivers coach from 2007 to 2011, before he left for Temple with former Eagles offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers. Day knew Addazio previously from a one-year stint on the Florida staff in 2005, when Addazio was the tight ends coach and Day was a graduate offensive assistant.

Addazio, who is from Farmington, Conn., and played college football at Central Connecticut State, said he remembers sitting in his family room and watching “The Pass.” He said he had a chance to become a graduate assistant at BC under then-coach Jack Bicknell, but instead decided to pursue his dreams of playing in the NFL.

“I often look back and say, ‘Boy, I wonder if I had been a graduate assistant at Boston College,’ ” he said. “But I guess as faith has it, I’m gonna have a chance to get to Boston College.”

The new coach arrived at his news conference prepared, with notes printed out in large font on white pieces of paper. Wearing his wedding band on his left hand and one of his Florida Gators national title rings on his right hand, he rarely just stood behind the podium while he was speaking.

With his booming voice and rising cadence, he didn’t need the microphone to be heard.

While the coach was speaking, Bates sat at a table nearby, left leg crossed over right knee, hands interlocked on his knee and a small smile on his face.

Addazio said his plan on the field is simple: play great defense, run the ball, score in the red zone, have great special teams and don’t turn the ball over.

“I’m honored, I’m humbled, I’m excited, I’m determined. You’re gonna get the best out of Steve Addazio, my family, my staff and my program,” he said. “I’m proud to be a Boston College Eagle, and I won’t let you down.”

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.