Friday Round Table: Which Freshman will be Best?

It's Friday, which mean's that it's time for our weekly Round Table.  This week, we take note of Anderson's 20 points against the Duke Blue Devlis, and ask:

Which of the Baby Eagles will have the best career at Boston College?

Mike:  You could definitely make an argument for Daniels, Clifford, and Anderson here.  While Anderson has certainly taken his game to the next level over the past few weeks, I still think that Clifford will have the best career here.  He has the work ethic and size that you like to see from an ACC big man, and is going to be a very difficult guy to match-up with once he bulks up 15 or 20 pounds.  As it is right now, he's shooting a crisp .537 from the floor, although that number might go down as his volume increases.

The concerns for Clifford going forward are probably going to revolve around his rebounding.  He's only averaging 4.8 rebounds a game right now.  I just don't know if he's ever going to get to the point where he pulls down 10 on a nightly basis.  Again, this is nothing against Anderson, who is averaging 10.8 points and 7.0 boards as a freshman, but Clifford's upside would seem to be bigger (pun intended) because he is a true seven footer who should have the ability to dominate the paint within the next year or two.

Mike C.: Anderson will have the best career on the Heights.  He has the ability to be all-ACC as soon as next season. He's the only one on the team that really knows how to rebound at all.  He can finish with both hands, and while inconsistent, has range out to the 3 point line.  Watch out for him next year after he puts on another 10-15 pounds - he'll be a force.  That said, I actually think Clifford will probably have the best single season out of the two of them - hes just going to take longer to become a great/elite player.  Anderson should be there next year and while Clifford will have improved, he wont get to the great level in the ACC until at least his junior year.

Ralph: Out of the two Mikes above, I'm leaning with Mike C and agreeing Anderson will emerge out of the freshies to become our best player. Clifford strikes me as more of a system guy who will put up good numbers, say 10 & 7 a game once fully developed, but I don't see any star potential.  He will be a good, complementary piece, but if he ends up being the best to emerge with the numbers I just mentioned, this BC team will struggle for years.  It's still too early to tell, but Anderson is one of the few (maybe only?) players on this team that can take over a game.  He is versatile enough to create his own shot, both inside and out.  He rebounds fairly well for his position and out of all the freshman, he seems to be the one most adapted to the pace and physicality of ACC play.  It's sure gonna be a fun few years watching this team grow under Donahue.