How Consistency Helped Donald Hand Jr. Excel at Boston College: The Rundown
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Now that college athletes have the option to get paid through Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals and receive direct compensation from their athletics department via revenue sharing, committing to the process of development is more of a gift in athletes than a principle to learn and live by.
Boston College men’s basketball guard Donald Hand Jr. is trying to carve out his own legacy by committing himself to BC for all four years of his collegiate career, which is extremely rare in college athletics nowadays—which are far from amateur athletics at this point in time.
On Wednesday, at 2025 ACC Basketball Kickoff in Charlotte, N.C., Hand stated that consistency has helped guide him through his life, including his career in Chestnut Hill, Mass. It is the reason he has never once thought about entering the transfer portal and starting over somewhere else, even if his talents could have led him elswhere.
“My whole life, I’ve been consistent,” Hand said. “I’ve been loyal to the soil. In high school, I played [for] my stepdad for all four years, came to BC, so I’m gonna play with BC for all four years. [I’m] Just trying to write history at BC and write my own story.”
The Eagles’ redshirt-junior guard out of Virginia Beach, Va., was named the ACC’s 2024-25 Most Improved Player, ranking third among all ACC players in scoring average increase at a clip of nearly +11.0 points per game.
Hand (6-5, 210) averaged 15.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists an outing last season, becoming one of only four players in the conference to rank top-20 in the league in both scoring and rebounding.
He controlled the floor just about every night for the Eagles, and when the ball was in his hands, BC head coach Earl Grant could trust the rest of the cast to let Hand be Hand.
Apart from all of his skill on the court, the most impressive feature of Hand is his character and loyalty, which not many college athletes prioritize.
His decision to return to the Heights for a third season isn’t just a message about the type of person and player that Hand is. It also speaks to Grant’s abilities off the court, and his general demeanor when it comes to being around his players.
“Coach, he always preaches confidence to his guys, and he said, if you work on it, he will never question a shot you take, and he just trusts his guys,” Hand said. “Everybody he recruits, he trusts. He's a man of faith. Our whole team is big on faith.”
Moving along, here is The Rundown for Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025.
Catch up here every day of the week for your latest news and information for all things Boston College athletics.
Thursday's Schedule:
Women's Soccer: vs NC State at 7 p.m. ET | Preview | Live Stats
Men's Hockey: at Minnesota at 9 p.m. ET | Preview | Live Stats | Watch
Wednesday's Results:
There were no games scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 8.
Countdown to Boston College men's basketball season opener:
25 days.
Did You Notice?
- Check out a wild stat about former Boston College football defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku which proves how integral he was to the Eagles' defense in 2024 during his senior campaign in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Thru Oct. 8, 2024, Donovan Ezeiruaku had 9.0 sacks (57 yards) and 11.5 TFLs (63 yards).
— Graham Dietz (@graham_dietz) October 8, 2025
This year, BC has 10.0 sacks (76 yards) and 24.0 TFLs (114 yards).
Ezeiruaku's 2024 individual stat total in those categories through Oct. 8 is worth 60% of BC's combined total in 2025.
🤯 pic.twitter.com/IOAwcfbozY
- Boston College men's basketball players Donald Hand Jr. and Jayden Hastings were dripped out in brand-new game attire for 2025 ACC Basketball Kickoff.
That’s a wrap 🎬 pic.twitter.com/zcCZgQ1DID
— BC Men's Basketball (@BCMBB) October 8, 2025
- The Boston College men's hockey is up in Minneapolis, Minn., practicing at 3M Arena at Mariucci in preparation for its two-game series against the Gophers starting Thursday.
On this day in Boston College Athletics History:
October 9, 1948: Joe Dominick recorded the first 100-plus yard touchdown on a kick return in school history at St. Bonaventure. It was Boston College’s only score of the game, which ended with a 7-7 tie.
October 9, 1971: Former Eagles tight end Pete Mitchell was born in Royal Oak, Mich.
Boston College Eagles Quote of the Day:
“What usually knocks inside linebackers down is their inability to stay on the field for three plays. I think he's the best pure zone drop pass linebacker I've ever seen on tape."
- Mike Mayock on Luke Kuechly
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Graham Dietz is a 2025 graduate of Boston College and subsequently joined Boston College On SI. He previously served as an editor for The Heights, the independent student newspaper, from fall 2021, including as Sports Editor from 2022-23. Graham works for The Boston Globe as a sports correspondent, covering high school football, girls' basketball, and baseball. He was also a beat writer for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2023.
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