DeMarr Langford Jr. Is Becoming BC’s ‘Engine’
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Publisher
DeMarr Langford Jr. didn’t back down last weekend against Duke. He responded.
“We had a pretty heated huddle,” said Earl Grant, the first-year Boston College men’s basketball head coach. “Some fireworks were going off, guys were calling each other out.
“And [DeMarr] responded.”
Langford, who was blocked by 7-foot-1 center Mark Williams twice early in the second half, continued to challenge the NBA prospect at the rim. Even after he was knocked in the face by Williams on his way up to the cup. Langford took a spill in the process but hit both free throws from the flagrant one foul and then, immediately after that, blew by the Blue Devils defense for a layup to complete a four-point swing. He attacked the hole the next two possessions as well—one of which he set up with a steal—except went 2-of-4 at the charity stripe.
Still, Langford’s six straight points fueled an 8-0 Eagles run that drew BC within seven points of then-No. 7 Duke late in the final frame.
“It was nice to see that you can get a rise out of him,” Grant said postgame. “It was nice to see him take it to that next level. Some guys go in a shell after a fight or a healthy argument. He didn’t go in a shell.”
Langford didn’t roll over Saturday against Duke, just like he didn’t throw in the towel on a season that saw him go eight consecutive games—and a month and a half—without a double-digit scoring performance.
“He just had to stay aggressive,” Grant said Saturday.
That was the key for Langford to get to the rack versus Duke. And it was the key for him to snap out of his scoring funk earlier this season. Following BC’s 19-day COVID-19 pause, the sophomore guard attempted 9.1 shots over the next eight games, including a combined 13 against Georgia Tech and Clemson following a 6-of-20 stretch versus North Carolina and Pitt.
Langford was driving over the top of fellow guards Jaeden Zackery, Brevin Galloway and his older brother, Makai Ashton-Langford instead of taking perimeter shots on dribble-drive kickouts. His teammates encouraged him to shake the hesitation from outside.
And assistant coach Chris Markwood worked with Langford to help the freakishly athletic guard use his 6-foot-5, 210-pound frame to his advantage.
Langford began to maximize his size against smaller guards in the post and grew increasingly confident in his 3-point shot. He attempted just three shots from beyond the arc in the opening 11 contests. In the last four, however, the Worcester native, is 3-of-8 from deep.
“It’s mainly my teammates,” Langford said after his 17-point performance in a win over Pitt on Jan. 30. “Takes a lot of pressure off them.”
Langford has averaged 14.5 points in BC’s last four games.
Against Duke, he also had two steals and two blocks. Versus Syracuse last week, he registered six rebounds, not to mention his pair of alley-oop dunks—the first of which came off a backdoor screen and cut that was reminiscent of the Ky Bowman-Jerome Robinson connection in 2017-18. And then against Pitt, he tacked on three assists.
“He’s the engine I think for the team,” Ashton-Langford said of his younger brother, who he and his family affectionately call “Boo.” “Once he starts to get going—once he starts smiling and being energized—I feel like that’s when we are really at our best.”
The start to Langford’s BC career has been anything but a seamless transition from his days at Brewster Academy, where he ascended to four-star status. A head coaching change and roster overhaul have complicated things.
Langford is progressing, however.
Because he keeps chugging along.
