It was his relationship with his best friend Kevin O’Connell, which began at Our Lady of Blessed Sacrament in Bayside about 30 years…
By Dylan Butler
Sometimes grammar school friendships pay off later in life. Just ask Boston University basketball coach Dennis Wolff.
It was his relationship with his best friend Kevin O’Connell, which began at Our Lady of Blessed Sacrament in Bayside about 30 years ago, that helped land Belle Harbor resident and former St. Francis Prep standout Kevin Fitzgerald at Boston University.
Fitzgerald, a 6-foot-2 freshman guard, went widely unnoticed during his four years at St. Francis Prep. Despite a solid high school career where Fitzgerald scored more than 1,000 points and averaged 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals per game as a senior, only a handful of Division II schools offered scholarships.
As his senior year wound down, Division I schools Stony Brook and St. Peter’s, coached by Fitzgerald’s neighbor Bob Leckie, expressed interest in the hard-working, versatile guard.
“I didn’t score a lot and didn’t really start to handle the ball well until my junior year,” Fitzgerald said. “It was a little frustrating [to not get noticed], but I knew I had to come out with energy every game and not worry about it.”
But then Wolff entered the fray. The Bayside native, who recently became Boston University’s all-time winningest coach, through his friendship with O’Connell, watched Fitzgerald play at St. Francis Prep with Kevin O’Connell Jr., who is currently playing at Trinity College in Hartford.
“I liked him as a player, but we weren’t sure what our needs were,” Wolff said. “But then when [Dereck Franklin] transferred, we needed a guard. I did think he was under-recruited and we went from there.”
“When Boston University came in, I just thought it was a better school for me,” Fitzgerald said. “Not just basketball-wise, but academically too.”
Fitzgerald and Boston University became a perfect fit. Wolff, who professes hard work and tough defense, immediately liked Fitzgerald, so much so that he inserted him in the Terriers’ starting lineup for BU’s season opener at St. Peter’s.
“I’m very pleasantly surprised with Kevin. He’s earned every minute and is clearly our most consistent defender,” Wolff said. “We would not be where we are currently if he’s not here.”
While Fitzgerald, who has started all 19 of the Terriers games, has done a great job defensively, he has also played well on the other side of the court in helping to run BU’s offense.
He averages 4.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game and is second in the America East conference in assist/turnover ratio, averaging 2.9 assists per game while committing only 1.4 turnovers per game. Fitzgerald is second on the team in field goal percentage (47.3 percent) and is third on the team in minutes played, averaging 27.3 per game.
“I came in and didn’t expect to play that much, but I work hard in practice and every game and I try and make sure I don’t let the team down,” he said.
If there is a part of his game that needs improving, Wolff said, it is his outside shooting as Fitzgerald is just 2-for-11 from beyond the arc. But when his perimeter shots aren’t falling, Fitzgerald has the presence of mind to drive to the basket, drawing fouls or scoring layups, as was the case Sunday at Hofstra both, when his three-point play put the Terriers ahead, 18-17, in the first half.
“I always like to go to the basket strong,” he said. “If I finish in the lane, it’s an easier three-point play than if I take a long range shot with a defender on me.”
After scoring five points in the first half against the Pride, Fitzgerald had just two points in the second half as Hofstra stepped up its perimeter defense. In the 77-56 loss at Hofstra Arena, he also had three assists and two rebounds in a game-high 34 minutes.
“It was nice to play here [in front of family and friends], but I just wish we came out on top,” he said. “But I have a few more years here and we’ll play better.”
In the Terriers 80-71 loss at Drexel Friday, Fitzgerald had a season-high 11 points and seven assists and is quickly becoming a leader of a very young Boston University team.
“He’s a real tough kid mentally, he really wants to do well,” Wolff said. “He has the ability to be a leader vocally and with his play. He approaches every practice and every game the same way.”
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 143.
