CHESTNUT HILL — While new coach Jim Christian is looking to rebuild the basketball program, he is getting a big piece back from the Steve Donahue era.
Sophomore Olivier Hanlan announced Tuesday that he will forego the NBA draft this spring and return to Boston College for his junior year.
Hanlan, the 6-foot-4 swingman, broke onto the scene with a sensational freshman season and set an ACC tournament freshman record for scoring with 41 points against Georgia Tech on March 14, 2013. The Eagles won 84-64. Hanlan went on to win ACC Rookie of the Year.
This past season, Hanlan ranked third in the ACC in scoring (18.5), fourth in minutes (36.2), sixth in free throw percentage (.811) and seventh in field goal percentage (.447). During conference play, he ranked second in scoring (18.4) and fourth in field goal percentage (.460).
The Aylmer, Quebec, product became the third player in Boston College history and the 29th player in ACC history to reach 1,000 points as a sophomore (1,100). Troy Bell and Craig Smith were the other Eagles to accomplish that feat and they are first and second on the BC career scoring list, respectively.
Hanlan was an All-ACC third-team selection this year after being named the conference Rookie of the Year in 2013.
