You won’t find a coach in America who doesn’t respect Boston College’s Al Skinner. You also won’t find one that doesn’t envy the Eagles head man.
 
You see, Skinner isn’t one of those relentless recruiters always on the road when he’s not coaching his team. Sure, he’ll go out for a few days in July to watch recruits. However, while many of his peers live out of a suitcase all month, Skinner would rather spend the time with his family.
 
“I don’t know how he does it,” said one D-1 head coach. “You never see him out on the road. It’s like he runs an NBA team.”
 
Some coaches — including the last two to win national titles, Florida’s Billy Donovan and Kansas head coach Bill Self — travel around the country to watch prospective recruits and make countless calls in order to load up with high-caliber talent.
 
They eat, sleep and breathe college basketball.
 
Skinner does not. He’d rather play lunch-time pick-up ball.
 
The BC head man has relied heavily on his coaching staff to find so-called “hidden gems” and has also done a terrific job developing players.
 
The formula has certainly worked in the past.
 
Troy Bell came in after being spurned by home-state University of Minnesota and left as the school’s all-time leading scorer and a first-round pick. Not a single Pac-10 school wanted California native Craig Smith — and now he’s a solid NBA player. Jared Dudley was set to go to prep school because San Diego and San Diego State didn’t even feel he was good enough. Tyrese Rice was a mid-major recruit until he blew up late.
 
Skinner may be as reliant on his assistant coaches as any head coach in the country. Bill Coen and Ed Cooley proved their worth by reeling in guys like Bell, Smith, Dudley and Rice — and were rewarded with head coaching gigs.
 
The new staff, led by assistant Pat Duquette, is trying to utilize the same formula that got near the top of the ACC.
 
Under-the-radar kids — from all across the country.
 
In fact, this roster, which includes 11 total scholarship players, is filled with kids from 10 different states. Just two are from New England — Rhode Island’s Rakim Sanders and Joe Trapani, a Connecticut native who transferred into the program from Vermont.
 
So far, it’s been a mixed bag. Colorado native freshman Reggie Jackson, recruited by Duquette, will be a future star in Chestnut Hill. However, the jury is still out on a pair of the most heralded recruits in the Skinner Era — Sanders and Josh Southern.
 
Both were considered to be consensus Top 100 players coming out of high school two years ago. Sanders has always been labeled as a big-time talent, but his desire has been questioned — as has his ability to play hard on a consistent basis.
 
Southern was one of the top big men in the Midwest coming out of Saginaw, Mich., but he hasn’t realized his potential.
 
Skinner doesn’t make promises and that’s why he rarely gets the big-time, high-profile kids. Those guys want to be pursued by the head coach. Skinner won’t do it.
 
In fact, Coen used to cringe when Skinner would tell a potential recruit that if he worked hard, he’d be fortunate to get into the rotation as a freshman. It just doesn’t fall in line with what many of the other coaches around the country are promising in terms of playing time.
 
That’s why it’s remarkable that the Eagles were able to go down to Chapel Hill earlier this month and knock off North Carolina. Tar Heels coach Roy Williams is the polar opposite of Skinner. He won’t take a day off in July and works the recruiting trail as feverishly as anyone. That, along with the cache of the program, is why North Carolina is loaded with McDonald’s All-Americans year in and year out.
 
Skinner’s approach is why the Eagles will never see a McDonald’s All-American come through Conte Forum.
 
So far, it hasn’t been much of a problem.
 
The question is how long it can last?
 
TOP 10 RECRUITS IN SKINNER ERA
 
1) Troy Bell: He’s the school’s all-time leading scorer.
 
2) Craig Smith: Now with the Minnesota Timberwolves, he ranks first all-time in rebounds and second in points.
 
3) Jared Dudley: Got the most out of his ability. Finished fifth all-time in scoring and seventh in boards.
 
4) Tyrese Rice: He’s on track to finish with more than 2,000 career points.
 
5) Reggie Jackson: He’s still just a freshman, but he’ll be the guy next season for the Eagles.
 
6) Uka Agbai: The lightly recruited New Yorker finished with 1,277 points.
 
7) Ryan Sidney: Off-court issues marred his career, but on the court, he was as tough as they came.
 
8) Sean Williams: Talent was undeniable; the issue, like Sidney, was keeping his act together off the court.
 
9) Rakim Sanders: He’s about as talented as anyone on this list; just needs to play hard all the time.
 
10) Sean Marshall: May not have lived up to expectations, but was a key piece in BC’s success.