BC Insider: Teddy Hawkins Crutches Through The Snow to Help BC Win

It was 7:30 a.m. in Chestnut Hill when Boston College Eagles point guard Ky Bowman sprung up out of bed on Saturday morning in pure excitement to play a conference game against a team from his home state, the Duke Blue Devils. Which just so happened to also be the nation's top-ranked team.

"I grew up in the state of North Carolina as a Tar Heel fan, so I woke up today ready to go," Bowman said after the game.

There was no snow on the ground yet as Eagles recently injured star forward Deontae 'Teddy' Hawkins woke up around the same time and peered out his apartment window, thinking about potentially defying the Doctor's orders of limiting his leg movement over the next few days, as he just had season ending knee surgery the day before. If there was snow on the ground it would make it hard for him to crutch around and get to the game, the more snow there was, the harder it would be.

But by now if you're reading this you all now how this story ends.

BC shocks the college basketball world by handing No. 1 Duke their first loss of the season. Bowman's early wake-up and excitement helped lead the Eagles to an 89-84 victory as he erupted for 30 points, 10 boards, and nine assists. And it snowed in Chestnut Hill, a lot. All day long.

But somehow, Hawkins had the perfect seat for the big win. He was just behind the BC bench coaching up and cheering his teammates on throughout the exciting game.

But if it snowed all day, what made Hawkins ignore the Doctor's orders and crutch through the mounds of snow to get Conte Forum to watch the Eagles pull off the massive upset of the nation's top ranked team at home?

He spoke exclusively with EagleAction on Saturday about the day and his choice to come to the game....

"I'm not really supposed to be up moving around on it yet says the Doctor," Hawkins told me with his signature smirk and a laugh. "I tried to watch the game at the house and I just couldn't do it," he explained.

"At the first commercial break I decided I couldn't do it anymore, I had to get over here to the game to be vocal, be a presence, to be anything and do anything I could to help my team win today," Hawkins added. "I can't help on the floor physically, but I can continue to be that steady voice and positive energy force on the sidelines and in the huddles during timeouts," Hawkins said.

Hawkins arrived court side just before the halfway mark in the first half. His left shoe (and only shoe) was soaked as the fresh snow was melting off of it and his sock and slip-on sandal on the right leg that was just operated on the day before, was also drenched from the snow falling on it while he was en route to the game just minutes before. "I couldn't crutch in here fast enough," Hawkins said while laughing at himself.

He made it to court side, even with the knee that was clearly swollen as Hawkins could hardly move it and let alone bend it with it heavily wrapped up underneath the black Boston College Under Armour issued sweatpants.

He was seated about halfway down the Eagles bench in a chair moved just behind the BC bench. The 6-foot-8 graduate transfer from Illinois State participated in every timeout huddle as he would get up, gather his crutches, hop over a couple steps and peer down and over his teammates as he would often chirp in a few tips, ideas and words of encouragement into the young Eagles players ears before and after head coach Jim Christian met with the squad during those media breaks.

"That's a guy who just had season ending knee surgery less than 24-hours ago who wanted to be at the game today, cheering on and supporting his teammates," Coach Christian said of Hawkins after the game. "That's a team leader right there," he finished.

Eagles star shooting-guard Jerome Robinson also mentioned how the presence of Hawkins at the game today was a positive for the Eagles. "His leadership is a key for us," Robinson said.

Several of the Eagles players told me after the win on Saturday that there is no coincidence that the Eagles took the lead from top-ranked Duke shortly after Hawkins arrived and spoke to the team in the team huddle during the first timeout break he was there for. Once the Eagles had that lead and Hawkins back on their bench, BC never really looked back and played tough, inspired basketball the rest of the way en route to a huge conference opening victory.

Coach Christian brought Hawkins to Boston College not only for his skills on the floor, but most importantly to teach the rest of the roster how to win college basketball games at the highest level, as he did for three years while at Illinois State.

Hawkins can no longer physically show or teach the Eagles squad how to win on the hardwood. But if today is any indication, his presence and leadership abilities have started to soak into the young Boston College rosters DNA.

In a total team effort by everyone on the team and coaching staff, with Hawkins included, they beat the nation's best team on Saturday afternoon.

That's a pretty significant step towards learning how to win.