CHESTNUT HILL - Biko Paris hasn't exactly been known as a big-time scorer during his Boston College career.
Yet that's exactly the role the senior guard played for the Eagles on Saturday afternoon, scoring a team-high 18 points in Boston College's 85-58 win over Philadelphia in an exhibition match at Conte Forum.
Paris made 7-of-10 shots and connected on a team-high 4-of-6 three point shots in the victory.
"I think he's playing with great confidence," said Boston College men's basketball coach Steve Donahue. "He's in great shape this year. I think we're asking him to make simple decisions. It's not to run the offense, its space out and make plays. He's been very good since he got here and I think you're going to see him have a great year."
That would be a welcome sight from Paris, who was less-than-stellar on the offensive end for Boston College last season.
Paris played in all 31 games, starting 25, and averaged a measly 4.8 points. He averaged 2.9 points in ACC contests and scored in double-digits only four times.
His career scoring numbers at Boston College aren't anything special, either. In three seasons, Paris averaged 4.7 points and a field goal percentage of 31.5%. His career high in points was 19 against New Hampshire on November 10th, 2007.
Paris did excel in other areas last season, though, as he ranked near the top in the ACC in assists (4.1 per game) and assist to turnover ratio (1.7).
Even still, when playing Division I college basketball, every player on the court needs to be able to score. It's not enough to be a good ball handler.
But after his impressive performance against Philadelphia, some are wondering if Paris may have taken the final step towards becoming a complete player.
Eagles forward Joe Trapani thinks so, and he praised Paris' versatility following Saturday's win.
"He's one of those guys who will do anything it takes to win," said Trapani, who also scored 18 points in the Eagles' victory. "If it's scoring, he'll do that. If it's distributing the ball or being poised and slowing the game down. He has those kind of talents, and obviously some of that we need on this team. He was big today scoring the ball."
Philadelphia's defense was clearly inferior to Boston College's offense, as the Eagles took a firm grasp on the game right from the start.
Even so, it was encouraging to see that Paris is capable of taking over a game with his offense.
Paris will have another chance to strut his scoring prowess when Boston College hosts St. Francis of New York in the regular season opener at Conte Forum on Friday (7 p.m. ET).
But even if Paris doesn't lead the team in scoring on Friday night, at least we know he can.