Finally healthy, College of Charleston's Derrin Boyd ready for March Madness

Three games in three days.

After 125 days, 31 games and 23 victories, College of Charleston s season comes down to three games in three days at the Coastal Athletic Association Tournament in Washington, D.C.

Win three games and the Cougars, who open the CAA Tournament on March 9, will return to March Madness for the third consecutive year and the eighth time in program history.

But to get to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in eight years, the Cougars will need graduate transfer guard Derrin Boyd to be at his very best.

And Boyd wouldnt have it any other way.

Any time you are going after a spot in March Madness, you are going to need your best players to be your best players, said College of Charleston coach Chris Mack.

Were certainly going to need Derrin playing at a high level if we are going to have a chance to win the conference tournament and get to March Madness.

Obviously, its not just on him.

Were going to need everyone playing well Ante (Brzovic), Deywilk (Tavarez), CJ (Fulton) and Lazar (Djokovic) everyone.

But Derrin is a special player and has the ability to take over a game almost single-handedly.

College of Charleston guard Derrin Boyd (4) averaged 13 points a game this season.

Getting a chance to play in March Madness is why Boyd entered the transfer portal last spring and eventually signed with Mack and College of Charleston.

The NCAA Tournament is where a lot of peoples lives have changed over the years, said Boyd, who was named to the All-CAA third team earlier in the week.

Ive been working to get to March Madness for the past five years, and this is my last opportunity to get there, so Im going to leave everything on the court.

Boyd began his collegiate career playing for tiny Georgetown College (Georgetown, Ken.) at the NAIA level.

He led Georgetown in scoring each of the two seasons he was on campus and was a key reason why the Tigers earned back-to-back spots in the NAIA national tournament.

But as good as the NAIA tournament is, its still not March Madness.

In 2022, the Princeton, Ky., native transferred to Lipscomb where he became a fixture in the Bisons' starting lineup over the next two years, earning Atlantic Sun newcomer of the year honors as a junior and the ASUN second team last season.

A year ago, the Bisons were one of the favorites to win the ASUN Tournament until Boyd suffered a season-ending knee injury with two weeks left in the regular season.

We felt like we were one of the teams to beat, and then it all kind of got ripped away from me with the injury, Boyd said.

The Bisons were bounced out of the ASUN Tournament in the first round.

Boyd averaged more than 17 points a game, and many college basketball analysts speculated that the 6-3 guard might be headed to a Power 4 school.

He was the first recruit to commit to us when we took over, Mack said.

Getting a player of Derrins caliber was huge for us.

Boyd missed the first two games of the season, still rehabbing his knee, before making his CofC debut against Florida Atlantic.

He immediately showed his potential and the instant impact he had on the team, scoring 18 points in a double overtime win over the Owls.

When Derrin is going, hes almost impossible to stop, said Cougars guard Deywilk Tavarez.

He can score at all three levels.

Boyd was still getting back into game shape, and there would be plenty of ups and downs over the next four months.

There were definitely some rough patches, said Boyd, who shot nearly 40 percent from 3-point range.

I hold myself to a very high standard.

There were some frustrating moments where my brain would tell me to do something that my body wouldnt do.

It wasnt until the start of conference play when Body began to forget about his knee.

I can finally just go out and play free, he said.

Its been a long process, but I finally feel like myself again.

As his knee become stronger and his confidence grew, Boyd started to become more of a vocal leader.

Im an older guy, but I was new to the program, Boyd said.

With so many new players and a new coaching staff, I think everyone was trying to figure it out.

I think as the season has gone on, our chemistry has done a complete 180.

It takes time, and its not easy.

You have to step into other peoples world, youve got to branch out of your own bubble, your own comfort zone and get to know everyone.

Weve got a lot of high character guys on this team, and I think were figuring it out at the right time.

If the last two home games are any indication, the Cougars are playing their best basketball at the right time of the year.

Theres been a target on our backs all year, and I think that was one reason why it took us so long to get to where we are now, Boyd said.

The journey weve had this year wasnt always the smoothest, but were playing our best in March, which is when you need to be playing your best.

The Cougars offense hasnt been an issue for most of the season.

The Cougars are among the top scoring teams in the CAA this season.

Three games in three days will come down to defense and rebounding for the Cougars.

Our season will be defined by our defense and toughness or lack thereof, Mack said.

If we can play with the same kind of urgency and tenacity we did the last two games, were going to be a tough team to beat..

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