Boston College Athletics

Turn on any college sporting event in 2017, and you're instantly reminded how different things have become. Almost every sport is available, and it's on such a scale that every school has the ability to reach a worldwide audience. Conferences look nothing like they did in the past and league alignments based on geography are relics of a bygone era. Why it happened is a discussion for another time, but nobody can deny how different the modern era became. Everything just got bigger, from Jumbotrons to social media to even the number of games a person can watch.

Thirty to 40 years ago, life was different. The games regionalized behind players and the league alignments reflected that. It was a grittier time, one developed at a grassroots level. And while the landscape is different, for better in some respects, for worse in others, it's always fun to reflect on what used to be.

On Saturday, those memories will find life once again, embodied within two players who exemplified an older era of college basketball. At halftime of the Virginia Tech game, Boston College will honor guards John Bagley and Dana Barros, two players who helped create a legacy of excellence for their position. It's a chance to remember the road from the beginning, a time that helped pave the road to success the program is, was, and will be on.

"It's a pleasure to be back here at BC on this occasion," Bagley said. "It gives us a chance to get back and see some of my old teammates and some of the old alum that were here when I was here, seeing the new facilities, (and) everything looks really good. I remember being back over in Roberts Center, so it just kind of gives you a kind of sense of where things have come or have grown to. I'm just glad to have been a part of things that happened here at BC."

"Being a Boston guy, living in the city my whole life, I look forward to (Saturday)," Barros added. "It's been an honor to play here, play in the Big East Conference. We were talking about how unbelievable the Big East Conference was at the time that we played, and to be recognized for those accomplishments in a conference at that time is pretty special for both of us."

Bagley's Eagles ushered in the Big East era and its subsequent immediate success. The Eagles advanced to three straight NCAA Tournaments, earning a berth in the Regional Final during a 1981-1982 season where they won 22 games. That led to Barros' era, a time when the Big East flourished as the nation's preeminent basketball conference.

"I was at the beginning when it first started," Bagley said. "It was amazing when you start looking at the names of the guys that were playing at the time and the schools. So it was just a big opportunity for us coming out of the ECAC, stepping into the Big East. It was one of the best things that could have happened for us."

"Those guys set the foundation," Barros said. "I grew up watching Patrick Ewing come to the Garden, saying I wanted to play at BC. That's probably the most prominent thing I remember - the competition - but also the regional settings of each team. You could drive from Boston to every single game - Villanova, Georgetown. So the atmosphere of New England was kind of a New England thing, as well."

That regionalism helped create a pride that remained even as both players went onto the NBA. Both players' respective careers brought them back to Boston as members of the Celtics. Bagley's career arc brought him at the tail end of the original Big Three, a part of the legacy of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. Barros, meanwhile, came to the Celtics during a period of transition after the death of Reggie Lewis and prior to the arrival of Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker.

"Just knowing the history of Boston, New York, and playing and everything, the idea of being able to play in the Garden under the flags, under all the banners, all the retired numbers, how could you not be moved?" Bagley mused. "Having Red Auerbach at practice and he's telling you stuff - it's amazing to me. I'm so thankful that I had the pleasure and the opportunity to be here in Boston."

It's a legacy that impacts the Eagles to this day. While the Big East era is gone, it's a part of the past. The success built in the nation's basketball superconference provides the legacy and foundation for the success that will come in the nation's current superconference.

On Saturday, two banners will rise to the rafters, etched forever. Every game will play under their watchful eye, a reminder of the older era. And when the current Eagles build to the next level, it'll be a direct result of the legacy built by the names that hang in Conte Forum.

"I got to watch not only the great college players but watching Larry Bird, the Celtics, that era, that generation, going to see Reggie Lewis and those guys - it's been an unbelievable ride for me," Barros said. "A Boston kid, from Mattapan, played 14 years in the league and the city I grew up in, (and played) for the team that I watched, for the Celtics.

"To play at BC is the collegiate equivalent of the Celtics," Barros continued. "It's been unbelievable. My family got to see me at each level, in high school, college, and the pros. I played in Seattle, Philly, and Detroit. I promise you that the day after the season was over, I was on the red eye back to the bean (Boston). I promise you that, every year. That's what it is for me."