BC Basketball Incoming Class Preview

Basketball season is finally in sight with BC men’s basketball opening against Milwaukee in just over a month. I’m ready. I know you’re ready. Let’s take a look at this year’s recruiting class and how they’ll fit this year on the heights.

#1 Jairus Hamilton

Position: Small Forward

Background: Hamilton was a huge get for Chris Cheeks and Jim Christian this spring, passing up offers from Duke, UNC, and 18 other programs. He was a 4-star recruit, averaging 28/13/3 for Cannon School in North Carolina. He put up 25/7/5 as a junior. He was a McDonald’s All-American nominee and BC’s first top-100 recruit since Craig Smith.

Check out his highlights here.

Projection: Hamilton is the type of player who could have an immediate impact for the team. What’s more, the Eagles could really use help at his position. He should see plenty of playing time. Christian could slot him next to Mitchell and Popovic in the front court for a bigger lineup, or use him in a 3-guard lineup next to Reyes or Pop. If he lives up to the scouting hype, he’ll be a big time player for the next few years. He should be starting for the majority of the season and being a major contributor in scoring and rebounding.

#4 Chris Herren Jr.

Position: Guard

Background: The 6’3” Tabor Academy grad averaged 23/6/4 while shooting 42% from three as a senior last year. He is the son of Chris Herren Sr., former Eagle and NBA point guard.

Projection: It would be a great story if Herren Jr. could earn himself some playing time at BC, but I would be surprised if he had much of a role next year.

#5 Wynston Tabbs

Position: Shooting Guard

Background: This 6’3” guard out of Leonardtown, Maryland chose BC out of 19 offers, including conference foes Clemson and Virginia Tech. He averaged 20/5/4 as a senior at St. Mary’s Ryken High School.

Here are his highlights from St. Mary’s Ryken.

Projection: Tabbs isn’t a likely starter at the beginning of the season, but I see him playing about 20 minutes per game. The loss of Jerome Robinson to the NBA opens up some serious minutes at the 2, and Tabbs should see a lot of that time. Jim Christian may not stick to the three guard lineup as often without JRob on the team, but I tend to think we’ll still see a lot of it since the team is deepest talent-wise at the guard position. He could also add a ton of value if he can prove adequate at point guard; one of the glaring issues in the depth chart is the lack of a real backup for Bowman. Jairus Hamilton made all the noise with his signing this offseason, but don’t sell Wynston Tabbs short. He was listed in the top 150 of his class by Rivals and could make a significant impact.

#3 Jared Hamilton

Position: Guard

Eligibility: Jared enrolled in January 2018, which makes him eligible to play after the first semester. His first game could be the Dec. 22 matchup with DePaul.

Background: Jared averaged 19 minutes for Georgia Southern in their first 8 games last year before transferring to BC for the spring semester. He averaged 9/5/1 his freshman season at Jacksonville State.

Projection: Could Jared be more than just a bonus Hamilton for Jim Christian? An experienced guard could provide a nice boost of the bench for the second half of the season. Time will tell for the older Hamilton brother.

Let us know in the comments what your predictions are for these newcomers. And if you’re excited for men’s hoops, join us next week for our preseason roundtable talk!