Projecting BC's Potential Starting Five in 2020-21

Men's basketball will look significantly different next season—at least on paper. Here’s a rundown of BC’s departures and newcomers, as well as a look at potential rotations.

Jim Christian isn’t going anywhere, but Boston College men’s basketball will look significantly different next season—at least on paper. Between the transfer market and graduation, the Eagles appear to be losing six rotational players. That said, they’re adding back quite a bit of talent to gear up for what many believe will be a resurgent ACC. 

Without further ado, here’s a rundown of BC’s departures and newcomers, as well as a look at potential rotations for the 2020-21 season

DEPARTURES

Transfers

F Jairus Hamilton (currently in the portal):

The former ESPN 100 recruit missed six games this season while battling a knee injury, but when he was on the court, there was a noticeable jump in level of play from his rookie year. Although Hamilton didn’t emerge as the star some expected him to be when he arrived on campus in 2018-19, the 6-foot-8 forward did average 9.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, finishing in double figures 11 times throughout the course of the year.

G Chris Herren Jr. (currently in the portal):

Chris Herren Jr.’s BC career couldn’t have gotten off to a much better start. After reclassifying and joining the program in June 2018, the two-guard earned a full scholarship in late December following an impressive eight-game span, in which he made his first two starts, logged a career-high 22 points, and—collectively—shot 10-of-22 from downtown. This season, however, Herren Jr. dipped out of the rotation, averaging just 8.7 minutes and 1.7 points per game.

G Julian Rishwain (currently in the portal):

Julian Rishwain is transferring away from the program after just one year. The Sherman Oaks, Calif. native averaged 4.0 points per game this season and shot 33.3 percent from deep. Close to three-quarters of his attempts came from behind the arc. For a BC team that ranked 296th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (30.8) this year, losing Rishwain hurts.

Graduation

C Nik Popovic:

Expectations were sky high for Nik Popovic this fall. Not only was he going on his third year as the Eagles’ starting center, but he was also coming off a season in which he averaged 14.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. But 2019-20 wasn’t as kind to the big man. Popovic was sidelined with a back injury and missed 12 games. Once he returned to the lineup, he was a bit rusty, and he never really replicated the pick-and-roll chemistry he had last year with now-Golden State Warriors point guard Ky Bowman.

G Jared Hamilton:

When Jared Hamilton transferred to BC from Jacksonville State, some viewed him as part of a package deal for Jairus’ commitment. Two years later, though, it’s safe to say that Jared proved to be so much more than that. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 7.8 points and 1.0 steals per game this year, while bumping his 3-point percentage up to 30.3 percent (was 13.8 percent in 2018-19) and his free throw percentage up to 76.2 percent (was 55.9 percent in 2018-19). He delivered two of the most dramatic wins of the season, knocking down a last-second corner triple against then-No. 18 UVA and sinking the game-winning free throws at UNC.

G Derryck Thornton

BC took a hit when Bowman declared for the draft and left the program after the 2018-19 season. Derryck Thornton partially filled the perhaps irreplaceable void left by the Eagles’ electric point guard. The USC grad transfer—and former five-star Duke recruit—averaged 12.7 points and 3.4 assists per game and took on more of a scoring role than he had with both the Trojans and Blue Devils. Yet his turnovers (averaged 3.0 per game) and poor shooting percentage (37.6 percent) sometimes held the offense back.

NEWCOMERS

Transfers

G Rich Kelly

Out goes Thornton, and in comes another graduate transfer guard. Rich Kelly led Quinnipiac in scoring this season, posting 16.7 points per game and a 39.6-percent clip from long range. Kelly stands 6-foot-1, hails from Shelton, Conn., and, according to the New Haven Register, was also considering Ohio State, Wake Forest, BYU, George Washington, Tulane, and Santa Clara. He has the chance to strengthen the Eagles’ backcourt and provide much-needed 3-point shooting.

G Makai-Ashton Langford

BC landed former Providence guard Makai-Ashton Langford last summer. The once four-star recruit had to sit out 2019-20 after playing his freshman and sophomore seasons with the Friars, but he still has two years of eligibility remaining. Ashton-Langford struggled to establish himself at Providence, averaging fewer than 18 minutes and 4.5 points per game as an underclassman. He’s shown glimpses of potential, most notably when he put up 20 points and shot 4-of-4 from deep in a losing effort against Villanova in January of the Friars’ 2018-19 campaign.

Recruits

G DeMarr Langford Jr.

Nearly three months after reeling in Makai-Ashton, BC got his younger brother, DeMarr. The four-star shooting guard chose the Eagles over N.C. State, marking the second time in the past three years that Christian has secured an ESPN 100 recruit. DeMarr, who ESPN ranks 92nd of all Class of 2020 recruits, played his high school ball at The Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. Christian hasn’t hesitated to start freshmen in recent years, so DeMarr could be in for some big minutes next season, depending on how he fares in preseason.

C Justin Vander Baan

BC finally got its hands on a 7-footer. Justin Vander Baan is a three-star recruit out of Whitinsville Christian high school in Northbridge, Mass. He also received offers from the likes of East Carolina, St. Bonaventure, and South Florida. Vander Baan played for the New England AAU team Rivals alongside DeMarr Langford. It will be interesting to see how Christian handles his playing time next year—after all, BC could always go small with CJ Felder at the five. 

POTENTIAL STARTING ROTATIONS

NOTE: Right off the bat, you’ll notice one thing. All three of these potential starting fives include Wynston Tabbs. This rests on him returning for the season opener—Tabbs hasn’t played since Jan. 20, 2019 after undergoing a pair of knee surgeries, but has been rehabbing since the fall.

Starting Five (A): Wynston Tabbs, Jay Heath, Rich Kelly, Steffon Mitchell, CJ Felder

Of the 18 games that Felder started this season, only one featured a true BC center in the starting five (and that was Luka Kraljevic against Wake Forest on Jan. 19). Christian isn’t afraid to put out a smaller group, especially given how well Steffon Mitchell and Felder can work together on the interior. A Tabbs-Heath-Kelly backcourt could be dangerous, particularly if Kelly carries over his perimeter shooting. There’s also the chance that DeMarr Langford takes Kelly’s place in the lineup if the shooting guard is ahead of schedule.

Starting Five (B): Wynston Tabbs, Jay Heath, DeMarr Langford, Steffon Mitchell, CJ Felder

Again, the backcourt would build on the duo of Tabbs and Heath. But here, Langford slides his way into the starting five for the season opener, like Tabbs did in 2018-19. Remember, though, Jairus Hamilton—BC’s last ESPN 100 recruit—came off the bench in his first game as an Eagle. 

Starting Five (C): Wynston Tabbs, Jay Heath, DeMarr Langford, Steffon Mitchell, Luka Kraljevic/Justin Vander Baan

This starting lineup also includes the Tabbs-Heath-Langford combo. This time, however, Kraljevic or Vander Baan round out the frontcourt. A more traditional starting five, no doubt, but time will tell just how much those two centers can contribute in the box score. Kraljevic will enter his senior year having averaged 7.5 minutes and 1.2 points per game in his BC career.

Key Bench Contributors (not mentioned above): Makai-Ashton Langford, Kamari Williams

Images Courtesy of Quinnipiac Athletics and Boston College Athletics