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At first practice, new-look roster begins to take shape

Tuesday's first official practice offered an initial glimpse at four newcomers tasked with filling the hole left by Jerome Robinson's early departure. It's still early, but one thing is for certain: 6-foot-8, 234-pound forward Jairus Hamilton passes the eye test.

BC's first four-star recruit in a decade showed off his athleticism in an intense 5-on-5 scrimmage period, backing down bigs in the post and fading away with a smooth jumper. When Hamilton finds his rhythm, he's impossible to stop, but he'll face a learning curve as he adjusts to Jim Christian's system. The fifth-year head coach spent a chunk of one defensive drill trying to get Hamilton up to speed with his defensive assignments in switching scenarios.

Jairus is joined by his older brother, Jared, a 6-foot-3 guard who transferred from Georgia Southern earlier this year. Jared won't be eligible until the end of non-conference play, but having a polished ball-handler besides Ky Bowman for ACC play is crucial.

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Speaking of college basketball's most dynamic guard, Bowman was his usual self, of course, drawing a few "ooohs" from the crowd with his ankle-breaking moves throughout practice.

There's hope for the future of the Eagles' backcourt in Wynston Tabbs, who Rivals.com ranked as a Top-150 recruit at the time of his signing last fall. The freshman guard had perhaps the most impressive performance of anyone in Tuesday's scrimmage. At 6-foot-2, 193 pounds, Tabbs could make an immediate impact as a sixth man and give Bowman a much-needed break from carrying the offense, especially in the early months before Jared joins the rotation.

I also saw signs of improvement in the other returning starters. During a scrimmaging drill in which play continued on offensive rebounds and stopped on defensive ones, Steffon Mitchell did what he does best and came down with an offensive board in traffic. But Christian didn't notice, prematurely whistling the play dead and sending Mitchell into a brief fit of frustration.

It was a little uncharacteristic for the baby-faced sophomore, but Christian and his teammates appreciated the intensity. As a defensive stalwart, Mitchell is poised to take the next step this year as a leader on a team without many loud voices.

Jordan Chatman has proven he's an elite shooter. Last season, he hit five 3-pointers in a game on five separate occasions, and, naturally, BC won each time. But the 25-year-old senior continues to add elements to his sharpshooting specialty, as he got defenders to bite on pump-fakes and actively attacked the rim. The steady BYU transfer could still use work as a passer, though.

One of the most important pieces to the puzzle is junior Nik Popovic. The 6-foot-11 center enjoyed a strong finish to the 2017-18 campaign, averaging nearly 13 points and nine rebounds on 55 percent shooting over the last six games of the season.

Over the offseason, he bulked up to 253 pounds and should be able to size up against most of the conference's best big men. The question isn't as much his strength as it is his lateral quickness, but going 1-on-1 against Jairus in practice certainly helps.

In a quick head-to-head drill, Popovic backed down Jairus and floated a hook shot over the slightly-smaller freshman in the paint. Then, the shiftier Jairus responded by edging Popovic toward the left side of the key before stepping back for an unguardable jumper.

It was an inspiring sight for a BC squad that hasn't boasted an exciting frontcourt in over a decade. For now, at least, the Eagles' future without their leading scorer from last year doesn't appear to include a rebuild anytime soon.

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