The Hamilton brothers have shown time and time again that blood is thicker than water, and their connection has been a factor for Boston College basketball since Jairus’ freshman year. But if losing older brother Jared to graduation this year wasn’t enough, Jairus recently announced his transfer to Maryland for this third year of eligibility.
The 6-foot-8 forward was an on-and-off starter for the Eagles, including logging 20 of his 28 career starts this year. Hamilton averaged 9.5 points per game—nearly doubling his average from last season—and 4.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore.
He only spent about two weeks in the transfer portal before announcing his decision to head to Maryland, as he entered the portal on March 22. If Hamilton can get his transfer waiver approved by the NCAA, he will be able to play for the Terps starting in the 2020-21 season.
Though he will face tough competition for the starting job with Maryland, Hamilton is coming off a solid season and showed lots of growth from his rookie year. He showed up big time in the Eagles’ come-from-behind win over Virginia Tech on Jan. 25, posting a career-high 23 points and eight rebounds.
The sophomore’s size is a big advantage for him—a 6-foot-8, 234-pound person charging the paint is hard to stop—but he’s also lethal from behind the arc. In the win over Virginia Tech, 15 of Hamilton’s 23 points came on 3-pointers. In fact, he recorded the fourth-most 3-pointers for the Eagles this season with 25—five more than his older brother Jared.
Maryland is coming off one of its best seasons in recent history after winning the Big Ten regular-season championship. En route to the title, the Terps racked up wins against ranked opponents such as then-No. 11 Ohio State, then-No. 18 Iowa, then-No. 20 Illinois, and then-No. 25 Michigan. The Terps finished the season ranked No. 12 by the Associated Press and No. 11 in the coaches’ poll.
Maryland will return most of its starting corps, including Jalen Smith, Darryl Morsell, Donta Scott, and Eric Ayala, so if Hamilton is eligible to play next year, he will add some offensive depth and much-needed size to the Terps’ roster.
The graduation of Anthony Cowan Jr., who led Maryland in points per game, 3-pointers, assists, and steals, will leave a hole in the Terps’ offense, so head coach Mark Turgeon will have to do some rearranging of his starting five.
Featured Image by Ikram Ali / Heights Editor
