New Trio Fills The Paint

Basketball players tasked with playing power forward or center don't operate in enough space to play basketball ballet. Coaches and analysts often talk about them in their ability to "bang," "crash," or "fight" in the post. They operate in small windows of space, often occupied by other big men, and their combination of weight and strength forces teams to avoid trying to go one-on-one with them. They're the enforcers of the paint, the players who often perform thankless tasks.

After enjoying the services of a seven-foot tall center in Dennis Clifford, Boston College started this season without a true center in their lineup. They had one returnee over 6'10" tall in Johncarlos Reyes, but Jim Christian found himself with limited "big men" to fight for points and rebounds among other NCAA teams.

Enter Mo Jeffers, Connar Tava and Nik Popovic. Three players from incredibly different backgrounds, they've provided the Eagles with unique looks in the low post that will provide a backbone to the new, fast-paced offense.

"There's a lot of undersized guys in the ACC," head coach Jim Christian said at the start of the season. "Some of those guys have to be able to adjust. When you're playing against other guys who are 6'11", you have to be tough."

Through the team's first three games, Jeffers is assuming the role of starting center after starting his career at the University of Delaware. A traditional power forward, he made 76 appearances and 44 starts for the Blue Hens, leading the team with 32 blocks.

Tava has started the first three games at the power forward slot. He was a two-time All-MAC Honorable Mention player at Western Michigan as a sophomore and junior before missing all of last season with a broken foot.

Jeffers and Tava combined for 23 rebounds against Maryland Eastern Shore as BC outrebounded the Hawks, 49-33. Jeffers' 13 boards were a career high.

Behind them is Popovic, a 6'11" import from Banka Luja, the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A member of the Serbian U18 National Team in the 2015 European Championships, he transitioned into the United States by averaging eight points and seven rebounds per game at The Sagemont School in Florida.

The trio presents very different styles of play. At 6'9", Jeffers is undersized in height for the center position. While the matchups right now haven't included the seven-footers, he knows there are tougher games ahead, and he knows exactly the role he needs to play.

"I know I have to be that annoying player," Jeffers said. "I have to make everyone uncomfortable. Even though I'm a little smaller with my height, it's not that hard as long as you stay low, be strong, and that makes it not as difficult to be a tough defender."

Through the season's first three games, that's exactly what he's accomplished. Jeffers leads the Eagles with 27 rebounds, including eight on the offensive window. His 9.0 boards per game rank sixth in the ACC at the moment. Tava isn't far behind, averaging 6.7 rebounds.

That would be good for any coach looking to begin the process of building a season-long lineup. For Jim Christian, however, there's been a bubbling under the surface waiting to break out.

That bubble came from nearly halfway around the planet. To American basketball fans, foreign basketball players always carry some form of mystique with them. Thanks to Manu Ginobili, Andrei Kirilenko, and Vlade Divac, they occasionally carry the reputation of floppers who play a "soft game."

The Serbian-born Popovic, however, is capable of banging down low in both a power forward and center role, making him the perfect complement to Tava and Jeffers. "In the beginning, it really wasn't that easy," he said prior to the year, "but I've learned a lot from (Coach Christian)." That's included a further transition to the American game, which requires him to work faster than he would in the European game.

Against Stony Brook on Sunday, he enjoyed his first breakout performance. He was the team's second-leading scorer with 13 points, unloading six baskets in seven attempts. Additionally, he grabbed five rebounds, including two on the offensive side -- in 13 minutes.

"You could just see that he was ready to go (against Stony Brook)," Christian said. "He had been practicing so much better than he played in the first two games. I'm not one iota surprised (by his performance) because that's the (Popovic) we've seen the whole year except for the first couple of games."

Having those three guys in his arsenal requires the right balance and chemistry, something that can be worked out between the players. "Mo and Connar are really good players, and show no sign of selfishness," Popovic said about working with the two graduate students. "They make my job a lot easier, so I'm trying to help them as much as I can."

"We just play hard and have confidence (in each other)," Jeffers said about working with Tava and Popovic. "With our 'bigs' rotation, we have confidence in everyone."

Boston College Athletics

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Dennis Clifford

Mo Jeffers

Nik Popovic

Johncarlos Reyes

Connar Tava

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