Category Archives: General News

Karl and Kerry Anderson ’88 Make $1.5 Million Donation to Providence College

KARL AND KERRY ANDERSON MAKE A $1.5 MILLION COMMITMENT TO NEW PROVIDENCE COLLEGE SOCCER AND LACROSSE COMPLEX

The new soccer and lacrosse complex will be named in honor of the Anderson family.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Providence College Athletics is proud to announce today (Dec. 3) that Board of Trustee member Karl Anderson ’88 and his wife, Kerry ’88, have pledged $1.5 million to support the construction of a state-of-the-art soccer and lacrosse complex.  This gift will enable Providence College to further beautify the campus and enhance the experience of student-athletes and the fans of Friar Athletics who will attend games at the new complex.  The new soccer and lacrosse complex will be named in honor of the Anderson family for their generous donation.

“Kerry and I are very excited to be part of this project,” Karl Anderson said.  “It was a unique opportunity to demonstrate how thankful we are to all those at PC that helped transform our lives.   Soccer was a very big part of my college experience and this gift allows us to play a small part in the future of PC’s men and women’s soccer teams as well as our up-and-coming lacrosse program.  We would like to thank Mike and Maura Chapey and their family for their commitment.  We hope that our collective efforts motivate others to find ways to give back to Providence College.  We also want to congratulate the Friar men’s soccer team for its success in capturing the 2014 BIG EAST Championship and advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight.  It is a great way to kick off this wonderful project. ”

Construction on Anderson Stadium is expected to commence in May 2015 and is scheduled to be completed in six months.  Anderson Stadium will seat more than 2,500 fans for a soccer or lacrosse game.  The field in Anderson Stadium will be named in honor of the Chapey family.  Mike Chapey ’86 and his wife, Maura ’86, generously donated $1 million to the project in the fall of 2013.

Karl and Kerry met each other as undergraduates at Providence College and have been loyal supporters of the College and Friar Athletics for many years.  Karl is a former men’s soccer player who experienced success as a student-athlete.  He currently ranks fifth all-time in goals scored for his career as a Friar.

“On behalf of everyone at Providence College and, especially, our student-athletes, coaches and administrators who are a part of Friar Athletics, I want to thank Karl and Kerry Anderson for their most generous gift and for their commitment to the new soccer and lacrosse complex,” said Providence College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P.  “Both Karl and Kerry have been loyal alumni and great benefactors of the College since graduating in 1988, and Karl has proven to be an integral, involved trustee since joining our board about a year ago.  Our soccer and lacrosse programs are both on the rise, thanks to new, energetic head coaches and their respective staffs.  The Anderson’s gift will help provide the additional facilities support that these programs need to continue on to reach their goals of sustained excellence.”

-GO FRIARS-

Video: Providence College Men’s Basketball vs. URI 2014 promo

PC Athletics uploaded this video earlier today to promote the annual instate rivalry against the Rhode Island Rams which will take place at the Dunk on December 10th:

Providence College Men’s Basketball To Hold Championship Celebration Night On Nov. 15

Providence College Men’s Basketball To Hold Championship Celebration Night On Nov. 15

Friars will raise the 2014 BIG EAST Champ. Banner prior to the Albany game on Nov. 15 and celebrate PawSox and Cumberland Little League Championships.

 PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Providence College will celebrate a Rhode Island Champions Night at the men’s basketball team’s first home game on Saturday, November 15 versus Albany at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.  The College will unveil the men’s basketball team’s 2014 BIG EAST Championship banner at 6:40 p.m. prior to the 7:00 p.m. tip off.  At halftime of the game, the College will honor the PawSox for capturing the 2014 International League Governor’s Cup title and the Cumberland Little League team, which won the New England Championship and advanced to the Little League World Series.

The first 5,000 fans that arrive at the game will receive a free 2014 BIG EAST Championship commemorative t-shirt.  Fans also will have the opportunity to take a picture with the BIG EAST Championship Trophy as well as wear a 2014 BIG EAST Championship ring.

The Providence College Student Athlete Advisory Committee will be hosting its annual canned food drive prior to the game. All fans that bring a canned food item to the game will receive a voucher for tickets to a future Friar men’s basketball game.

To purchase ticket packages or individual game tickets please call the Providence College ticket office at (401) 865-GOPC or visit Friars.com.

Today is YOUR Gameday.

–#gofriars–

2014-15 Kenpom Preseason Rankings Released

Ken Pomeroy, or Kenpom as he and his website are more commonly known, came out with his preseason rankings for the 2014-15 season on Sunday night. While these rankings aren’t meant to be 100% accurate they do give a decent guideline and perspective on how teams compare within each conference and how the conferences compare to each other. Before I get into the rankings, here is an excerpt from Pomeroy’s blog post last October after he released the 2013-14 preseason rankings:

Continue reading 2014-15 Kenpom Preseason Rankings Released

Why Providence’s Late Night Madness is Important

The building was rocking. The student section was standing and cheering loudly. Ed Cooley was raising his arms to keep the volume up. The players were feeding off the crowd’s energy. While this might sound like a Saturday night game in February at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center this was the scene at last Friday’s Late Night Madness inside Mullaney Gymnasium.

The atmosphere was electric and no disrespect to Jalen Rose, who was outstanding, but Ed Cooley was the master of ceremonies. Cooley manages to command the room even when the room is a 20,000 square foot gym. Dressing in all white for his entrance to the Madness event, Cooley got the crowd pumped up and had the recruits smiling and laughing the entire time he was on the microphone. One thing that Cooley stressed to the students in attendance was that they need to carry this enthusiasm and noise to the Dunk. I’m sure there were a lot of students there for the experience of Madness and the post-Madness concert with Big Sean but at least getting them in the door is important.

Continue reading Why Providence’s Late Night Madness is Important

First USA Today Coaches Poll of the 2014-15 Season Released

FULL RANKINGS

TOP 25 TEAMS, WEEK 1

RANK TEAM RECORD POINTS 1ST PLACE VOTES PREV CHANGE HI/LOW
1 Kentucky 29-11 785 24 NR
2 Arizona 33-5 746 3 NR
3 Duke 26-9 715 2 NR
4 Wisconsin 30-8 706 3 NR
5 Kansas 25-10 654 0 NR
6 North Carolina 24-10 598 0 NR
7 Florida 36-3 568 0 NR
8 Virginia 30-7 519 0 NR
9 Louisville 31-6 507 0 NR
10 Texas 24-11 479 0 NR
11 Wichita State 35-1 471 0 NR
12 Villanova 29-5 439 0 NR
13 Gonzaga 29-7 423 0 NR
14 Iowa St. 28-8 323 0 NR
15 Connecticut 32-8 292 0 NR
16 Virginia Commonwealth 26-9 259 0 NR
17 San Diego State 31-5 251 0 NR
18 Michigan State 29-9 241 0 NR
19 Oklahoma 23-10 237 0 NR
20 Ohio State 25-10 223 0 NR
21 Nebraska 19-13 156 0 NR
22 Southern Methodist Univ. 27-10 149 0 NR
23 Michigan 28-9 139 0 NR
24 Syracuse 28-6 128 0 NR
25 Iowa 20-13 56 0 NR

Continue reading First USA Today Coaches Poll of the 2014-15 Season Released

Providence to Scrimmage Harvard

Kevin McNamara of The Providence Journal reported on Twitter that the Friars will scrimmage Harvard for the third straight season in lieu of a second exhibition game.

These scrimmages between Division 1 teams are closed to the public and the media, per NCAA rule. Here is that rule:

17.5.3.1 Exceptions.

The following basketball contests (games or scrimmages) are permitted prior to the first contest dates specified under Bylaw 17.5.3:

(a) Practice Scrimmages. Informal practice scrimmages with outside competition, provided they are conducted in privacy without publicity or official scoring. Individuals other than athletics department staff members and those necessary to conduct a basketball practice scrimmage against outside competition may not be present during such a scrimmage. The institution shall ensure that the scrimmage is free from public view; and (Revised: 10/27/98 effective 8/1/99, 5/12/05)

While the scrimmage’s statistics aren’t allowed to be kept except for private use, many statistics end up leaking out about these games. Last season there were reports that Kris Dunn looked great against Harvard – a borderline top 25 team at the time – and made fans even more devastated when he injured his shoulder later against Rhode Island College in the team’s exhibition contest.

To see Providence’s full 2014-15 schedule, click here.