At the suggestion of Twitter follower Chip Scutari, I’ll be profiling each returning Friar player, as well as, the new faces in Friartown for the 2016-17 season. Providence currently has 11 scholarship players rostered for next season.

Rodney Bullock

• RS Junior
• 6’8 225 lbs
• 2015-16 Stats: 35 games played, 32.8 minutes/game, 11.4 points/game, 6.8 rebounds/game, 1.3 blocks/game, 3FG 34/101 (33.7%), Win Shares 3.1

2015-16 Season Recap

In his third year on Providence’s campus, Rodney Bullock finally got to play his first year of basketball for the Friars. Bullock missed the 2013-14 season due to suspension and the 2014-15 season due to a torn ACL suffered in October of 2014. Bullock certainly got off to a fast start with 20 points and 6 rebounds on 8/14 shooting in the season opener against Harvard. Bullock scored in double-figures in his first four games and averaged 18.8 points/game in that 4-game stretch. Then Bullock had four straight games where he failed to reach double figures. Next four games? Back to double figures. After that he was much more up and down on a game-by-game basis.

Bullock’s first season on the floor for Providence was positive, overall. However, he had some of the inconsistent play you would expect from a rookie. He scored in double figures in half of Providence’s 18-game Big East slate but also scored 8 or less point in 8 Big East contests. Bullock’s biggest highlight will be his backdoor layup from a Drew Edwards in-bounds pass to beat USC late in Providence’s first round NCAA Tournament game, but the larger picture is that he showed flashes of real scoring ability, while lacking consistency.

What He Needs to Work on in the Offseason

The best way to sum up what I believe Bullock needs to work on is the phrase “killer instinct”. Bullock seemed to have his best games when he was involved early on and playing with a confidence and swagger. In games where he didn’t score or perform well, he often appeared physically overmatched at the 4 spot and never seemed to be able to get going. Bullock will be relied on heavily next season as the team’s leading returning scorer so, he will need to find that confidence and swagger more consistently.

Outlook for Next Season

Bullock will be looked to as a team leader next season despite only having one full season of college basketball under his belt. With Ben Bentil staying in the NBA Draft, Bullock will become a larger part of Ed Cooley’s offense. Bullock will hope to do his best Bentil impersonation as the scoring load will fall squarely on his shoulders, at least early in the 2016-17 season.

Follow me on Twitter @pcbb1917