Tag Archives: Boo Williams

Coaching Staff

Ed Cooley Promotes Ivan Thomas to Vacant Assistant Coach Position

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Ed Cooley is now being forced to hire a replacement assistant coach for the second straight offseason. Last Spring, Bob Simon left for Alabama. This Spring, Andre LaFleur left for UNLV. Cooley also had to make another coaching hire last offseason that may have flown under the radar, but now seems more significant. Mike Jackson left his position on Cooley’s staff as the Coordinator of Basketball Operations, which was filled by Kevin Kurbec. Kurbec moved up from his position of Associate Director of Player Development/Video Ops. That musical chairs led to Cooley hiring Kecoughtan High School head coach Ivan Thomas to Kurbec’s former position. Fast-forward to the present and Cooley has decided to promote Thomas to the vacant assistant coach position vacated by LaFleur’s departure on April 21st. That’s quite a whirlwind move for a former Virginia high school and AAU coach. Kevin McNamara of the Providence Journal first reported the news of Thomas’ promotion.

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Recruiting News

Providence Recruiting News and Notes: Grassroots Circuits Underway

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This past weekend marked the kickoff for all three shoe-sponsored leagues and Providence had coaches at all of three of those events, while also monitoring some events that aren’t run by the sneaker companies. I was between the Nike EYBL session in Brooklyn and the Under Armour Association in lower Manhattan. Joining me going between these events all weekend was Associate Head Coach Andre LaFleur. Brian Blaney was in Dallas for the adidas Gauntlet series’ opening event, while Jeff Battle was spotted in Staten Island at the Elevate Hoops event. Ed Cooley wasn’t on the road this weekend as he was back on campus hosting a pair of transfer targets. More on that later.

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Recruiting News

Providence Recruiting Guide to the First April 2016 Live Evaluation Period

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This weekend kicks off the real recruiting season for members of the class of 2017 and beyond because starting on April 15th a live evaluation period officially begins. A live evaluation period means college coaches are allowed to attend and evaluate recruits at certified events. This particular evaluation period lasts through April 17th with another full weekend of live evaluating on the schedule beginning on April 22nd. Nike and Under Armour will kick off their grassroots leagues in NYC, while adidas gets started in Dallas this weekend. There are also some other events going on this weekend that Providence recruits will be playing in.

As I traditionally do each spring and summer, I’ll be providing a guide for fans to follow along and see where Providence’s targets are playing during a given live evaluation period. This post will be updated as the weekend goes on and more information is known. Continue reading Providence Recruiting Guide to the First April 2016 Live Evaluation Period →

Links of the Day

#pcbb Links of the Day 2/27/16

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Recruiting News

Providence Officially Lands Commitment from 2017 Big Man

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Providence got some good news on the recruiting front after another loss on the court when 2017 Dajour Dickens officially committed to Ed Cooley and the Friars. The news comes directly from Dickens himself this time after a false start report last Friday. Dickens is a Virginia native and stands at 6’11. He visited Providence for the Georgetown game on February 13th and evidently liked what he saw. Dickens is enrolled at Bethel High School and runs with famed grassroots program Boo Williams.

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Recruiting News

2017 C Dajour Dickens Visiting Providence

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Providence had a special guest at their shootaround this morning and he’s a tall guest. Dajour Dickens from the class of 2017 is taking an unofficial visit to Providence this weekend. Dickens, a 6’11 center, attends The Miller School and runs with Boo Williams. Providence Associate Director of Player Development/Video Ops, Ivan Thomas, has ties to the Boo Williams grassroots program, as does Ed Cooley. Jeff Battle also has extensive connections in that region of the country. Dickens is ranked 126th by 247Sports composite national ranking.

Dickens has offers from Clemson, Creighton, Memphis, Temple, Virginia and Virginia Tech, among others.

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Coaching Staff

Providence Adds Former HS Coach Ivan Thomas to Coaching Staff, Former Big East Commish Mike Tranghese to be Senior Advisor for Basketball

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Providence announced on Monday that they are making some additions to their basketball program staffs. The one that was rumored to be in the works for some time now is Ed Cooley bringing Ivan Thomas into the fold as the Associate Director of Player Development and Video Operations. Thomas moves into Kevin Kurbec’s role as Kurbec slides up into the Coordinator of Basketball Operations role previously held by Mike Jackson. Kurbec served a similar role under Tim Welsh from 2005-08. Jackson is no longer with the Providence program. It has long been believed that Jackson wants to get more into the athletic department side of college basketball and is working towards that.

The part of the announcement that came as a bit of a surprise is that Providence is bringing former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese back into the fold at Providence as a Senior Advisor for Basketball. Tranghese is currently part of the College Football Playoff committee, though he is expected to step down from that post after the current college football season ends. Tranghese “will assist Athletics Director Bob Driscoll with a variety of items involving the College’s basketball programs,” according to the release sent out by Providence’s athletic department.

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