As reported earlier in the week here, both of Providence’s 2017 recruits planned to sign their national letters of intent on the first day of the early signing period. That day has arrived and Providence has confirmed that both Dajour Dickens and Nate Watson have signed with Providence. You can see a picture of Dickens signing his NLI earlier this afternoon below. Watson will take part in a signing ceremony at his school on November 14th. Here is the release from Providence:
Dajour Dickens has officially signed his National Letter of Intent on the first day of the early signing period. Dickens was also Providence’s first commit in the 2017 class.
When Kris Dunn graduated in May of 2016, he didn’t leave alone. Ben Bentil also declared for the NBA Draft, eventually becoming the Boston Celtic’s 51st overall pick. The departure of Dunn and Bentil has left a void that will impact Providence’s immediate future. Evidence of how different the 2016-17 season is expected to be for Providence can be seen in college basketball oddswhere Providence is +28000, or 280/1 to win the national championship. Last season the Friars were as high in some places as +6000, or 60/1.
Dunn, a two-time Big East Player of the Year, was the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 5th overall pick. The end of the Kris Dunn Era isn’t the end of the Friars, though; they have plenty of talent and a deep roster to keep the momentum of three straight NCAA Tournament appearances going. The Friars can avoid the pitfalls that have befallen many other teams that have lost major stars if they get the right level of development and improvement from players like Kyron Cartwright, Rodney Bullock, and Jalen Lindsey.
The early signing period for college basketball recruits to sign their national letters of intent begins on Wednesday, November 9th. The early signing period lasts for a week and then all players planning to sign NLI’s with schools must wait until the spring signing period from April 12, 2017 through May 17, 2017. Providence has two commits in the class of 2017 and word is that both plan to sign their NLI’s on the first day of the early signing period.
The third episode of the Friartown Fan Voice podcast is now live for the 2016-17 season! This episode is a recap of Providence’s exhibition game against the Carleton Ravens that was played on Saturday, October 29th at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. I was joined by Brendan McGair of the Pawtucket Times. Unlike me, Brendan was at the Dunk for the game which was not televised.
This episode is structured with a breakdown of each player’s efforts from Saturday night, a broad view of the game from the offensive and defensive sides and we finished by reacting to Ed Cooley’s postgame comments. Go ahead and give it a listen:
This should be available in iTunes so you can subscribe and be automatically notified when a new episode is uploaded in the future.
You can submit your own questions and comments that could be answered on a future podcast by calling the Friartown Fan Voice podcast voicemail line at 516-500-PCBB or 516-500-7222, emailing me at mhopkins@pcbb1917.com, tweeting at me @pcbb1917, commenting on the Facebook page or directly in the comments section of this post.
The second episode of the Friartown Fan Voice podcast is now live for the 2016-17 season! This episode touches on some recent recruiting news and gives a little preview of the Carleton Ravens so fans know what to expect Saturday night at the Dunk. Go ahead and give it a listen:
This should be available in iTunes so you can subscribe and be automatically notified when a new episode is uploaded in the future.
You can submit your own questions and comments that could be answered on a future podcast by calling the Friartown Fan Voice podcast voicemail line at 516-500-PCBB or 516-500-7222, emailing me at mhopkins@pcbb1917.com, tweeting at me @pcbb1917, commenting on the Facebook page or directly in the comments section of this post.
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