Tag Archives: LaDontae Henton

Ed Cooley Radio Show 4/26/14 Recap

I tried and tried to find the audio of this show online somewhere to listen as it was happening but had no luck. Luckily our friend FriarTV was able to capture audio from most of the Ed Cooley Radio Show that aired at 6pm on Saturday before the basketball banquet. Here are some of the highlights:

Henton on next year: “I just want to feed off what we did this year. I learned a lot about leadership and knowing what it takes to win…I want to be in the best shape possible so I can help my team get more victories.”

Henton on why he chose PC: “Honestly it was the coaching staff. I came in and they convinced me to believe and to buy in. That’s why I wanted to come here to play for someone that believes in you just as much as you believe in them.”

Cooley on Henton: “When you look to recruit young men and you talk about chemistry and you talk about personality, this kid has it all. He doesn’t need basketball to be successful. I know that’s his dream and I want him to have that dream but this young man has grown so much. I can’t brag enough about him. From how LaDontae walked in and when he was about 25 pounds overweight, he hadn’t had a haircut in 8 years…to see how this young man has changed, how his focus is unbelievable, how his dedication to Providence College, because let’s face it, when went through all that negativity, everybody could’ve bailed on us. I love that young man and there’s nothing in the world I wouldn’t do for him.”

Cooley on growing players as men: “My job in the public eye is to win games. In the public eye. Who I am as a man, I want to see these kids have life success. Whether or not we win games or lose games, if I see our young men grow as people then we’ve achieved success. They can fire us for not winning games but they’ll never fire us for not developing these young men as great people.”

Cooley on scheduling: “You want to play competitive basketball on the road. I think you need resume builders when you playing non conference games. What a tradition to go into Rupp Arena and play [there]…I’m glad the Harrison twins stayed. They’ll be one of the top one, two, three, four teams in the country and it gives Providence an opportunity to go in there and shock the world…We play URI, we play Boston College, we play UMass. We play Brown this year again.. I think this will be one of the toughest non conference schedules we’ve ever played here at Providence College.”

Cooley on importance of scheduling tough opponents for OOC: “We’re looking for another high profile game. Michigan is on the dock. Kansas is on the dock. Gonzaga is on the dock. Possibly another Big Ten team. I just think it’s really important to sell Providence College on a national scale and I think scheduling helps that to get into territories, especially areas that we recruit in…We were able to play Kentucky but we had to play them at a neutral setting and now we gotta go back to their place. We do that for our program but that’s hard to continue to do…[the Dunk] is a great place to play. I can’t thank our fans and the people that come to the Dunk making it an incredible, incredible environment. You gotta admit, the Dunk this was unbelievable. Unbelievable activity in there all year so God bless our fans. They’re great. I love playing at the Dunk…The problem is not many coaches want to schedule a tough, tough, tough road game like [against PC]…I personally like going into tough environments and play because it builds you toward February. Everything we do in the non conference is all about what we’re trying to do in conference.”

Continue reading Ed Cooley Radio Show 4/26/14 Recap

Cox Sports: Friars and Tar Heels NCAA Tournament Post Game Press Conference

Friars and Tar Heels NCAA Tournament Post Game Press Conference

Video: Follow the Friars in the NCAA Tournament – Thursday 3/20/14 #pcbb

Cooley, Cotton, Batts, Henton, Harris, Fortune, Desrosiers Press Conference and Quotes from 3/20/14 #pcbb

THE MODERATOR: We’re joined now by Providence College student athletes, Bryce Cotton, Kadeem Batts, and LaDontae Henton:

Q. Hi, Bryce. How much is your ability to stay on the court for so long and be so productive have to do with your mental makeup and just putting your mind that I’m going to do it and never backing down from getting tired or losing your stamina?

BRYCE COTTON: Basically, our team has had to endure this for three straight years, and we’ve always had a short roster. So it’s something that our team hasn’t had to grow accustomed to.

We’re used to it, so we do a good job training our bodies throughout the preseason, and we hope for the best when the real season comes.

Q. Can you talk a little, LaDontae, about the experience of being at the NCAAs? I know it’s a realization of a dream for all of you guys to be here, and you’ve only been here a little over 24 hours, but does this feel different yet?

LaDONTAE HENTON: It has a great feel to it, bonding with my brothers and having a good time with them. Things like this, going into an interview with these guys. It’s just a great experience. We believe we’ll be able to do this during the season. But now that it came true, I’m just happy to be here.

Q. For any of you or all of you, going back to the first half practice, what are the odds that you would be sitting here at this moment and in this tournament?

LaDONTAE HENTON: Like I said before, me and the guys we talk about it all the time during the summer and during the training season, preseason, we knew we’d be able to be here if we just put our mind to it, and we bonded as a team, and we did that. We had great leaders in Bryce Cotton and Kadeem Batts, and they led us to this point.

BRYCE COTTON: Just feeding off of what LaDontae said, we’ve had the same vision from day one, and even though we’ve had a lot of ups and downs and faced a lot of adversity, our team is full of fighters and we never give up. We always believe at the end of the day that we’d get to the top of that mountain.

KADEEM BATTS: Just to add to what they’ve said. We’ve stuck together as a group and preached family all season, and we’ve been a family.

Q. Guys, was there a moment in the season that you thought, wow, we could really do this? Was there a seminal moment in there where you started thinking what you were going through today was completely possible? Kadeem, start with you, if you want?

Continue reading Cooley, Cotton, Batts, Henton, Harris, Fortune, Desrosiers Press Conference and Quotes from 3/20/14 #pcbb

Game Notes & Preview: PC vs North Carolina NCAA Tournament 3/21/14 #pcbb

Where: AT&T Center – San Antonio, TX

When: 7:20PM

How: TNT (Marv Albert, Steve Kerr, Craig Sager) /WEEI 103.7 FM (John Rooke and Joe Hassett)/Westwood One (Brad Sham and Will Perdue)

Game Notes

  • The Friars and the Tar Heels have met only 3 times all time with UNC leading the series 2-1. The two teams have never met in the NCAA Tournament but their first meeting was in the NIT in 1971 with the Tar Heels taking the game at Madison Square Garden, 86-79. The next time the team’s would meet would be the famous “Blizzard Game” in 1978 (click here for a great story from Craig Leighton of FriarBasketball.com on his recollections as a student and RI resident in ’78) which PC took. The following year, PC traveled down to Tobacco Road for the 2nd half of that home and home and fell to UNC 89-58.
  • The Friars are 14-16 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and this will be their 16th appearance in the Big Dance. Their last win was in 1997 over UT-Chattanooga in the Sweet 16. Their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance was in 1964 when they fell against Villanova, 77-66. Their first ever win came the following year when they thumped West Virginia, 91-67.
  • This season, PC had a 3-6 record against other NCAA Tournament teams with the 3 wins coming against Creighton (2) and Xavier and the losses coming against Villanova (2), Kentucky, UMass, Creighton and Xavier.
  • Bryce Cotton is currently averaging 21.4 ppg and 5.8 rpg. He is trying to become 5th player from a major conference to average 20 or more points and 5 or more assists in a season since 2002. The 4 guys that have accomplished that feat: Jason Williams (Duke – 21.3 ppg, 5.3 apg ’01-’02); Tyrese Rice (Boston College – 21.0 ppg, 5.0 apg ’07-’08); Evan Turner (Ohio State – 20.4 ppg, 5.0 apg ’09-’10); Nolan Smith (Duke – 20.6 ppg, 5.1 apg ’10-’11).
  • PC’s last Big East Championship before 2014 was 1994. The ’94 Friars went on to lose in the first round to Alabama, 76-70. Cotton was the MOP player while LaDontae Henton was named the the All-Tournament Team. The MOP trophy is named after Dave Gavitt. Cotton is the 2nd Friar to ever win the trophy with the first being Michael Smith in 1994.
  • Coach Ed Cooley has never appeared in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach. He has been to the Big Dance 5 times as an assistant coach under Al Skinner. If the Friars win Friday night, Cooley will have more wins NCAA Tournament wins as a Providence head coach than Tim Welsh and Rick Barnes combined in their 5 appearances in the NCAA Tournament as the head man at PC.
  • Cooley is looking for his 58th career win as the head coach at Providence which would tie him for 8th all time with Edward Crotty who reached that mark after 111 games in 7 seasons from 1938-1946 (no team in ’43-’44 – WW2). A win Friday would also be the 150th career win for Cooley in his 8 seasons as a head coach.
  • Providence will be looking for win number 24 Friday night. They haven’t won 24 games since they went 24-12 in 1997.
  • The Friars have never faced a 6 seed before in the NCAA Tournament. They are 4-2 in 6 games against teams with an 8 seed or better (both stats since the field expanded to 64 in 1985).
  • With 4 or more days between games this season, PC is 7-3.
  • Kenpom sees this as a 75-71 victory for UNC.
  • Line opened at PC +5

Continue reading Game Notes & Preview: PC vs North Carolina NCAA Tournament 3/21/14 #pcbb

Rapid Reaction: We’re Dancing Baby! #pcbb

For the first time in 10 years the Providence College Friars are heading to the NCAA Tournament. And it won’t because they had to sweat out Selection Sunday. These Friars were on a mission. 3 games in 3 days. And a Big East Championship is heading back to Friartown for the first and only other time since 1994.

Bryce Cotton won the MVP but didn’t make the All-Tournament team somehow but Henton made the All-Tournament team.

Go crazy Friartown! We are on that Blue Carpet!