This past week Cox Sports held its’ annual Awards Luncheon honoring our Division I, II and III players and coaches of the year. There were a few familar faces in this year’s winner’s circle.
Providence College’s Ed Cooley was named Coach of the Year for the Joe Mullaney Award after leading the Friars to the team’s second BIG EAST Tournament title and first since 1994. He also guided the team to a 23-12 mark and the Friars’ first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2004.
Bryce Cotton earned the Bill Reynolds Award as the Rhode Island Division I Men’s Players of the Year. Cotton earns the award after leading the BIG EAST in assists with 6.1 apg in league contests. The senior also ranked second in the BIG EAST in scoring (21.8 ppg, 23.4 ppg BIG EAST play). He ranks ninth in the nation in scoring this season at 21.8 ppg.
The men’s basketball team won the Dave Gavitt Award for the Team of the Year. The Friars finished as BIG EAST Tournament Champions and posted a 23-12 overall record.
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.
How: Fox Sports 1 (Gus Johnson, Bill Raftery and Erin Andrews) /WEEI 103.7 FM (John Rooke and Joe Hassett)
Game Notes
The Friars and the Blue Jays have obviously never met in the Big East Tournament since this is Creighton’s first year of Big East membership.
LaDontae Henton picked a great time for a season high of 26 points yesterday in the semifinal win over Seton Hall. In 4 career Big East Tournament games, Henton has averaged 16 ppg and 10 rpg.
Bryce Cotton’s 10 assists last night came up just 1 short of the PC record for assists in a Big East Tournament game.
The Friars are 1-3 all time in the Big East Tournament against 2 seeds.
Bryce Cotton joins Friar great Ryan Gomes as the only two Friars to ever be named to the First Team All-Big East more than once.
Providence will be looking for win number 23 tonight. They haven’t won 23 games since they went 24-12 in 1997.
How: Fox Sports 1 (Gus Johnson, Bill Raftery and Erin Andrews) /WEEI 103.7 FM (John Rooke and Joe Hassett)
Game Notes
The Friars and the Pirates have met 7 times all time in the Big East Tournament. Seton Hall has the 5-2 edge in the series and have won the last 4 times with the last Friar victory coming March 6, 1985. The only other time they met in Big East Semifinals, SHU was the 1 seed and beat 5 seed PC 69-60 and then went on to blow Syracuse out of the gym to win the 1993 Big East Tournament Championship.
Bryce Cotton only played 34 minutes in the Big East Tournament Quarterfinal game against St. John’s which was the fewest minutes he has played since a 70-49 victory over Vermont on November 18, 2013.
Providence’s 49 total rebounds in yesterday’s game against St. John’s is the most rebounds they’ve ever had in a Big East Tournament game.
The Friars are 0-2 all time in the Big East Tournament against 8 seeds but both times they were playing the 8 seed as a 9 seed in the first round of the tournament (1992 vs. BC and 2005 vs. West Virginia).
Bryce Cotton joins Friar great Ryan Gomes as the only two Friars to ever be named to the First Team All-Big East more than once.
Providence will be looking for win number 22 tonight. They haven’t won 22 games since they went 24-12 in 1997.
Josh Fortune’s 24 points in yesterday’s game marked a new career high for points scored in a game. In his last 7 games, Fortune is averaging 16.5 ppg, which is double his season average.
Seton Hall’s 2 wins in the Big East Tournament have made them eligible for the NIT should they not go on to win the Big East Tournament and get the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
How: Fox Sports 1 (Justin Kutcher and Tarik Turner) /WEEI 103.7 FM (John Rooke and Joe Hassett)
Game Notes
The Friars and Red Storm have met 5 times all time in the Big East Tournament. PC has a 3-2 edge in the series but the two teams haven’t met in the Big East Tournament since March 6, 1996. The only other time they met in the 4 vs. 5 game, 4 seed PC took down the 5th seeded Redmen, 80-51, on March 5, 1987. I think 1987 was a pretty good year for PC.
Bryce Cotton leads the nation in minutes per game with 40.1. He is averaging a mind boggling 41.9 mpg in Big East contests. Cotton played a total of 754 minutes in the 18 league games this season which gives him 2,385 career Big East minutes played. That number is good for 5th all time in Big East history and 2nd all time for the Friars in the Big East behind Vincent Council’s 2,498 Big East minutes played which is good for 2nd all time in Big East history. Despite the Friars double digit defeat in Omaha on Saturday, Cotton was able to rack up a few more PC all-time records. Saturday’s game was his 126th career game as a Providence Friar. That passes Dickey Simpkins and his 125 career games for most games played all time at PC. He is now the sole owner of the single season minutes played record, passing Billy Donovan and his 1,234 career minutes played in his senior season. Additionally Cotton now owns the record for minutes played in a career, passing Donnie McGrath and his 4,128 minutes played. On the season, Cotton is 9th in the nation in points per game at 21.7, 11th in the nation in total points scored at 674, 21st in the nation in assists per game at 5.9 and 8th in the nation in Free Throws made at 198. Cotton remains in 5th place all time on the PC scoring list with 1,886 career points in a Friar uniform. He surpassed the great Marvin Barnes for 5th all time by hitting a pair of free throws early against Marquette last week.
Bryce Cotton is 2nd in the Big East in scoring (21.7 ppg) and D’Angelo Harrison is 3rd (17.6 ppg).
Bryce Cotton is 1st in the Big East in assists (5.9 apg) and Rysheed Jordan is 12th (3.1 apg).
Kadeem Batts is 3rd (7.7 rpg) and LaDontae Henton is 5th (7.3 rpg) in the Big East in rebounds while Jakarr Sampson is 8th (6.1 rpg).
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