Tag Archives: Providence Friars

Game Previews & Recaps

Game Notes & Preview: PC at Creighton 3/8/14 #pcbb

2 Comments

Where: CenturyLink Center – Omaha, NE

When: 8:00pm

How: CBS Sports Network (Brent Stover and Pete Gillen) /WEEI 103.7 FM (John Rooke and Joe Hassett)

Game Notes

  • The Friars and Blue Jays have met 11 times all time. PC has a 7-4 edge in the series but before this season, the two teams hadn’t played since November 25, 2000.
  • Bryce Cotton leads the nation in minutes per game with 40.2. He is averaging a mind boggling 42.2 mpg in Big East contests. Anything less than overtime games is now “hurting” his average. Cotton needs 28 minutes tomorrow to break Billy Donovan’s single season record of minutes played (which Cotton already tied once, 1,234 minutes) and only 6 minutes to break the career record for minutes played of 4,128 held by Donnie McGrath. He also has a really good shot at the single season record for minutes played/game held by Jimmy Walker (39.7 mpg during 1966-1967 season). He is 10th in the nation in points per game at 21.7, 11th in the nation in total points scored at 651, T-17th in the nation in assists per game at 5.9 and T-7th in the nation in Free Throws made at 192. Cotton is now in 5th place all time on the PC scoring list with 1,863 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 on Tuesday. He also is playing in his 126th game tomorrow which will break Dickey Simpkins record of 125 career games played as a Providence Friar. There are more records he is close to or may break but there just isn’t enough time in the day to list them all here.
  • Bryce Cotton is 2nd in the Big East in scoring (21.7 ppg) and Doug McDermott is 1st (25.9 ppg).
  • Bryce Cotton is 1st in the Big East in assists (5.9 apg) and Austin Chapman is 3rd (4.3 apg).
  • Kadeem Batts is 4th (7.6 rpg) and LaDontae Henton is 5th (7.3 rpg) in the Big East in rebounds while Doug McDermott is 6th (7.2 rpg).

Continue reading Game Notes & Preview: PC at Creighton 3/8/14 #pcbb →

Recruiting News

2014 #pcbb Commit Paschal Chukwu: Scouting Report and Outlook

1 Comment

Wednesday night was the first time I was able to see 2014 big man Paschal Chukwu in person. The game was for the SCC championship and the Jesuits were facing Hillhouse, the team that beat them in overtime in this very game last year. Chukwu scored the first two points for Prep with an impressive right baby hook but his scoring, 18 points in total, the rest of the night would mainly come at the free throw line (4/8 FT) or via dunks (5, including 3 alley oops). He played all 32 minutes and completely shut down any paint shooting from Hillhouse. He blocked 3 shots in the first half and Hillhouse really didn’t attempt to even shoot inside the free throw line while Chukwu was protecting the rim. I had his total for blocks plus shots altered at 8 and that doesn’t include shots not even attempted out of fear of being blocked. Fairfield Prep won the SCC Championship for the first time ever and before the game, Chukwu was named SCC Player of the Year.

Strengths:
Continue reading 2014 #pcbb Commit Paschal Chukwu: Scouting Report and Outlook →

Links of the Day

#pcbb Links of the Day 3/6/14

Leave a comment
#pcbb

Thoughts About Last Night #pcbb

1 Comment

What can you say about the 2013-2014 Providence College basketball team? In September if you told people this team would be the team to win 20 games for the first time in 10 years, people probably would have thought that was reasonable. On December 11th, people would have told you 20 wins was a pipe dream. That was the day it was announced that Kris Dunn would need a second surgery and his season would be cut short again by a freak accident in the RIC exhibition game. The Friars’ record on that day was 8-2 but it might as well have been 2-8. Spirits were down. Expectations were adjusted. But then something started happening. The Friars went down to Queens after an overtime loss at UMass followed by a double overtime loss at home against Seton Hall then a road drubbing by Villanova by 30 and they fought. They fought and clawed their way to a double overtime road win. Those are the kinds of games PC fans are used to losing. But Bryce Cotton is on a mission. It’s clear now. He wants to be on that Blue Carpet in a couple weeks. That win at St. John’s began a 5 game winning streak, the kind of streak that hadn’t happened in, you guessed it, 10 years.

20 wins is an impressive accomplishment by this group. They have the smallest bench in the country and Cotton is now averaging 40.2 minutes per game, leading the world as Coach Cooley likes to say. They lost 3 players before the season even really began, including 2 who would have been key contributors in Dunn and Brandon Austin. And yet, here they are. 20 wins and knocking on the door of the NCAA tournament for the first time since Ryan Gomes’ junior season.

Cotton passed Marvin Barnes for 5th all time on PC’s scoring list by hitting a pair of free throws early. He has already cemented himself as one of the greatest Friars of all time. His jersey will hang in the rafters at the Dunk one day and his name will don the PC Hall of Fame in the near future. Whatever happens on Saturday in Omaha or next week at MSG, this has been my favorite season as a Friar fan. I’m so glad I was able to be there last night to see Cotton, Batts, Bancroft, Goldsbrough and Kofane on their Senior Night. This is a special group and I just hope the rest of the country gets to see how special they truly are by dancing on that Blue Carpet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVMtt_atixw&sns=em

Game Previews & Recaps

Game Notes & Preview: PC vs Marquette 3/4/14 #pcbb

1 Comment

Where: Dunkin’ Donuts Center – Providence, RI

When: 9:00pm

How: Fox Sports 1/WEEI 103.7 FM

Game Notes

  • The Friars and Golden Eagles have met 17 times all time. Marquette has a dominant edge in the series, 13-4. Providence has still yet to win in Milwaukee. Ever.
  • Bryce Cotton leads the nation in minutes per game with 39.9. He is averaging a mind boggling 41.7 mpg in Big East contests. He is 13th in the nation in points per game at 21.6, 22nd in the nation in assists per game at 5.8 and tied for 13th in the nation in Free Throws made at 179. Cotton is now in 6th place all time on the PC scoring list with 1,838 career points in a Friar uniform. He only needs 2 points to surpass the great Marvin Barnes for 5th all time.
  • Bryce Cotton is 2nd in the Big East in scoring (21.5 ppg) and Davante Gardner is 11th (14.9 ppg)
  • Bryce Cotton is 1st in the Big East in assists (5.8 apg) and Derrick Wilson is tied for 6th (4.1 apg)
  • Kadeem Batts is 3rd (7.8 rpg) and LaDontae Henton is 6th (7.0 rpg) in the Big East in rebounds while Davante Gardner is 12th (5.7 rpg) and Jamil Wilson is 13th (5.6 rpg)
  • Line opened at PC -3.5

Continue reading Game Notes & Preview: PC vs Marquette 3/4/14 #pcbb →

Game Previews & Recaps

Rapid Reaction: Friars Keep the Dream Alive #pcbb #BlueCarpet

1 Comment

This one started out ugly with both teams seemingly playing with a lid on the rim. But PC managed to finish the first half shooting 44% somehow and took a 2 point lead into the break, 28-26. The scoring in the first half was pretty balanced for the Friars but Cotton took control of the scoring in the second half.

Providence was able to gain some separation and it seemed like the teams were just reading baskets for stretches in the latter portion of the second half. Seton Hall continues to struggle at home and they seem destined for the CIT at best. Providence, though, is still alive for the Big Dance. They had to win tonight and they did. They still have work to do. Tuesday’s matchup against Marquette is huge and the Friars have traditionally struggled against the Golden Eagles, including their worst first half scoring performance in nearly a decade earlier this season in Milwaukee. Tuesday is also Senior Night and the Dunk better be packed despite the Tuesday night 9pm start.

Cotton finished with 24 points. Batts, Henton and Harris were the other Friars in double figures (14, 13, 11). Fortune hit some key shots and was 2/5 from beyond the arc.

Game Previews & Recaps

Game Notes & Preview: PC at Seton Hall 2/28/14 #pcbb

Leave a comment

Where: Prudential Center – Newark, NJ

When: 7:00pm

How: CBS Sports Network/WEEI 103.7 FM

Game Notes

  • The Friars and Pirates have met 93 times all time. PC has a 1 game edge in the series, 47-46.
  • Bryce Cotton leads the nation in minutes per game with 39.9. He is 13th in the nation in points per game at 21.5 and 17th in the nation in assists per game at 5.9. Top 20 nationally in 3 categories including leading 1 and he manages to still be left off national POY lists like its going out of style.
  • Bryce Cotton is 2nd in the Big East in scoring (21.5 ppg) and Fuquan Edwin is 11th (15.1 ppg)
  • Bryce Cotton is 1st in the Big East in assists (5.9 apg) and Sterling Gibbs is 4th (4.3 apg)
  • Kadeem Batts is 3rd (7.6 rpg) and LaDontae Henton is 5th (7.0 rpg) in the Big East in rebounds while Gene Teague fits in between at 4th (7.5 rpg)
  • Line opened at PC +2.5

Continue reading Game Notes & Preview: PC at Seton Hall 2/28/14 #pcbb →