Tag Archives: recruiting

Recruiting News

Providence College Elite Camp Attendees

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Last year’s Elite Camp was very memorable because there was a lot of talk about a PC ‘Fab 5’ with Abu, Chukwu, Lindsey, Joseph and Terrell. PC coordinator of basketball ops Mike Jackson even set up a phone call for Abu, Chukwu, Joseph, Terrell and 2015 Donovan Mitchell (Lindsey was not at the Elite Camp) with former Michigan Fab Five member, Chris Webber. All of the stops were being pulled out.

Chukwu and Lindsey obviously wound up at PC (and Lindsey was already committed prior to the Elite Camp last summer) but Abu chose NC State, Joseph chose Syracuse and Terrell chose Oklahoma State then URI. Donovan Mitchell wasn’t planning on attending this year’s camp anyway due to a family reunion but I would think Thursday night’s commitment to Louisville solidifies his absence.

Here are the players that I have confirmed will be at this year’s Elite Camp by class and last name (I’ll update this if more names are confirmed):

Watch some video from last season’s Elite Camp courtesy of our friend FriarTV:

Follow me on Twitter @pcbb1917

Recruiting News

2015 Guard Donovan Mitchell Commits to Louisville

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Well this one hurts. There really isn’t much else a coaching staff can do when recruiting a player. Ed Cooley followed Donovan Mitchell around like a shadow beginning in April 2012. When Mitchell broke his wrist last spring the Providence staff still sat and watched Mitchell’s team play while he sat on the bench in street clothes. These guys were serious about Donovan Mitchell and they were the first. Unfortunately they weren’t the last. Mitchell’s huge July this year led to a lot of attention both from the national recruiting media and some blue blood programs.

In the end it’s hard to blame Mitchell for choosing Louisville. They have had a lot of team success including a national championship in 2012 and have a recent history of developing NYC guards. Maybe we all weren’t listening when Mitchell repeatedly talked about wanting a big school or maybe we just wanted to believe he would change his mind and choose the tight knit family atmosphere that Ed Cooley and his staff have worked hard to develop. He told Scout.com’s Evan Daniels “I’m needed here and I love it.” Well he certainly was needed in Friartown but will be heading to Louisville next fall.

Check out Donovan Mitchell’s Friar Crystal Ball page here.

Follow me on Twitter @pcbb1917

Recruiting News

Donovan Mitchell Trims List to Final 5

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Donovan Mitchell initially said he would cut his list down further at the end of August from the 10 he tweeted out on July 31st.

He must have done a lot of thinking over the last few days because he has already cut the 10 down to 5.

https://twitter.com/spidadmitchell/status/496096893995200512

Mitchell is scheduled to take an unofficial visit to Villanova on August 4th followed by an official visit to Louisville August 7th-8th.

Perhaps this can be seen as good news for Providence fans as maybe the September decision is still in the cards. The sentiment in Friartown is that the longer it takes for Mitchell to decide, the worse it is for Providence’s chances. After having blown up during July some blue bloods got involved but Kansas and Indiana didn’t make the cut which surprises me. Mitchell spoke highly of Norm Roberts (Kansas) and mentioned he wanted to visit Indiana.

Of the schools in the final 5, Mitchell has visited or will have visited all 5 by August 8th so maybe a decision is closer than it appears.

Check out Donovan Mitchell’s Friar Crystal Ball page here.

Follow me on Twitter @pcbb1917

Recruiting News

Donovan Mitchell Cuts List

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Donovan Mitchell told Scout.com that he has cut his list to a top 10. He then tweeted that list:

https://twitter.com/spidadmitchell/status/494847100442918912

It shouldn’t be surprising to see Providence make the cut as Ed Cooley and his staff have been recruiting Mitchell as a priority recruit in 2015 for over a year and haven’t missed a single one of his AAU games over the last 2 years – even when he was injured. Scout.com’s Evan Daniels tweeted earlier in the week the Mitchell will visit Villanova on August 4th and Louisville on August 8th. Daniels also recently wrote: “No player improved his stock in July more than Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy standout Donovan Mitchell.”

In a recent interview with Corey Evans of HoopsIntel.com, Mitchell had this to say about Providence: “Providence has been there for two years and it is very appealing. I just want to be able to enjoy the coaching staff, which I do with Coach Cooley. It is a great school for basketball and great school in general.” So there’s still hope in Friartown. Mitchell also told Evans that he will look to cut his list down from 10 to 5 at the end of August.

Continue reading Donovan Mitchell Cuts List →

Recruiting News

Providence Makes Short List for Gill-Caesar

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The Hoops Hype CA Twitter account tweeted that 2015 guard Teki Gill-Caesar has a short list and Providence made it.

https://twitter.com/HoopsHypeCA/status/494578514603937792

While the competition seems tough, making this list of six schools can only been seen as good news for the Friars and Ed Cooley. Many people (including 4 of our Friar Crystal Ball pickers) believe Missouri is the favorite with Teki’s former Huntington Prep coach Rob Fulford being hired as an assistant on Kim Anderson’s staff at Mizzou.

If you don’t know much about Jalen Lindsey’s former teammate at Huntington Prep, here are the cliff notes:

Teki Gill-Caesar Crystal Ball

AAU Team: CIA Bounce

HS Team: Huntington Prep

Position: Wing

Height/Weight: 6’5 215 lbs

ESPN Scouting Report:

Strengths:
Gill-Ceasar is a big wing guard that cam finish on the break and knock down open shots with three point range. He rebounds well for a perimeter player and does a good job on the defensive end with his ability to defend both wing positions given his good size and strength.

Weaknesses:
Gill-Ceasar will need to continue to add to his game in the area of ball handling the most. Which will allow him to create more and make more plays off the dribble.

Bottom Line:
Gill-Ceasar is a big guard that is a shot maker and tough guard match up given his size, strength and ability to rebound on the perimeter. He will provide scoring, rebounding and a defensive presence on the college level immediately.

Follow me on Twitter @pcbb1917

Recruiting News

PC Recruit Makes USA U17 Team

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USA Basketball announced the final 12 man roster for the U17 team that will play in the FIBA U17 World Championships beginning on August 8th in Dubai. 33 players were invited to try out overall, including 6 PC recruits. Only 1 of those 6 actually made the final cut:

2016 Tyus Battle (Gill St. Bernard’s School/ Edison, N.J.)

The other 5 PC recruits that tried out but didn’t make the team are:

USA’s first game in the preliminary round of Group A play in Dubai is August 8th against Greece. The other preliminary round games will be August 9th against Angola and August 11th against the Philippines. The USA is a two-time defending champion at the FIBA U17 World Championships.

Recruiting News

PC Recruits Try Out for USA U17 Team

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Ed Cooley was on Billy Donovan’s staff for the U18 FIBA Americas games in June. These players will be trying out for the U17 USA squad that will compete in the FIBA U17 World Championships from August 8th-16th in Dubai. Per USA Basketball, July 25th will be the only day of the tryouts that college coaches will be allowed in to evaluate the 33 players trying out for the team during the third and final live evaluation period.

Here are the 6 PC recruits, all in the class of 2016 except Eric Davis, that are trying out for the U17 USA team in Colorado Springs: