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Sunday, September 14, 2008

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: PROVIDENCE

September 14, 2008


VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Kadeem Batts, 6'8 PF from McEachern HS in Georgia

The visits continued at Providence as over the weekend PC Was Hosting Two Recruits (Providence Journal), including already committed Antoine Allen and Georgia big man Kadeem Batts. As the weekend ends, both players are now committed to the PC as the Friars Nab Third Recruit (Providence Journal).



Projected 2009-2010 Roster


Seniors: Sharaud Curry (PG), Brian McKenzie (SG), Ray Hall (C)
Juniors: Jamine Peterson (F), Marshon Brooks (G), Alex Kellogg (F)
Sophomres: Bilal Dixon (F)
Freshmen: Antoine Allen (G), Duke Mondy (G), Kadeem Batts (PF)




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Keno Davis takes over a situation at Providence that is both good and bad. The good part is he inherits a program with a very experienced line-up. The Friars will open the 2008-2009 season with seniors Weyinmi Efejuku, Geoff McDermott, Jonathan Kale and 5th year seniors Randall Hanke and Jeff Xavier. Also, juniors Ray Hall and Brian McKenzie return and point guard Sharaud Curry will be back in the line-up after missing last season with a foot injury. As for the bad news, coach Davis and his staff must make quick work on the recruiting front to replace the talent and depth of the roster that will not be here much past this season.

Over the past weekend, Providence took another step toward re-stocking the program by receiving a verbal commitment Kadeem Batts out of Powder Springs (GA) while he was on an official visit to the school. In the July evaluation period, Batts turned heads playing for the Smyrna Stars and had several high-major schools checking him out. The NBE Basketball Report was impressed with Batts' play this summer on Wednesday at the Reebok All-American Camp where he showed the tools necessary to compete in the Big East. Batts is athletic and with a strong body can mix it up inside on the boards and defensively he can block and alter shots. He also showed his offensive game is coming around as well, too.


The commitment from Batts come just one week after another commitment from a campus visit came from Michigan native Duke Mondy. Mondy is a 6-foot-3 guard out of Catholic Central High School in Grand Rapids (MI). As a junior, Mondy averaged about 15 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists for coach TJ Carnegie at Catholic Central and his Coach Had Nothing but Praise for Mondy on and off the court.

Mondy had already been familiar with coach Davis prior to him taking the PC head coaching job last April as Davis was recruiting Mondy to Drake, where he was previously the head coach. Mondy decided on Providence over Western Michigan and also had offers from Ohio, Toledo, Central Michigan and others.


Previously, the Friars got a verbal commitment from 6-foot-2 guard Antoine Allen. Allen was also visiting PC this past weekend along with Batts. The Baltimore native cited schools such as Rutgers, Maryland, Rhode Island, Auburn, Towson and others as schools interested in him during July. Playing for the Cecil Kirk AAU program, Allen caught the eye of the NBE Basketball Report at events such as the Pittsburgh Jam Fest and the Nike Main Event in Vegas. Each time, Allen showed a high-level athletic ability with speed and strength to get to the basket and rack up points. At times, he also showed the ability to knock down the deep ball and is a very confident offensive player.

The NBE Basketball Report previously caught up with Anthony Lewis, head man of the Cecil Kirk AAU program, for a Closer Look at Antoine Allen.

The Keno Davis system, which causes NCAA Basketball Odds of winning to increase by spreading the floor, was on display at Drake last season and showed how effective it could be. Getting up and down the floor and attacking the basket is what Allen does well. At this point, he is definitely in the classification of a scoring guard, but he also shows the ability to drive and dish. Mondy, according to his high school coach, is an excellent passer who can do many things well as PC spreads the floor and can score from the perimeter at every position. They are both quality additions to the Friar program that will have a very useful skill set for PC and their new direction. Batts adds an interior body that is also athletic and can play in the system and hit the boards.

Keno Davis seemed to get off to a slow start on the recruiting trail, but of late, more and more players are listing the Friars on their recruiting lists. Some of the top targets emerging for the Friars include Samford (CT) forward Tevin Baskin, DC-area big man Talib Zanna, Torrington (CT) BF/C Jordan Williams, James Padgett of NYC, Delaware prospects Isaiah Philmore, a 6-foot-7 forward, and Erique Gumbs, a 6-foot-8 big man, fast rising Maryland guard Devon Saddler and fellow Michigan prospects James Still, a 6-foot-8 big man from Detroit who visited with Mondy earlier this fall, and 6-foot-7 forward Ben Simons. Maine big man Thomas Knight is also receiving heavy interest from PC. With three recruits committed, PC can now fill in the openings and maybe go aggressively after a couple of these higher rated talents.

The Friars are also keeping a watchful eye on the class of 2010 as interest has been evident in players such as NYC's David Coley, BF Carson Desrosiers of Lawrence (MA), Nate Lubick, another NEPSAC product as well as Evan Smotrycz of the New Hampton School and NJ products such as guard Isaiah Epps and small forward Shaquille Thomas.

With many positions open to fill, we expect the PC recruiting news to be plentiful this fall as Keno Davis looks to make his mark on the Providence program and Big East recruiting battles. We will follow these stories closely as they begin to develop.




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Wednesday, September 10, 2008

COACH HAS NOTHING BUT PRAISE FOR MONDY

September 10, 2008



Keno Davis thinks he has another overacheiving diamond in the rough in Duke Mondy. Mondy's high school coach agrees. Grand Rapids Catholic Central coach T.J. Carnegie thinks that Mondy is a perfect fit for Keno Davis' system that puts a premium on good guard play and ability to knock down open shots.

"Duke is just a complete player. He can play both guard spots. He's legitamately 6-3. He can knock down shots and also penetrate and kick to other open shooters. He's the best passer I've ever coached.", says Carnegie who also had nothing but praise for Mondy's character off the court as well as his leadership skills.

Mondy, who also set a school record last year with 70 steals, will team with fellow D-1 recruit Sultan Mohammed to make up one of the more formidable backcourts in the state of Michigan. Mohammed, a 6-3 junior complements Mondy's shooting and playmaking skills with the ability to slash and get to the rim. Catholic Central hopes to build on last year's 18-6 District Championship run with an even further run in 2008-09.

Duke Mondy sounds like a winner, someone that will help Keno Davis and Providence improve their NCAA Basketball Odds at reaching the NCAA Tournament in future seasons.

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BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: PROVIDENCE

September 10, 2008


VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Duke Mondy, 6'3 G from Grand Rapids (MI) and Catholic Central High School


Keno Davis has been very busy of late hosting prospects from the local New England corridor, New York City area and also branching out his recruiting efforts to his Midwest roots. The connections to the Midwest paid off over the weekend while Duke Mondy was on an official visit to the campus. Catholic Central's Mondy Commits to Providence (MLive.com) and becomes Davis' second commitment in the class of 2009.


Projected 2009-2010 Roster


Seniors: Sharaud Curry (PG), Brian McKenzie (SG), Ray Hall (C)
Juniors: Jamine Peterson (F), Marshon Brooks (G), Alex Kellogg (F)
Sophomres: Bilal Dixon (F)
Freshmen: Antoine Allen (G), Duke Mondy (G)




-
Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

-


Keno Davis takes over a situation at Providence that is both good and bad. The good part is he inherits a program with a very experienced line-up. The Friars will open the 2008-2009 season with seniors Weyinmi Efejuku, Geoff McDermott, Jonathan Kale and 5th year seniors Randall Hanke and Jeff Xavier. Also, juniors Ray Hall and Brian McKenzie return and point guard Sharaud Curry will be back in the line-up after missing last season with a foot injury. As for the bad news, coach Davis and his staff must make quick work on the recruiting front to replace the talent and depth of the roster that will not be here much past this season.

Over the past weekend, Providence took another step toward re-stocking the program by receiving a verbal commitment from Michigan native Duke Mondy after he completed an official visit to the campus. Mondy is a 6-foot-3 guard out of Catholic Central High School in Grand Rapids (MI). As a junior, Mondy averaged about 15 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists for coach TJ Carnegie at Catholic Central.

Mondy had already been familiar with coach Davis prior to him taking the PC head coaching job last April as Davis was recruiting Mondy to Drake, where he was previously the head coach. Mondy decided on Providence over Western Michigan and also had offers from Ohio, Toledo, Central Michigan and others.


Previously, the Friard got a verbal commitment from 6-foot-2 guard Antoine Allen. The Baltimore native cited schools such as Rutgers, Maryland, Rhode Island, Auburn, Towson and others as schools interested in him during July. Playing for the Cecil Kirk AAU program, Allen caught the eye of the NBE Basketball Report at events such as the Pittsburgh Jam Fest and the Nike Main Event in Vegas. Each time, Allen showed a high-level athletic ability with speed and strength to get to the basket and rack up points. At times, he also showed the ability to knock down the deep ball and is a very confident offensive player.

The Keno Davis system, which causes college basketball betting trends to be skewed, that he used at Drake last season should fit players like Allen and Mondy well. Getting up and down the floor and attacking the basket is what Allen does well. At this point, he is definitely in the classification of a scoring guard, but he also shows the ability to drive and dish. Mondy, according to his high school coach, is an excellent passer who can do many things well as PC spreads the floor and can score from the perimeter at every position. They are both quality additions to the Friar program that will have a very useful skill set for PC and their new direction.

Keno Davis seemed to get off to a slow start on the recruiting trail, but of late, more and more players are listing the Friars on their recruiting lists. Some of the top targets emerging for the Friars include Samford (CT) forward Tevin Baskin, Torrington (CT) BF/C Jordan Williams, NYC forward Kevin Parrom, James Padgett of NYC, Delaware prospects Isaiah Philmore, a 6-foot-7 forward, and Erique Gumbs, a 6-foot-8 big man, fast rising Maryland guard Devon Saddler and fellow Michigan prospects James Still, a 6-foot-8 big man from Detroit who visited with Mondy last weekend, and 6-foot-7 forward Ben Simons. Maine big man Thomas Knight is also receiving heavy interest from PC.

The Friars are also keeping a watchful eye on the class of 2010 as interest has been evident in players such as NYC's David Coley, BF Carson Desrosiers of Lawrence (MA), Nate Lubick, another NEPSAC product and NJ guard Isaiah Epps.

With many positions open to fill, we expect the PC recruiting news to be plentiful this fall as Keno Davis looks to make his mark on the Providence program and Big East recruiting battles. We will follow these stories closely as they begin to develop.




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Friday, September 05, 2008

CLOSER LOOK AT PROVIDENCE COMMIT ANTOINE ALLEN

September 5, 2008


Keno Davis got on the board for the first time in the recruiting battles of the Big East when the new Friar coach dipped into the city of Baltimore and plucked point guard Antoine Allen from the deep talent pool of the area.

With five seniors on the 2008-2009 PC roster, there is no doubt that Davis' first recruiting class with the Friars will be an important one. With the commitment from Allen, the Scoring Guards Becomes Davis' First Building Block (Providence Journal) with the Friars.

If your Betting on March Madness success, guard play in the NCAA is a must. After talking with Cecil Kirk AAU head man Anthony Lewis, it definitely sounds like the Friars found themselves a gem in Allen.

Anthony Lewis has seen his share of successful Big East players come through his Baltimore recreation program and play for the Cecil Kirk AAU program. Names like Josh Boone, Rudy Gay, Kevin Braswell, Sam Young, David Wingate and DaJuan Summers are just a few that have played under the Cecil Kirk banner. Recent Villanova commit Mouphtau Yarou also ran with the program late this summer. So, when Lewis tells us Allen can ball, we will listen.

"Quality kid, better kid as well as a quality player," Lewis told the NBE Basketball Report in a recent phone interview.

With guards Weyinmi Efejuku and Jeff Xavier part of this year's senior class, getting a versatile guard that can score and defend in Davis' uptempo style was important and Lewis believes Allen will provide just that for the Friars.

"He's a lead guard, like Chris Paul is a lead guard," Lewis said. "(Allen) will score points, run the offense (and) shoot beyond the arc. He (also) creates opportunities (by) pressuring the ball on defense."

After playing at Lake Clifton High School, Allen will attend Notre Dame Prep in Massachusetts and play for Ryan Hurd. Late this summer the NBE Basketball Report observed Allen in Las Vegas playing well for Cecil Kirk at the Main Event when he was attacking the basket, using his strength and athletic ability and his 6-foot-2 frame to overpower many opposing guards. He has a game suited for the Big East that should fit well into the style Keno Davis will bring to Providence College.


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