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)




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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 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.