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Friday, October 10, 2008

2008-2009 BIG EAST PREVIEW: 10) PROVIDENCE

October 11, 2008


The Keno Davis era kicks off in Providence this season. The new, young and energetic Friar head coach has brought a sense of optimism to the program that had not been able to find a consistent place in the top half of the conference under Tim Welsh. While Welsh’s teams had shown some glimpses of being primed to breakout, they never were able to build a consistent winner in the city where the Big East was founded.

Davis inherits a veteran ball club that many believe could very well be NCAA-caliber if it were not for the menacing Big East line-up that awaits them. With five seniors and three juniors all expected to be in the regular rotation, experience is not an issue for PC. Adjusting to a new system that is heavy on the three-point shot and spreading the floor might take some getting used to, especially for the big men, but there are some pieces on the perimeter that should flourish playing under Keno Davis this season.


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Comings:

There was not much work for Keno Davis to do on the recruiting trail after being hired for the position due to a full roster. The only incoming recruit the Friars bring into the fold for this season is power forward Bilal Dixon, a sleeper out of New Jersey. The 6-foot-8, 220 lb Dixon will add depth to the front court. He showed the NBE Basketball Report in the Jordan Brand Regional Game last spring he can be a productive player when on the floor and should develop into a solid contributor.

Although not truly an incoming player, the Friars will get a HUGE boost with Sharaud Curry returning to health. Curry averaged 15 points and 4 assists as a sophomore for the Friars, however, a broken foot limited him to 8 minutes total in the season in ’07-08 and the Friars could not overcome his absence in Big East play.


Goings:

The Friars do not really lose a whole lot either. Charles Burch, who had an injury riddled PC career graduated and Dwain Williams left the college. Williams filled in well for Curry last year as the team’s primary ball handler, averaging 12 points a game and hitting 40% of his three-point shots. His perimeter scoring ability would have been a nice luxury to have as depth this season, but PC has others to play a similar role.


Net Impact:

A straight up Dixon for Williams/Burch trade would not win any more games for the Friars in 2008-2009 compared to last season. However, the return to health of Sharaud Curry should allow everyone to move back into their true positions and roles and make this a better club from the get-go.


2008-2009 Backcourt Outlook:

As mentioned already, Sharaud Curry is the key to the team. The 5-foot-10 redshirt junior out of Georgia is a scoring lead guard that plays very confidently on the offensive end of the floor. As a sophomore Curry hardly ever left the court for coach Welsh and had the green light to shoot the basketball often. In the system that Keno Davis likes to run, Curry will again have the ball in his hands often and spacing of the floor will give him room to penetrate to the rim to score or find open shooters around the floor. Curry is a point guard that should help to ease the transition for the Friars under Davis.

Finding open space on the floor to shoot from three-point range is a key role in Davis’ offense and wing guards Brian McKenzie and Jeff Xavier will look to fill that role very well. McKenzie is a NYC native entering his junior season. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 11 points a game last year, shooting nearly 41% from the arc. Xavier is a transfer from Manhattan and led the Friars with 76 made three’s last season. The 6-foot-1 shooting guard led PC in scoring last year at 12.4 a game and showed he could light it up from the perimeter for PC. Both of these guards will find a comfortable role in the new system.

The wildcard for PC the last couple seasons has always seemed to be Weyinmi Efejuku. The 6-foot-5 senior originally from NYC and Brewster Academy has the physical tools to excel in the Big East, but often times last season found himself on the bench next to the coaches for inconsistent efforts and performances. Efejuku would score 23 points in 30 minutes against SHU in a game and then three days later be shutout at Syracuse, only playing 14 minutes. Or, February 12th in Pittsburgh Efejuku does not get off the bench and then six days later he scores 25 against Georgetown. Finding a reliable and consistent player in Efejuku in his senior season could make PC a very dangerous team. With three backcourt positions in Davis’ system, a healthy Curry, consistent Efejuku and two top shooters in Xavier and McKenzie could be a dangerous group. Sophomore Marshon Brooks also looks to add depth at multiple guard positions and got valuable experience as a freshman, showing skills necessary to contribute in the Big East.


2008-2009 Frontcourt Outlook:

Under Tim Welsh the Friars were often beaten up inside for easy baskets and second chance points, not the way to help you college basketball odds of winning in the Big East. The Friars were usually out-toughed and the label of soft often followed Welsh’s teams. The make-up of this year’s team has the same players that were exposed previously in the Big East, but there are some players that should be able to provide a little more toughness in the Big East, led by senior Geoff McDermott. Unfortunately, fans have not really been able to see a fully healthy McDermott for a couple years as various injuries has slowed the 6-foot-6, 235 pound bruiser who can handle and pass like a guard, but rebound like a power forward. McDermott averaged 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists last year, one year after being among the league leaders in rebounds and assists and had a chance to pull off a rare double, leading the Big East in rebounds and assists, but injuries slowed him down considerably as the season passed the halfway mark. McDermott is a player you love to have on your team as he plays both ends of the floor equally as hard and is an excellent rebounder and passer. If the Friars can find some consistent scoring from the perimeter, McDermott’s passing and rebounding becomes an even more important factor in his team’s success.

Another enigma within the Providence program has been Randall Hanke, who seems to epitomize the soft label of the Friars. In his three year career, Hanke (who also redshirted one season) has scored 800 career points and made an impressive 67% of his field goals. Last season, after starting slowly recovering from injury, Hanke finished the season strong averaging 12 points a game in the last 11, shooting 58% from the floor, however, he only averaged about 4 rebounds a game, way below the necessary levels for a 6-foot-11, 240 pound player in the Big East. Hanke should find the Davis offense to his liking with his ability to score efficiently offensively, but his defense and rebounding will still come into question as teams will go right after him.

Adding bulk to the mix will be junior Ray Hall, who, even at 6-foot-11 and 265 pounds, failed to block a shot last season (huh?) in 124 minutes of action over 18 games. Hall also went 2-14 from the foul line on the season and has yet to add any other contribution to the squad other than his size to this point. Hall might find himself being a tough fit in Davis’ system that requires big men to run the court and look for Bilal Dixon to possibly take his minutes.

Another player that seems to keep missing his opportunity is Jonathan Kale, a well built 6-foot-8 power forward out of the New England prep school ranks. Kale seemed to epitomize the bruising forward when he came to PC, but his lack of basketball skills away from the basket always seemed to handcuff his success and chance to take a bigger role with the Friars. As a senior, it is his last go-round and, again, his preferred style might not be the fit that Davis is looking for, however, he does have the ability to run the floor and could make himself more of a need of Hanke struggles in the physical Big East again.

Rounding out the roster is a pair of sophomores, Alex Kellogg and Jamine ‘Greedy’ Peterson. Kellogg is the son of former college star and current CBS college basketball personality Clark Kellogg. The skilled 6-foot-7 forward has the tools to play in this system, but needs to add strength to compete in the Big East. Peterson has the strength, and then some, in a powerful and athletic 6-foot-5 body. Peterson can attack and punish the rim with the best of them in he conference, but his game is more of an undersized power forward than a perimeter player as his size might suggest. Still, in the past, players like Stevie Thompson (Syracuse) and Perry McDonald (Georgetown) had productive careers playing a similar game, but the talent around them made it possible. It remains to be seen if Peterson can have similar success, but a wide open system could help him be very productive, even if undersized for the position his skill set is suited for.



2008-2009 Team Outlook:

The Friars are a tough team to project. You look at them on paper and you like the pieces they have and the past production their players have achieved on the floor. However, you then look back at their track record and realize that they just have not been able to put it together when it counts the most in Big East league play. Now they need to adjust to a different system and coaching staff. I expect more life out of the Friars playing for Keno Davis, but I do not think they have the front line to play his style of basketball at its best. Their backcourt definitely has potential and pieces to fit the new style, but I can see them going smaller, and in the Big East, such gimmicks are tough to be successful at. Looking around the conference and putting PC’s talent up against the teams rated ahead of them, and they come up just a bit short. Hoping they crack the top half of the standings is a reasonable goal, but there are nine teams ahead of them that will start out the season better, albeit on paper, the onus will be on the Friars to take a spot or two away from the others ahead of them to put themselves in the mix for an NCAA bid.

Having Sharaud Curry back and healthy with shooters like Brian McKenzie and Jeff Xavier flanking him with the versatile Geoff McDermott and athletic Weyinmi Efejuku in the mix does have an exciting sound to it. Finding defense, rebounding and interior scoring will be the key to this team moving higher in the rankings. As much as one might like the make-up and experience of this team, you still have the fact they have not won in the Big East against the big boys to question if they will win this year. Tread cautiously with the Friars, but there is reason to be optimistic if something clicks with their interior players as the season unfolds and they could be in the middle of March Madness Betting when that wonderful time of the year arrives.




2008-2009 Big East Prediction: 8-10

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Wednesday, October 08, 2008

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: PROVIDENCE

October 8, 2008


VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: James Still, 6'10 C from Detroit Community High School

Keno Davis and PC Strikes for Fifth Time (Providence Journal) on the recruiting trail with the class of 2009 as James Still of Detroit makes a verbal commitment to the Friars. Still's verbal comes one day after JUCO wing Kyle Wright pledges to Providence as well.



Projected 2009-2010 Roster


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




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The recruiting action around the Providence Friar program continues to happen fast and furious as Keno Davis locks up his fifth commitment for the class of 2009 as Detroit big man James Still is the latest added to the program. Still is a 6-foot-10 center from Community High School in Detroit and averaged over 14 points and 12 rebounds as a junior. Still visited PC backin September and chose the Friars over Duquesne and Detroit. Still is an athletic big man that is very comfortable running the floor and stepping away from the basket.

Still needs to get stronger to battle in the paint in Big East match-ups. He has a lot of potential because of a high skill level and the ability to move well at 6'10. His best days are certainly ahead of him on the basketball court.

Thus far, Davis has been working quickly on the recruiting trail securing five verbal commitments from the class of 2009 in just over the last month. Just prior to Still, Monroe College wing Kyle Wright, who originally began his career at Stony Brook and spent last year as a redshirt with Colorado, committed to PC. Wright previously prepped at Brewster Academy where he played for coach Jason Smith at the New England prep power.

After Brewster, Wright spent one season at Stony Brook where he averaged just under three points a game, appearing in 23 contests and averaging nearly 11 minutes a game. Wright is a skilled backcourt player that has versatility and can shoot it from long range, a skill that fits well in Keno Davis' preferred system. for more on Wright, see the story on the Newest Friar: Kyle Wright.

Last month, PC got a little bigger 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 came just a 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 late in the summer. Allen was also visiting PC the weekend Batts made his official. 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 College 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 now has one scholarship open for the class of 2009 at this point and some impressive players are listing the Friars on their recruiting lists. Some of the top targets emerging for the Friars include Samford (CT) forward Tevin Baskin, Delaware prospects Isaiah Philmore, a 6-foot-7 forward, and Erique Gumbs, a 6-foot-8 big man, Michigan prospect Ben Simons and Maine big man Thomas Knight.

Looking for an attacking point guard to draw defenders and dish to the spot-up shooters or take it to the rim himself is a key element of the PC system going forward under Davis. One player who seems perfect for such an assignment as point guard is Chicago's Chris Colvin who made a visit to PC the last weekend of September as PC is Still Busy With Prospects. The Friars' staff has also made regular stops at Worcester Academy and have taken a strong interest in 6-foot-9 Blake McLimans, who could be visiting the campus in the near future as well.

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), 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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Tuesday, October 07, 2008

NEWEST FRIAR: KYLE WRIGHT

October 7, 2008

As reported earlier today in our Providence Recruiting Update, Keno Davis has added another verbal commitment to his 2009 recruiting class, this time dipping into the JUCO ranks as Hartford (CT) native Kyle Wright made the decision to pledge to the Friars.

"Yes, I believe Kyle committed yesterday," Jason Smith, head coach at Brewster Academy told the NBE Basketball Report this morning. "He took his official visit this past weekend."

At Brewster, Wright averaged about 13 points and 6 rebounds a game at the New Hampshire school.

"Kyle is a very, very skilled guard," coach Smith remarked. "He's 6'5 and has really gotten stronger since he graduated from Brewster in '06. He's a versatile player."

After Brewster, Wright made a stop at Stony Brook where he appeared in 23 games as a true freshman, averaging 2.8 points a game. Last season, Wright transferred to Colorado and sat out the season per NCAA transfer rules. However, now he has come back east and is enrolled at Monroe College in the Bronx, where he will play this season.

After an impressive summer playing in the Hartford Pro-Am, schools began looking closer at Wright. Schools such as Central Florida, Fordham, UMass and George Mason made their interest known, but the Friars sealed the deal.

"Providence was his first visit and he really wanted to go there," Monroe College assistant coach Brock Erickson told NBE. "He really wanted to go somewhere that his dad could go see him play."

With a very large senior class on the roster, the Friars needed some experience to be ready for the big East from the get-go in the class of 2009. It also helped that Wright has a skill set that seems ideal for the type of system that Keno Davis will be utilizing going forward with the Friars.

"They (PC) are going to be very young next year and they wanted someone who was a junior, had some experience at the D-1 level, and can step in to fit what they're trying to do," coach Erickson said.

Look for Wright to be used on the wing at PC. His verstility will be used by Monroe this season as they will use him at all three backcourt positions. PC assistant Pat Skerry had developed a bond with the Monroe staff through his recruitment of 6-foot-8 forward Charles Bunches, a native of Bayonne (NJ) who played last seson at Paris (TX) Junior College and Wright caught his eye as he continued to work on Funches.

"He can really shoot, he's intelligent, versatile, and has a good mid-range game," Erickson said of Wright's strengths that will assimilate into the Friar system.

No matter what happens on the court, the Friars are getting a quality addition to their program that everyone is universal in their praise of as a person. "Wonderful kid and family," coach Smith commented. "He will be a great addition to the PC community."

Keno Davis is working on putting his stamp on the Providence basketball program, and players like Kyle Wright should allow him to do so successfully.

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BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: PROVIDENCE

October 7, 2008


VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Kyle Wright, 6'5 G/F Monroe College of the Bronx

The Friars Strike Again (ProJo Hoops Blog) on the recruiting trail as Providence College and keno Davis pick up their fourth commitment for the class of 2009 as Kyle Wright, a 6-foot-5 guard from Monroe College, has made a verbal commitment to the Frars following a recent visit.



Projected 2009-2010 Roster


Seniors: Sharaud Curry (PG), Brian McKenzie (SG), Ray Hall (C)
Juniors: Jamine Peterson (F), Marshon Brooks (G), Alex Kellogg (F), Kyle Wright (G/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.

Thus far, Davis has been working quickly on the recruiting trail securing four verbal commitments from the class of 2009 in just over the last month. The latest is Monroe College wing Kyle Wright, who originally began his career at Stony Brook and spent last year as a redshirt with Colorado. Wright previously prepped at Brewster Academy where he played for coach Jason Smith at the New England prep power.

After Brewster, Wright spent one season at Stony Brook where he averaged just under three points a game, appearing in 23 contests and averaging nearly 11 minutes a game. Wright is a skilled backcourt player that has versatility and can shoot it from long range, a skill that fits well in Keno Davis' preferred system.

Last month, PC got a little bigger 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 came just a 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 late in the summer. Allen was also visiting PC the weekend Batts made his official. 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 College 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 still has two scholarships open for the class of 2009 at this point and some impressive players are listing the Friars on their recruiting lists. Some of the top targets emerging for the Friars include Samford (CT) forward Tevin Baskin, Delaware prospects Isaiah Philmore, a 6-foot-7 forward, and Erique Gumbs, a 6-foot-8 big man, 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.

Looking for an attacking point guard to draw defenders and dish to the spot-up shooters or take it to the rim himself is a key element of the PC system going forward under Davis. One player who seems perfect for such an assignment as point guard is Chicago's Chris Colvin who made a visit to PC the last weekend of September as PC is Still Busy With Prospects. The Friars' staff has also made regular stops at Worcester Academy and have taken a strong interest in 6-foot-9 Blake McLimans, who could be visiting the campus in the near future as well.

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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