BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: PROVIDENCE

September 8, 2009


VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Joseph Young, 6-foot-2 shooting guard from Houston (TX) Yates

Providence picks up their third commitment for the class of 2010 as Keno Davis the Friars Snag Texan Joseph Young (Providence Journal).



Projected 2009-2010 Roster


Seniors: Sharaud Curry (PG), Brian McKenzie (SG)
Juniors: Jamine Peterson* (F), Marshon Brooks (G), Kyle Wright (G/F), Russ Permenter (PF)
Sophomres: Bilal Dixon** (F)
Freshmen: Duke Mondy (G), Kadeem Batts (PF), James Still (C), Johhnie Lacy (PG), Vincent Council (PG)
2010 Commitments: Gerard Coleman (SG), Ron Giplaye (PF), Joseph Young (SG)


Notes:
* Expected to redshirt the 2008-2009 season which would place him as a sophomore on the 2009-2010 roster

** possible 2008-2009 redshirt which would place his as a freshman on the 2009-2010 roster

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Over the last few months, it certainly looked like the Providence staff had made Tilton (NH) School and BABC standout Gerard Coleman their highest perimeter priority in the class of 2010. That fact was also not lost on Coleman as he made a verbal commitment to the Friars earlier this spring.

With the July Open Evaluation period underway, the Friars added their second verbal commitment for the class of 2010 as Coleman's BABC teammate Ron Giplaye made a verbal pledge to Keno Davis and his hard-working staff.

Now, as the summer has ended and fall begins, the Friars have added a third member to their 2010 recruiting class when they received a verbal commitment from Joseph Young, a 6-foot-two shooting guard out of Houston (TX). Many college basketball fans might be familiar with Young's father, Michael, who was a member of Houston's fabled Phi Slamma Jamma clubs that played for Guy Lewis alongside Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwan.

Joseph Young caught the attention of PC staff members early in July with his play at the Reebok All-American camp and Keno Davis was spotted watching Young again later in the month at the Reebok Summer Championships and he finished third among the top scorers at Reebok with 23.8 ppg and had 29 in the game NBE saw Davis watching.

Young is a long-distance sniper that fills a role in Davis' style of play of having multiple shooters on the floor at one time and take advantage of spreading the court. While Young is quite under the radar, he is definitely a quality recruit.

Giplaye is a physically strong and tough 6-foot-7 power forward that will do the dirty work in the paint and on the boards. Giplaye is a native of Lowell (MA) and moved to Delaware, but has returned to the region, attending Notre Dame Prep and playing with the BABC AAU program. Giplaye is accurately compared to another former Massachusetts native that starred in the Big East.

"I had Jeff Adrien and Ron's that type of player. He makes people's lives miserable," said Ryan Hurd, Giplaye's coach at Notre Dame Prep, to the Providence Journal. "He's strong; he's like a man playing with boys. Guys back down from him."

While next season might have some growing pains in store for the Friars, Keno Davis certainly seems to have them pointed in the right direction with his efforts on the recruiting trail. The 2009 class looks to have replenished the roster and the talent is starting to assemble with the 2010 class and Coleman might have been the spark needed to get things started.

“I was all set with Providence and didn’t want to risk losing my spot with them,” Coleman told the Providence Journal last month. “I like the way they play. There’s a lot of good times to come at Providence.”

The 6-foot-3 guard is a native of Mattapan (MA), near Boston, and chose to commit PC while also considering UConn and Clemson in the recruiting process.

With the PC backcourt scheduled to graduate Brian McKenzie and Sharaud Curry after the 2009-2010 season, Coleman's ability to score the basketball will be a needed trait. Coleman, right now, is a better athlete than pure basketball shooter and gets his points attacking off the dribble and in transition. He should find a very good fit in the PC system under Keno Davis as the Friars will surround him with quality shooters that will spread the floor and allow him to attack off the dribble.

The commitment from Young, on paper, fills PC's available scholarships to the NCAA maximum of 13 for the 2010-2011 season. While they will certainly continue monitoring 2010 players in case an opening arises, the Friars have been very active in getting some of the top underclassmen in New England on their campus already this fall.

Another big man from New England with an outside touch the Friars are monitoring is Tyler Olander. The 6-foot-9 lefty earned an invite to the Reebok All-American camp and has seen his stock rise this spring, with UConn reportedly offering as well.

Andre Drummond, a 6-foot-10 sophomore from Connecticut who will attend St. Thomas More this year, who is regarded as one of the top two players in the class of 2012 made a visit to the PC campus late in August.

According to the Providence Journal, another big sophomore, 6-foot-11 Kaleb Tarczewski of New Hampshire and the St. Mark’s School in Framingham (MA), visited in the same week. So did Naadir Tharpe, a junior point guard from Boston who preps at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire.

Two St. Andrew’s School stars are on the PC radar as well. Ricky Ledo and his father visited with Davis and staff last week and Mike Carter-Williams was also expected to visit before the month ended.

Other 2011 prospects mentioning the Friars earlier this summer included Penn Wood forward Aaron Brown and St. Raymond's big man Joey De La Rosa also have mentioned the Friars as early possibilities in the class of 2011 and 2012 prospect Alex Murphy did so as well. Others in 2011 listing the Friars recently include NYC guards Davontay Grace and Mike Taylor.

It certainly sounds like Keno Davis and his staff are moving in the right direction quickly on the recruiting front.

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