Friars Review

[OmahaGuy]

Providence fought their butts off but like Butler did to UVA, they just feel short to North Carolina. Tough loss to a good season. That win over USC though. That was EPIC. First tourney win for the program in a very long time?? You gotta like that! Let's recap.

Who's out?
*Kris Dunn-Biggest loss by far. Was the heart and soul of this squad and he will be remembered as one of the best Friars ever. One helluva player and I wish him nothing but the best in the League. I'm sure he'll be a serviceable player.

Who returns?
*Ben Bentil-Ther'es been some speculation that he might leave as well but I'm just going to say he stays for now. This guy is a STUD and had a breakout year.
*Rodney Bullock-I thought he had a pretty good year as well. Good to see him finally get on the court after all of the adversity he faced.
*Jalen Lindsey-Pretty good shooter.
*Kyron Cartwright
*Drew Edwards
*Junior Lomomba
*Ryan Fazekas
**I couldn't say much about the guys above since I know they got playing time but I didn't watch PC all that much this year. Only guys like Dunn, Lindsey, Bullock, and Bentil really stood out to me. Friar fans I'm sure you can help me out here haha.

Who's coming in?
*Maliek White-HS kid from Virginia who's known for his toughness and his ability to create his own shot.
*Isaiah Jackson-Sat out this year after transferring from George Mason. Can't really say anything about him since I don't know his game all that well lol.

Bottom Line: They're about to take a big step back with Dunn gone and even more of a step back if Bentil leaves as well. I'm confident in Cooley though and I think he's one helluva coach. I still can't see them as a real threat next year but I could be wrong.

[billyjack]

Thanks again Omaha Guy for another great review.

I think you're right on PC's roster for next year.
Dunn leaves, so a yuge yuge yuge loss.

Everyone else stays, including Bentil. Ben can get some great attention as a junior next season, and will help the Big East get some nice ink the same way Dunn did.

Next years roster looks like:

1 - Kyron Cartwright, who got in a nice groove over the past 6 weeks.
1 - Maliek White, talented 4-star PG out of Virginia.

2 - Junior Lomomba, great defense and smart player, weak shot but can finish at hoop.
2 - Drew Edwards, smart player and reliable ball handler, could be a reliable deep threat.

3 - Jalen Lindsey, great defender and improved rebounder, needs to improve his shot.
3 - Ryan Fazekas, was lights-out from 3 til he got mono in December.
3 - Isaiah Jackson, athletic SF who transferred from George Mason, strong, gives us a bit of everything.

4 - Rodney Bullock, talented, key part of Friar frontcourt, really a 3, but forced to play the 4.

5 - Ben Bentil, will be a junior next season. We will ride him all year.
5 - Quadree Smith, young big man with good hands.

also:
2 - Ricky Council II, strong athletic freshman who we're hoping can hit threes for us.
2 - Tyree Chambers, hasnt had much playing time.

We have roster space for a big man too. Hoping Pitt loses a big man recruit to us with Dixon gone. Next year Lomomba is our only senior.

The hope is that the Friars do well because they're familiar with the offense and have played together for a ton of games.

[Jet915]

If Bentil returns, I think PC can be a bubble team. If he doesn't, they are a Wednesday night team.

[JohnW22]

Providence will have a good group around Bentil actually. Might surprise some people

[ChelseaFriar]

If Bentil returns, I think PC can be a bubble team. If he doesn't, they are a Wednesday night team.

Agree with this.

[stever20]

the thing that will be interesting with PC is teams will be able to play Bentil a whole lot differently w/o Dunn to worry about. He's going to get a ton of attention next year that he wasn't getting due to Dunn. And not the attention that billyjack was saying, but rather prime defensive attention.

Guard play will be fascinating to watch. 1st time in Cooley's time he's not had a prime time guard like Council, Cotton, or Dunn. That's the big question IMO.

[Jet915]

PC also needs a 5 for next year. Bentil plays out of position and should really be a PF.

[ChelseaFriar]

PC also needs a 5 for next year. Bentil plays out of position and should really be a PF.

Agree. I think it actually helped Bentil offensively (centers couldn't guard him) but it killed PC on the defensive end.

[ChelseaFriar]

Bentil has entered the draft. Will not hire agent.

[billyjack]

Bentil has entered the draft. Will not hire agent.

Right, he didn't hire an agent.
So he can get a sense of where he would be drafted, and if it's not as high as he hoped, then he can return to PC. Returning to the Friars for 1 more year is the likely outcome.