Friars Add Canadian guard Matteus Case

It turns out the Friars will in fact use their last open scholarship for this year after all. Canadian guard Matteus Case announced on his Instagram page that he would be transferring to Providence College for the upcoming season. It was a tweet that surprised many Friar fans, as it wasn’t reported that Case was on PC’s radar since entering the portal two weeks ago.

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Friar Friday’s: Justin Minaya Commits to Providence, Jayden Epps Stock Skyrocketing, and New 2022 Offers

In case you missed it:

Justin Minaya Commitment Impact

2021 Transfer Article, Version 6 –

2022 Recruiting Primer

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Friars Add South Carolina Transfer Justin Minaya – His Impact to the Program

Friar fans received surprising news on Monday night, when it was announced South Carolina forward Justin Minaya would be transferring to the Friars. Minaya is a 6-6 hybrid forward that spots up from 3 and has is known as a good defender and rebounder. Minaya averaged 7 ppg and 6.3 rpg for the Gamecocks last season. Minaya has multiple years of eligibility remaining.

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PC 2021 Recruiting Primer – Transfer Edition (6th Version – Updated April 28th)

We have written several articles already on the importance of the 2022 recruiting class. You can find those below, as they serve as a good barometer for where PC stands with the 2022 class.

2022 High School Recruiting Primer: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2020/12/14/2022-recruiting-primer-providence-friars/

Offer We’d Like to See: PG Ben Roy: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2021/03/08/2022-recruit-of-interest-new-jersey-point-guard-ben-roy/#more-3376

Recruiting and a Comparison to the Rest of the Big East: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2021/01/15/providence-recruiting-a-comparative-analysis-to-the-rest-of-the-big-east/#more-3000

2022 PG Jayden Epps Commits to PC: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2021/03/29/providence-wins-the-epps-sweepstakes-jayden-epps-picks-the-friars/

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In this article, we focus on a different aspect of recruiting that has become more prominent in recent years: the transfer market.

We’ve landed two transfers during this offseason, written about extensively below:

Justin Minaya Transfers to PC: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2021/04/28/friars-add-south-carolina-transfer-justin-minaya/

Al Durham Transfers to PC: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2021/03/30/friars-strike-again-ius-aljami-durham-to-transfer-to-pc/#more-3533

The transfer portal has become the Wild Wild West, and this year it’s only going to be crazier with the “free year” due to COVID. Let’s take a look at who PC has reached out to and their status with the recruit.

4/28 Update: The Friars have landed Al Durham and Justin Minaya at the guard position, while losing Monroe, Gantt, Davis, and Nichols to transfer. David Duke Jr. has also declared for the NBA and signed an agent.

With all of these moving pieces, we’d expect Providence to pursue the following (listed in terms of importance, in our opinion): 1. A big with multiple years of eligibility to provide depth this year and be a potential starter the subsequent year. 2. A 3 and D wing. 3. A point guard to be the successor of Bynum/Breed/Durham.

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Revisiting 2020-2021 Bold Predictions

In the Summer of 2020, we made some bold predictions on the upcoming 2020-2021 basketball season. See here: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2020/07/01/bold-predictions-2020-2021-providence-friars/#more-2241

We analyze below where our predictions hit the mark and where we were terribly off. Let’s just say I was a more accurate prognosticator than the Crier himself.

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Stars, in Fact, Do Matter: Analyzing the Final 4 Rosters Relative to Recruiting Rankings

With all of the Providence news transpiring this past week, I thought it may be refreshing to take a step away from Friartown and look at hoops from a national landscape. Below, I have analyzed the final 4 teams in college basketball and how they have shaped their respective rosters.

I warn those reading this that I am a huge advocate for “recruiting rankings matter”. See my two articles below discussing why I think landing these recruits are the primary reason a program succeeds or fails.

Looking Back on PC’s Recruiting Classes & Their College Output: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2021/01/06/why-stars-matter-a-look-back-on-recruiting-classes-showing-why-pc-must-continue-to-land-top-tier-national-recruits/

Providence’s Recruiting Classes Relative to the Rest of the Big East: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2021/01/15/providence-recruiting-a-comparative-analysis-to-the-rest-of-the-big-east/

It is my personal belief that the more players you land in the 4 and 5 star range, the more likely your team is to have success. Those arguing against this have openly said to me that culture and scheme fit matter more than star rankings. I agree, to an extent, but a lot of times this statement is made when your school lands an unheralded 3 star recruit. Fans naturally try to justify the recruit by leaning on the culture and scheme fit instead of simply stating we whiffed on our Plan A recruits. Rationalization is a curious thing. You rarely hear a fan talking about culture and scheme fit when a 4 or 5 star commits to a school, but I digress.

Additionally, if a 4 or 5 star doesn’t pan out on your team, fans claim that star rankings are broken because said player didn’t produce relative to their high school ranking. You can cherry pick examples like this all day long, but I’m of the belief that a squad filled with 4 and 5 stars is going to beat the squad with 3 stars nine out of ten times. There are more examples of 4/5 stars having success than there are of 4/5 stars completely flaming out.

In looking at the rosters of the final 4 teams, I’ve uncovered a few themes worth mentioning:

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