This past weekend was a big one for campuses across the country with the first weekend of college football getting underway. For the Friars, the next two weekends prove to be big, at least in terms of their 2023 recruiting class. PC will host three recruits for official visits over the next two weekends. The first being this upcoming weekend as the Friars will have both Curtis Williams Jr and Michael Nwoko on campus starting Friday.
We break down each player and what they could mean to the Friar program.
Curtis Williams Jr is 6-6 forward hailing from Michigan. He is ranked the 69th overall prospect according to 247sports. He’s a versatile wing with good face up game and the ability to score through contact. Williams also rebounds well for his position.
In terms of need, Providence is always looking to add talent on the wings. They have a ton of talent at the guard position, but not necessarily the 3/4 spot, where Williams translates.
He visits Providence this weekend, followed by a visit to Louisville, before making his decision September 19th. PC and Louisville were a little late to the game in his recruitment but he speaks highly of each program and it could possibly come down to those two. I’m sure fellow Michigan native and Friar assistant LeDontae Henton has helped in the recruitment of Williams, as their games are similar.
Michael Nwoko is a 6-10 240 lb Canadian big man that plays for Prolific Prep out in California. Nwoko plays a physical brand of basketball and he is an absolute beast around the rim.
Nwoko is ranked 108th best prospect in 2023 according to 247sports but his game should translate, and would be a great fit in the Big East. Providence has been recruiting him for some time but have stiff competition to go up against. Nwoko has visited Northwestern and Vanderbilt and after Providence will visit High Point, Georgia Tech, Miami and UCLA. The Bruins are perceived to be the front runner but a good visit could change that.
Nwoko has to look at the availability of playing time as a freshman at Providence and begin to salivate. He also has to like that Cooley still uses big men in the traditional sense.
Providence is looking to add some serious talent to join Garwey Dual in the class of 2023. Williams Jr and Nwoko are two impact players that would be excellent additions to the program. Landing either of these two would mark a successful weekend. Landing both would be quite a statement to the rest of the Big East.
In case you missed it, we did a comprehensive deep dive into the 2023 recruiting class: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2022/09/06/the-2023-recruiting-primer-providence-friars/#more-4319