Drew Fielder, the 6’9 stretch 4 man from Idaho, will be visiting Providence on an official visit this upcoming weekend. Fielder’s offer list has exponentially grown after this most recent AAU season, and he will continue to become a more nationally recognized name as he heads into his senior year at Southern California Academy.
Below, we break down the competition for the Friars in his recruitment, as well as discuss what he can do on the court. Lastly, we touch upon the player fit with this Providence program.
Recruiting Profile
https://247sports.com/player/drew-fielder-46125613/
Fielder is ranked as a 4 star, Top 125 player. After his performance at the Pangos All American camp, I’d expect Fielder to springboard into the Top 100. See the rave reviews from that weekend’s dominant performance:
Big time college programs are knocking down Fielder’s door to get a visit. Fielder has already done an official visit to USC and is visiting PC this weekend. Fielder will then visit Syracuse the following weekend.
PC has its hands full in this recruitment, but Fielder has been consistent in stating that PC is one of the schools recruiting him the hardest. It’ll be interesting to see if Fielder takes all of his official visits or shuts down his recruitment early after September’s close.
What the Friars uniquely have going for it is the commitment of his teammate Garwey Dual. Dual has blown up as well and is considered a consensus Top 75 recruit. You’d have to imagine Dual is pitching playing with him in Friartown.
Player Profile
Folks may say this is a “lazy comparison” with a hint of recency bias, but I see a lot of Noah Horchler in Drew Fielder. There aren’t many 6’9-6’10 guys with the versatility to score in the post and also knock down the deep ball. Fielder has that capability.
I think Cooley recognized last year how unique of a weapon Horchler was and is looking to replicate that in his offense. When you have a big man that can block shots, score in the mid range, and drag the opposing big man out of the paint, it unlocks the offense. Guards can penetrate freely without the paint being clogged, and it allows the 5 man to operate in the low post 1 on 1.
What is scary is that I think Fielder may be a better athlete and ball handler than Horchler. Horchler had trouble creating offense off the dribble, and I don’t see that with Fielder. He can score off the bounce and finish effortlessly in transition.
Program Fit
The Friars need big men next year…in a big way. Castro is legitimately the only frontcourt player after this year. Putting Hopkins in that category may even be a stretch, which speaks to the need for Fielder. Cooley has to be pitching immediate playing time and replication of Horchler’s role in this offense. I foresee Cooley trying to pair Fielder with Nwoko in the 2023 class and then add a veteran college big to start immediately.
If they can land Fielder, Nwoko, and a college transfer big, I’ll feel very good about the roster composition heading into next season.
NOW THAT WE HAVE FEILDER TO SIGHN. WE NEED TWO MORE BIGS AND I’M SURE BIG ED WILL TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS.