January 19th, 2024 Update – It has been over two months since our last update to the 2024 Recruiting Primer. Since that time, the prevailing narrative has been the pursuit of elite 2025 recruits and the restocking of the cupboard for the frontcourt with the commitments of Oswin Erhunmwunse and Anton Bonke. While Oswin is still a 2025 recruit, there are rumors he may reclassify to the 2024 class. Additionally, Bonke is a Junior College transfer, so we can lump him into the 2024 recruiting class, as he is redshirting this spring semester. He will be eligible in the Fall of 2024 alongside Ryan Mela.
It is great to see the progress the Providence staff has made since November when the latest version of this article was published. Providence is in dire need of big men. We wrote about how the weakness of the roster has turned into a potential strength with the commitments of Oswin and Bonke. The final piece is a college transfer big.
A 2024 class potentially consists of a 3 star from New England, 5 star from Nigeria who reclassified, and unranked 7 footer off the coast of Australia. Go figure.
Below, we talk about remainder class needs and targets of interest in the 2024 class.
Recruiting Articles (In Case You Missed)
Frontcourt: Turning the Weakness into a Strength – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2024/01/14/the-week-of-the-frontcourt-turning-a-weakness-into-a-strength/
Introducing 7’2 JuCo Recruit Anton Bonke –https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/12/19/crier-recruiting-corner-introducing-72-center-anton-bonke/
Providence Lands Oswin Erhunmwunse – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2024/01/11/providence-lands-elite-big-man-oswin-erhunmwunse-analyzing-the-commitment/
Recruiting Rankings Matter, Part 2: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/12/06/recruiting-rankings-matter-part-2-how-far-is-the-roster-talent-from-championship-quality/
Recruiting Rankings Matter, Part 1: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/11/29/the-providence-crier-recruiting-feature-recruiting-rankings-matter-part-1/
Rankings Do Matter: Analyzing the Final Four Rosters by Recruiting Rankings – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2021/04/03/stars-in-fact-do-matter-analyzing-the-final-4-rosters-relative-to-recruiting-rankings/
2025 Recruiting Primer, Version 3.0 – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/04/30/2025-providence-college-high-school-recruiting-primer-version-1-0/
Crier Recruiting Corner – Luke Bamgboye – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/09/18/crier-recruiting-corner-introducing-2024-big-man-luke-bamgboye/
Crier Recruiting Corner – Ryan Mela – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/08/01/friars-add-3-star-wing-ryan-mela-to-2024-recruiting-class/
Crier Recruiting Corner – Eli DeLaurier – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/09/06/eli-delaurier-reclassifies-and-joins-friars-for-upcoming-season/
Crier Recruiting Corner – Del Jones – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/06/03/crier-recruiting-corner-del-jones/
Crier Recruiting Corner: Kany Tchanda: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2022/12/29/crier-recruiting-corner-introducing-kany-tchanda/
Areas of Need: 2024 Recruiting Class
- Shooters and Scorers – Ryan Mela checks this box with flying colors. He is a wing that can threaten from deep, but also attack off the dribble. He has had a monstrous senior year, and I think the consensus is that English found a gem of a local recruit. Cooley didn’t put all of his eggs in one basket and replenished the backcourt with combo guard type players in collegiate transfers in Devin Carter and Corey Floyd Jr. Devin Carter will likely be gone after his all-worldly season, but I expect Floyd Jr. to be a foundational piece of the starting 5 for years to come. English made his first mark as the Friar coach by landing George Mason transfer Justyn Fernandez. He reminds me a lot of Corey Floyd Jr. with a bit more athleticism, but less physicality/strength. He’s known as a shooter, but hasn’t really showcased that at the collegiate level to date. There have been comments about Fernandez being one of the best shooters on the team, but I want to see that come to fruition not just in practice, but when the bright lights come on. Fernandez should have 3 years in a Friar uniform. The duo of Floyd Jr. and Fernandez is a heck of a start on the wing for the post 2023-2024 version of the Friars.
English also was able to land shooters on the wing in the 2023 recruiting class in Rich Barron and Donovan Santoro. Barron was previously committed to him at George Mason. Santoro never backed out of his LOI and joined Garwey Dual in the 2023 class from Southern California Academy. Barron has been a really pleasant surprise and will be a 4 year contributor for the Friars. He has a smooth stroke and seems to fit in nicely in the Big East. Santoro is very much a project, and we need to see what this offseason brings before making a determination if Donovan can play at the Big East level. His size and shooting stroke certainly are appealing.
Where Providence needs help, with English acknowledging this, is landing more knock down shooters. English wants to play a 4 out offense, which essentially means there must be shooters on the court at all positions. Mela fits the bill here.
PC may look to add another wing to complement Mela. Simply put, English needs to add more players who can create one on one. This should be one of the two main priorities of the 2024 high school class, with the other main priority below.
2. Big Men. – This was a huge concern prior to the enrollment of Bonke and commitment of Oswin in the 2025 class. Losing Drew Fielder from the 2023 class was a blow to the Friars. You could have penciled him in to be the starting 4 man from his sophomore year on. Providence bounced back by landing a similar type of body in Eli DeLaurier. He was a 2024 recruit that reclassified into the 2023 class. With the limited play I’ve seen of DeLaurier, I don’t anticipate him being a solid contributor to the Friars until his junior year. He’s a project.
Castro and Bonke are the only “bigs” on the roster for next year, as I don’t necessarily think DeLaurier could handle guarding the 4’s and 5’s of the Big East quite yet. If Oswin reclassifies, the frontcourt is young and raw with Castro, Bonke, and Oswin, but has a ton of potential. The only thing English is missing right now is a college portal 5 man ready to start Day 1 as a Friar in 2024-2025. If he lands this individual, the frontcourt is in an incredibly healthy spot for 2024-2025 and subsequent years.
3. Lead Guard – If you recall, Daquan Davis was a one-time 2024 commitment. As it stands today, he is still not committed to another school. While point guard isn’t a huge necessity for the 2024 class like adding bigs and shooters are, it would be nice to have somebody like Davis in the fold alongside a junior Pierre and sophomore Dual. I believe this ship has sailed, but you never say never in this crazy recruiting world where NIL and the transfer portal are commonplace.
Roster Composition 2024 – 2025
| Point Guard | Combo Guard | Wing | Stretch 4 | Traditional Big |
| Jayden Pierre – Junior | Justyn Fernandez – Sophomore | Donovan Santoro – Sophomore | Bryce Hopkins – Senior | Anton Bonke – Sophomore |
| Garwey Dual – Sophomore | Corey Floyd Jr. – Junior | Devin Carter – Senior | Rafael Castro – Junior | |
| Rich Barron – Sophomore | Ryan Mela – Freshman | Eli DeLaurier – Sophomore |
RECRUITS OF INTEREST
Guards
Del Jones – Huntington Prep – 4 Star, Top 100 – https://247sports.com/player/del-jones-46128769/
Jones plays for Huntington Prep. Jones committed to Clemson, and it was apparent we stopped pursuing Jones after the Davis commitment. With the decomittment of Davis, it may be worth keeping tabs on Jones and how firm his commitment is. Jones has some connections from prep ball with big man Luke Bamgboye.
Daquan Davis – St. Johns in Washington D.C. – 4 Star, Top 100 player – https://247sports.com/player/daquan-davis-46128752/
UPDATE: Davis was the first commitment of the 2024 class. He now holds the title of being the first de-commitment of the class too! I doubt PC gets back involved, but it may be worth not burning any bridges and maintaining a relationship.
Kayvaun Mulready – 6’4 Shooting Guard from Massachusetts, 4 Star Top 100 Player – https://247sports.com/player/kayvaun-mulready-46133995/
UPDATE: Mulready spurned the Friars and is committed to Georgetown.
Wings
Ryan Mela – 6’6 Wing from Natick, MA – 3 Star, Top 225 – https://247sports.com/player/ryan-mela-46136183/
COMMITTED to Providence. Mela will likely see his ranking rise to a Top 150 player by the end of his senior year. Regardless, English and staff prioritized Mela, which is all I need to see. He is having a huge senior year and is one of the top players in all of Massachusetts.
https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/08/01/friars-add-3-star-wing-ryan-mela-to-2024-recruiting-class/
Derrion Reid – 6’7 Wing from Georgia – 4 Star, Top 40 – https://247sports.com/player/derrion-reid-46133023/
This was a recent offer by Kim English. English has thrown out a few offers to the Peach State and has been down in that area actively recruiting. This reads as a typical SEC recruitment, but we’ll see what comes of it. Georgia highly in the mix.
Caleb Williams – 6’7 Wing from Sidwell Friends – 3 Star Top 150 Player – https://247sports.com/player/caleb-williams-46131456/
UPDATE: Williams has committed to Georgetown.
Isaiah Abraham – 6’7 Wing from Paul VI – 4 Star Top 100 Player – https://247sports.com/player/isaiah-abraham-46127979/
UPDATE: This was a tough miss for Providence and Coach Kim English. Abraham chose UConn over the Friars and a few others.
George Turkson Jr. – 6’6 Small Forward from Mass, 4 Star Top 100 Player – https://247sports.com/player/george-turkson-46114374/
You will notice that the early offers in the Class of 2024 had a regional flare to them. Turkson plays for Mass Rivals.
UPDATE: Turkson committed to Texas A&M.
Kur Teng – 6’4 Shooting Guard from Mass, 4 Star Top 50 Player – https://247sports.com/player/kur-teng-46116694/
Teng is bordering on 5 star status and has blown up on the AAU scene recently. While Turkson is more of wing, Teng can handle the ball as well as score with ease. Teng and Turkson would be the ideal 2/3 pairing in college offensive sets. Teng is one of the best scorers in the entire 2024 class.
UPDATE: Teng committed to Michigan State.
Bryce Dortch – 6’8 Wing/Stretch 4 from Massachusetts, 3 Star Top 150 Player – https://247sports.com/player/bryce-dortch-46118352/
Dortch has come onto the scene and comes from programs friendly to Providence.
UPDATE: Dortch committed to Rutgers. Good land for Coach Pikiell, who has become quite chummy with the Mass Rivals program. That’s a great development if you are a fan of the Scarlet Knights.
Bigs
Luke Bamgboye – 6’10 Center from Arizona – 4 Star Top 125 Player – https://247sports.com/player/luke-bamgboye-46127980/
Bamgboye, as of this writing, may no longer have a spot in the 2024 recruiting class for the Friars. As of two-three months ago, he was looking like the most realistic big for the 2024 class, but as time passed, English began to target other bigs. Bamgboye took an official visit to Providence, but didn’t pull the trigger. I’d be surprised if we hear Bamgboye’s name again when it comes to Friar recruiting.
Somto Cyril – 7’0 Big from Nigeria – Currently playing at Overtime Elite – https://247sports.com/player/somto-cyril-46115838/
UPDATE: Committed to Kentucky.
Cyril took an official visit to Providence April 25th – 27th. There were rumors that Cyril may reclass into the 2023 recruiting class, but that never came to fruition. Cyril is one of the top big men in the 2024 class.
The curveball here is that Cyril is internationally born, so there are some wonky stipulations around NIL (recall what Adama Sonogo went through).
Derik Queen – 6’9 Center from Baltimore, MD – Currently playing at IMG Academy – 5 Star Top 10 Player – https://247sports.com/player/derik-queen-46109941/
This is what you call swinging for the fences by Mr. English. Queen was perceived to be a heavy Maryland lean, but the changes to the assistants with Tony Skinn may have opened the door back up here. This is English using his DMV ties again. I’m not getting my hopes up, but I love seeing English pursue the best of the best. At this time, it appears to be an Indiana vs. Maryland recruitment with Providence on the outside looking in.
Garrett Sundra – 6’10 Power Forward from Paul VI in Virginia – 4 Star Top 100 Player – https://247sports.com/player/garrett-sundra-46137148/
UPDATE: Sundra committed to Notre Dame.
Kany Tchanda – 6’9 Center from North Carolina, 3 Star Top 150 Player – https://247sports.com/Player/Kany-Tchanda-46131602/
Tchanda attends Winston Salem Christian. This was a recruit from the prior regime under Ed Cooley. We’ll see if English gets involved, but it has been crickets for awhile. Tchanda did an official visit almost a year ago. He would fit the rim running big men who can also step out and shoot that seem to be what English is targeting.
Prediction
BOC: I predicted in November of 2023 that we would land 3-4 players in this class, with 2 of those players being big men. Technically, I was right about the two bigs but neither are as of this moment high school recruits in the 2024 class. Recruiting in this era is a whirlwind.
Let’s not overlook the win that is the Mela recruitment. Ryan Mela is a great “program piece” that probably isn’t getting the accolades he deserves because he committed so long ago without any drama. He has been torching the AAU and High School season his senior year.
Great recap. I wonder if Dual and Bynum are connected…if Bynum decides to use his 5th, then I can see Dual leaving. I’m sure Bynum’s slow start was factored into Garwey’s decision not to ink the NLI.
Cunningham is listed at 6-7 – 6-8.