For the first time in Providence College basketball’s 97-year history they will conduct a Pro Day on campus on Thursday. The concept is a common practice in football but not so much in the hoops scene. There aren’t a ton of schools that host them but Kentucky held their annual one yesterday. According to Kim English on his radio show with John Rooke there would be representation from all 30 NBA franchises.
The Friars seem to have three players that have legitimate NBA Draft prospects this season, but it depends who you ask. Bleacher Report’s Jon Wasserman has only Bryce Hopkins off the board for the Friars at pick 49, while The Athletic’s Sam Vecine has Hopkins at 40 and Garwey Dual as a top-10 pick. If you ask the Crier he thinks Devin Carter will be attractive to scouts due to his pedigree and the fact that he can flat out ball.
As for some of the other guys, Ticket Gaines and Josh Oduro figure to be guys who can make a Summer League roster but maybe long shots to make a NBA roster. For guys like Jayden Pierre and Corey Floyd Jr it could put them on the radar for future drafts.
For every player on the roster it’s an opportunity to showcase their skills and get feedback from pro scouts. For Kim English it’s an innovative idea that can position the Friars well in future recruiting efforts. It’s yet another example of Kim English and staff bringing a fresh new mindset to the program. With Pro Day lined up and a basketball centric athletic trainer, Kim is using the great facilities PC has at their disposal to further modernize the program.
We will try and get you updates as they come in throughout the day including measurables.
It would be interesting to know what teams Mike and BOC’s pre-season NCAA top 25 picks are.