While it has been tough sledding of recent on the court for the 2023-2024 Providence Friars, Providence received superb recruiting news off the floor when Top 40 nationally ranked big man Oswin Erhunmwunse of Putnam Science Academy decided to pledge his allegiance to Kim English and the Providence Friars. The 2025 rim running big man is one of the highest ranked commitments in the modern recruiting era for the Providence Friars. This commitment is a testament to the hard work that the Providence staff has put in since they were hired by Providence.
With Oduro out of eligibility this year and Castro still a relatively unproven and unknown entity, the path to early playing time and a prominent role the moment he steps on campus (whether that be the Fall of 2024 or 2025) is there for Big Oswin.
Below, we detail his recruitment, playing style, and how he fits with the Providence Friars.
I can’t reiterate enough how important winning this recruitment was for Kim English and the Providence Friars. Oswin fills a huge void in the frontcourt and has the national recognition to potentially lure other elite recruits to Friartown.
Over a month ago, we did a detailed breakdown of his playing style and game in the article above. Take a glance if you want a breakdown of who was involved with his recruitment and what his playing style is like. In short, he’s a modern athletic big that protects the rim with ease, can finish effortlessly in the pick and roll game, and will be a beast in transition. Defensively, he’s an eraser.
Analyzing the Recruiting Rankings
No matter what publication you look at, Oswin is truly considered a special talent. 247 Sports has him as the #40 overall player in the 2025 class and #4 Center. The mind-blowing aspect of that ranking is that 247 is the LOWEST on him as a recruit. On3 has Oswin as #19 overall, while ESPN has him at #27 and Rivals at #16. When aggregating, the 247 Composite Ranking has him at 23 overall, #2 Center in his class, and a 5 star.
5 Stars, for those that don’t know, are the cream of the crop when it comes to player evaluations. There are routinely only 20-30 5 star recruits in a given year, and they are designated for those type of players that have a likely future playing in the NBA.
For those that follow Providence and recruiting, you know how rare of a land this is. Providence doesn’t often win these recruitments where a player is likely considered a potential one-and-done. Oswin is squarely in that category. For perspective, Dual was #38 overall on the 247 Composite. The only recruits of recent that were ranked higher than Big Oswin were Ricky Ledo and Kris Dunn. Re-read that and let that sink in.
These are the type of recruits that change the trajectory of your basketball program. You land one or two of these type of recruits, and your ceiling goes from second weekend to third and fourth weekend, if you catch my drift. It’s okay and fair to say that and heighten your expectations. I wrote an entire article (linked below) about how the better you recruit, the more likely you are to go far in the dance.
Analyzing the Impact of His Commitment
Beyond the recruiting rankings, Oswin fills a huge void in the frontcourt for the Friars. It is still to be determined if Oswin reclassifies into the 2024 class and enrolls next year. If he does, he won’t face much competition for playing time based on the current roster composition. I do expect English to pursue landing a college portal big man who is Day 1 ready to start and contribute. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him pursue two college bigs due to the current roster construction. They need help desperately in that area.
As it stands, Oswin would likely slot into the starting 5 if he enrolls next year. There is a scenario where your starting frontcourt is Bryce Hopkins and Oswin Erhunmwunse. He’d be battling Rafael Castro for that 5 spot, and there are legitimately no other threats to that starting spot. Do I expect that to change over the next 6-12 months? Absolutely.
The nice thing about Erhunmwunse is his versatility. He can play the 4 or 5. With however the roster shakes out, I’d expect Oswin to play 20+ minutes the moment he steps on campus. He’s a freaky athlete and special talent. These type of players don’t come around often.
Impact of Oswin’s Commitment – Perception
Elite recruits want to play with other elite recruits. As we’ve highlighted on our podcast and in recruiting articles, Kim English has done a fantastic job getting Top 2025 recruits on campus for visits. Joson Sanon, Jaylen Harrell, Mikel Brown, Efeosa Oliogu, Jamier Jones. The list goes on.
With Oswin pledging his commitment to the Friars, it sends a shockwave through the recruiting world that Providence is a potential destination for elite recruits. I’m sure guards and wings would love to play alongside a high flying big man like Erhunmwunse. This will only help English and staff as they try to round out the 2025 class with other blue chip recruits.
It also helps to land a stud recruit from a powerhouse program like Putnam Science Academy. They are routinely churning out high level D1 prospects, and it would be nice for English to build a pipeline there similar to how Ed Cooley did with Mass Rivals.
What’s Next
It is yet to be determined if Erhunmwunse enrolls next year or in 2025. Regardless, Kim is looking to stockpile talent for future years at Providence. I’d look for English to add to the 2025 class with a point guard and wing. He also may try to land another large 3, stretch 4.
Once this offseason hits, I fully expect English to land one (or two) college bigs in the transfer portal.
You could not ask for a better start to the 2025 recruiting class.
This is a great day to be a Friar.
Providence Crier Recruiting Articles
Introducing 7’2 JuCo Recruit Anton Bonke –https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/12/19/crier-recruiting-corner-introducing-72-center-anton-bonke/
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/
2024 Recruiting Primer, Version 8.0 – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/03/27/providence-college-basketball-recruiting-class-of-2024/
2024 Luke Bamgboye – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/09/18/crier-recruiting-corner-introducing-2024-big-man-luke-bamgboye/
Eli DeLaurier Commits to Providence & Reclassifies – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/09/06/eli-delaurier-reclassifies-and-joins-friars-for-upcoming-season/
Ryan Mela Commits to Providence – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/08/01/friars-add-3-star-wing-ryan-mela-to-2024-recruiting-class/
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