As the offseason winds on, Providence is faced with a glaring need to fill the starting five spot left vacant by the graduation of All-Conference big man Josh Oduro. One could argue that this is the most immediate need coming out of the portal.
The irony is that, post 2024-2025, the frontcourt appears to be in a very healthy spot from both a talent and depth perspective. The frontcourt has the following players manning it: Anton Bonke, Oswin Erhunmwunse, Eli DeLaurier. I personally believe Bonke and Oswin will be the future of the PC frontcourt and serve as one of the better frontcourt in all of the Big East for years to come. The issue is that, right now, they are both young, inexperienced, and likely not ready to take the starting 5 spot. Thus, there is a need to have a veteran big man with college experience step in and take the starting 5 spot immediately.
Insert Sam Alexis.
Alexis, the 6’9 Chattanooga big man from Apopka, Florida, recently cut his list to five final schools with a heavy SEC lean unsurprisingly. PC made the cut alongside home school Florida. Alexis has also set a visit to Providence in mid-April. Providence is trending very nicely, but it may be tough to beat out the local school in UF.
Below, we break down his game and how he’d fit with the Providence Friars.
Recruiting Profile
Alexis was an unranked recruit out of high school and committed to Chattanooga over schools like Stetson and Towson. Not exactly murderer’s row, but we’ve seen diamonds in the rough emerge consistently in this transfer portal era.
Playing Time to Date
Alexis has played two years of college basketball. His freshman year he played in all of his team’s games, but did not start. He averaged 5 points and 4 rebounds. In his sophomore year, he started 32 games for Chattanooga. He’d have two years of eligibility if he we were to enroll at Providence. I think the pitch for Alexis may be to man the 5 spot this year, and he can theoretically start at the 4 or 5 as a senior.
Analyzing His Game
When watching film on Alexis, he is much more in the Nate Watson/Ed Croswell mold than Josh Oduro. He averaged 11 points and 9 rebounds this past season, using his physicality and often times brute force to contribute. We’ve all become enamored with the foot work in the paint from Josh Oduro, and I don’t think it’s fair to expect the same from Alexis. He’ll bring a rugged, gritty style of play to Providence should he choose to enroll.
A Bryce Hopkins/Sam Alexis frontcourt may lack the ideal height required of the Big East, but it may be one of the better rebounding tandems in the country. Alexis came in as a Top 50 rebounder in the nation last year, and was a savant on the offensive glass.
Alexis, much like Oduro, is a very skilled passing big. He can find cutters and put his teammates in positions to score through his adept passing ability.
Defensively, he is an elite shot blocker despite subpar size at the 5. He averaged 2.1 blocks/game at the 5.
I don’t expect him to be a frequently shooting big man from deep, illustrated by his 26% from 3. He is a willing and able shooter, but it’s not something I would rely on. He’ll be the rim running big on offense who creates second chance opportunities, cleans up around the rim, and swats shots defensively. It’d be more of a modern use of a big man that will likely be heavily involved in the screen and pick and roll game.
He will likely never be the focal point of the offense like Josh Oduro was at times, but that’s okay. If English can add more shooters and scorers this offseason, Alexis can be a secondary offensive option and manufacture his own offense off rebounds and loose balls.
Playing With Providence
I have a few concerns and hesitations with Alexis, admittedly. 6’9 is 6’9, and we often got hurt by taller frontcourt players this past year. I think this can be mitigated by situationally substituting in Anton Bonke, as well as understanding that Alexis makes up for his lack of ideal height at the 5 with his leaping ability and physicality.
My other concern is making the leap to the Big East from Chattanooga. That’s not a small jump in quality of play (and players), and I get concerned defaulting to counting on this guy as the starting 5. As mentioned above, Alexis only has one year of starting experience in college.
It’s a potentially risky gamble by Kim English to count on Alexis to produce, and you don’t want to run into a situation where the jump to the Big East is too vast, and it becomes immediately apparent a few practices in that Alexis isn’t a Big East starting caliber big man. If he isn’t the guy, you are counting on a very raw Bonke as a JuCo transfer and potentially a true freshman that has reclassified in Oswin Erhunmwunse. I love the potential of those two players, but I’m not sure they’ll be starter ready in 2024.
Recruiting Competition
Providence has the second official visit, with Florida being the first visit. I’m nervous about the local kid returning home to play for his state school and shutting down his recruitment immediately after the Florida visit.
If Providence can get him on campus even after the Florida visit, I think their chances increase significantly. Florida is a ways away from Providence, and I’m hopeful the sales pitch of playing for a basketball first school resonates more than the pull of returning home.
Summary
Providence desperately needs a 5 man who can step in Day 1 and start. I’m not sure if Alexis fits the bill, but it appears English and staff are trusting their evaluation here.
If Providence can land Alexis, they fill the hole of arguably their biggest need on the roster.
We’ll know more in a few weeks.
Providence Recruiting Articles
Crier Recruiting Corner – Introducing Miami Guard Bensley Joseph – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2024/04/02/crier-portal-guide-spotlight-miami-guard-bensley-joseph/
Crier Recruiting Corner – Introducing Gavin Griffiths – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2024/04/02/crier-recruiting-corner-introducing-rutgers-freshman-wing-gavin-griffiths/
2024 Portal Guide – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2024/03/26/providence-crier-portal-guide/
2024 Portal Needs – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2024/03/24/2024-providence-crier-portal-needs/
Garwey Dual Transfers – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2024/03/22/garwey-dual-reportedly-enters-transfer-portal-analyzing-the-impact/
Crier Recruiting Corner, Introducing Jaylen Harrell – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2024/02/20/crier-recruiting-corner-introducing-2025-wing-jaylen-harrell/
Crier Recruiting Corner – Introducing Jamier Jones – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2024/02/19/crier-recruiting-corner-taking-a-look-at-oak-ridges-jamier-jones-25/
The Week of the Frontcourt – Turning a Weakness into a Strength – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2024/01/14/the-week-of-the-frontcourt-turning-a-weakness-into-a-strength/
Providence Lands 2025 Big Oswin Erhunmwunse – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2024/01/11/providence-lands-elite-big-man-oswin-erhunmwunse-analyzing-the-commitment/
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/
In my opinion, based on your narrative, Alexis is too much of a gamble. We need someone with more height who has experience playing in a major conference like Bensley Joseph. Let’s face it unless the player is very very skilled 6’9 will not cut it in the Big East. Hopefully Bonke can make an impact next year. Fingers crossed! Go Friars!