We have talked all offseason about how important it is for Kim English to add a true scoring guard to attempt to replace the production of Devin Carter. That’s no small task, but Providence needed to find somebody to create offense off the dribble and threaten the defense from the perimeter, midrange, and at the rim. Wesley Cardet Jr., the 6’6 wing transfer from Chicago State, appears to be that guy.
The senior from Florida averaged 18.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists last year. We’ll dive to it in more detail below, but his athleticism and ability to finish in traffic really stands out to me. I’m also incredibly intrigued by the length and size he brings to the 2/3 position as a two way player.
With his addition, the Providence staff has hit their mark on all of the needs they had to address this offseason: another lead guard alongside Pierre, a five man to replace Oduro, a shooting wing that can slide to the 4, and a true scoring guard. With this addition, Providence should be all set with additions in the transfer portal, and we now have a complete view of what the 2024-2025 roster is comprised of. We’re awaiting one final decision on a roster spot, but we should have more clarity on that in the coming months.
Below, we break down Cardet Jr.’s game and how he fits with the Providence Friars.
Recruiting Profile
Don’t let the stints at Samford and Chicago State fool you. Cardet Jr. was considered a 4 star, Top 100 recruit coming out of high school in Florida. 247 had him at 78 overall while the Composite had him at 108. He chose Samford over some incredibly impressive offers like Alabama, Auburn, and Illinois.
The article below goes in depth on this choice, but he appears to have chosen Samford due to family ties on the staff.
College Production To Date
I’m going to trust ESPN with this stat, which may be a foolish decision, but he has started every game he’s played in since entering college. That’s 89 games. He transferred to Chicago State after his freshman year. I like that his last year production wasn’t a fluke. He averaged a pretty similar stat line his first year at Chicago State, scoring 16.6 points, 5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists.
His career to date has him as a 44% field goal shooter and 33.2% from deep. He’s a more than solid 76.1% from the charity stripe.
On the 13-19 squad from last year, he led the team in scoring and oddly assists (2.6 assists). Without watching his team thoroughly, that makes me think the offense was rather individual-centric. Nobody should be leading the team in assists at 2.6 assists, but I digress. He was second in minutes played and third in rebounds.
Providence pounced on getting Wesley to visit as soon as he entered the portal, which makes me believe he was a priority target for them. They wanted to finalize this recruitment before other big time schools got involved. That’s the nature of portal recruiting.
Analyzing His Game
I love Cardet Jr.’s ability to finish off the dribble. His size allows him to creatively finish at the rim and in traffic. He is a well-built 6’6 with plus athleticism. He can play well above the rim, and his build allows him to not be too adversely affected by the defense. As a senior, I don’t foresee the jump in physicality playing in the Big East being too much of a factor. He’s fantastic in transition and has a great handle despite being a plus sized guard.
He also can beat you from the perimeter, which makes him a nightmare to defend. We won’t have to worry about defenders sagging off him and daring him to score from deep.
His ability to beat defenders off the dribble is going to be really effective for the rest of his Friar teammates. He should be surrounded by shooters, which will put the defense in a bind: help defense slides over and he kicks to the open man from deep or trusting your guy to defend him 1:1. This type of player that can create offense on his own is what Providence was lacking up until his commitment. It’s the final puzzle piece.
Defensively, I love adding a 6’6 senior wing into the mix. He can contest his man on the perimeter and provide some weak side rim protection. The length and size on the perimeter is intriguing to me. Adding Cardet Jr. and Abdur-Rahim to the wing checks a box with experience and size defensively.
Fit With The Friars
It’s going to be an absolute war for the starting 1-3 spot. We’ve assumed that Pierre and Joseph will start alongside each other, but maybe that’s premature? There are three starting spots open right now in the backcourt and the following players are vying for them: Pierre, Joseph, Cardet Jr., Abdur-Rahim, Barron, Floyd Jr., and Fernandez. To be a fly on the wall during those practices…
It’s safe to say Cardet Jr. is the odds on favorite to be the starting 2/3. He brings an ability to score on his own that this roster severely lacks.
I want to see him play with a competitive roster. It’s nice to see his stats of him scoring 20+, but he did that on a team that was sub .500. Can he be as effective on an NCAA tournament team where he’s a scoring option and not THE scoring option? We’ll see.
You also have to be concerned about him jumping up a few levels to the Big East. Can he play at this level? Against Northwestern and Kansas State, he poured in 30 and 19, respectively. Against Wisconsin and Oklahoma State, he scored 10 and 5, respectively. I’d anticipate him being a 10-12 point scorer at the Big East level. My concern is if he can do that efficiently and not off being a volume shooter. For what it’s worth, I had those same exact concerns with BJ Freeman.
Summary
English said he wanted 13 dudes, and that competition will bring out the best in everybody. I personally believe we no longer will worry about the fall off in production once the bench comes into the game. Last year, we could only reasonably rely on 7-8 players. Next year, I could see playing time go 10-11 deep. As I’ve said before, I don’t think we’ll have the 1-2 punch that we had last year with Carter and Oduro, but this team will be much more well rounded. I think this will be one of the deeper teams in America.
We’ll see how the season plays out, but you have to absolutely love the roster composition if you are a Friar fan. It’s still very early, but you can make an argument right now this is one of the most complete rosters in the Big East. English was efficient in finding players in the portal, and he can now heavily focus on roster development, rotations, and 2025 recruiting. That’s a great place to live.
Providence Crier Recruiting Articles
Jabri Abdur Rahim Commits to Providence – Analyzing the Impact – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2024/04/18/wing-jabri-abdur-rahim-joins-the-friar-family-analyzing-the-impact/
Crier Recruiting Corner – Introducing BJ Freeman & Anthony Dell’Orso – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2024/04/11/crier-portal-spotlight-closer-look-at-wings-bj-freeman-anthony-dellorso/
Analyzing the Impact of Chris Essandoko – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2024/04/10/the-return-of-christ-one-time-friar-commit-transfers-to-providence/
Crier Recruiting Corner – Introducing Chattanooga Forward Sam Alexis – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2024/04/05/crier-recruiting-corner-introducing-chattanooga-big-sam-alexis/
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/
Does P.C. have any interest in Jayden Epps as he has entered the Portal?