Ahead of the 2024-2025 season, The Providence Crier is doing an extensive player preview for each scholarship player for the Providence Friars.
Justyn Fernandez, now healthy and in his third year of college, is primed for a noteworthy role for the 2024-2025 Providence Friars. Fernandez followed Kim English to Providence from George Mason. Fernandez enrolled at George Mason as one of the highest ranked recruits in GMU history as a consensus 4 star recruit. Unfortunately, a lower body injury derailed the sophomore campaign of Fernandez, who medically redshirted last year.
With Fernandez seemingly having a clean bill of health in 2024, he is presented with the opportunity to land a rotational role at the wing for Providence and has a legitimate shot to be the starting 2 or 3 for the Friars if the stars align for him.
Fernandez is known for being a superb athlete who can get out in the open court, run, and play above the rim. While we haven’t seen it in a Friar uniform, his athleticism and plus size at 6’5 allows him defensively to guard multiple positions. His primary position is likely to be the 3, but I can see him eating into minutes as both a secondary ball handler at the 2 and small ball 4 in a pinch.
What has caught my attention over the past year is the multitude of reports from various sources saying Fernandez may also be one of the best deep ball shooters on this team. If Fernandez has maintained his athleticism post injury and can knock down the three ball at a 35-40% clip, it rapidly increases his chances of being a key cog in the rotation.
I’m going to throw a bunch of cold water on the Fernandez hype, unfortunately. I’m truly in “wait and see” mode with Justyn, as we’ve been burned too many times with reports from practice that don’t translate to games. There’s a difference between burying jump shots in an empty gym and doing it in front of 10,000 screaming fans. I need to see him go out and do it in a game before I buy into the hype.
I’m hesitant for a couple of reasons. For one, he didn’t exactly light the world on fire as a 4 star freshman in the A-10. As a true freshman, he averaged only 14 minutes, started 13 games, and scored 4 points. Even if he didn’t get injured last year, the jump from the A-10 to the Big East is a big one. Now, layer on top the lower body injury. Will he be back to his normal self pre-injury? Can he retain his explosiveness? These are all questions I have. This explains my hesitancy, and I lay out these concerns in the most respectful of ways to Justyn. Nothing would make me happier than to see him (and Bryce) bounce back from serious injuries and have a stellar season with a clean bill of health.
Fernandez may be victim of the “shiny new toy” syndrome by the Friar fanbase. We haven’t seen him, so the unknown is always more appealing than the known of Barron and Floyd Jr. because we know the “warts” or “shortcomings” of known commodities. While Corey may not have exploded onto the scene the past two years like many expected him to, he’s been through the wringer in the Big East the past two years and has a ton of game experience. That is invaluable.
My realistic expectations for Fernandez are playing 15 minutes a game and being a spark offensively and defensively off the bench. I think the starting backcourt will be Pierre, Joseph, and Cardet, with Fernandez, Barron, and Floyd Jr. fighting for the next man up in the rotation. Barron is coming off a stellar freshman campaign, while Floyd Jr. is now entering his fourth year of college and third year of actively playing in the Big East. If Fernandez leapfrogs both of them, that is a great sign for both him and the Providence Friars because it shows he earned playing time over those two. The depth at the wing is incredible so he won’t default into playing time due to a lack of Big East bodies on the roster. Playing time at the wing will be earned this year in Friartown.
Fernandez can earn minutes first and foremost by being a pest on the defensive end and finishing the easy buckets in transition. We know English prides his team on defensive effort, and Fernandez’s calling card can be his ability to guard the 1-3 without being a liability.
My ask of Friar fans is to be patient with Fernandez. We’ve seen with Pierre and Floyd Jr. just how hard it is to get comfortable in the Big East as an underclassman, and I think Fernandez will face those same struggles physically and mentally. Please remember it’ll be about a year and a half since he stepped on a college court in a live game. Let him get his feet wet early, and I trust English and staff to not put too much on his plate from the onset. My personal opinion is that the 2024-2025 season will be the appetizer for a potentially potent 2025-2026 season for Justyn.
Crowdsourced Expectations for Justyn Fernandez
We asked a few Friar season ticket holders for their expectations for each of the players so we can get a variety of opinions on roles and expectations. See below:
Joe, Class of 2012: The first time I saw him in person, I was surprised by his size. He’s taller than DC22. Serious athlete, fast.
He hasn’t played a full season of CBB, so definitely expect some ramp up. Last time he touched the court was off the bench at GM. I see him and CFJ as very similar skill sets. If he gets 8-10 quality minutes on this roster, that’s a big win for him this year.
Pete, Class of 2011: I was impressed by JF tape coming out of high school. He looks to be a true athlete; serious bounce, more size than people realize (I think he’s legit 6’5), can attack the rim, run the floor etc. If he can shoot the rock the way people say he can, at a 35%+ from 3, guard well, I think he can play meaningful minutes.
In my mind, he’s a guy Kim trusts the most, similar to Ticket, because of their time together. If he’s healthy and can be a legit option on offense, I think he gets minutes when it counts because he’s a KE guy. I think 8-12 minutes would be right and great. Because that means others are contributing the way we hope they can.
Great review -Thx for sharing. LGF.