Progress. That’s how I’d view this game. After an ugly season opener, Providence made positive steps to finding its offensive identity, led by Jabri Abdur-Rahim and his 16 points. Wes Cardet served as his side-kick scoring 12 points at all levels on the offensive end. Bensley Joseph, the hero from game 1, had a more quiet night with 7 points while the up and down big man Essandoko also finished with 8. I’m actually pleased to see that they didn’t have to lean on Joseph in this one again, as it shows a balance offensively.
The transfers were the top 3 scorers, which is an illustration of potentially why this team is going to take longer to gel than some Friar squads in the past. There are just so many new faces, so patience is needed. Don’t be mistaken though. This win against Stonehill was a positive step forward.
We recap the keys to the game below and touch upon some other items of note from the game.
Big Man Rotation – I anticipated we’d see a more balanced rotation with the bigs, and we saw just that. Oswin got the starting nod again, and he played more minutes than Game 1 by playing 14 minutes. The staff is making it a deliberate point to bring him along slowly but surely, albeit while being named a starter as a true freshman.
I had also asked for Bonke to get early burn, and he did that with seeing time early in the first half. He played a total of 10 minutes, accumulating 4 fouls in that time. He is still so raw, so fans need to understand just how far he is from a finished product. His height is evident, and he is a physically imposing figure, but the speed of the game just seems a bit too much for him right now. At this juncture of the season, he’s an incredible reserve big who can give you 5-10 minutes and not be a liability. If he can score a few points off put backs and effectively contest a shot or two, he’s done his job effectively.
Essandoko played far less minutes than Game 1, logging 13 minutes, and he showed in this game why he was a coveted transfer. He knows how to use his size, which may seem obvious, but a lot of bigs don’t take advantage of that physical advantage. He does. When he puts it all together, he’s a nimble 300 pound big who has footwork for somebody not that size. You see the potential and can be excited by it.
The turnovers remain a massive issue for Essandoko. He leads the team with 9 turnovers, which is concerning when you realize he is not the point guard. I’d like to see English limit the freedom they are giving him on the offensive end, as he is hurting the team with silly turnovers. Isolating his defender and drawing up a few low post offensive possessions should be his bread and butter right now. Screen and rolls as well, as we saw successfully utilized against Stonehill. It is when he decides to dribble around the perimeter and/or outside the paint where bad things tend to happen. If that can be cut out from the game plan (for now), we’ll see a more effective Christ. Game 2 was a positive step forward for him.
In summary, remember that we have Essandoko and Bonke for 3 years, and Oswin for four. I said to my buddies that this is the worst they are going to be, and they will continue to improve each practice, each game, etc. We’ll be laughing about my frontcourt complaints in the future, but for now we have to live with the growing pains.
Cardet the Aggressor – Cardet showed me what I wanted to see by hunting for his own looks. He scored in a variety of ways, both from deep and downhill attacking.
Providence doesn’t have a ton of offensive weapons right now without Hopkins fully healthy, so Cardet needs to take the offensive scoring on his shoulders at times and be “selfish”. His 8 rebounds is a plus, as Providence may find its identity on the glass when Hopkins returns.
The main goal for English right now should be developing a few scoring options so that when Hopkins returns, he doesn’t have to pull a Devin Carter and wear a cape each game. Joseph, JAR, and Cardet seem to be up to the task.
Injured Players Coming to Form – Hello, Mr. Abdur-Rahim. What a coming out party for the grad transfer from New Jersey. He initially reminded me of Jalen Lindsey with his size and shooting ability, but I think he may have a slightly better dribble drive game than Lindsey. Abdur-Rahim is somebody you can draw up a look for, as he can make you pay by giving him an inch of space. He went 3-5 from deep and scored 16 on an efficient 7 shots from the floor. JAR and Barron are two players on Providence you absolutely have to account for from deep at all times, so I’m hoping we see those two on the court together frequently.
Floyd Jr. to Date – CFJr. is a lightning rod amongst the fanbase when brought up. For all the good he does (defense, extra effort, hustle, plus rebounder for his size), the detractors will point to his offensive numbers. At this stage in the season, both sides have valid points. Corey is everything you want a player to be, but he needs to start making his shots if he wants to maintain his spot in the starting line-up.
Floyd scored 8 points in the Stonehill game and is currently 5th on the team in scoring. He is logging the most minutes on the team at 29/game because he does all of the little things so well. On top of the 8 points, he had 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. He pads the stat sheet in more ways than one.
In the game against Stonehill, his looks from deep were quality looks and he only went 1-4. On the season he is second worst on the team at 27.8% from the floor. Nobody is asking for him to be a 40% three point shooter, but he needs to be knocking down 3’s at a 30-35% mark or else defenses will sag off him. That throws a major wrench into the English offense, as it clogs the paint, so I’m hopeful he finds his shot, but we also said that for the majority of the year last year.
It’s frustrating as a Floyd supporter like myself because he brings so many other positives to the court. And most importantly, Providence needs Floyd to emerge offensively in the absence of BHop.
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Defensive Efforts – I’d expect Providence to be a tough out defensively all season. They have so many bodies they can throw out there, and they are only going to get in better game shape as these players work back from injury. We saw a press in Game 1, and I’m wondering if we see that more fully utilized this season due to Providence going 10 deep.
Mela = Barron Part 2? – I think English and staff did it again. It appears he found another diamond in the rough in Ryan Mela. Mela scored 7 points and added 4 rebounds in just 11 minutes.
Mela was ranked slightly above where Barron was, as Barron was truly an unknown, but Mela looks like he is going to soundly outperform his 3 star ranking. Some players just have “it”. It’s early but Mela’s comfort and confidence in his first game is something I’m keeping my eye on. He may have more of a role than everybody anticipated. The kid can play.
Nice recap. Team still very sloppy and that is a disappointment at this time. 2 of the 3 big men are far to slow for big east action. Don’t see much improvement in last years leftovers at this time. Hopefully, we’ll see lots more improvement in their next cup cake game. Finally, I got a chance to see St. John’s play on Saturday a team with as many transfers and they are light years ahead of Providence at this time. Even Freshman Sorber from GT is much better than our big men at this time. So lets be real, right now our team is scary bad when thinking about the stretch coming up after the cup cakes.