Providence had its backs against the wall, missing Bryce Hopkins, Eli DeLaurier, Rich Barron, and Christ Essandoko due to injury. Losers of the last 4 straight and siting at 7-8, it would have been easy for Providence to mail this game in.
The rest of the roster had other plans. The “Next Man In” mentality was in effect, as Providence tied its season high in points, had four scorers in double figures, and played its arguably most connected form of team basketball all season.
In a season of ups and downs, this win built off the strong showing on the road against Connecticut and gives Providence fans a glimmer of hope for the rest of the season and the long term future.
Providence was led by precocious freshman Ryan Mela, who in his first start scored 10 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. In my opinion, he’s the smartest player on the Friar roster and elevates the level of his play for all of his teammates.
Jayden Pierre, Wesley Cardet, and Bensley Joseph combined for 53 points on 53% shooting. Four others Friars scored in this game as well, which paints the picture of a team finally buying into each other and putting the team first.
We recap the win below and revisit some of our keys to the game in the preview article.
Revisiting Keys to Game
Win Turnover Battle– Providence still plays too much 1:1 basketball for my liking (only 10 assists), but they only had 8 turnovers in this game. Providence played smart basketball and didn’t shoot itself in the foot. When you are down 4 scholarship players, with one of them being All-Conference talent, you need to play clean basketball. Providence did just that. This is a welcome development and hopefully becomes a trend, as PC only had 10 turnovers against Connecticut.
Guards Need to Play Well– Consider this box checked. Pierre is at this point of his career a scorer first and distributor second, and that is okay. A necessity this offseason is finding a true point to play alongside him so he can continue to hunt his shot his senior year.
Bensley Joseph came off the bench, but is a de-facto starter. He played 29 minutes and was efficient with shooting, going 7-13 from the floor. I personally loved him pushing the pace in transition and beating the defense down the court.
Control the Glass– Providence owned the glass, outrebounding Butler 43-26. Providence created many second chance opportunities, getting 14 offensive rebounds to Butler’s 6. With an offense turning the corner, the more opportunities, the better.
Guarding the Butler Two Headed Monster – Telfort and Brooks combined for 34, but they didn’t dominate the game in a way that they both certainly can. Butler needs some more role players around them. Both of these guys are All-Conference caliber, but the rest of the roster is severely lacking. It reminds me of many Cooley teams of old that had 1-2 elite talents, but recruiting misses led to a subpar roster.
Bonke Coming Out Party? This was certainly a hot take, and it didn’t come to fruition like I anticipated. Bonke did have 4 points and 3 boards, but didn’t play the amount of minutes I anticipated.
We preached pre-season about patience with Bonke, and that still rings true. I do think he is a Big East caliber player, but he’s still probably a year away. With Oswin coming on strong of late, Bonke will need to be used as a sub for Oswin when he needs a breather and/or gets in foul trouble. Turning to a 7’2 five man as your substitute 5 isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Same Offensive Strategy as UConn – Providence had 70 attempts total, with only 24 of those being three pointers. Another step in the right direction. Most important, the looks from deep were for the most part all quality looks. They averaged 42% from 3. This is the winning strategy for Providence, especially when missing a shooter like Rich Barron. This team isn’t built to let it fly from deep. They are more suited for the drive and finish game.
Summary
Even if this season doesn’t materialize like we anticipated with a postseason birth, you look at the contributions last night and can genuinely believe the future is bright. The true freshmen in Ryan Mela and Oswin Erhunmwunse will be starters moving forward and are flashing enough to think they will eventually be All-Conference type talents. Providence theoretically should return Pierre, Floyd Jr., Bonke, Fernandez, Barron, and DeLaurier. Add-in Jamier Jones and Jaylen Harrell, and PC has a core of 10 players going into next season. Bryce Hopkins is a complete unknown, so I’m not counting him on the roster for next year until I hear otherwise.
With 10 returnees, Providence will have continuity on the roster that it hasn’t had in English’s first two years. With this formula, English can be more selective in the transfer portal, which I have strongly advocated for.
Providence fans are loyal. They will pull for their Friars through thick and thin. Complaints about “boos” in the Marquette game stem from the fans seeing a lack of effort and desire to win rather than just simply losing to a superior Marquette squad. With Mela and Floyd Jr. inserted into the starting line-up, English is prioritizing culture fits who work hard, are tireless competitors, and make it easy to root for them.
If Providence gets another win against Seton Hall at home, which they objectively should, PC is above .500 and 3-3 in the Big East. The season is not lost. Keep pulling for these Friars.
Spot on!!! I am confident at this point that we will not see Hopkins this season. I gained more confidence in that while listening to Kim’s post game press conference where he said Bryce doesn’t think his knee is 100%. I’m not a doctor but I think that, you can read between the lines. Physically, he’s ready to go but mentally he’s hasn’t convinced himself. Doesn’t happen often with an athlete in their prime but, in this case, the future is about the money. So, best case scenario would be a red shirt year and a return to what will be a very good and exciting Friar team next year. As for the rest of the season, I’m resigned to taking one game at a time hoping that they’re indeed improving and its not a figment of our imagination. Seton Hall is a great game to get the players even more confidence and then will play two very tough road games before the game of the year at home against G’town where losing is not an option.
My opinion: Red-Shirt Bryce Hopkins. Period! If we have him healthy next season and we don’t lose any current players other than Essondoko to the portal we are serious contenders for one of the best teams in the Big East if not THE best! It would be advantageous for him also because NBA scouts would have an entire season to look at him. We are already in a hole as far as any selection for the Big Dance but the way the Friars are playing currently we could possibly be a bubble team without Bryce. I am a huge Bryce Hopkins fan but I think if you look hard at the future Red-Shirting him is the best move for him and the Friar Basketball Program.
Go Friars!
I agree that Hopkins should Medical Redshirt—PC loves him and hopefully he stays for next year. It would be a gamble for another team to go after him. Either way he is not ready for the NBA draft in June. On another note a MR can play 1/3 of the games–not sure if it is regular season games only or entire season. If this team improves Hopkins could be available at the end.