With the transfer portal and NIL age of college basketball, you have to essentially recruit every player on your roster every offseason. Kim English has done a fantastic job at player retention so far in his first two years at Providence, with Bryce Hopkins this year being the sole outlier. He had Devin Carter and Bryce Hopkins stay in Friartown when he first took the job post Ed Cooley. He retained Garwey Dual who was a prized high school recruit at the time. This past offseason he kept Bryce Hopkins in black and white coming off the ACL injury despite a last minute courtship by a fellow Big East program. Almost every time English wants to retain a player, he does. It’s a quality trait.
Going into this offseason and the Friars coming off a 20 loss season, it was going to be interesting to see who would be staying in Providence and who could possibly seek greener pastures elsewhere. Boy has this roster turned over.
We take a look at who is remaining in Providence to date and who will decide to move on. Lastly, we’ll wrap with what it means for the 2025-2026 roster.
Two Feet In
Oswin Erhunmwunse– The argument could be made that retaining Oswin Erhunmwunse would be Providence’s biggest priority, even over Hopkins. The big man is coming off a very encouraging freshman year that granted him first team All-Freshman in the Big East. Oswin’s ceiling is very high, and he probably could have gone anywhere in the country, but he announced Thursday, March 20th that he was coming back for his sophomore season.
With Oswin returning, Providence may return one of the best defensive bigs in the entire conference. If he can improve his offensive game beyond just offensive putbacks and lobs, he’ll have a chance to average next year something along the lines of 12, 8, and 2.
It cannot be overstated how important it was for Providence to retain Oswin. You can build an entire program around him. He’s that good.
Ryan Mela– Another member of the Big East All-Freshman team, Ryan Mela showed it doesn’t matter how many stars you’re given coming out of high school once you step onto a college campus. If you can play, you can play.
Ryan Mela was Providence’s most pleasant surprise this season showing an ability to attack the hoop and get rebounds. It feels like Mela can be a cornerstone of this program for a few years to come, and he announced shortly after Oswin that he will be back next season.
What I most like about Mela is his basketball IQ and how he seemingly always makes the right decision. He’s clearly got a smart basketball mind, and I’d put him up there with Floyd as guys on the roster who “play the right way”.
If Mela can improve his shot, I do legitimately think he can threaten for All-Conference Honors next year. He’s going to be a consistent 10, 6, and 4 guy all season, in my opinion.
Corey Floyd Jr– A fan favorite in Friartown, Corey Floyd Jr has shown incremental improvement in each of his three seasons in Providence. CFJ is a hard nosed guard that plays with a toughness the fan base truly appreciates. Floyd announced Friday that he will be back for his senior season. If Corey can continue to work on his shotmaking and be more efficient on offense next year, it could prove to be a pivotal player for the program to keep.
We’ve talked about a leadership void on this past year’s roster. I still claim that’s an issue, but if there were two players who were the “leaders”, it was Bensley Joseph and CFJr. I’d like to see Floyd be a bit more vocal, but that may just not be his nature. He sets the tone with his actions.
English and staff were astute enough to ensure they kept him on the roster. You don’t run off players like Floyd. Their best asset may not be on the basketball court, and that characteristic outweighs anything on the stat sheet.
Jabri Abdur-Rahim– When Providence added JAR from Georgia, no one expected to see the G/F past the 2025 season. However it’s possible that he will be playing a second year in Providence, as Jabri is applying for a medial hardship waiver for an extra year of eligibility. His uncle, USF coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, suddenly passed away prior to the start of the season, and the mental hurdles that Jabri had to go through is what with be the center of his claim.
If the waiver gets approved, it’d be a welcome addition. Jabri scored in double figures in each of his final four games prior to ending his season with a torn meniscus. He shot 15/22 from 3 over those four games. JAR, if approved, will bring a sharpshooting skillset that English wants to build his offense around.
One Foot Out the Door
Justyn Fernandez– Fernandez followed Kim English from George Mason to Providence but had to sit out his first season coming off knee surgery. This past season he didn’t have a huge role but took advantage of his opportunities and had a couple good scoring games. It was a bit of a surprise that he entered the portal. We will be interested to see if he finds a home with another power conference school or drop to the mid-major level to guarantee a starting spot.
This loss doesn’t move the needle too much, objectively speaking. He was probably behind Mela, Floyd Jr., Barron (and potentially JAR) in the depth chart. While I would have liked to see him stick around for continuity, he probably saw the writing on the wall.
Eli DeLaurier – Eli announced the morning of the portal opening that he will be transferring. This one should come as no surprise, as he only averaged 6 mins a game as a redshirt freshman.
This is a cautionary tale of reclassifying. DeLaurier technically should have been a true freshman this year, but graduated high school a year early to enroll during the 2023-2024 season to redshirt. I’m not sure if this was a panicked decision by the Friar staff made after Will McNair left the program or if DeLaurier was planning to do this from the onset. If you recall, Eli committed and reclassed only a few days after McNair left the program.
Based off his playing time this year, he isn’t currently a Big East level player. Another year in high school probably could have helped boost his confidence, refine his skillset, and come into college more physically and mentally ready. Imagine being a senior in high school and practicing daily against a seasoned Josh Oduro? Talk about swimming upstream…
I will forever tip my cap to him because he worked incredibly hard and hustled every time he was in the game. He was overmatched from a skills perspective, but brought an energy to the court that a lot of his teammates lacked. For that, he has my respect, and I wish him nothing but immense success wherever he goes. He has a fan in me.
Selfishly, it would have been nice to see him stick around and develop for 2 more years and become a Big East role player as a redshirt junior, but asking that of a player isn’t realistic in this day and age.
I’d expect him to transfer down a level and be a stretch 4 starter at a mid-major.
Jayden Pierre– The last big name that the Friars were waiting on announced that he would enter the transfer portal. The junior guard had an up and down year and had a lot on his plate with all the injuries Providence dealt with. Through that it showed that he might be better served as an off-ball guard, or a spark plug off the bench. Coming off the bench probably wasn’t in the cards for the Friar who led the team in minutes played this last season. With his departure and Bensley Joseph graduating, it seems quite clear now that the Friars will be in the market for starting point guard in the portal. No word if Kim English will play Pierre again for the portal.
Anton Bonke
Bonke is even more raw than I anticipated coming in, and I still think he is a year away from even being a Big East player. I thought his massive height would give him a Day 1 role, but I underestimated the development curve for him. In hindsight, that was foolish on my part, but I thought his 7’2 frame would cover up his inexperience.
I would have loved him to stay and develop incrementally, but he may want time at a lower level to play right away.
This is a lowkey hurtful departure, as he came across as a good locker room guy and worked hard every time he was in the game. I do think his game would have eventually caught up to his physical attributes, but it still may be 2 years away.
Departed – Picked Other School
Bryce Hopkins– After tearing his ACL in January of 2024, it was expected that Bryce Hopkins would return this past season either for the opener or a few games after. Instead Bryce would miss the team’s first 8 games, seeing them go 5-3 including a 0-3 stretch in the Bahamas. Hopkins would return in a huge win against BYU, but then two games later would re-aggravate his surgically repaired knee. He would never return after that, as he chose to shut it down and pursue a medical redshirt.
The big question was would he return to the place that supported him every step of the way through his rehab. We now know that answer.
Bryce Hopkins showed that loyalty is nothing more than a word, as he turned his back on the school that supported him (both physically and financially) through rehab injury. Hopkins chose St. John’s on Monday over Georgetown. He certainly received a hefty payday, but I’ll be very curious to see the Pitino – Hopkins dynamic.
Christ Essandoko – This may be up there as the biggest miss in the portal last year nationwide when you consider NIL amount, role expectation, and actual production. Christ entered averaging 8 and 6 on 21 minutes as a redshirt freshman at St. Joe’s. He leaves Providence averaging 4 and 4 on 15 minutes.
Essandoko showed up not ready to play and never seemed to have the requisite fire needed to play in the Big East. English and staff likely thought they had their starting 5 for the next 3 years; however, it was a clear misevaluation. In their defense, there were a plethora of high major schools after him. This was seen as a recruiting win, no doubt.
The perils of the portal are you don’t get to know these kids and their personality in depth. This will be a lesson learned for the staff on future portal evaluations.
Essandoko landed at South Carolina, which was a bit shocking to me. Him playing in the SEC should be an interesting watch.
Essandoko, via social media, has seemed intent on burning every bridge on his way out of Providence. This just further reiterates how much of a poor fit he was in Providence.
Waiting to Hear Outcome
Providence is waiting on one more scholarship players to make a decision, Mr. Barron.
Rich Barron
Barron would be a welcome addition back to Providence as a key depth pieces. With the wing players returning, Barron will have to have a miraculous offseason to force himself into the starting line-up. He likely is one of the first wings off the bench next year should he return. The longer this drags on, I would say the more likely it is Barron remains a Friar. He’s an important 6-10 depth piece and could become a starter as a senior.
Summary
20 days after the season has concluded, and I think Providence has had more positives than negatives happen to the program. The Bryce Hopkins transfer portal announcement is a haymaker, but it objectively didn’t catch anybody by surprise. I personally think he should have done right to Providence by returning after they helped financially support him for 2 years, but it’s a business. He could have went down as a legend at Providence. Now, he’ll be remembered as a poster child for the pitfalls of the NIL.
Even with that news, Providence retained its 3 other most important players in Oswin, Mela, and Floyd. It was not a given they were all returning. English retaining them was absolutely an accomplishment. There was a world where all 3 left, and English was a dead man walking heading into next season.
Now, he likely has 3 starters returning (potentially 4 with JAR if he gets a waiver) and will most likely turn to the portal for the other 2 positions, with those being the PG spot and 4 spot. With those 3 returning, English doesn’t have to go to the portal and add 5+ players out of necessity. The additions will be depth building and augmenting the roster, outside of the PG and 4 spot.
Continuity and retention is key in this NIL world, and I commend English for getting 3 of his most important returnees back in the fold.
Kevin- thank you for keeping us informed as to what is happening this offseason. Please continue to update us as it is greatly appreciated.
I am quite disappointed with the Big East’s showing in the Big Dance. Today there is only one team remaining: UCONN. If you look at the statistics for both teams UCONN is an odds on underdog. If UCONN can pull off a win against the Gators it would be the biggest upset so far in the Tourney. The only problem: Gators devour Huskies! GO FRIARS!
Alfred, always appreciate your thoughts.
likewise Russ. Have a great Summer! Go Friars!
Kevin, I too would like to say thank you for a great year in analysis. This site has been up front and honest about all things Friars. More importantly, the insights came from a fan’s perspective which was greatly appreciated. I look forward to making my comments on this site next season. I would like to leave with this last appeal to KE, Drew Fielder will be out there in the portal tomorrow from what i’ve been reading. If that’s true, then you’ve just found the rim running 4/5 man who plays with lot’s of passion. Go get him!!!
Thanks for your insight . NIL will ruin college sports . But I will continue to watch and hope some legit changes are made that make it some what tolerable . Kim English had a horrible year coaching and evaluating talent. He’s gone to NBA as soon as he finds an assistant coach gig.
PC is in a bad place .