All offseason the talk of the town was the portal additions. It was the true freshmen in the season opener, however, who were center stage for Providence, as Stefan Vaaks and Jamier Jones scored 19 and 16 points, respectively, for the Friars en route to an 89-79 victory.
We here at The Crier were incredibly high on this freshman class coming in (my bold take preseason was that these two start 20 combined games, maybe not so bold anymore), but even we were left in awe by the immediate impact these two had. Whether it was burying three pointers, nailing free throws without concerns, or electrifying the crowd with acrobatic alley oops, this duo made their presence felt instantaneously.
Questions around them fitting into the rotation are no more. They’ve earned serious playing time moving forward and are going to push the starters to earn their minutes.
We revisit the keys to the game below and provide our additional thoughts on the season opening victory. If you also didn’t see Mike’s recap article to get two perspectives on the game, see embedded below.
Revisiting Keys to the Game
Health Status of Floyd Jr. and Barron – It was a pleasant surprise to see Corey suited up and starting after being held out against Harvard. Corey put forth his usual workman like effort, finishing with 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists (only 1 turnover) on a team high 26 minutes of action. Importantly, he went 50% from deep. Corey is going to be logging a lot of playing time this year, and it was good to see him out there and healthy.
Rich Barron was on the bench but did not log any minutes played. He is still coming back from his concussion, and English said postgame he’s progressing along.
Rotations – As expected, Providence went with a 10 man rotation, and all 10 men played at least 10 minutes. 8 of the 10 logged 20 minutes of action. This is going to be a legitimate 10 man rotation all season I imagine with 7-8 guys getting 20 minutes of playing time a game. As detailed above, if certain players are hot certain nights like we saw with Vaaks and Jones, they are going to get more PT.
The depth on this roster, and quality of said depth, was one of my main takeaways from this game. Providence’s bench scored 44 of the 89 points. Being able to rely on your bench for that output is such a weapon. Contrast that to Holy Cross who had only 11 points off the bench.
In this NIL and portal world, we’re not going to see teams that have a plethora of bench production because everybody is chasing a starting gig. Most teams have 7 high level players, and the depth falls off a cliff. PC’s secret weapon this year may be its 6-10 rotation.
Rotation, Part 2 – Five guys scored in double figures. How about that? That’s the sign of a well balanced team. I do think this Friar squad will have 4 guys who average double figures and another 3-4 who average 6-9 points. I don’t see this as a squad that only has 2 guys averaging 15+ and the rest of the roster is hit or miss on contributions. This is another bullish takeaway from me for this game.
Development of Oswin – Another year, another game where Oswin leads the team in plus minus. Oswin was +18 on the game, had 4 blocks, and 8 boards. He is still very raw offensively and doesn’t really have a lot in his bag, but that’s okay. He is a legitimate rim protector and shot alterer. This team will go as Oswin goes.
Offensive Trends – Providence, much like last year, was cold from deep, going 26.9% from three. I am chalking this up to first game nerves though, as the trio of Edwards/Sellers/Powell combined for 2-13. That won’t happen often. Consider me completely unconcerned.
Hanging 89 points on only 7 made 3’s is a good sign for the future.
Mela’s Three Point Confidence – When you see a Vaaks shoot the rock, you realize the difference between a natural shooter and somebody like Mela who is really methodically working on improving his shot. You can tell he’ll never be a marksman from the perimeter, but you still need him to threaten the defense. He can’t shy away from the deep ball if the defense is sagging off and giving it to him.
Despite being 0-2 from 3, Mela still finished with 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals. Mela is the collective glue holding the team together, and is truly a “right place, right time” type of player. He’s a winner, and you can live with his offensive shortcomings because he does so many other things that impact the game.
Defense Fixed? If there’s any warranted negativity coming from this game, it’s the second half defense of Providence. 52 points to Holy Cross in the second half is unacceptable. They made a ton of 3’s in the second, but the defense needs to tighten up before VaTech.
The switching on D and over aggressive nature hurt PC at times and led to some open looks. The defense is a concerning trend stemming back to the 2 exhibition games, but you also need to tip your cap to Holy Cross for continuing to scrap and claw when the game could have easily slipped away.
Summary
In summary, Providence won by double digits, and the game was never really at risk. The offense is going to be a top offense nationally all season I believe, but if this team really wants to strive for being a top Big East squad, it’ll start with the defense.
The freshmen stole the show and are the main talking points, rightly so. This is a great development as it takes the pressure away from the new portal additions to carry this squad. I’m looking forward to the Virginia Tech game as the next test for this Providence squad. Go Friars!