While Oswin Erhunmwunse is only a sophomore, the hunt for his successor is already on. Theo Edema, a 6’11 big man in the 2027 class, may be the recruit who could potentially fill that role for the Friars. Edema is taking an official visit this upcoming weekend from December 19 – 21st, and Providence will get a feel for where they stand in this recruitment post visit.
Edema is a bona-fide blue chip recruit and would be another feather in the cap of Providence head coach Kim English, who has shown himself to be one of the best recruiters in Providence in quite some time. Edema is considered a consensus Top 50 recruit in the 2027 class. The 247Composite ranking has him 42 overall in the 2027 class, the #6 overall Center, and #1 player in Massachusetts.
If you recall, I was particularly bullish on Providence pushing for Ryan Moesch, a 2026 4 star point guard who ultimately signed with Siena over the Friars, and him being teammates with Edema was a big reason for that. I was thinking the long game here, but regardless, Edema has to see the fit, immediate playing time, and learning under a veteran in Oswin as huge selling points.
There are rumors of potential reclassification with Edema, and I think Providence would absolutely be open to taking Edema in the 2026 or 2027 class. You don’t pass up on talent like Edema, so if he is able to enroll early, you welcome that.
Providence after this year does have depth with Oswin and Peteris Pinnis in the frontcourt, but as we saw this past offseason with the departures of Bonke and Essandoko, a roster can rapidly turn over. I also would like another body at the 5 position, as going into the 2026 season with just Pinnis as your one alternate to Oswin is a potential recipe for disaster. He’s still such an unknown despite showing spurts of quality play in limited minutes this season. It is in the best interest of coaching staffs these days to recruit like there won’t be continuity, and you worry about playing time and rotations after signing these recruits.
Below we breakdown Edema’s game and how he would fit with the Providence Friars.
Analyzing Theo Edema’s Game
Edema is a rim running big man that will anchor your frontcourt. At 6’11, he is incredibly long and active around the rim. His preferred playing style is in the post, and he uses his size and length to finish in the low post with put-backs and dunks. His offensive game is still raw and developing, in many of the same ways that Oswin currently is, and that will be something he needs to improve on because he does have the frame to be a low-post bully that can back his man down.
I wouldn’t say he can handle the rock with ease, which is all the rage with modern bigs these days, but he can get out in the open court and run. He’ll be that big that hustles after a blocked shot or defensive stop and be rewarded with an alley-oop or pass from a lead guard for a dunk in transition. It’s a great trait for a big man to have. The motor is absolutely there for him.
Defensively, he is a rim protector that can erase a lot of shots with his ability to get vertical. He’ll also use his bulk to push guys out of position. He doesn’t have the leaping or explosive ability of an Oswin, but has the size and arm length that will make him a dominant defensive force in the paint for years to come.
He is athletic enough where he can be switched onto smaller players in a half-court defensive set and hold his own on the perimeter without becoming a liability. His lateral quickness is an asset, especially in a college offensive game that is predominantly becoming pick and roll based.
He’s a bit more well-built than Oswin was at similar stages of their career, and I think he’ll be a guy that puts on a lot of lean muscle as he acclimates to a college strength and conditioning program. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him be a well-built big when he enters into college. I don’t see him getting pushed around by other Big East bigs often like we’ve seen at times with Oswin.
Fit With Providence
Whether he enrolls in 2026 or 2027, he’ll come into college ready to contribute as an active big with size Day 1. Landing a borderline 7 footer is something that is arguably the most difficult thing to do in college basketball these days, and he’d be getting minutes immediately if he were to enroll at Providence in 2026 or 2027.
The Friars currently only have two bigs on their roster after the 2025-2026 season in Oswin and Pinnis. Edema would likely see playing time in the range of 10-15 minutes as a freshman and would be a nice developmental piece behind Oswin. It isn’t farfetched to say that Edema would be a starter his sophomore year at Providence and ultimately be the successor to Oswin at the 5 position.
If Providence were to land him, the wing and frontcourt would be in a very healthy position. With the addition of Aiden Derkack in the 2026 class, Providence should be looking at finding another frontcourt player in the 2026 and 2027 class preferably in the mold of a stretch 4.
It is tough to project what a roster will look beyond this season with the portal such a prevalent means of building a roster, but the following players have eligibility heading into the 2026-2027 season:
Guard: Daquan Davis, Stefan Vaaks, Jason Edwards* (JuCo rule pending)
Wing: Jaylen Harrell, Rich Barron, Ryan Mela, Jamier Jones, Aiden Derkack
Frontcourt: Oswin Erhunmwunse, Peteris Pinnis
Barring a complete roster turnover, I do think the days of Providence adding 4-5 portal guys an offseason are a thing of the past, and English will be more selective by adding only 2 or so high caliber transfers a year that fill the remaining gaps. He clearly wants to build his roster through high school recruiting and has been excellent at that, and I think he should lean into that for roster continuity (just my 2 cents).
What’s Next
We’ll see where Providence stands after this weekend with Edema. There is a clear need for big man help, and English can lay out the path for early playing time, staying close to home, and playing with a young nucleus of skilled talent on the Friar squad.
While this season hasn’t gone as expected for the Friars, you hope that English can continue to land elite 4 star talent and that the talent on the roster becomes such an advantage that it helps overcome some of the in-game coaching that is expected with a young coach in the gauntlet of the Big East.
Edema would be another massive win for the Friars under English and fortify the frontcourt for years to come.
Providence Crier Recruiting Articles
Aiden Derkack Commits to Providence – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/10/15/four-star-g-f-aiden-derkack-picks-friars/
Introducing 2026 G/F Aiden Derkack – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/10/08/crier-recruiting-corner-introducing-2026-shooting-guard-aiden-derkack/
Toure’s Commitment to Arkansas: My Perspective – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/10/03/takeaways-from-toures-commitment-to-arkansas-providence-perspective/
Crier Recruiting Corner – Introducing Caleb Holt:https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/09/16/crier-recruiting-corner-introducing-5-star-2026-shooting-guard-caleb-holt/
2027 High School Recruiting Primer, Version 2 – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/06/17/2027-high-school-recruiting-primer-version-1-0/
2026 High School Recruiting Primer, Version 8.0 – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2024/05/08/the-providence-crier-2026-recruiting-primer-version-1-0/comment-page-1/
Peteris Pinnis Commits to Providence: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/05/13/friars-add-latvian-big-pinnis-to-2024-2025/
Duncan Powell Flips to Providence: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/04/21/duncan-powell-flips-commitment-from-georgetown-to-providence/
Jaylin Sellers Commits to Providence: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/04/05/friars-end-historic-day-by-landing-ucf-guard-jaylin-sellers/
Jason Edwards Commits to Providence: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/04/04/friars-land-talented-vanderbilt-guard-jason-edwards/
Stefan Vaaks Commits to Providence: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/04/04/friars-recruiting-overseas-best-kept-international-secret-stefan-vaaks-joins-the-friars-for-2025-season/
Daquan Davis Commits to Providence:https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/04/02/second-time-is-the-charm-one-time-friar-commit-daquan-davis-transfers-to-providence/
Retention Attention: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/03/22/retention-attention-whos-in-whos-out-in-providence/