As much as the discussion is around the portal and who Coach Hodgson will be targeting to bring to Providence via South Florida or the open portal market, the discussion should equally be around who will Coach Hodgson be looking to retain from last year’s Providence team.
Coach Hodgson spoke last night on the Kevin McNamara show about there being a few guys on the PC roster who could be potential fits into his system.
We can all confidently say that the failures of last year’s team was not due to a team that lacked talent. There was an abundance of raw talent that just didn’t seem to click under Coach Kim English and his system. Thus, Coach Hodgson will be analyzing this past year’s roster and seeing who would be a good fit for him in his system as well as help plug any holes as he evaluates the roster for the 2026-2027 season.
We’ll evaluate each player on the Friar roster who has eligibility remaining and dissect how they may fit within the Hodgson roster construction.
Oswin Erhunmwunse
2025-2026 Recap: The 6’10 Nigerian big has two more years of eligibility. He has started 55 games over his first two years in college. Last year, his rebounding numbers increased from 5.6 to 8.3 boards/game and 1.6 to 2.1 blocks/game, but his points per game only went from 6.8 to 6.9 points despite getting five more minutes of playing time his sophomore year. His field goal percentage also went down by 5 percentage points.
Oswin is likely priority #1 for Hodgson due to how difficult it is to find veteran bigs in the portal with high major experience, and I’m cautiously optimistic Hodgson can unlock a new level of play for Oswin that we didn’t see last year. His sophomore year didn’t meet most expectations, as he didn’t make the leap most thought he would, but I do see Oswin as an anchor to the frontcourt if Hodgson wants to retain him. It’s important that Bryan finds 2 more bodies in the frontcourt alongside Oswin, however, as we’ve run Oswin ragged as being the only suitable body in the frontcourt these past two years.
The Fit: If you make the assumption that Hodgson will be bringing over players from South Florida, you realize quickly that those players are all of the guard/wing variety. His best big man, Izaiyah Nelson, is out of eligibility and the other bigs on his roster are all underclassmen with little/no game experience. Thus, Oswin would seem to be a natural fit with Hodgson as the successor to Nelson in his up tempo offense. I’d expect Coach Hodgson to pursue him heavily for this reason alone.
If Oswin does return, two things are imperative: get his conditioning improved and learn to secure the basketball.
Stefan Vaaks
2025-2026 Recap: Vaaks exceeded all expectations and had an All Freshman campaign in the Big East. He averaged just under 16 points as a true freshman, which is patently absurd, but those points came due to a ridiculous green light from English. I actually think whomever the next coach is for Vaaks can unlock a more efficient Vaaks by keeping him in check offensively a bit. Vaaks trailed Jaylin Sellers as most field goal attempts on the roster, but attempted about 100 more shots than the third player on the roster.
Vaaks led the Big East in three point field goals made at 2.9/game, but he was the clear leader in three point attempts/game at 8.4. The next closest was Solo Ball at 6.7. That’s a 35% hit rate, which is a positive.
Vaaks is known first and foremost as a scorer, but he does have the ball-handling ability to be a lead guard if he dedicates himself to the craft. He averaged 3.2 assists/game, good for 13th overall in the conference. There were glimpses last year where you could see him being that 6’6 All-Conference point guard who could facilitate an offense, make shots over the top of his defender, and get to the rim at will. The potential is there, and I think Hodgson may be salivating at the thought of a sophomore Vaaks running the show for him alongside Enis and Brown.
The Fit: Hodgson loves guys who can bury it from deep, and The Estonian showed last year in his first year in college basketball he can do that. The fit is going to be if Bryan Hodgson thinks Vaaks can play team basketball, within a system, and dedicate himself defensively. If he checks those boxes, inviting Vaaks back is a no brainer, although I’m sure his price tag will be an expensive one. Providence may be pushed out of the Vaaks market due to what others are going to throw at him financially. Vaaks is about to make himself a boatload of money.
Jamier Jones
2025-2026 Recap: Jamier was one of the highest ranked recruits to enroll in the Big East in his class, so it is no surprise he made the All-Freshman team in conference. I anticipated Jones preseason to be a human highlight reel, which he certainly was, but his offensive game was more advanced than I anticipated. He showed an ability to knock down the deep ball and finish at the rim in traffic. Jamier was 39% from three, which is honestly 10% higher than I thought he’d be. He was also second on the team in field goal percentage behind Oswin at 57%. He was uber-efficient offensively.
I’m really excited to see his encore performance as a sophomore in college basketball. He’s a player you can legitimately build a team around. He has the personality to be the alpha on the squad too.
The Fit: Jones had moments last year where he was the best Friar on the court as a true freshman. The All-Big East freshman is freakishly athletic and could probably become a true defensive stopper with the proper tutelage. This is one of those players who Hodgson probably cannot pass up on, as this may be Jamier’s last year in college basketball before testing the pro waters. Jamier will be another one where there will be a plethora of suitors.
Ryan Mela
2025-2026 Season: It was an up and down season for Mela, but I think what makes him best is his ability to be good at everything. He showed incremental improvement in almost every area his sophomore year, and I expect that to continue each year of college for the Natick local. There’s no one skill he is elite at, but he is just a very smart and well rounded player.
In his sophomore year, he started 22 games compared to 9 his freshman year. His field goal percentage, three point field goal %, free throw percentage, rebounding, assists, and points/game all improved from his freshman year to sophomore year. I may be on an island, but I do think he has All-Conference potential before his college career is up, and Hodgson should pursue him with vigor.
The Fit: Prior to the last few games of the season, you may say that Mela is a square peg in a round hole with Hodgson’s offense that is predicated on the three ball. I personally love Mela and think he is one of the best all around players on Providence’s roster, but his shot is his weak point in his game at this point. If Hodgson thinks he can get Ryan to become a competent three ball shooter, he should bring him back as he does a little bit of everything for his teams. He’s the ultimate glue guy and can be a good veteran presence in the locker room for a lot of new faces acclimating to a new home in Providence.
Jaylen Harrell
2025-2026 Recap: Season cut short due to injury. Played sparingly.
The Fit: If Hodgson wants shooters, this guy may be priority #1 on the retain list. Everybody tends to forget that this guy was billed as a knockdown shooter coming out of high school, but injuries derailed his freshman year. He has prototpyical size at the 2 guard spot, seems to love Providence, and would be close to home. This may be one retainment where everybody quietly applauds him returning and thinks of him as a depth piece, but he bursts onto the scene and potentially starts at the 2 or 3 spot next year. You don’t become a 2x state Player of the Year accidentally, and I think Harrell would be an ideal fit under Hodgson.
Rich Barron
2025-2026 Recap: Medical redshirt.
The Fit: Barron still has two more years of eligibility and likely competes with Harrell as best shooter on last year’s team. He was out this past year on a medical redshirt, but he will be a fourth year junior, presumably completely healthy, and can knock down the deep ball with the best of them. He’s a career 38% three ball shooter in his two years of college basketball.
I like his grittiness and toughness and hope he took this medical year to get himself in elite physical shape. If he can improve on the defensive end, I’d push heavily for him to return as an instant offense piece off the bench with a chance to push for a starting role.
Daquan Davis
2925-2026 Recap: Injury cut season short.
The Fit: Hodgson loves pesky on-ball defenders, and Davis’s arguable best attribute is that. The issue here is that Hodgson is likely bringing two guys from USF that have a repeatable skillset to Davis, and Davis has seemingly been in the portal since December. I’m not sure if there is room at the inn for Daquan. This is one to monitor, as Davis is a defensive dog, even if slightly undersized.
Peteris Pinnis
2025-2026 Recap: For an 11th hour addition, Pinnis exceeded my expectations. He couldn’t compete with the high end bigs like Reed or Ejifor, but not many can. He showed a good ability to rebound with a nice touch around the rim. His lack of athleticism is apparent, however, and I’m not sure that will ever change.
The fit: He offers size in the frontcourt, and I’d imagine his price tag for NIL is quite affordable, so Hodgson could bring him back as an experimental big project. I’m not sure if he has the athleticism that Hodgson requires of his bigs, but we shall see. I’d test the open waters of the portal before committing to bring back Pinnis, personally.
Nilavan Daniels
2025-2026 Recap: One of the few feel good stories of this past year. The former walk-on found himself as a key rotational piece at times this season for his defensive effort and ability to knock the three ball down. He’ll have a spot on this roster if Hodgson wants him and/or if Nil wants to stay. I’m sure being “the guy” at a lower end D1 institution may be appealing to him, especially with his advocate Kim English gone.
The Fit: Similar to Mela, he’s a great culture guy, and I’d welcome him back with open arms. He was one of the few guys last year who “gave a F***” even when the season was going down the tubes. I’ll always welcome back guys like that. He’d have to understand his role would be limited, but he’s entering his third year, so maybe getting a PC degree is important to him before he transfers elsewhere to get a graduate degree.
Calling Our Shot – Number of Returnees
BOC: Of the 9 eligible players to return, I will say that we get 4 players to return at a minimum, with 5 being the number I predict to return. At the risk of jinxing it, I won’t say who I believe will return, but I’ll guess we’ll get 2 of 4 out of the following names to return: Oswin, Jamier, Vaaks, Mela. Of the second group, we’ll also have 2 of the 5 return from Harrell, Barron, Davis, Pinnis, Daniels. All subject to change, but that’s my gut feels as of today.
Getting 4-5 Providence players to return on top of 2-5 USF players is a great start, and Coach Hodgson can then selectively fill in the pieces in the portal.