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Friars Add South Carolina Transfer Justin Minaya – His Impact to the Program

Friar fans received surprising news on Monday night, when it was announced South Carolina forward Justin Minaya would be transferring to the Friars. Minaya is a 6-6 hybrid forward that spots up from 3 and has is known as a good defender and rebounder. Minaya averaged 7 ppg and 6.3 rpg for the Gamecocks last season. Minaya has multiple years of eligibility remaining.

PC 2021 Recruiting Primer – Transfer Edition (6th Version – Updated April 28th)

We have written several articles already on the importance of the 2022 recruiting class. You can find those below, as they serve as a good barometer for where PC stands with the 2022 class.

2022 High School Recruiting Primer: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2020/12/14/2022-recruiting-primer-providence-friars/

Offer We’d Like to See: PG Ben Roy: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2021/03/08/2022-recruit-of-interest-new-jersey-point-guard-ben-roy/#more-3376

Recruiting and a Comparison to the Rest of the Big East: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2021/01/15/providence-recruiting-a-comparative-analysis-to-the-rest-of-the-big-east/#more-3000

2022 PG Jayden Epps Commits to PC: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2021/03/29/providence-wins-the-epps-sweepstakes-jayden-epps-picks-the-friars/

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In this article, we focus on a different aspect of recruiting that has become more prominent in recent years: the transfer market.

We’ve landed two transfers during this offseason, written about extensively below:

Justin Minaya Transfers to PC: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2021/04/28/friars-add-south-carolina-transfer-justin-minaya/

Al Durham Transfers to PC: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2021/03/30/friars-strike-again-ius-aljami-durham-to-transfer-to-pc/#more-3533

The transfer portal has become the Wild Wild West, and this year it’s only going to be crazier with the “free year” due to COVID. Let’s take a look at who PC has reached out to and their status with the recruit.

4/28 Update: The Friars have landed Al Durham and Justin Minaya at the guard position, while losing Monroe, Gantt, Davis, and Nichols to transfer. David Duke Jr. has also declared for the NBA and signed an agent.

With all of these moving pieces, we’d expect Providence to pursue the following (listed in terms of importance, in our opinion): 1. A big with multiple years of eligibility to provide depth this year and be a potential starter the subsequent year. 2. A 3 and D wing. 3. A point guard to be the successor of Bynum/Breed/Durham.

Duke Declares for NBA Draft

So much for it being a good Friday. Friar junior David Duke Jr posted on Twitter and Instagram that he has declared for the 2021 NBA Draft. Duke had a great season for the Friars, averaging 16.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, and 4.8 apg. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to get the Friars in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Friars Strike Again: IU’s Aljami Durham to Transfer to PC

Ed Cooley said there would be changes this off-season and he is not joking around. Over the past few weeks we have seen Greg Gantt, Kris Monroe, and Jimmy Nichols all leave the program. The Friars then announced that Nate Watson and Noah Horchler would return. Yesterday they landed Jayden Epps, who will reclassify and enroll at PC at his summer. Today PC made another move as Indiana guard Aljami Durham will finish his college career in black and white.

First, Thank you Hoosier nation for 4 years full of lessons and growth that i will take on my next journey. With that being said i will be using my 5th year of eligibility and i will be a grad transfer at Providence College. @PCFriarsmbb pic.twitter.com/RbadtvACUb
— Aljami Durham (@aldurham01) March 30, 2021

Providence Wins the Epps Sweepstakes – Jayden Epps Picks The Friars

Jayden Epps announced Monday afternoon that he pledged to Ed Cooley and the Providence Friars. Epps is a 6-1 combo guard out of Virginia and can really score the basketball. Jayden picked PC over the other finalists NC State and Florida. There are also rumblings he could reclassify and join the squad for this upcoming season, which is a massive development given the recent departures of Monroe, Gantt, and Nichols. With the Friars having three players transfer out of the program over the past 2 weeks, Cooley was quick to restock the cupboard. He certainly did with Jayden Epps.

Writing my own story. Beating the odds. 120% committed🖤 pic.twitter.com/NBO2kAoMlZ
— Jayden Epps (@Jaydenepps_) March 29, 2021

Friars End Season with Loss to DePaul in BET Opener

The Friar’s season came to a crashing end last night, as they lost their Big East Tournament opener to a 4-13 DePaul team 70-62. DePaul certainly didn’t look like a team with a 4-13 record in this one and to their credit they played a hard nosed game, but make no mistake this result doesn’t sit well. DePaul won the game due to the fact they wanted it more, which is troubling with PC having one last opportunity to salvage their season. Let’s look at how PC got bounced from MSG.

A Tale of Two Halves: Second Half Meltdown Leads to Friars Getting Swept by Red Storm

The Friars were looking to build upon a strong effort against Xavier to wrap up the last week of the regular season. In the first half the Friars seemed poised to do so, taking an 11-point lead into the break. In a season full of bad second halves, the Friars saved their best (worst) for this one. St John’s would outscore PC 51-26 in the second stanza to win 81-67. Let’s look at what went wrong.

Refreshed Friars Beat Xavier 83-68

Providence returned to the floor for the first time in 8 days and put together a complete performance against the Xavier Musketeers. PC was led in scoring by Noah Horchler, who finished with a season-high 20 points. Xavier is a good team fighting for an at large, yet the Friars played with more desperation. For Xavier it’s one they almost can’t afford to lose. For PC it is something to build upon as they wrap up the regular season and make preparations for MSG. Here are the takeaways.

Friars Fall to UConn 73-61: Season Almost Over

For one team it felt like a new beginning, and the other it felt like the end. UConn had their star guard return to action, and the Huskies put together one of their more complete performances all year. For the Friars, the loss feels like it has put an end for any at large tournament hopes. Let’s look at the themes in the loss.

Friars Look to Sweep UCONN and Position Itself for NCAA Tournament Bid: Game Preview

The Friars will make the trip to Storrs, CT Tuesday night (6:30pm FS1) looking to sweep UConn for the first time since the 2007-2008 season. It sounds as if James Bouknight should return for the Huskies, based off the initial Vegas line of -6.5 for UCONN. UCONN also looked good in a win at Xavier over the weekend, so it certainly won’t be an easy task for the Friars.

If you missed it, we’ve included below the game 1 preview and recap:

UCONN Game 1 Preview: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2021/02/09/providence-uconn-preview-the-return-of-the-huskies/#more-3227

UCONN Game 1 Recap: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2021/02/11/pc-uconn-recap-friars-snap-3-game-skid-70-59/#more-3240

With 4 games remaining in the regular season, Providence at a minimum has to go 3-1 to keep their NCAA hopes alive. There is a lot on the line for this game.