The Friars have found their next leader of the men’s basketball program, and that is 34-year-old Kim English. The announcement came Thursday AM, ending a trying few days for the program. English comes to PC after being the head man at George Mason for the past two seasons. Prior to that, English served as an assistant at Tennessee, Colorado, and Tulsa. English was a decorated college player for the University of Missouri, where he was a 2x Big 12 All-Conference 3rd team selection, 2012 Big 12 Tournament MOP and led the Tigers to a 2-seed in NCAA Tournament his senior year. He was then drafted to the NBA by the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft. His professional career, which included stops in France, Italy, and Venezuela, was brief but he learned immediately as a professional that he wanted to get into coaching.
Continue reading “Kim English Named as Providence’s 16th Head Coach”Author: msurette1012
Friars Finish Season Looking For Sweep vs Seton Hall
The Friars wrap up the 2022-2023 regular season Saturday afternoon, as they play host to the Seton Hall Pirates. PC is coming off their first home loss of the season in a 94-89 loss to #19 Xavier on Wednesday night and will be looking to get back to their winning ways at the AMP. It is also senior night (day) for the Friars. Jared Bynum, Ed Croswell, Noah Locke, and Clifton Moore will suit up for one last game in Providence. There is a lot at stake to for the Friars, as a victory and some scoreboard watching would likely yield them a 3-seed in the Big East Tournament.
Will the Friars bounce back?
Continue reading “Friars Finish Season Looking For Sweep vs Seton Hall”Friars Looking for Bounce Back at Georgetown – Hoya Game Preview
Well, our last opportunity to sweep a team didn’t go so hot. Yes, the Friars were taken to the woodshed at UConn on Wednesday night but the game is in the rear view, and we are onto Georgetown. For the Friars it’s a game you certainly don’t want to drop, but the Hoyas are still battling amidst their poor season. The Hoyas hung tough in a 74-62 loss at Providence, and they were able to to snap a 22-game road losing streak with a win at Butler. Unfortunately, the selection committee doesn’t care that Georgetown is playing hard, and it would be a detrimental for the Friars to drop this one.
Ed Cooley thought the Friars effort in Storrs was “bullsh**”. After a few days to get over an 18 point loss, the Friars need to refocus and get this victory in DC. Let’s take a look at what to watch for in this one.
Continue reading “Friars Looking for Bounce Back at Georgetown – Hoya Game Preview”#20 PC Travels to Storrs Looking for a Seed Line Move and Sweep of #18 UConn
The Friars will travel to Storrs on Wednesday with a massive opportunity. With a victory the Friars would keep pace for the Big East regular season crown and get a huge win in the metrics, we know how Husky fans love those, for their resume. the Friars once again find themselves with a chance to sweep a Big East foe.
It would be quite the feat considering Providence hasn’t swept UConn since well technically last year. In all seriousness it will in fact be a tough task when you think about how top Big East teams defend home court and the Huskies are looking to close the season strong as March fast approaches.
If the Friars want to avoid the 8/9 line a win at Connecticut would all but solidify that. The Friars were able to beat the Huskies 73-61 back in January when UConn was ranked 4th in the country. The Huskies remained within the top-25 since then despite going 6-5 during that stretch. UConn was able to avenge road losses against Marquette and Seton Hall, can they do the same against the Friars? Should be a great game so let’s take a deeper look.
Continue reading “#20 PC Travels to Storrs Looking for a Seed Line Move and Sweep of #18 UConn”One for the Ages: Friars Win 2OT Thriller Vs #18 Creighton
You just knew you were watching high level basketball as this game went on. It was two teams throwing haymaker after haymaker at each other. The Friars were the last man standing at the end.
Entering tonight the Friars were 34-1 in their last 35 contests at The Dunk/AMP. The streaking Creighton Blue Jays came into town poised to get a W, but it was the Friars who walked away with a 94-86 win in 2OT. Led by the heroics of Devin Carter on both ends, the Friars were able to withstand the Creighton offensive onslaught and come out victorious.
With the win, the Friars get their 11th Big East win and are tied with the Bluejays for third place in the conference. It also snapped their eight game win streak, which isn’t fluky. Creighton had a lull early in the season, but they are a legitimate Final Four threat.
It was a total team effort to get this win, and we break down how it happened.
Saturday at MSG: Friars Look to Sweep Reeling Johnnies
In the words of Ed Cooley, there’s something about playing at Madison Square Garden on a Saturday. The Friars (18-6, 10-3) will look for the season sweep against a St. John’s (14-11, 4-10) team that is really reeling. The Johnnies are coming off a game they choked away at Butler and have lost three straight.
There are conflicting reports around the program on whether or not head coach Mike Anderson would return next season. The program certainly seems to be in peril, but this team gave the Friars all they could handle at the game in Providence back in January.
For the Friars it’s an important road contest as the race for the Big East crown comes down to the wire. With a win the Friars at the very least will keep pace with Xavier at Butler and Marquette at Georgetown this weekend. So let’s dive in.
Continue reading “Saturday at MSG: Friars Look to Sweep Reeling Johnnies”Friars Drop OT Thriller to Xavier 85-83
The last two games between Providence and Xavier at the Cintas Center came down to the final shot. This one turned out the same way except that same shot at the buzzer didn’t fall. It didn’t seem like it was a possibility when the Friars trailed 33-19 twelve minutes into the first half. However, the Friars showed tremendous resilience and fight to get back into what was an absolute war of game.
The game saw 17+ lead changes in the second half alone as the Friars and Musketeers exchanged punch after punch. Adam Kunkle hit a go ahead three pointer late in the second half only for Jared Bynum to connect on the equalizer from distance (the bank is open). The Friars would then get a chance to win in the extra frame off a Souley Boum missed free throw only to see Bynum’s look go in and out at the buzzer.
For the Friars, it’s their first loss in overtime since 2019 and their first loss in a tight game in seemingly forever? Let’s dig into how it went down.
Friars Spoil Justin Moore’s Return, Get Key Road Win at Villanova
The Crier is fully aware that the Villanova Wildcats were 10-10 entering today. However, this was always going to be a tough win to get. The Wildcats were fighting for their tournament lives to try and get a win today and got a huge emotional boost with the return of Justin Moore. No matter. These aren’t the same Friars that Villanova has tormented in the past.
The Friars played a team game today and didn’t let the Wildcats’ waves of momentum break them. PC feasted on points in the paint, and the deep shots started to fall when they needed them most. It was truly a gutty performance to get the win and with it the Friars enter a 3-way tie for first place in the league.
After Slow Start, Friars Dominate Bulldogs & Get Season Sweep
Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s officially sweep season in the Big East. At the end of the day, a race for the Big East crown is all about getting splits and a few sweeps along the way. Well the Friars are now two-for-two in their chances to sweep a conference foe with a 79-58 victory over Butler Wednesday night. They started off slow. It may have been the fact that UConn’s failed comeback attempt extended into the Friars tip-off slot for FS1. Providence found its groove halfway through the first half and never looked back. We recap the game, speaking to the incredible bench production and return of Jared Bynum.
Continue reading “After Slow Start, Friars Dominate Bulldogs & Get Season Sweep”Crier Recruiting Corner- Junjie “Barry” Wang
The Friars had a recruit visit this past weekend when PC took the floor Saturday against DePaul. Junjie “Barry” Wang is a 6-8 forward from China. He attended the Friars 75-64 victory over DePaul. Barry currently plays for the NBA Global Academy in Australia. Wang also has international experience competing for the Chinese U15 national team, averaging 18.7 ppg. Let’s take a look at the tape.
Continue reading “Crier Recruiting Corner- Junjie “Barry” Wang”