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Crier’s Recap: Friar Freshman Dazzle as PC Fends Off Holy Cross

The college basketball season finally returned on Monday night with the Friars hooking up with Holy Cross at the AMP. While it was far from perfect, the Friars started off the 25-26 season on the right foot with a 89-79 victory over the Saders.

There was plenty of chatter about the portal additions this offseason, and for good reason, but it was a pair of Friar freshmen who led the way. Stefan Vaaks calls Estonia home but he looked ultra comfortable in his new digs leading the Friars in scoring with 19 points. Jamier Jones had 16 points on 7/7 shooting which included a handful of sensational dunks.

We recap the game below.

Providence Crier Player Preview Series: Jaylin Sellers is a Tone Setter for Friars

Before the transfer portal hot stove warmed up this offseason BOC stated that he wanted to see an attitude adjustment with the guys they bring in. Well he’s got that with the addition of Jaylin Sellers. Sellers chose the Friars this spring over the likes of Illinois, Cincinnati, and Georgetown. It seemed as if Illinois was in the catbird seat to land the 6-5 guard from UCF but were also pursuing international prospect Dame Sarr. With their infatuation with Sarr, Jaylin Sellers ended up at PC, while Sarr ended up committing to Duke instead. Illinois recruiting misfortune very well may have been a fortuitous moment for the Friars.

We detail how we think Sellers will impact the Friar roster and season below. Nationally, Sellers may be an unknown commodity, but we here at The Providence Crier think he has All-Conference potential for the Friars.

Observations From PC’s Scrimmage Victory Over Harvard

It was great to be back. After a long season watching the Friars go 12-20 last year it was exhilarating to get back to the AMP and get our first glimpse at Kim English’s third iteration of a Friar basketball team. The Friars didn’t disappoint those who made the trip where they would build a 18-point halftime lead and hang on for a 85-77 victory Saturday evening. Here’s a few of the Crier’s thoughts from the win.

Providence Crier Player Preview Series: Friars Get Their Swagger Back with Duncan Powell

In his words…it was a Jankyman move. Duncan Powell entered the transfer portal this spring from Georgia Tech and originally committed to Georgetown. It seemed to be the perfect replacement for the Hoyas after losing Drew Fielder. He was the natural stretch 4 successor in DC.

That replacement was short lived as Powell came to his senses and decided to decommit from Cooley and the Hoyas to follow Jason Edwards, Jaylin Sellers and others to Friartown. Before even getting to campus, Powell ingratiated himself with Friar fans by making such a move. Since that time, the legend of the Jankyman has grown with his unique presence on social media.

Friar fans are chomping at the bit to see Powell in a Friar uniform. His debut in the exhibition against Pitt only heightened the build-up, as he dropped 17 and was 4-8 from deep. He filled a crucial need in the frontcourt by also tallying 10 rebounds.

We break down our expectations for him below.

Top 100 Four Star G/F Aiden Derkack of New Jersey Picks Friars

The Friars are on the board in the 2026 high school recruiting game, landing a commitment from Colonia, NJ native Aiden Derkack. The 6-6 G/F visited the Friars this past weekend and made it official today by choosing PC over Dayton and USC with several other high major programs involved. He is playing his senior year of high school basketball at SPIRE Academy in Geneva, OH under former Monteverde Academy coach Kevin Boyle. For the Derkack’s it’s a family reunion of sorts as Aiden’s sister Taylor is currently a freshman playing basketball up the road at UMass.

We break down below the importance of the commitment, where he fits within the program, and what is next in the 2026 recruiting class.

Providence Crier Player Preview Series: Can His Traditional Big Skills Carve Out a Role for Peteris Pinnis?

College basketball is a global sport these days, and the roster of Providence exemplifies that. No longer are college coaches relegated to finding talent in US high school gyms. Additionally, NIL has made college basketball enticing for international prospects who may make more playing NCAA basketball than they would going pro after high school in international professional leagues. The Friars added two international players this offseason in Vaaks and Pinnis.

We already covered Stefan Vaaks in our player preview series, but he wasn’t the only overseas import Kim English and staff added this offseason. In steps Peteris Pinnis, the 7-foot 260 pound center from Latvia. Vaaks is getting the most hype of the two and for good reason but Pinnis is an underrated get, especially for what the Friars may need in the frontcourt.

We break down below his game and role in 2025 and beyond.

Providence Crier Player Preview Series- It’s a Matter of When Not if for Stefan Vaaks

This past offseason Kim English and staff looked to add overseas talent by bringing in Latvia’s Peteris Pinnis and Estonia’s Stefan Vaaks. Of the two players Stefan Vaaks is certainly making more buzz as he enters his freshman season. Vaaks went from an unknown to Friar fan sensation without even playing a single game.

Vaaks is listed as a 6-6 guard but know that he’s been on campus he may be pushing 6-7. He has guard skills with the ability to push the basketball, create looks for others and can really shoot it. It didn’t take long for all of Friartown to look up his highlight tape while playing for Kalev/Cramp of the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League.

Providence Crier Player Preview Series: Second Time is a Charm for Jason Edwards and the Friars

In 2024 transfer portal Kim English and staff targeted North Texas guard Jason Edwards. He started his collegiate career at the JUCO level with Dodge City Community College where he would be a NJCAA 1st team All-American and was the second highest scorer in JUCO. He would find his way to UNT where he quickly assimilate himself as the best player for the Mean Green earning 1st team All-AAC honors. After proving himself at the D1 level Edwards would enter the portal and Providence was one of his suitors. He would instead opt to transfer to Vanderbilt University.

Despite another jump in competition Edwards’ game hardly fell off. He would lead the Commodores in scoring with 17 ppg, earning 3rd team All-SEC honors, and helped lead Vandy to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017. Once again Edwards would enter into the portal and this time Kim English got his guy.

Crier Recruiting Corner- 26′ F Alex Egbuonu

Kim English and staff continue to tap into the New England pipeline on the recruiting trail, particularly in the 2026 recruiting class. We’ve already seen them host a few New England guys like Ryan Moesch and Abdou Toure on official visits, and Alex Egbuonu is the next on the list.

Alex Egbuonu is a 6-6 forward from Nashua, New Hampshire by way of Nigeria and currently plays for Lawrence Academy in Lawrence, MA. Egbuonu plays AAU for BABC and has seen his stock skyrocket over the Summer of 2026. Egbuonu is ranked as the 74th overall prospect in the 2026 class according to the 247 Composite, but I’d expect that ranking to (potentially dramatically) improve after a stellar AAU showcase at the Adidas All American Camp where he was named Offensive MVP. He is a relatively new name in the 2026 class for PC fans to know, which is surprising given his proximity to Providence, but I’d expect the interest in Egbuonu to ramp up as his official visit to Friartown approaches at month’s end.

Pro Insight Player Spotlight 🔦

👤 Alex Egbuonu

🎓 2026

📌 #adidasAAC

💡The ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ forward made a statement from the get-go and finished the weekend #1 in scoring (22.7 PPG) off a ridiculous 70.7 % from the field. Scored it at multiple levels, while showing off his unique… pic.twitter.com/q4ZPF51T0G
— Pro Insight (@_proinsight) September 8, 2025

Egbuonu unofficially visited June 26th and has his official visit on September 26th. There are a bevy of schools pursuing him, notably Auburn and Marquette.

We detail his game and recruitment below.

Friars Add Latvian Big Pinnis to 2024-2025 Roster

The Friars are once again tapping into Europe. Last month the Friars landed G/F Stefan Vaaks from Estonia and it’s being reported they are bringing in another import. It’s being reported by Kevin McNamara and Kevin Stacom that 7-1 Latvian big man Peteris Pinnis will be the Friars latest member.

Duncan Powell Flips Commitment from Georgetown to Providence

After missing out on Robert Morris transfer Alvaro Folgueiras to Iowa, the Friars quickly pivoted to a new player. Duncan Powell is a 6-8 wing that Providence had reached out to when he first entered the portal, but he would end up committing to Georgetown. Over the weekend he reopened his recruitment and a day later committed to Kim English and the Friars. Powell joins Jason Edwards, Jaylin Sellers, Daquan Davis and Cole Hargrove for this offseason’s transfer portal class.

We recap his commitment and what that means for the 2025-2026 Friars.

Crier Recruiting Corner- Introducing Robert Morris F Alvaro Folgueiras

The Friars are reshaping their roster in a significant way. Since April, the Friars have brought in Jason Edwards, Jaylin Sellers, DaQuan Davis, Cole Hargrove and Stefan Vaaks, but they aren’t done yet. They are looking at a slew of players in the portal to come in and be their starting 4-man. One of those players is a 6-9 sophomore from Robert Morris Alvaro Folgueiras.

We detail his game and how he’d be the fit as the starting four man for the Providence Friars.

Here’s why you should be excited about possibly landing Alvaro Folgueiras
(a thread 🧵)

#1: Folguerias was a 19 year old sophomore this past season. He won Horizon League Player of the Year at Robert Morris and helped lead RMU to the NCAA tournament

In round 1 against…
— tanin smith #BBN (@TaninSmithKK) April 4, 2025