"Don't take me out of this game": Episode 2 of the Podseries on the 2003-04 Friars
In the second episode of our series on the '03-'04 Friars we dig into the non-conference portion of the schedule, including PC's 8-1 start, wins over Illinois and Virginia, and a classic versus Texas.
There is so much to unpack from the first two months of the 2003-04 season. The Friars kicked off the season with three consecutive wins (including a 76-71 victory over Alabama) before they traveled to Kingston to play at URI for the first time in over 30 years — in a blizzard.
After being upset by the Rams, Providence rebounded with perhaps their best win of the season by storming back from an early 12-0 deficit to roll over #14 Illinois, 70-51, in the Jimmy V Classic.
The Illinois victory kicked off a five-game winning streak that included road wins over a tournament team in Richmond (thanks to a last-second free throw from Sheiku Kabba) and a blowout of former coach Pete Gillen and Virginia on their floor, 84-69.
That set up the non-conference finale in which Providence took on another former coach, Rick Barnes. Barnes was fresh off of a Final Four appearance nine months earlier, and his nationally ranked Longhorns led PC by 20 before the Friars stormed back — paving the way for one of the most memorable endings in Providence basketball history.
In this episode, Bill Ricci and I go behind the scenes with Ryan Gomes, Donnie McGrath, Sheiku Kabba, Marcus Douthit, and Bob Walsh, who break down all the highs and lows of this incredible stretch of basketball.
Of course, we talk about the biggest games of the non-conference schedule in great detail, but we also discuss the tremendous strides Rob Sanders made offensively before getting injured against Virginia, how capably freshman Dwight Brewington stepped into a bigger role in Sanders’ absence, and a lot more.
We really think you’ll enjoy this episode. It can be found on Apple, Spotify, and everywhere else you listen to your podcasts.
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