Friar Basketball Newsletter: Conference Play is Here
Providence closed out its non-conference schedule with a pair of wins over teams they were expected to handle in Manhattan and Albany — and that’s just what they did.
Wednesday’s win over Manhattan saw PC hang 99 points on the Jaspers, headlined by another big-time performance from sophomore Bryce Hopkins: 22 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists on 8-12 shooting from the field. Four other Friars scored in double figures, with Ed Croswell scoring 15 points in just 17 minutes of action.
Providence took control of this game early, making 11-16 shots from the field and dishing out nine assists in the opening ten minutes of the game. The catalyst early was the energy of Devin Carter. “He’s a wild dude out there,” Cooley said of Carter after the win. “He makes a lot of things happen.”
You can read a detailed breakdown of the high-scoring win, as well as see highlights from the game.
Saturday brought more of the same, with Providence running past Albany, 93-55. Cooley had high praise for Alyn Breed after the game. Breed is simply not missing from the field this season, and Cooley noted how he has stayed the course at Providence, “Many of you haven’t talked about Alyn Breed. He’s been our most consistent player the last three or four weeks. Hop’s been really good, Devin’s been great defensively, but if you look at consistency — and someone who knows our culture, knows our style of coaching, and knows our style of play — he’s been as consistent as any player we’ve had all year.”
Our feature on Breed this week explains how he has learned to play a role since teaming with future NBA players in high school.
Highlights from the Albany game, featuring 11 assists from freshman point guard Jayden Pierre, are also available.
Our deep dive this week is a look at both reasons for optimism and concerns as Providence heads into league play. There is all sorts of information included here, including advanced stats and shooting numbers, shot charts, trends, and a whole lot more.
Additionally, early December means high school basketball is starting to ramp up. We have been out at a few local prep tournaments over the past two weeks, and will share impressions from those, but we also have a look at Drew Fielder and Garwey Dual going into overtime against a good St. Francis team out of Baltimore. The article includes clips of virtually each of Dual’s and Fielder’s possessions from the game, and recaps the action.
Subscribers can also take a look at our preview of Seton Hall, Providence’s opponent next Saturday in the Big East opener. The Pirates picked up a badly needed win over rival Rutgers on Sunday night, and they feature one of the better defensive units in the Big East.
Saturday’s trip to Newark will be Providence’s only game this week.
We appreciate your support of Friar Basketball and look forward to covering league play!