Friar Basketball Newsletter: David Duke making noise in Vegas, new footage of Jimmy Walker, new 2023 offers, reflecting on Ed Croswell dominating URI, Summer League news and notes, and more
The Las Vegas Summer League kicked off play over the weekend and former Friar David Duke Jr. is off to a terrific start for the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets offered Duke a second two-way contract, but he turned it down in hopes of landing one of their 15 standard contracts.
You can read more (and see highlights) about Duke here, how the Summer League is shaping up for AJ Reeves and Justin Minaya, as well as former Big East players, including Collin Gillespie, Jared Rhoden, Justin Lewis and more in our News and Notes column. This article also includes information on two West Coast prospects in the class of 2023 that Providence offered scholarships.
We also have a “What to Watch for in the Las Vegas Summer League” article that breaks down the schedules for all three Friars taking part, as well as details on the rosters they have joined and when they will see former Big East opponents.
Our “Season in Review” series continues with a look at how Ed Croswell responded in a big way to dominate URI. Croswell followed up a terrific game against Texas Tech with an even bigger day against the Rams, finishing with 13 points and 15 rebounds. “Ed Croswell, once again, had a cape on,” Ed Cooley said following the victory that improved Providence’s record to 8-1 with a pair of non-conference games remaining. This game was also noteworthy, as it was a precursor of what was to come at the Dunkin Donuts Center throughout the remainder of the season. The old building was rocking on that Saturday, and never stopped the rest of the season.
Lastly, after it was announced that Jimmy Walker was named to the College Basketball Hall of Fame, we went about finding some new footage of Walker to show a bit of his game for fans who may not have been alive to see him. Here you can see Walker in the 1972 All Star game (playing alongside greats like Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Wilt Chamberlain), as well as in the 1975 NBA Playoffs for the Kansas City Kings. Walker was nearing the end of his career in ’75, but scored 26 points in a backcourt tandem with Tiny Archibald. As someone who had never seen Walker play live, it was a lot of fun to get a glimpse of what his game entailed.
Thank you, as always, for reading.