Friar Basketball Newsletter: Digging into July recruiting, examining how Georgetown fell so far (and what they have done to try to bounce back this year), and a look at a pair of Providence legends
July is perhaps the most critical month of the recruiting cycle, with coaches flocking to national events across the country to catch the next wave of basketball stars. This is a great opportunity for coaches to see so many talented prospects in a single venue, and the staff at Friar Basketball spent the last week watching full games of Nike’s EYBL circuit, as well as the Adidas National Championship to get a firmer grasp on many of the young players that could become Friars one day.
We have a detailed breakdown of the EYBL action, as well as impressions from the Adidas U17 semifinals and championship, which was won by Massachusetts-based Mass Rivals. Friar fans looking for a mid-summer recruiting fix will want to check out both articles, which go into great detail. The EYBL article is available to subscribers of the site, while the Mass Rivals’ title run is available to everyone.
We also have begun to take a look ahead at the 2022-23 season in the Big East. This week we focus on Georgetown, and a pivotal year ahead for Patrick Ewing. This article documents how the Hoyas went from a group that found themselves in the top 10 nationally in the 6-7 years prior to the Big East’s realignment in 2013, to having the second worst league record since 2014 (their conference record since realignment is pretty shocking). Ewing has completely revamped the roster for next season, and this article highlights the players making up next season’s group and how they might fit together.
I’m also happy to note that Craig Leighton has written two articles that are well worth a read. His first is a retrospective on the career of Jimmy Walker, as the all-time Friar great is on his way to the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
Craig also writes about another Friar legend in John Egan, who recently passed away.
There is a lot of information packed into this week’s newsletter, and we hope you enjoy it. We are coming up on the one-year mark since we transitioned to this format, and our hope is that Friar Basketball on Substack has become a mainstay for you.