Friar Basketball Newsletter: Impressions from watching six more George Mason games, previewing Marquette, Daquan Davis shines at OTE combine, an important year ahead for Rafael Castro, and more
We are just over 40 days away from Providence’s season opener against Columbia (on Monday, Nov. 6). Over the next six weeks, Friar Basketball will continue to get readers primed for the season ahead with features on Providence’s roster, looks at Big East opponents, podcasts, and a lot more.
This week’s newsletter is highlighted by a look at six more games from George Mason’s season in 2022-23. We have been committed to watching as many of Mason’s games under Kim English as possible, and with this latest article we have now covered roughly 15 of their biggest games from the English era.
This week, subscribers to the site will read impressions and see video from games ranging from late November through mid-January. Mason lost Davonte “Ticket” Gaines to injury at the end of December for over a month, but in January Josh Oduro’s game really took off, while freshman Justyn Fernandez began to assert himself.
Speaking of Gaines, we created highlights of his top plays from the 2022-23 season:
Gaines’ shooting numbers were down slightly last season, but the 6’7 veteran should really contribute as a versatile defender who can hit from beyond the arc (40% from 3 two years ago, 34% last season) for Providence.
You can also read our preview of Marquette, who enters the 2023-24 season with the potential to be one of the top five teams in the country this season. Marquette saw tremendous internal improvement last season — a refreshing anomaly as coaching staffs lean so heavily on the transfer portal in today’s game.
Friar fans can read our player preview of Rafael Castro, which includes some advanced numbers and video to break down his potential impact as a redshirt sophomore this season.
From the article:
Castro has gained strength in his third year in the program, and he may benefit from playing in English’s defensive system in which they front the post. George Mason struggled in defending the post last season (28th percentile), after being strong in that regard in 2021-22 (79th).
Rebounding and finishing with more consistency will both be critical for Castro in his redshirt sophomore season. He took just five jump shots all of last year, so his ability to stretch the floor is still an unknown.
Castro possesses some things you can’t teach — length at 6’11 with the ability to get off the floor. There isn’t a better shot blocker on Providence’s roster.
Daquan Davis, a PC commitment in the class of 2024, earned rave reviews from Overtime Elite’s combine this week (Kim English was in attendance). Here is 247 Sports’ Adam Finkelstein praising the point guard’s game:
Davis’ team at OTE is going to be loaded. He’ll play alongside Karter Knox, a five-star prospect the Friars are recruiting, as well as former PC recruit Somto Cyril (committed to Kentucky). Cyril caught a lot of attention at the combine with his size and athleticism. The team also includes Tyler Jackson, a five-star guard in 2025 who played with Davis on Team Thrill last summer, a potential 2024 NBA draft pick in Nathan Missia-Dio, Ole Miss commit Jason Jackson, plus a number of young players in the classes of 2026 and ’27.
Looking for tickets to the Providence/Georgetown game on Jan. 27? The cheapest available on SeatGeek right now is $446.00.
Finally, a big congratulations is in order for Rick Cordella, a Providence graduate who was named President of NBC Sports last week. Cordella was a member of PC’s 1997 Elite Eight team.