Friar Basketball Newsletter: Providence continues to answer questions with a pair of wins over ranked teams, Jayden Pierre goes head-to-head with a McDonalds All American, and PC announces a new AD
Another week, another pair of exciting victories for the Friars. This Providence club continues to answer any questions about their legitimacy, this week taking out a pair of ranked teams in #21 Xavier on the road, and following that up with a two-point victory over #22 Marquette in front of one of the best Dunkin Donuts Center crowds in recent memory.
We have you covered on both of these wins. Subscribers can read a breakdown of Sunday’s thrilling win over Marquette, which includes a look at how PC and the Golden Eagles have consistently played very exciting games since Ed Cooley took over at Providence. The article also digs into a variety of storylines including the Friars’ dominance on the offensive glass, Nate Watson bouncing back, Al Durham matching up with an old foe, and Cooley stumping for Minaya as one of the best defenders in the country.
Also available are a condensed, ten minute version of the game, as well as a Starting Five with game stories and notable tweets following the win.
Providence beat Xavier on a last-second three pointer from Jared Bynum on Wednesday night. After that win I wrote an article about how the story of this season has been Providence getting buy-in up and down the roster on a team filled with players who transferred in from other programs.
Fans can also see Twitter reactions and a six-minute highlight reel from that game. Here is Ed Cooley’s full press conference following the Xavier win.
Lost in the excitement of this week was a big week from 2022 commit Jayden Pierre and Long Island Lutheran. Pierre and his teammates headed to Florida to play in the Montverde Academy Invitational where they split a pair of games against teams with five star prospects. Interested in seeing how Pierre fared against a McDonald’s All American point guard out of Texas? We have a recap and exclusive highlights from the game for subscribers.
Providence also announced that Steve Napolillo will be Athletic Director Bob Driscoll’s replacement in June. Driscoll is retiring after 21 years as PC’s AD, and Napolillo has been his right-hand man for eighteen years. PC held a press conference on Friday, and you can read quotes from Driscoll, Napolillo, and President Father Sicard here.
Providence heads into February with an 18-2 overall record, and leads the Big East at 8-1 in conference play. The Friars have a pair of road games at St. John’s and Georgetown this week.
What a ride it has been so far. Thank you, again, for reading.