Friar Basketball Newsletter: Why the Hype is Real in Omaha, What to Watch for at Mal Brown, Season Highlights of Clifton Moore, Excerpts from the Upcoming Podcast Series on the '13-14 Friars, and more
A process that began just about two months ago wrapped up on Monday morning, as Billy Ricci and I completed our last interview for the podcast series on the 2013-14 Providence Friars. Our guest on Monday was none other than Bryce Cotton, one of the most beloved players in program history. The MVP of the 2014 Big East Tournament, Bryce was the sixth person from that team we interviewed, and each of them brought a unique perspective to the pod.
Over the next few weeks we will be hard at work producing the series, and we are really excited to bring it to you.
In this article we share about five minutes of excerpts from the interviews with LaDontae Henton, Kadeem Batts, and Ted Bancroft. We’ll have a couple of more preview videos for subscribers of Friar Basketball in the weeks prior to debuting the series.
Speaking of video previews, readers hoping to get a longer look at new center Clifton Moore should check out this six-minute highlight reel we put together from his breakout 2021-22 campaign at La Salle. Moore ranked as one of the top 15 shot blockers in the country last year, and has a rather versatile offensive game. Moore is flying under the radar nationally, but should be a big piece for the Friars this year.
One of the biggest challenges for any Big East team this season will be keeping pace with a talented Creighton squad. There has been a little bit of pushback on them over the past month or two, after so many had them ranked as one of the top five to ten teams in the country last spring. The Jays are very much for real, however. In this preview, subscribers can read about how center Ryan Kalkbrenner was much more than a defensive presence last year, why their sophomore class is one of the best in the country, and about the tremendous numbers of incoming transfer Baylor Scheierman. Creighton was a good defensive team last year and won 23 games, despite taking a step back offensively. They should return to form on the offensive end this season, making them a legit Final Four contender.
The Mal Brown scrimmage returns this weekend, and subscribers can read about our thoughts on what to look for in Saturday’s game here. We also have a look around Friartown, the Big East, and recruiting.
The regular season tips off in less than a month and we couldn’t be more excited to cover what should be another big year in Friartown.
Thanks for reading!