Here and There in Friartown
Craig Leighton shares news, notes, and opinions on Friar Basketball (and other topics) during an offseason that will change college basketball forever.
Every year I really look forward to taking in a variety of prep school tournaments and showcases, but my clamoring for it has been heightened after virtually everything was shut down last season. With that being said, I was very sad to learn that St. Andrew’s has already cancelled their holiday tournament. It was one of the highlights of the season, with prep teams from all over the northeast taking part in the three day event. That tournament has served as a great introduction to so many local prep stars. I hope this is not an indicator of things to come this year on the New England prep scene.
During this offseason Kris Dunn has moved from the Atlanta Hawks to the Boston Celtics, and now the Memphis Grizzlies. I have a hunch this may not be his final destination this year. Let’s hope that final destination is in the NBA.
Is it just me, or does it seem like there are more and more trades in the NBA that involve players that teams have no intention of keeping? This seems to happen more frequently in the NBA than any other sport.
Due to the rise in high school players going to either the G League, overseas, or Overtime Elite rather than college, recruiting parameters are changing. A prospect ranked around 75th in the country may be more of a target for a school like Kentucky or Kansas as the talent pool shrinks. We are already seeing players ranked in the 60s, like former PC target Dom Barlow, taking big offers from Overtime Elite and bypassing college. Does this mean that the new sweet spot for Providence recruiting is more in the 125-200 range?
This could change, however, once some players realize that they can make comparable money in college because of name, image, and likeness than if they moved forward with professional options. And there are still plenty of families that value a college education.
On the recruiting front, I would be more than happy with bringing in center Patrick Wessler and wing Justyn Fernandez in addition to the already committed Quante Berry. Wessler is visiting Providence this weekend, and Fernandez is due in later this month (Sept. 24). The focus could then switch to transfers in the spring.
This would set up for well balanced recruiting classes. Gone are the days when a school brought in a six man freshman class. Due to limited minutes for playing time, maybe three or four of those six would transfer before they reached their senior year. The new ideal size for a freshman class is three. Then fill in the rest with transfers who have proven it at the college level.
In this new recruiting environment it is more important than ever to leave a favorable impression on a prospective high school recruit — even if he chooses another school, you may be recruiting him all over again in a year or two.
For all you day traders and investors out there, one of the newest forms of day trading is, of all things, basketball cards. There are sites where you can go in and purchase cards of an NBA prospect who is having an outstanding game either in the NBA Summer League, a preseason game, or even a regular season game. When Terance Mann went off for 39 points in a playoff game last spring some basketball card flippers bought up a bunch of his rookie cards on the cheap right after the game. Within a couple of days the prices of his cards skyrocketed and the flippers sold off their cards for a tidy profit.
One of the changes brought about by the new transfer rule is that players can now transfer between Big East teams and be immediately eligible. I can’t wait to see how the first transfer between UConn and PC turns out.
Hiring LaDontae Henton to the Friar coaching staff was a no-brainer. It is always good to have a young member of the staff who can bridge the gap between the players and the rest of the coaches. In addition, Henton has the drive to one day become a head coach at the college level. Of course, Henton was among the most productive players in Providence history, but his teammates spoke glowingly about his toughness and leadership throughout his time at PC.
I’ll be back with another Here and There in a few weeks. Will any recruits have committed in the meantime?