"It's on... I’m really excited to reload this roster and get to work with them in the spring and summer.” Kim English and the Friars look ahead to what should be a busy spring in Friartown
It wasn’t long after Providence’s 62-57 loss to Boston College in the first round of the NIT that the fanbase and those covering the program were ready to reflect on the past season and take a look ahead toward what should be a hectic spring as the Friars look to reload via the transfer portal.
“It’s on,” Kim English said of building the next Friar team. “I’m really excited to reload this roster and get to work with them in the spring and summer.”
The list of traits English said he will be looking for is a lengthy one: toughness, humility, a great work ethic, “dogs”, selflessness, as well as players who want to guard, who can shoot it, are winners, and value being part of his program.
In many ways, those were the traits demonstrated by the Friars in English’s first year at the helm. PC reached the Big East Tournament semifinals behind an All American and Big East Player of the Year campaign from Devin Carter, an All Big East season out of George Mason transfer Josh Oduro, and a supporting cast that brought toughness, if not the necessary offensive consistency needed to push this team over the top and into the NCAA Tournament.
In many years, what Providence accomplished this season (21 victories, six Quad 1 wins, zero bad losses, and victories over a two and three seed in the NCAA Tournament) would have been enough to crack the field of 68, but that wasn’t the case in 2024.
“I thought our guys showed a lot of great resolve and resilience. We had a lot of things thrown at us this season. We spend zero time making excuses internally,” English said.
In reality, the hits this roster absorbed aren’t excuses, but factors in why PC was shorthanded throughout the year — and why they ran out a skeleton crew against Boston College on Tuesday.
Bryce Hopkins was one of two unanimous 1st Team All Big East selections a year ago, but the star forward went down on Jan. 3 after tearing his ACL. The loss of Hopkins meant not only playing without an all-league performer, but running out a frontcourt that simply didn’t have enough depth or physicality. Oduro was the only effective big man on the roster over the final two months of the season, while Ticket Gaines admirably held down the four spot at 6’6, 190 pounds.
The transfer of massive center Will McNair in September was a killer. Even without Hopkins, it’s likely that McNair (who averaged over eight points and five rebounds, while shooting 62% for Kansas State this year) would have made enough of an impact to swing a few games in Providence’s favor.
The Friars lost a potentially significant bench scorer when Justyn Fernandez tore his ACL last spring, while the school suspension of Alyn Breed resulted in the loss of a steady backcourt defender, and a senior with three years of Big East battles under his belt.
Tuesday against Boston College served as a bit of a microcosm of Providence’s season. They were without Carter, who had been banged up for quite some time and had little to play for in an NIT that saw around 15 other programs decline invitations.
Freshman starter Rich Barron was also out after suffering a concussion late in the Big East Semifinals against Marquette.
Transitioning from the high of playing at Madison Square Garden with your NCAA Tournament dream on the line to the exhibition-like crowd of an NIT game was a drastic change for this group. The energy was lacking all night.
They got a big shooting night from Jayden Pierre (21 points, five 3-pointers, but six first half turnovers), before even he was in and out of the lineup late after suffering an apparent injury.
Outside of Pierre, Providence struggled to get much of anything going offensively, shooting 6-24 from deep and getting outscored 7-2 over the final two and a half minutes by the Eagles.
Oduro scored 12 points in his final college game, Gaines struggled with his shot, and the Friars had just seven scholarship players available against a BC team that picked up its first postseason win since 2011.
While English praised his team’s resolve this season, it was apparent the year fell short of his expectations. “We’re not here to play in the NIT, we’re here to be dancing in March,” he said.
So, how does Providence go about building a team that can dance next March?
They will have to replace Oduro, Gaines, and very likely Carter, who is projected in the top half of the first round in several mock drafts.
“I thought what Devin had done was incredible,” English said of Carter’s emergence as a star. “He's taken himself from a tough, hard-nosed utility guy — a 29% three point shooter — to the Big East Player of the Year. (He is) an All American, a first round draft prospect. It’s remarkable what he’s done this season, and right now he’s resting his body because he’s been banged up for a long time.”
In the transfer portal era, virtually nothing is guaranteed when it comes to roster projection and team building. Beyond Carter, Oduro, and Gaines, the rest of the team is eligible to return, but the likelihood of that happening is slim. Providence will need to shore up its frontcourt, find shooters that fit English’s style of play, and account for any other roster defections.
Hopkins seems likely to come back for a third year in Friartown. “He’s in great spirits. He’s moving well, he’s walking without crutches, he’s shooting with the guys,” English said of Hopkins following the BC game.