Jabri Abdur-Rahim's first half breakout paces Friars in win over Stonehill

Plus, Ryan Mela and Anton Bonke debut and an update on Bryce Hopkins

There are players capable of making shots, and there are those like Jabri Abdur-Rahim who you expect every open look to go down when he releases it.

It was a trying offseason for the graduate transfer, who will spend his final season at Providence after beginning his career at Virginia and then making his name at Georgia. Abdur-Rahim missed practice time this summer and fall with an injury, and tragedy struck in October, when his uncle (and USF head coach) Amir Abdur-Rahim passed away from complications during a medical procedure at just 43 years old.

On Saturday night against Stonehill, Abdur-Rahim was the most impactful player on the floor — particularly in the first half when he scored 14 of his 16 points, on 3-4 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. He finished Saturday with six rebounds and a pair of assists, and shot an efficient 4-7 from the field, 3-5 from deep, and 5-6 at the free throw line in PC’s 76-49 win.

Abdur-Rahim was productive at Georgia, knocking down over 100 three-pointers the past two seasons combined, and making nearly 120 free throws last season, while hitting at 89% from the stripe. He should get plenty of looks this season playing alongside two point guards in Jayden Pierre and Bensley Joseph, and when Bryce Hopkins returns from his ACL injury and draws all sorts of attention to the interior.

His first two makes came from more unlikely sources on Saturday, however — Anton Bonke out of the post and Justyn Fernandez after a drive and dish.

Abdur-Rahim had dedicated this season to his uncle and shared what he’s gone through in recent weeks: “Playing the game I love, with the teammates who I love — everybody has been really supportive, especially everybody in the Friar community. Being back on the court and being back on campus has been great. It makes things easier during a tough time.”

The early returns on the 2024 transfer portal haul have been solid for English and his staff. Bensley Joseph carried PC to an opening night victory with 21 points and five made threes, while Abdur-Rahim and Wesley Cardet were the tone-setters Saturday.

Cardet had 12 points, six rebounds, and an assist on 5-7 shooting and 2-3 from beyond the arc in the first half. After just 20 minutes, Abdur-Rahim and Cardet combined to score 26 points with 10 rebounds, on 9-13 shooting from the field and 5-7 from three.

All 15 Friars See Action

After the opener against Central Connecticut State, English said he was disappointed that he couldn’t find playing time for Anton Bonke and Ryan Mela. Both saw time on Saturday.

The Amica Mutual Pavilion crowd roared when the 7’2 Bonke made his first appearance, and while it’s clear he is in the early stages defensively, Bonke made the only two free throws he took, had a pair of assists, and grabbed two rebounds.

“He’s as coachable a player as you’ll ever come across,” English said of Bonke.

The eye-catcher was Mela, who didn’t finish with an overwhelming stat line (7 points, 2-4 shooting, 1-2 from three, 2-3 at the free throw line), with four rebounds, an assist, and no turnovers in 16 minutes, but he was just solid and looked confident in his debut.

The Friars led by two points when Mela entered the game in the first half, but were a +12 during his six-minute stint on the floor. The freshman is still finding his footing after just returning from a nagging back injury two weeks ago, but he could see more playing time after efforts like Saturday’s.

English spoke glowingly about Mela with us on The Friar Podcast two weeks ago:

English explained how unflappable he is on Saturday night, “He’s a hooper. He’s a hooper.”

“I was taken aback a couple of weeks ago. He did something I just said not to do in practice and I really, really lit into him. You could hear a pin drop in the gym, and he chuckled. I thought it was a great moment. I love having players who’ve just got that ‘it.’ He’s a natural. He’s just a hooper and we love him.”

Fifteen players took to the court on Saturday, and 11 of them scored. Providence had next to zero bench production last season after Hopkins went down, but had 39 points off the bench on this night.

The battle for rotational minutes is officially on, as the Friars are starting to round into health. Hopkins was out on Saturday, while English only mentioned Pierre as a player on a minutes restriction on Saturday in his postgame presser.

“We’re probably like three weeks behind right now,” English said of his team on Saturday. “These are all the things we would have loved to have figured out at St. Joe’s a month ago, against UMass a few weeks ago. Guys are still fighting for rotational minutes, and that’s without Bryce Hopkins in, who you can plug in high-20s, low-30s minutes per game.”

Turnover Issues Strike Again

“Twenty one turnovers is ridiculous,” English remarked on Saturday night. Providence turned the ball over a ton against Central Connecticut State on Monday, and it nearly cost them a game, and while Stonehill never threatened, English was less than pleased.

“Imagine what we could have done with 21 more shots.”

Providence has 37 turnovers through two games (versus 21 for their opponents).

English sounds pleased with the defensive effort his team is giving, while looking for improvements offensively: “We’re looking to see who can play that hard on defense and be efficient on offense — who can take care of the ball, who can execute what we want, who can make free throws, which we’re still trying to find out.”

A Look Ahead

Providence plays twice this week, and both games come with some intrigue.

The AMP could be a little chippy on Tuesday night when former PC assistant Ivan Thomas and Hampton come to town. Thomas went with Ed Cooley to Georgetown and essentially said the staff could only land three star players at Providence while he was here.

On Saturday, new Green Bay head coach Doug Gottlieb arrives, and he brings with him Pawtucket native Isaiah Miranda and PC transfer Donovan Santoro. Both have played sparingly through two games.

Friartown will remain on Bryce Hopkins Watch over the next few weeks. English said Hopkins is looking increasingly more comfortable in practice.

“He’s kind of in a dilemma of wanting to get in, but also wanting the guys who are going to play to get reps,” English said. “His legs are strong. His knee is strong, symmetry is good, bend is good. I think he’s close.”

English also shared that he and Hopkins played one-on-one earlier in the week. “We had an impromptu one-on-one game the other day, and it was really the first live thing he did and it was real. On the drive home I called him and checked in, and he felt really good about it.”

When asked who came out on top, the 36-year old former NBA guard only chuckled, “He’s a big boy. He’s a big boy.”