Notes From a Sunday Triple Header: Providence and Brown, Ryan Mela versus Bradford Christian Academy, and Brimmer and May Against CATS Academy

Ryan Mela and the Newman School took home an impressive victory, while PC recruit Jaylen Harrell went off for 44 points in a thriller against Brimmer and May at the Scholar Roundball Classic.

Sunday offered the rare opportunity for a bit of a throwback to the early days of Friar Basketball coverage. The longest of longtime readers of our site may remember when I used to write lengthy recaps of days in which I first went to a Friar game and then headed down to New Haven, New Hampshire, or wherever else Providence recruits may have been playing at the time to cover a prep game afterwards. Life has changed a bit since then, but with the Friars playing at noon, followed by a pair of great prep matchups tipping off at 6pm and 7:30pm just 20 minutes from my house, it was the perfect opportunity to cover a triple header.

We’ll go in chronological order, starting with Providence and Brown, followed by prep matchups between Brimmer and May vs. CATS Academy, and then the Newman School vs. Bradford Christian Academy at the Scholar Roundball Classic.

For context, Brimmer and May is led by Tom Nelson, one of the true “good guys” of the New England prep scene, who coached AJ Reeves and now has a pair of talented seniors in Bryce Dortch (Rutgers) and Andre Mills (Texas A&M). CATS Academy (Cambridges Arts, Technology and Science) has a priority PC recruit in class of 2025 wing Jaylen Harrell, who has visited Providence multiple times this fall. Harrell was amazing on Sunday.

Of course, the Newman School features PC commit Ryan Mela, and his team went up against New England power Bradford Christian Academy, featuring Michigan State commit Kur Teng and defensive dynamo George Turkson (Texas A&M).

Let’s dig into all three games:

Providence’s Defense Sparks a 74-54 Victory Over Brown, but Offense Lags

This was the first matchup between PC and Brown since 2017, a game that Providence won in overtime, 77-72, in front of 6,087 fans. The Bears found a way to give PC problems during Ed Cooley’s tenure here, winning in 2012 and 2014, and providing that one final scare in 2017 before the series was called off for six seasons. Regardless, Providence entered this one with a 96-28 all-time advantage. The Bears snapped a three-game losing streak by upsetting URI (67-64) earlier in the week, but they ultimately did little to threaten Providence.