Player Preview Series: Another first awaits Corey Floyd Jr.
Player Preview Series: Another first awaits Corey Floyd Jr.
“He plays hard. He doesn’t stop playing hard. His effort doesn’t waver, and as a coach, that means everything.”
Corey Floyd Jr. has been through a lot of firsts throughout his college career.
He was the first player to transfer from one Big East school to another when he left UConn for Providence after his redshirt freshman season, and he was the first Friar to publicly commit to head coach Kim English after Ed Cooley departed in March 2023.
Now in his fourth year of college basketball, and still just 20 years old, Floyd will experience a different kind of first during the 2023-24 campaign: a second season with the same head coach.
His minutes increased from 9.6 to 23.3 per game a season ago, and Floyd started 11 times in his first year under English, but it’s hard to imagine he was satisfied with how he shot the ball. There were certainly high points last season — filling in ably against Georgia in November when PC was without its two point guards, scoring 30 points in a two-game stretch against Creighton (10) and at Butler (20), and then putting up 20 more points in three Big East Tournament games — but a slow shooting start to the season felt like it carried over until an uptick in February.
After shooting nearly 42% from three on limited attempts in his first year at Providence (2022-23), Floyd’s percentage dropped to 25% a season ago. Playing in a system so reliant on spot up shooting, he ranked in the 30th percentile nationally when spotting up.
Defensively, Floyd held up well, ranking in the 67th percentile in the country in points per possession against, and limiting spot up shooters to 27% shooting when being checked by him.
For all of the focus on his jump shot, Floyd showed promise as a downhill driver in flashes last year, and he began to find his stroke midway through Big East play.
His success in this upcoming season will likely be dictated by how much more consistently he can knock down shots, as well as his continued development as a physical defensive guard at 6’4, 210 pounds.
It’s fact, not an excuse, to bring up Floyd’s age and relative inexperience, despite this being his fourth year on a college campus.
Floyd was a top 100 prospect coming out of New Jersey in high school, playing alongside Dereck Lively and Jalen Duren for Peach Jam Champions, Team Final. He was also as a productive member of powerhouse in Roselle Catholic from the time he was an underclassman.
But, if we’re examining how the pandemic impacted the development of young players, Floyd is a prime example.
In his junior year of high school at Roselle he played in about 15 games, then he enrolled early at UConn a year later (as part of a heralded group of guards with Jordan Hawkins and Rahsool Diggins) once it became clear that he wouldn’t have much of a senior season due to the pandemic.
Floyd redshirted as a 17 year old freshman, with Dan Hurley noting that he could have given the Huskies something at that time, “If Corey was available and wasn't a redshirt, he would have played this year because he's physical, he's got great pedigree and size… He doesn't have anything that's really deficient. He's an athlete, well-rounded, and he's still young.”
Much of his first season in Providence was spent watching behind a group of veteran guards, while last year didn’t come together in the way many expected.
The Friars loaded up in the backcourt and on the wing heading into this season, adding veterans Wesley Cardet and Jabri Abdur-Rahim, as well as freshman Ryan Mela, to a returning core of Floyd, Justyn Fernandez, and Rich Barron.
English said he wanted 13 dudes, and seemingly nothing will be given to anyone with the potential depth of this group.
Floyd was undeterred, returning to Providence and serving as one of the most consistent performers of offseason workouts.
“He really stood out this summer,” said Friar assistant Matt Palumbo. “He plays hard. He doesn’t stop playing hard. His effort doesn’t waver, and as a coach, that means everything.”
He also reportedly shot the ball well throughout the summer.
Is Floyd the shooter we saw in his first season at Providence, the one who struggled more last year, or somewhere in-between?
If we’re looking to add to the sample size, he shot 39% from beyond the arc on the competitive Nike EYBL circuit.
Regardless of the shooting numbers, Floyd can become a valuable piece due to his defensive potential.
“He’s strong, has quick feet, can guard one through three really comfortably, and some fours as well,” Palumbo said when asked about Floyd’s defensive upside.
Dating back to his first season in Providence we have seen offensive flashes, including a two-game stretch in which he scored 20 points combined against Butler and Villanova — and made a pair of huge threes in the second half in the win over the Wildcats.
His best stretch of play from a season ago came in a six-game run from February into early March in which he scored in double figures in four of six games. Floyd shot 9-23 from deep (39%) in those contests.
Another potential opportunity for him may come on the offensive glass, where English said the Friars will have a renewed focus this season. Last year, Providence harped on getting back in transition, but English is changing course and wants his group attacking the offensive boards with abandon in 2023-24.
That should only benefit Floyd, who has flashed (see at UConn last year) on the glass at times.
Floyd Jr. enters the 2023-24 season with a different set of expectations than a season ago, but with just as much of an opportunity to make an impact in his second season under Kim English.
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