What could have been under Rick Barnes

Craig Leighton takes a look back at some of the NBA talent that nearly came to Providence under Rick Barnes.

Most Friar fans likely remember Rick Barnes as a great recruiter. Indeed, he probably brought in as much raw talent to the program during his tenure as any coach in Providence history. 

Michael Smith, Dickey Simpkins, Austin Croshere, and Eric Williams each enjoyed long NBA careers after they graduated from Providence, and all four were members of the 1994 Big East Championship team. Smith and Simpkins were both taken in the ‘94 NBA Draft, while Williams went fourteen to Boston in 1995, then Croshere was taken twelfth by Indiana two years later. 

Other highly-rated high school players, such as Rob Phelps and Troy Brown (also drafted in ‘95) enjoyed solid careers at PC.

Barnes, who led Providence from 1988-1994, had several successful seasons at PC, but his teams probably underachieved a little based on the talent that was on their rosters. Barnes reached three NCAA Tournaments in six seasons at Providence.

What many Friar fans don’t realize is that Barnes had the program on the cusp of being a potentially dominant program nationally. 

Most fans are aware of the Tim Duncan story. He was set to accept a scholarship to Providence, but Father Smith (the school’s president at the time) stepped in because PC did not have a scholarship available, even though Barnes knew transfers were on their way out of the program.

Duncan went to Wake Forest, and we all know how that worked out. He went on to become the consensus national player of the year his senior year. After a stellar 17 year NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, and is widely considered to be the best power forward in NBA history.

Here is Barnes’ recollection of the Duncan fiasco: "We had him committed to Providence. We already had the full allotment but I knew we had a guy that was going to transfer, maybe two. I went to our athletic director and we went to the president, who was a priest at the time. I told him I wanted to sign Tim and he said, 'But you don't have a scholarship.' I said, 'I will.' He wouldn't let me sign him. Tim goes to Wake Forest and the other two guys transfer."

During his second year at PC Barnes also brought in a freshman transfer from Arizona, Orlando Vega. Vega was an outstanding high school player at Oak Hill Academy and was named to the Parade High School All America team. He was also MVP of the Dapper Dan Classic, in a game that featured Alonzo Mourning, Shawn Kemp, Billy Owens, and Chris Jackson.

Unfortunately, Vega never suited up for the Friars due to academic difficulties. He later went on to play several seasons for the Puerto Rican Olympic team after running into trouble with the law. Vega scored 12 points against “Dream Team II” in the summer of ‘94.

During Barnes’ final season at Providence he signed two players to letters of intent in Jason Williams and Greg Buckner. When it became evident that Barnes was leaving at the end of the season for Clemson, Providence let both players out of their commitments. 

Williams wound up playing for Billy Donovan at both Marshall and Florida. He was eventually drafted seventh in the 1998 NBA Draft (ahead of Paul Pierce and Dirk Nowitzki), earning 1st Team NBA All-Rookie honors, and eventually winning a ring with the Miami Heat in 2006. With his wizardry, Williams would have sent Friartown into a frenzy with a style of play reminiscent of Ernie D. 

Buckner went on to join Barnes at Clemson, where he won ACC Rookie of the Year in 1995. He was drafted in the second round of the 1998 NBA Draft.

If Barnes had stayed another year he would have fielded a starting lineup featuring four legitimate NBA players with Croshere and Eric Williams alongside Jason Williams and Buckner (as well as future NBA second round pick Troy Brown).

If you sprinkle in a couple of these players in addition to the players Barnes did bring in it makes you wonder just how far Providence could have climbed during Barnes’ tenure.