Fans were patient with the Friars throughout Welsh's lame duck final season, a season that was so obviously a lost one for Friar fans before it had begun. Welsh had won a grand total of 1 Big East Tournament game in his 9 years, yet was given another shot at it.
Predictably, the Friars finished below .500 and Welsh's tenure was over. The new coach had a challenge in front of him. He was taking over a core of upperclassmen who weren't talented enough to win consistently in the Big East and had under a year to put together a class of 7 recruits.
This is what infuriated insightful Providence fans. Was Welsh going to figure things out in year 10? Why not give a new coach a season to establish himself before he has to fill 7 scholarships the year after?
The move to wait a year on Welsh put any new coach in a difficult position and we're seeing the results today.
For the first time all season Keno Davis was publically fed up. He talked of players scoring 20 but giving up 25 not playing anymore. He talked about benching guys who didn't work hard. He talked about bringing in more talented players, saying this team just wasn't good enough. He made analogies to the real world - if you aren't doing your job, your boss will find someone better to do it.
Finally, he talked about the most willing defenders getting the playing time from here on in. The problem is there aren't many defensive options on this team. There just aren't many two-way players right now and Keno has to see it.
During the final minute of the game Keno's biggest players on the floor were Brian McKenzie and Marshon Brooks. No wonder it became a layup line in the final minute.
Davis' Friars could not have played the final minute worse. With Sharaud Curry, a near 90% free throw shooter on the floor, they inbounded the ball to the promising, but still green Vincent Council, who missed 3 of 4 free throws late to keep South Florida in the game.
With the top free throw shooting/ball handling unit on the floor, South Florida enjoyed a layup line in the final minute and the free throw shooting unit missed. Providence could afford to trade layups with free throws in the final 30 seconds, as long as they hit their free throws. They didn't, and playing with a unit of 6'4 and under players allowed USF to score at will.
Would having Bilal Dixon or Greedy Peterson on the floor in the final 40 seconds have altered one of the Bulls' bunnies at the rim? One stop would have won the game.
When the Friars finally did inbound the ball to their 5th year senior who is nearly automatic on the free throw line, he tried to dribble through a double team and lost the ball. The result: South Florida worked the PC defense for a wide open 3 at the buzzer that officially tied it, but all but ended it.
How patient can Friar fans be?
This site has preached patience as it has taken some of the game's biggest legends two or three seasons to get their footing under them, but the final Welsh years really sapped the energy out of this program. The crowd was abnormally quiet last night, and on Alumni Weekend it wasn't close to a sellout.
Would this program be in a better position if a new coach was able to take over during Welsh's final year? Given Keno is bringing in two top 100 players next year, it is safe to say the talent level of this 7 man class would be greater had a new coach been given two years to identify and land talent.
This site has targeted the year after next as Providence's most realistic NCAA tournament bid. Sure, there is a chance that both Gerard Coleman and Joe Young can both defend and give you 10-15 points on a nightly basis and one of the Still/Kadeem Batts/Ron Giplaye trio will be able to spell Dixon effectively, but that is asking a lot out of kids who have never played at the Big East level.
I'm fine with waiting. I've preached patience here before and noted that this season is all about getting the building blocks in place with an eye towards better days ahead under Keno Davis. Having seen all three recruits, I'm thrilled about where this team could be in three years, but last night was a reminder of just how far away March, 2012 is.
