While PC fans got a sense of who Driscoll was from a limited number of articles online, we still didn't know much beyond his role at BABC. Looking to get more information on Driscoll, I reached out to Adam Finkelstein.
Adam, of course, is the owner and general manager of New England Basketball Services. He serves as the editor of the New England Recruiting Report, coordinating their exposure events, and directing their instructional program. Currently, Adam also serves as a regular contributor to ESPN's Scouts Inc, is a nominator for the McDonald's All-American game, and a recruiting analyst for Cox Sports New England.
Adam's experiences in the game include stints on the high school, college, and professional levels. Most recently he has served as the head basketball coach at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, CT. Prior to that, he was an assistant basketball coach at the University of Hartford and Western Connecticut State University where he helped develop three players who went on to play professionally, and won a total of three championships. Adam has also spent time working as a scout for Marty Blake.
Simply put, there is no more respected mind on New England recruiting than Adam. I figured he would be the perfect person to get more information on Chris from, and he was.
Below is my Q&A with Adam on Chris Driscoll:
KF: Many Providence fans are just starting to learn about Chris Driscoll. What are his greatest strengths as a coach and what is his reputation in New England recruiting circles? How do you see this translating at Providence if he were to end up here?
AF: Obviously, Chris brings an immediate pipeline to the BABC program, but also to the entire Nike EYBL (Elite Youth Basketball League). BABC has been the only Nike sponsored team in New England for quite a long time and that has put them in elite company around the country with close ties to programs like Boo Williams, New York Gauchos, New Jersey Playaz, and many others.
The BABC program alone has a ton of young talent coming up through the ranks right now. Beyond recruiting, Chris' experience on the BABC will also be of tremendous value to him.
KF: What are his main responsibilities as assistant coach and General Manager of BABC?
AF: I think that's a question best answered by him, but off the floor there is obviously quite a lot of organization that goes into planning a national schedule and putting together a team capable of succeeding at that level. On the floor it certainly seems as if he has a hand in player development as well as developing and executing game plans.
KF: BABC has been on a tremendous run of late and they are doing it with defense, an area where Providence struggled a year ago. Is it safe to assume the defensive side of the ball is a strength of his?
AF: I think one of the reasons why BABC has had so much success over the years, beyond their obvious talent level, is that they have a definite system.
BABC head coach Leo Papile explained his strategy to me this weekend at the Rumble in the Bronx. He said that their goal was to play 60% to 70% of the game from foul line to foul line, comparing his team to a football team trying to control the line of scrimmage.
Many teams simply concede that area of the floor, but by focusing on it BABC's goal is to force the other team into three times the number of turnovers that they typically committ, often starting out in three-quarter court pressure and then falling back to a half-court trap.
The defensive numbers that BABC has put up this year have been staggering, especially in the Nike EYBL. I think a lot of people will be quick to assume that Chris will only be able to contribute in recruiting, but he joins a long line of coaches who have learned under Papile and gone on to be great college basketball strategists and coaches from guys like Mike Jarvis to Tim O'Shea to Karl Hobbs.
KF: Pat Skerry was a force on the New England recruiting scene for PC and was making some great inroads before he left for Pittsburgh. Do you think Chris could have a similar impact? What message would this hire send across New England?
AF: Landing Gerard Coleman was a coup for Providence, no doubt about it. But Coleman came from the BABC program so really Driscoll's presence should only give Providence a bigger advantage when it comes to that particular program, who has talent stockpiled in the classes of 2012 and 2013.
KF: With the competitive nature of AAU basketball, some in Providence circles are wondering what sort of impact hiring a BABC coach could have on kids playing for programs like the New England Playaz, Mass Rivals, or Expressions Elite. How do you see this potential hire impacting kids from those programs?
AF: I think it will be easier to recruit some programs than others, but that's no different than any other college program. Recruiting comes down to relationships and no one in college coaching has a better relationship with BABC then Chris, but BABC is a well respected program within the region so I don't think he'll have any problems recruiting "non BABC kids" from the area.
KF: Providence landed a verbal from Naadir Tharpe and Khem Birch had been quoted in certain publications saying the Friars were his leader this spring. After Skerry left Tharpe decommitted and Birch has backed off those statements since then. Do you think landing Driscoll could have an immediate impact in helping PC get back into the good graces of some of the top players in New England?
AF: Tharpe's recruiting stock has really taken off this spring. Providence did a great job of getting Tharpe committed when they did, but at the time they were really only going against Boston College and UNLV. That's not the case anymore because the kid has at least a dozen high major offers right now. Birch is in a similar situation in that he has really established himself as one of the top big men in 2012 this spring and consequently brought in a ton more recruitment. Providence will be fighting an up hill battle with these guys not because of who is on staff but because of the sheer timing.
KF: Aside from Nerlins Noel, who PC fans are familiar with, what other BABC players should we keep an eye on?
AF: There are quite a few including, Domonique Bull, Jake Layman, Shaquille Jones, Goodluck Okonoboh, Wayne Selden, Rene Castro, and more.
KF: Thanks again, Adam, for providing your insight. For more from Adam check out: http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/
