Naadir

Brice Kofane Pledges to PC

Sunday morning at the Providence Jamfest I got a call about a prospect visiting PC’s campus this weekend. Brice Kofane. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but to be honest, I couldn’t have told you the first thing about him when I got that call.

“So, what kind of player is he?” I questioned.

“Athletic kid. A 6’8 shot blocker.”

“I’ll take it.”

After I got home from the Jamfest I read about a 6’8 shot blocker who was new to the country, and the game, and my interest grew. It was then I remembered that fans on BC’s Scout message board had long talked about him being part of a potential class they were very excited about: Kevin Noreen, Rod Odom, Brady Heslip, and Brice. That didn’t work out so well for the Eagles in hindsight.

One day later Mike Sullivan of Scout.com reported that the Friars were on the verge of landing a commitment from Kofane.

I’ll take it.

Shot blockers wanted (in December)

After Providence scored an offensively impressive, but defensively frightening 110-97 win on the road against George Washington two things became clear to me:

1. Providence will always score under Keno Davis
2. As constituted, that team had no chance of winning in the Big East

In an article titled, “Searching for Marcus Douthit” Friarbasketball.net highlighted the need for a shot blocker and the effect it could have on Providence’s fortunes.

One of the biggest misses of the Tim Welsh era came after the 2005-06 season. A local shooter out of Manhattan had just lit up Maryland to the tune of 31 points in the NIT. The kid grew up in Pawtucket, dreamed of coming to PC, and everyone was thrilled when Jeff Xavier transferred in.


Everyone but me at least. Not with Shawn James transferring out of Northeastern. You might remember James, the America East Rookie and Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 5.4 blocks per game. A year later he broke an NCAA record by averaging 6.53 blocks per game. He had over 190 blocks his sophomore season. Only two Providence teams ever have had that many in a season. And he was available.


Welsh jumped on the shooting guard, James went to Duquesne (second time I've posted about missing out on a guy who ended up with the Dukes in a week) and an inability to stop anyone spelled the end of Welsh's career at Providence two years later.

Did Welsh not realize what he won with at Providence? The 2000-01 squad featured a roster that had been stripped bare after the Prime Time incident and it would have been a long year if Welsh didn't have a defensive dynamo at point guard and two seven footers protecting the paint.

Is it just mere coincidence that the only two tournament teams in Providence under Welsh were led defensively by guys who could protect the rim? Was it coincidence that when Marcus Douthit struggled his sophomore year and rode the bench the first half of his third season that the team fell with him? Was it coincidence that they caught fire at the end of his junior season through most of his senior season when Welsh switched to a 2-3 zone and funneled everything through the re-emerging center? Was it coincidence that the zone was forever ineffective after he left? Was it coincidence that following his graduation, a team with a senior All American started 0-9 in Big East play?

Recruiting shot blockers

In that December article I convinced myself that Keno Davis and his staff saw the need for a shot blocker in the middle and recruited a couple of good ones in Carson Desrosiers and John Reik.
Expecting Kofane to have the impact of one of the best shot blockers in PC history or a record-breaker like James (although at 6’9, 215 he wasn’t much bigger) is completely unfair, but the recruitment of Kofane is a positive for someone like myself begging for someone to challenge opponents at the rim.

Face up shooting big men like Blake McLimas (last year) or Kevin Noreen would be fine additions to the program, but with such glaring defensive deficiencies this past season bringing in that type of player would have done little to alleviate my defensive concerns.

The defensive deficiencies of 2009-10 have fans wondering if they will be existent throughout Keno’s tenure here. At the least they have split folks into two camps:

1. Defense is all about hustle and intensity and the poor results this past year had more to do with not instilling a defensive mindset than talent
2. With better talent comes better on court production. Give Keno more than one productive player above 6’6 and see how his teams defend.

Yes, there are examples of coaches who get their teams to defend, even though they are undersized, but the problem with last year’s team wasn’t just that they were short, it was that they were short and not as athletic as most teams they played. Combine that with a defensive spirit that spiraled at the end and you have Jay Bilas and Sean McDonough tripping over each other to make their next corny joke about it at the Big East Tournament.

What camp do I fall into? Tim Welsh teams did not play good defense for a majority of his tenure, but when he had Douthit and Karim Shabazz they were suddenly among the best in the Big East. Their senior seasons were his teams tournament teams. Go figure.

Superior defensive coaches can turn almost anyone into defenders, but big time shot blockers can make coaches look like defensive masterminds. With a limited amount of scholarships to offer you don’t want to spend many on specialists (i.e. backup point guard, shooters who struggle defensively and off of the dribble), but if Providence is going to take a shot on any type of specialist my hope is that it is a shot blocker.

As limited as Shabazz and Douthit were offensively, in covering wide bodies, and on the glass, they were just as responsible for the 01 and 04 tournament teams as John Linehan and Ryan Gomes, the most decorated players of the past decade.

Brice Kofane may be a blip in the Providence history books when it is all said and done, but after reading about his 16 block performance against the powerful New York Gauchos or hearing his coach speak about energizing his team defensively, I’m sold on a kid I wasn’t even following two days ago and could care less what he brings offensively next fall. That part can be developed.

Good athleticism, great in the classroom (3.6 GPA), relatively new to the game, and the potential to protect the rim? On paper, not a bad fourth signing for a team in need of an interior presence.

Providence Jamfest Notes; Ledo goes off

Note: I took video of the Expressions/CBC semi-final.  It was my first shot at recording and I'll do my best to get it up on Youtube soon.  I missed probably 3 minutes of action and (of course) Ledo swished two 3s and hit a leaner, while Drummond had his two loudest blocks of the game with my camera on pause.  Almost all of the game is on my camera.  I'll post the videos here in the next week or two if I can successfully load them to youtube.

Typically, when attending a prep or AAU tournament a player emerges who blows you away, a PC recruit shines, or there is a great game to report on.  After spending the day at the Providence City Courts (great facility, just behind Federal Hill) on Saturday I struggled to find an angle.

Sure, the #1 seeded New England Playaz, featuring Naadir Tharpe, Alex Murphy, and Markus Kennedy (Winchendon/Villanova) falling to the Granite State Jayhawks (NH) was a massive upset, and the Playaz winning their opener while playing with only four players in the first six or seven minutes was noteworthy, but nothing jumped out in day one.

On Sunday morning the Playaz bounced back, but it was another quiet day for Tharpe and Murphy, while the Expressions (led by Mike Carter-Williams, Ricky Ledo, and Khem Birch) took care of business in their morning session, but still nothing jumped out as the story.

Then the tournament's semi-final matched Expressions with Andre Drummond's Connecticut Basketball Club (CBC).  For the second time in two months Friarbasketball.net geared up for a matchup of New England's monster sophomore big men.  In early March Drummond's St. Thomas More team shocked Birch's Winchendon squad in the National Prep Championship. 

Need more intrigue?  CBC has another big man - 6'11 Vince Van Nes who Providence reportedly recently offered. 

In a game featuring three talented giants, and the 2010 National Prep School Invitational MVP (Carter-Williams) it was Providence native Ricky Ledo who stood tallest in his hometown.

Ricky for 3 (time and again)

Those who have been following this site closely know that I have gone back and forth on Ledo - back and forth in the sense that I question if he is truly a top 25 player in his class.  His handle is still a work in progress and he doesn't have a blow-by first step, and while he was billed as a great shooter I saw him as having the potential to be a great shooter, but not quite consistent enough yet.

Then in St. Andrew's final game at the NPSI at URI Ledo went off in the 2nd half, nailing several 3s in leading his team to victory against a team from the NEPSAC's Class A.  A close game turned into a relatively easy win when as his outside shooting broke it open.

With good size, above average athleticism and the ability to hit from deep, the tools are all there for Ricky and if his effort in the semi-final of the Providence Jamfest is any indication, he's putting it all together.

Simply put, Ledo was the difference between two evenly matched teams.  He caught fire from beyond the arc (had to have had 7 or 8 3s) and made them at critical junctures.  His early burst gave Expressions a double digit lead and his late surge helped put the game away.  The buzz started to grow as fans oohed and awed with each passing make. 

After a subpar weekend for Alex Murphy and a phenomenal one for Ledo, I still believe Murphy is the better player (taller, better passer and rebounder), but Ricky closed the gap after this weekend.

Additional notes:

• A very quiet weekend for Naadir Tharpe and all of the New England Playaz.  They played two overmatched opponents and his minutes were limited some in two blowouts, but in the loss to the Granite State Jayhawks he had a great opening 8 minutes or so, but couldn't lead his team back against a team that killed his with unbelievable outside shooting and ball movement.  For a true passing point guard like Naadir the prep ranks is where he'll excel and what will most simulate what he'll see in college.  Scorers tend to dominate AAU games.
• Ditto for Alex Murphy.  He was more active on the glass than I had seen him, but his shot was off this weekend.  Still such a talented kid who can do so many things at 6'8.
• I'm going to guess Vince Van Nes has the skills and is just trying to catch up to the speed of the game.  The big lefty looks every bit 6'11, but it was difficult to get a gauge for his game because he didn't take many shots or rebound much.  In the semis against Expressions he saw little playing time in the second half, he might not have played at all. 
• Birch held his own against the more physical Drummond, with the highlight being when he blocked Drummond's shot and after the big man recovered, drawing a charge on him. I took note (and wrote about it here) when Tharpe and Coleman seemed chummy before playing each other in December and I noted the same thing with Birch and Naadir in between games.  Let's hope history repeats.  If anyone can recruit local talent it is the outgoing and charismatic Tharpe.
• Drummond flashed more of an offensive game than he had at the prep level.  He is simply a monster physically, a really good athlete, and he's physical.  He blocked one shot that landed out of bounds and started a fast break by sending a layup attempt out to halfcourt.  He twice led a fastbreak after grabbing a rebound.
• You see a lot at AAU tournaments.  The best of the weekend: one player showed up late to a game and then was late checking in as he looked for someone to hold his earrings.  His coach was not amused. 
• It becomes apparent at tournaments like these just how hard it is to find talented big men.  I came looking for big man sleepers (last year I was impressed with the athleticism of Ryan Canty), but didn't see much.  Perhaps there were more at RIC, but I didn't see much.  Big men take a while to develop and I try to keep that in mind when I see a kid like Van Nes not having much of an on-court impact so early in his development.

Keno Offers, Crump transferring

According to Northfield Mount Hermon's twitter account Providence has offered two underclassmen:

NMHbasketball Providence College HC Keno Davis offers scholarships to NMH's Vince Van Nes '11 and Evan Cummins '12. Congrats, boys, and keep working hard!

As you'll recall, Northfield made it to the Prep National Championship before falling to Brewster.  Both of these players are still developing and didn't have a huge impact on the run, as Northfield was led by a high scoring outside attack and the inside game of Majok Majok. 

Cummins is one of the most improved players in New England.  The 6'8 sophomore is playing with TJ Gassnola's New England Playaz this spring and summer.

Van Nes is a 6'11 Brit who came to the US with a big time reputation, but didn't have a huge impact in his first prep season as he struggled some adjusting to playing at such a high level.  He plays AAU for Connecticut Basketball Club.

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In other prep Twitter news, Brewster's page noted today that former Providence target Givon Crump is transferring from Baylor and will have three years of eligibility left.  With a hole at small forward, could the staff target Crump as a transfer target?

New England Playaz at Real Deal in the Rock

A great update from the New England Recruiting Report on Naadir Tharpe and the New England Playaz performance from this weekend.

Highlights include:

The Playaz locked up with Team Texas in the first bracket play game, creating a one-on-one match-up for Naadir Tharpe and Jamal Branch, the 22nd ranked prospect in the national class of 2011 who is already committed to Texas A&M. Tharpe rose to the challenge and was “spectacular” according to Gassnola, getting to the rim every time he wanted to lead to Playaz to a 4-0 record and a place in the round of 16.

“Every year you look to see the improvements that guys make and I think Alex Murphy has made noticeable improvements and become such a confident guy,” Telep said on Monday morning. “One play he drove the lane and dunked the ball. I don’t know if he surprised himself but that was a little bit of an eye opener as if to say ‘O.K. this is where we’re at right now’".

Naadir and the Playaz will participate in a loaded Providence Jamfest this weekend.  Click here for the complete schedule.

Bring him home

Interesting news from Jeff Goodman today - Rakim Sanders is leaving Boston College.  He will most likely look to finish his final year of eligibility at another school, rather than going professional.


Sanders’ commitment to BC was a stinging blow to a Friar fanbase who followed his recruitment from its earliest stages and read reports that PC was his long-time leader. Sanders’ senior year coincided with the final years of the Tim Welsh era, a time when Providence fans had learned to accept losing out on recruiting battles for the highest rated players. There was instability at Providence; one of his mentors, Preston Murphy, joined Al Skinner’s staff and the decision was probably easier than Friar fans hoped.

Ironically, the coaching staffs at BC and Providence that competed for his services when he was starring at St. Andrew’s have both turned over and now it looks as though there is a chance for Sanders to play for both.

While Andy Katz reported that Sanders is most likely headed for Fairfield, it would make a lot of sense for the PC staff to reach out and make sure that his decision is final.

How does this make sense for Providence?

On the court in 2011-12: How does a lineup of Vincent Council (Jr), Gerard Coleman (So), Sanders (Sr), Greedy Peterson (Sr), and Bilal Dixon (Jr) sound? They would make up one of the most experienced, physical, and most importantly, talented starting lineups in the Big East. When is the last time Providence had a “power” 3 they could match with the likes of Peterson and Dixon who can both pull down 15 rebounds on any given night? How good would that frontcourt look alongside the pure speed and play-making ability of Council and Coleman?

The bench wouldn’t be too shabby either with Naadir Tharpe, Joe Young (assuming he’s not starting), Duke Mondy, Kadeem Batts, Ron Giplaye, and whoever else Providence brings in with Tharpe in the class of 2011. If the staff can bring in another top 100 type they would have two top 100 freshmen coming off of the bench along with a top 100 sophomore.

Recruiting: Get Sanders to Providence and you already have two key additions to the 2011-12 season - Sanders and Tharpe – and you’ve got them both committed very early in the game. This would allow the coaching staff to be extremely selective with another 2011 commitment.

Assuming they want at least two scholarships open in 2012, this allows PC to add Tharpe, Sanders, and third player in two seasons, and the immediate departure of Sanders opens up a scholarship for the class of 2012, a powerful New England class that could be key in shaping the future of Providence basketball. PC would then have two scholarships available for 2012.

Why does it make sense for Sanders?

Sentimentalists will point to a local kid coming home, how he rooted for Providence as a youngster and that would be a key factor in his decision making process.

More realistically, Sanders will be looking for an opportunity to play and showcase his game on a winning team in his final season. Yes, location could play a factor, but just as importantly is the style of play that Keno Davis can sell to Sanders. There would be playing time available at small forward, a good core around him, and an opportunity to showcase in offensive game in a wide open offense (as opposed to Al Skinner’s Flex).

2011-12 is a long way away and rosters are constantly evolving, but if Providence can maintain the core they have now (Coleman/Young/Giplaye included) and add a great prep point, a proven small forward, and another highly regarded high school prospect then this has the potential to be a very deep and very good team in March 2012.

Without a Motive?

The players "said they were going to beat up the next male they saw," Ippolito said, reading from a police report. "The victim was just in the wrong place."



He said Yerkin Abdrakhmanov, 21, suffered a broken nose and eye socket, and other injuries, and was treated in Rhode Island Hospital.


"This is a serious assault -- without a motive," Ippolito said in setting bail.

From the Providence Journal college hoops blog.

What an embarrassing day to be a graduate, fan, student, administrator, coach, employee, or anyone else with an affiliation to Providence College. 

Initially, I planned to withhold comment when this story broke, but after reading this excerpt from the police report and hearing Father Sicard's comments of a "serious and random assault" that was "unprovoked" filled me with a sense of anger, embarrassment, and curiosity into what could possibly go through the mind of any human being who would think of something so grotesque, nevermind executing on such a hideous plan. 

What goes through the head of someone who thinks of doing something like this?

What goes through the head of someone who agrees to go through with it when another suggests it?

What goes through the head of someone when they approach a random and completely unsuspecting victim?

What goes through the head of someone who beats him so badly that they break his nose and eye socket and leave him bleeding in the street?

What goes through your head when you are hanging around on a street corner as if nothing has happened afterwards?

What's going through my head right now?  It makes my stomach turn to know I clapped for either of these individuals (albeit, it couldn't have been more than once or twice this season considering their on court impact).  I wonder how Yerkin is doing.  How this incident shapes his and his family's perspective on Providence College and their decision to send him to a school that helped shape me into the person I am today. 

My hope is the Providence College community emerges and proves to him why the college is a special place.

I wonder what so many of the positive role models that played basketball at Providence think when they see the program they helped build getting publicity for something like this. 

I wonder if there are any more details or if a better explanation will come out because a story seemingly so senseless and inhumane has to have more to it, doesn't it?

Lacy, Permenter Out; Anderson on the way?

The Johnnie Lacy and Russ Permenter chapter is officially closed with the loudest noise out of these two coming from their Facebook pages in their year at Providence. 

With Vincent Council set to lead this team for the next three years and Naadir Tharpe on his way in a year and a half, the writing was on the wall for Lacy.  Heading into a prep season at Notre Dame Prep Lacy's reputation was solid, but he failed to impress when I saw him in his prep season and there simply wasn't room for him this past season with a fifth year point guard and an all-conference performer in front of him.  It would have been beneficial to Providence had he waited a year and backed up Council, but if you're Lacy the thought of staying as a lame duck backup point guard who wouldn't see the court again until the 2011-12 season couldn't have been appealling.

If Permenter couldn't crack the rotation this past season then he would never play at the Big East level.  With the under-developed James Still and Ray Hall on creaky knees getting playing time before Russ, there was little doubt that he was a one and done JUCO transfer.  And not the good kind.

The two questions facing Keno Davis and his staff are:

1. Who backs up Council, or takes over if he were to get hurt?
2. What do we do with two additional scholarships?

Enter Darion Anderson.  Providence struck gold in landing Tharpe as early as they did, but they also found themselves in a position of needing a backup for Council, while remaining sensitive to the message bringing in another point guard would send to Naadir.  What would be more tragic: if Council got hurt next year and Providence was left without a point guard on the roster, or Providence picks up a Bryon Allen type and turns off a prized commitment?

Anderson has experience, would be gone before Tharpe came to campus, and would come to PC with the expectation that he is the backup.  Where do I sign?

Unless they can get a big time addition to the 2010 class, the Providence staff might be better served to hold onto their remaining three open scholarships and spread them among 2011 and 2012.  The staff has continued to recruit under-the-radar big guys for 2010, but with Ron Giplaye apparenty qualified and ready to come to Providence it would be surprising to see them bring in another project big man this late in the game.

In an ideal world they bring in two kids for 2011 (Tharpe and a big or a stud 3) and two in 2012.  With Tharpe already in the fold for the '11 class, they can afford to be very selective with their other scholarship. 

The 2012 class could potentially become a program changer for Providence and with the way this staff gets after it on the recruiting trail you'd have to think they'd relish the opportunity to bring in two superstars in a class they are already in great shape with.  Some combination of Ricky Ledo, Khem Birch, and Nerlins Noel coming in on the heels of Tharpe, Coleman, and Young would mark a dramatic talent upgrade on Smith Hill.

4/11 Note: Received word yesterday that the rule regarding kids in Anderson's position may have changed and he may no longer be an option.  Stay tuned.

Shabazz Napier to Connecticut

Shabazz Napier is headed for Storrs.  The explosive, high scoring lead guard commits to the Huskies two weeks after the best pure point guard in New England pledges to the Friars.  Let the storylines begin.

In December, Friarbasketball.net compared the emerging Napier/Tharpe debate to that of the the 1996 draft's top prospects, Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury. 

Like Iverson, Shabazz is a tremendous scorer, one capable of putting points on the board so quickly and amazingly (ankle breaking drives, 3s from 30 feet) that it overshadows his play-making skills.  While not the creator that Tharpe is, Napier is a far more effective passer than he gets credit for.  Those skills were never more on display than in the NEPSAC Class C finals when he led Lawrence Academy over a bigger St. Mark's team on a night in which his outside shot wasn't falling.

Scoring point guards are often labeled as selfish or not true 1s, but Napier willingly makes plays for his teammates and does so effectively.  Prior to last summer Napier was billed as more of a 3 point gunner than anything, a label that was unfair and one that he obliterated after a great summer and undefeated prep season.

While Shabazz has always had his doubters, Naadir Tharpe has been highly rated and coveted from early on in his high school career.  He was a young point guard prodigy when he made the varsity team at St. Peter-Marian in Worcester, MA when he was in 8th grade.

While consistently being ranked in the top 60 nationally in most recruiting services since his first year at Brewster Academy, many of those that were impressed with his supreme play-making ability were quick to note that his jumper was a work in progress.

While Napier is known at the scorer, Tharpe has the ability to put points on the board, as he proved in his last year at St. Peter-Marian averaging 27 ppg, scoring 43, 31, 37, 31, 43, 34, 35, and 41 points in his last 8 games there.

When Napier answered questions about his passing ability, Tharpe did the same when it came to his outside shot.

A Budding Rivalry

The New England Recruiting Report is reporting that Napier will reclassify to the class of 2010 and begin his UConn career a year prior to Tharpe's arrival at Providence.  In a sense it would be a shame if Napier and Tharpe didn't end up in the same class, as a great debate has raged across New England recruiting circles over the past year as to who the better point guard prospect is.  Everyone seems to have an opinion and to see them go toe to toe, in the same conference, playing on states bordering each other for all four years, would have been a pleasure.

Throughout their prep careers the NERR had Tharpe rated as the top New England player in the class of 2011, until recently when Napier and Syracuse commit Mike Carter-Williams surpassed him late this year.

ESPN has Tharpe rated 51st nationally.  Napier is 52nd. 

One will lead traditional New England AAU power BABC this summer.  The other is a mainstain of the upstart New England Playaz. 

Napier was the star of the Class C champions.  Tharpe led a team of stars to the Class A and National Championships.

One is headed to the current king of New England.  The other is looking to lead a revival of the region's former power.

There's no doubt they've heard the whispers about who is better and have to be eager to prove who is better.

Some preferred AI, others Marbury.  This should be fun.

For more on Shabazz Napier:

http://www.friarbasketball.net/2010/02/live-from-roxbury-ma-shabazz-napier-in.html

http://www.friarbasketball.net/2010/03/live-from-beverly-ma-iii-nepsac.html