PC Preview: How Providence PG rotation stacks up against BE

No one said life in the Big East is easy.  With inexperience in the frontcourt and at shooting guard, the strength of the 2010-11 Friars looks to be their point guard play, spearheaded by Vincent Council.  The sturdy, 6'2 sophomore is the second leading assist man returning to the Big East this year and could be one of the top three passers in the conference.

Of the returnees this year, only Pittsburgh’s Brad Wannamaker averaged more assists (4.7 to 4.5) than Council and he did it in five more minutes per game (32 to 27).  It is reasonable to expect Council to be near the top of the conference in assists assuming a bump in playing time, the natural growth from his freshman season, and the style of play that Keno Davis is trying to incorporate at PC, but he loses one of the league’s best finishers in Jamine Peterson and may find it more difficult to penetrate with the lack of shooters on this roster. 

For all of his flaws defensively, Providence lost an experienced lead guard and terrific outside shooter in Sharaud Curry.  There is no doubt now about who the point guard is on this team.  While Davis prefers to rotate his players in and out quickly, Curry played over 30 minutes per game a season ago and that was with Council playing behind or alongside him.  Expect Council to log 32 minutes per game this year.

The remaining 8-10 minutes per game look to be a competition between incoming freshman: Dallas product Dre Evans and Arizona native Bryce Cotton.  If either can provide an effective 10 minutes per game in year one it would have to be considered a success when factoring in when they signed.  I only caught a glimpse of Evans during his first scrimmage with his new teammates (not the most fair time to judge) and have yet to see Cotton, who is said to be a combo guard. 

How does the Friars point guard rotation stack up against the rest of the Big East?

There are six teams you can confidently say Providence is stronger than at the 1: Cincinnati, Seton Hall, Rutgers, South Florida, DePaul, and St. John’s. 

Marquette loses Maurice Acker, but returns highly-regarded sophomore Junior Cadougan, the burly Canadian who missed a majority of his freshman season due to injury.  Cadougan and Illinois freshman Reggie Smith have potential to be a solid duo, but based on track record Providence has to get the nod there as well. 

The same could be said for Louisville combo Peyton Siva and incoming freshman Russ Smith.  Siva, a high school All American, had little impact in his first year (3 ppg, 1 ast), while Smith is an athletic combo scorer out of South Kent who could provide a real punch off of the bench for Rick Pitino.  He was impressive whenever I saw him a year ago.

From there, you could make a case that the rest of the Big East has as good, or better point guard rotations.  Note: I said rotation, not lead guard.  Here’s a breakdown of some of the best point guard rotations we’ll see this year:

Connecticut: A case can be made for the Huskies having the best point guard rotation in the conference.  Kemba Walker is a blur who can get to the line as well as anyone point guard in the nation (17 FT attempts vs. WVU and 16 vs. Nova) while Shabazz Napier is the best incoming point guard in the conference.  The kid will score right away.  Notably, Council played one of his best games of the season in a win over Connecticut a year ago.

Notre Dame: While a different type of point guard than Council, the Irish will rely on Ben Hansbrough to man the point unless Baltimore freshman Eric Atkins can take over, allowing the sharp-shooting Hansbrough to play the 2.  Hansbrough put up 12 points and 4.5 assists while shooting over 40% from 3 a year ago.

Pittsburgh: Wannamaker led the conference in assists a year ago and he’ll be backed by Hargrave stud Isaiah Epps, one of the highest rated guards to enter the conference this year.

Syracuse: The exciting Scoop Jardine will lead the Orange after a solid year off of the bench.  We’ve seen freshman at PC outperform their counterparts in year 1 (think Geoff McDermott vs Jeff Adrien freshman year), but if Council wants to be elite he’ll outperform the likes of Jardine the next two seasons (Jardine is a junior).  After sitting out a year Jardine was quite possibly the best bench player in the country.

Villanova: It must be nice to be Jay Wright.  Scottie Reynolds leaves, you don’t add a big name point guard and you still have two studs in the fold.  Corey Fisher might be the best scoring guard in the league and former high school All American Maalik Wayns should flourish with additional playing time as a sophomore.

West Virginia: Depth is key for the Mountaineers.  They return experience in Joe Mazzulla and Truck Bryant, both starter-level 1s, and add a top 100 freshman in Noah Cottril.

Georgetown: While Chris Wright feels like more of a shooting guard, I’ll put him at point here.  A top 100 point guard, Michael Starks, is on the way this year as well.

As good as Council is, there are at least seven Big East schools who could legitimately claim that they have equal or better point guard rotations – a testament to the conference, not Providence’s point guard prospects for the upcoming season.  

The Friars will rely heavily on Council in 2010-11 and if they are to surprise this year he will be at the forefront.  On a team lacking in proven Big East scorers, Council will play a critical role in generating offense for this team.  He has the potential to be a top 3 point guard in the league and will need to be if Providence intends to improve over last season. 

In the next edition of the season preview I'll write a player preview of Vincent Council which will examine his freshman season and take a look at what to expect from his sophomore year.

Jeff Goodman Gets It

FoxSports' Jeff Goodman has always just seem to "get it."  Here is his take on the Joseph Young situation, spot on as usual.

Part of his take:

I want to believe that Joe Young is doing this for the right reasons, to be close to his aunt — to be there for her on a daily basis and provide whatever support is needed.

But I’m skeptical.

It’s because of the past, watching virtually everyone and their mother attempt to receive a waiver in order to be able to transfer and play immediately over the last few years. The rash of transfer waivers began when Tyler Smith was allowed to go from Iowa back home to Tennessee in order to be closer to his dying father.

Elliot Williams transferred to Memphis from Duke after the 2008-09 season to be closer to his sick mother.

Elsa

Many have followed. Elliot Williams from Duke toMemphis, Will Harris from Virginia to Albany, D.J. Rivera from St. Joe’s to Binghamton.

Some were valid, but many utilized a family’s illness to get around the system.

Let’s face it, though.

If these kids really want to help a close family member, they should take the year off and truly help. As a college basketball player, between classes, practice, travel for games and schoolwork, there’s little time to tend to an ill family member.

Young Appeal Denied, PC Stands by Principles

Kudos to Kevin McNamara of the Providence Journal for being the first reporter to speak with Joseph Young about his request to appeal the letter of intent he signed with the Friars last fall.

Since Young filed for an appeal in the spring, his father, and University of Houston Director of Basketball Operations, Michael Young has taken every opportunity to vent through various Houston media outlets, while none of these reporters were able (allowed?) to get word from the young man himself.  

“My family is disappointed right now,” Joe Young told the Journal.  Apparently.  

He added, “I’m fine. I’m good. It makes me stronger and makes me want to get in the gym and work harder...I’m praying to God that everything works out in the end.”

While Joe Young was measured in his response to this decision, his father sounded off yet again, as he took on the NLI system, Keno Davis, and Providence College, “The NLI system is crap… there’s no chance in hell that Joseph would ever go to Providence.” 

Michael Young continued by calling Davis “a bad guy” and adding “Keno Davis and Providence had no sympathy for this situation. Keno said he doesn’t care who is ill. 

“Anytime you deny a kid from something he has worked so hard for all of these years and kids are very emotional about situations like this.”

Sounds like the adult is a lot more emotional than the kid, no?

Forgive Friar fans for being skeptical of a man who said the following after his son committed to Providence:

"Do I want my son to play here (Houston)? Man, do I want him to play here. My heart is really, really broken right now. I'm trying to get this decision turned. There's still time. I'm trying to get him to have a change of mind and really look at the whole situation. 

"I'm really ashamed," Young added. "I'm really ashamed for me to be a basketball coach here, and my son is a good basketball player, and he's not coming here." 

I’m trying to get this decision turned.

A few weeks later Michael Young changed his tune, "Things came out down here and I had to put the fire out," he said. "I'm sure fans at Providence weren't really sure what was being said. But now I am happy Joseph is a Friar."

What “fire” did he have to put out?  Fire he was getting from fans and alumni?  Fire from his head coach and AD?  And yes, Providence fans knew exactly what was being said. They've heard plenty from Michael Young.

Was part of putting that fire out publicly stating that he was ashamed and would try to change his son’s mind?  If this is what he was saying to reporters, what did Joe Young hear behind closed doors?  

Is it possible that fire was turned back up when a new head coach, James Dickey, came aboard?  

Not familiar with James Dickey?  He was the head man at Texas Tech from 1991-2001.  He led Tech to the NCAA Tournament in both 1993 and ’96.  

The ’96 team went 30-2 and made it all the way to the Sweet 16.  The following year Tech looked primed to make a run in the first ever Big 12 Tournament.  They lost their first game in the Big 12 Tournament and announced afterwards that they were withdrawing from consideration from the postseason and forfeiting all conference wins because two of their players were academically ineligible.

An investigation of the program followed and resulted in Texas Tech being stripped of its tournament wins in 1996 and the loss of nine scholarships over four years.  Dickey never recovered.

Dickey was also an assistant for Eddie Sutton at Kentucky.  Sutton’s Kentucky tenure nearly led to one of the most storied basketball programs in college basketball history being shut down, and infamously ended with three years of probation, a two year ban from postseason play, and a ban from live television for a year.  Dickey was on staff throughout Sutton’s entire tenure with the Wildcats.

Probation at Kentucky in 1989 and probation at Tech in 1997 - that’s a lot of trouble in an eight year span.  

Dickey gets hired at Houston in early April and the appeal is sent within weeks.  Forgive Keno Davis, Bob Driscoll, and Providence College for being skeptical.  I know I am.

It would have been easy for Davis and Driscoll, on the heels of a PR nightmare of an offseason, to let Young walk and move on.  They knew this would get messy and have to be eager to move on from last season when Young’s appeal was one of the biggest blows of the spring.  Instead they stood by their principles, knowing that it would lead to the coach, athletic department, and college being disparaged in doing so.  

The shame in this saga is that Joe Young seems to be almost a secondary character.  He’s a 19 year old kid who has been publicly ridiculed by his own father, stood by quietly while this all played out very publicly, and has had the illness of a loved one widely broadcast.  That’s more than any 19 year old should have to deal with.

Joseph Young told Kevin McNamara that this experience is teaching him a lot about the world.  Indeed it is.


For more on the recruiting violations on Texas Tech click here.


For more on the recruiting violations at Kentucky click here.

Tharpe Update

Hearing that Naadir Tharpe could be visiting Providence soon on an unofficial visit.  From what I understand he has already taken an official visit to PC (visited in February as a senior - remember he prepped a year at Brewster).

He has been offered scholarships from the following schools:

Providence, St John's, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Hofstra, Marquette, Charlotte, Minnesota, Iowa St, Iowa, and George Mason.

Tharpe is also receiving interest from Wake Forest, Washington, Oklahoma, and UCLA.

8/9 Quick Hits

Some Friar-related news and notes on a hot Monday afternoon.

1. While many Providence fans are turning their sights towards Illinois point guard Ryan Boatright, Keno Davis and his staff have done a good job of staying in the fight for Naadir Tharpe, who has had a monster summer for the New England Playaz.  I checked in with someone close to the Brewster Academy point guard and was told that Tharpe is "still very interested in Providence."  No word on when he plans on making official visits.  As of late July he hadn't heard from Pittsburgh.

2. The NEPSAC won't be the same next year without Mike Byrnes, the former Winchendon head coach with a big personality and one of the most entertaining teams in New England last year.  With Khem Birch and Angel Nunez playing there a season ago Providence fans had plenty of reason to play attention to Winchendon, but some may forget that one of PC's all time greats played for Byrnes.  John Linehan prepped at Winchendon to improve his stock.  As we know it worked.  Best of luck to Coach Byrnes who joins a Robert Morris staff that just lost head coach Mike Rice to Rutgers and will be led by one of the youngest coaches in the country, 29 year old Andrew Toole.

3. Speaking of Rice, he is part of a growing fraternity of former Pitt assistants who landed head coaching gigs.  He joins Barry Rohressen (Manhattan), Tom Herrion (Marshall) and Jamie Dixon as Pittsburgh assistants over the past decade who moved on to a head coaching gig.  Rutgers assistant David Cox was Director of Basketball Ops at Pitt and looks like he could turn into an ace recruiter for the Scarlet Knights after heading north from Georgetown.  

Count me among those that won't read into Pat Skerry leaving Providence for Pittsburgh as an indictment of the state of the program, but rather a testament to the great job Dixon has done there.  Just how good has he been since taking over for Ben Howland?

• In seven seasons he has won 20 games overall and 10 conference games every year
• Dixon has won nearly 70% of his Big East games and sports the highest winning percentage in Big East history
• Pittsburgh has been in the conference championship game in four of his seven seasons
• His 188 victories in his first seven seasons ties an all-time Division 1 record

No one will deny Providence had their problems this spring, but Dixon's resume combined with Pitt's recent history of turning their top assistants into D1 head coaches made this too good of an opportunity for most coaches to turn down.  Rice became a head coach after only one season at Pitt.  It took Herrion only three seasons there to become a head man.

Sometimes it is about what's happening outside of Providence rather than within.  

4.  I wrote extensively a year ago about the need to insert shooters into the lineup.  On paper, it could be worse this year.  Last season the Friars hit a total of 249 three point shots.  A whopping 169 of those came from players who will not be on the roster this year (approximately 70% of those made in 2009-10).  

8/5 Quick Hits

What I'm hearing...

The staff is hard at work on the recruiting trail and business is about to pick up this summer.  Later this month, South Kent shooting guard Ricky Ledo and St. Mark's 7 footer Kaleb Tarczewski will be among the visitors to campus.  Both are among the highest rated players in the country at their position.

Speaking of two players who are among the top in their class, I was told that 2011 studs Ryan Boatright (Aurora, IL) and Mike Chandler (Indianapolis, IN) will visit together in September.  Both are rated 96 on ESPN.com.  Chandler is a springy shot blocker who attends the same high school that graduated Greg Oden, Mike Conley, and Eric Montross.  Boatright is a scoring lead guard.

Thinking back on TW Pt. 2

The similarities were showing themselves as early as January.  In late January I wrote an article noting some startling similarities between Keno Davis' second year in Providence and that of his predecessor, Tim Welsh.

Back in January what they had in common then was popping up in recruiting.  In the spring in which they took over both men had to convince a promising high school senior to come to Providence (Sean Connolly in '98, Bilal Dixon in '08) and had to fill "mega-classes" in their first year on campus.

Here is what I wrote at the time:

Shockingly in hindsight, one of the most credible recruiting sources at the time, Hoop Scoop, ranked this class the 8th best in the country.



The results were less than stellar on the court and even worse off of it. Failing to meet expectations, Wade and Murray did not contribute in year 1 and were gone after pummeling a classmate over a bar room (if you can call Prime Time a bar room) disagreement. Jefferson showed flashes but transferred, Jarrell-Wright did the same, and the four hold overs (Mills, Augustin, Shabazz and Rogers) helped salvage the class by all playing critical roles on the 2001 NCAA Tournament team.

Little did I know at the time just how similar things would get for Providence a decade later.

Fast forward six months and the similarities continue to pile up.  The final records are nearly identical (12-19 for Keno, 11-19 for Welsh), the top-rated recruit for each was ranked 2nd in New England (Marcus Douthit then, Gerard Coleman now), each had to leave the US to bring in multiple players to fill out the roster (Chris Anrin and Maris Laksa then, Brice Kofane and Lee Goldsbrough today) after off-court incidents hit the news, both struck out with Junior College transfers, and each entered their third season with a roster stuffed with question marks.

Yet, Welsh recovered the next season with a tournament bid.  How? 

For starters, the addition of Douthit, combined with 7'2 senior Karim Shabazz, gave Providence length rarely seen at the school.  Laksa scored 9 points per game off of the bench and combined with Anrin, they stretched the floor in a way the previous edition of the Friars couldn't have dreamed.  Abdul Mills and Rome Augustin emerged as sophomores, Erron Maxey provided senior leadership and grit in the paint, and most importantly Providence benefitted from the return of John Linehan who had played only six games the previous year due to injury.

The identity of the team changed as Linehan battled with Shane Battier for national defensive player of the year honors, while Douthit and Shabazz protected the rim.  Suddenly, the Friars were a defensive juggernaut.

A team that couldn't shoot straight the year prior suddenly had four players that shot over 40% from 3 in Big East play. 

It was also a down year for the Big East as both Providence and Boston College, cellar dwellars the season prior, shot their way to the top of the standings a year later, while traditional powers like Connecticut suffered through a down season.

Much can be learned from that group, but duplicating their feat will be difficult.  While Providence would clearly benefit from upping the defensive intensity next year, and outside shooting was and looks to be a problem this year as well, they do not have two seven footers and the nation's best on-ball defender at their disposal.  They are also facing a bigger and deeper Big East.

If Linehan's defense made him the most talented returnee in 2000, then Greedy Peterson's offense might have made him the most talented of this bunch.  A previously offensively inept Linehan transformed himself into a 40% plus 3 point shooter by the time his junior season rolled around, and it would have been interesting to see if Peterson could have done the same on defense.  You could make the case that Welsh returned his most talented player, while Davis is losing his.

The 2000-01 season was a perfect storm for Welsh, and the result changed the perception of him and the program to many at the time, but it may be even more challenging for Davis in his third season.


Notes:

• Got an email last week noting that Ryan Boatright and Mike Chandler (both top 75 type talents) could potentially be on their way for a visit to PC soon.  It was under the radar at the time, but word seems to be spreading about a potential visit for each.  Can't say I know much about either having never seen them play, but I was told they are friends.  A package deal is a long shot (Chandler is #27 nationally per ESPN), but it's worth noting that they are supposedly very tight. 
• Nerlens Noel has officially exploded this summer.  Some think he's better than Khem Birch.
• Not sure what to expect out of Lee Goldsbrough, but the combination of him coming this late and being European has PC fans skeptical.  Davidson coach Bob McKillop has had success overseas and was quoted yesterday on how European big men are developing.