By Aidan Joly
The 2019-20 season was a year of highs and lows for Providence. They started out 6-6 with losses to Northwestern, Charleston, Penn, Long Beach State and a 32-point loss to Florida. Usually, that’s a shattered resume.
However, Ed Cooley’s group was able to rise from the dead and get hot, finishing with a 12-6 record in Big East play, beating each opponent at least once and finished 19-12 overall with a likely NCAA Tournament bid, where they could have made noise after finishing the season on a six-game winning streak, including a 93-55 blowout win over DePaul on Senior Night to close out the year before COVID ended it early.
They look to carry that momentum into this season. They lose key scorers Alpha Diallo, Luwane Pipkens and Maliek White and have holes to fill. However, the returners and two key transfers come in to help shore that up.
Starting in the backcourt, the player to watch is David Duke. The junior will be starting for a second straight season after averaging 14.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game last year. He led the team in assists and was second in scoring behind Diallo. His three-point shooting too big strides last year as he went up from 29.7% his freshman year to 42.0% last year, a massive jump, but struggles a bit with consistency, which he will have to improve on. He is also great defensively, having 1.5 steals per game last year and increased that number towards the end of the year with a combined eight in the Friars’ last two games.
Another guard, AJ Reeves, is looking for a bounce-back season. He averaged 9.8 points per game as a freshman two years ago but that number dipped to 7.4 PPG last year and dropped from 42.3% to 37.4% shooting. His shooting is a big key. Providence went 8-1 when his shooting percentage was above 50%, but went 4-5 when it was below 30%. If he progresses and is better again, he will be crucial.
The third guard is Jared Bynum who is now eligible after sitting out last season after transferring in from St. Joseph’s. In 2018-19, Bynum started 31 games for St. Joe’s, averaging 11.3 points and 4.5 assists per game. He is a great passer and a tough defender, but doesn’t get called for fouls. He will be an interesting guy to watch for the Friars.
Off the bench they have Syracuse transfer Brycen Goodine, who received a waiver and is eligible. He played just 8.7 minutes per game for the Orange last year, but will probably have more opportunities to play this year. The second guard off the bench is freshman Alyn Breed, a three-star recruit from IMG Academy in Florida, where he averaged 16 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He is more of a future piece but will probably get some playing time.
In the frontcourt, the first player to discuss is Noah Horchler. Horchler played two seasons at North Florida and sat out last season and can now play. He averaged 16 points and 9.3 rebounds for the Ospreys two seasons ago, shooting 53.8% and led the ASUN in rebounds. He is also excellent in blocking shots. This guy was a hidden gem that Cooley found and he projects to become a star.
The last starter is senior center Nate Watson. He had a limited role last year but did well in that role, averaging 9.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in 19 minutes and just 13 starts. He was better in his sophomore season that saw him score 11.2 points and grab 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 59%. At 6-10, he will need to develop more as an inside player on both sides of the ball. He also needs to not get in foul trouble as much, which was a contributing factor to his limited minutes. If he can improve, he will be critical to Friar success.
Off the bench, former four-star recruit Greg Gantt returns for his sophomore season after seeing just 12.5 minutes per game as a freshman, but should have a larger role. Jimmy Nichols Jr. is back after missing much of last season due to injury. He has started 19 of his 35 career games and will look to improve off the bench. Finally, three-star freshman Jyare Davis averaged 17 points and 7.1 rebounds per game last year at the Sanford School in Delaware and will contribute early on.
Providence is a team that got hot last season in a deep league with a lot of good teams. They will miss Diallo and the other departures, but they are in capable hands with Duke, Watson and Reeves. If they do well, expect Providence to be mid-pack in the Big East and hear its name called on Selection Sunday.
AJ Hoops 