Providence Men’s Basketball: Gameday, Player Updates, and Team History

2023-11-13 20:05:21

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Men’s Basketball Game Notes Vs. Wisconsin

Dave Gavitt:  Dave Gavitt coached the Friars for 10 seasons, posting a 209-84 mark (1969-79).  He is the third winningest coach all-time at Providence.  Gavitt also was an assistant at PC under Mullaney (winningest coach all-time at PC – 319-64).  Gavitt posted eight straight 20-win seasons, appeared in five NCAA’s (including a Final Four in 1973) and made three NIT’s.  Gavitt coached some of the greatest players in Friar history, including John Thompson, Jimmy Walker,  Jim Larranaga, Ernie DiGregorio, Marvin Barnes, Kevin Stacom, Joe Hassett and Bruce Campbell  He was selected to be the US Olympic coach in 1980.  Gavitt also was the PC Athletics Director from 1971-82.   In 1982, he left Providence College to become the full-time commissioner of the BIG EAST.  He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Friar Tid Bits:

*The Friars are 2-3 all-time in the Gavitt Games with the last appearance being a 63-58 win at Wisconsin in 2021.

*Devin Carter averaged 13 pts, 6.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals in two wins last week.

*Josh Oduro registered 13 pts/12 rbs for his 16th career double-double in PC’s win over Milwaukee on 11/11.

*Jayden Pierre had a career-high 16 points on 5-10 shooting in PC’s win over Milwaukee on 11/11.

*Garwey Dual scored 14 points and added four assists versus Milwaukee on 11/11.

*Five Friars scored in double figures in the win over Milwaukee (Oduro, Hopkins, Pierre, Carter, Dual).

*Bryce Hopkins recorded 14 pts/10 rbs for his 11th career double-double in PC’s win over Columbia on 11/6.

*The Friars have seven newcomers on the roster this season.

*The Friars have two graduate students on the roster – Ticket Gaines and Josh Oduro.

*The Friars have 14 players on the roster and three of those players came via a transfer.

*Bryce Hopkins was named to the 2023-24 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team.

*Devin Carter earned 2023-24 Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention honors.

*Bryce Hopkins was named to the CBS Sports Preseason All-America Third Team.

*Bryce Hopkins was named to the College Sports Today All-America Second Team.

*Bryce Hopkins was named to the NABC Division I Player of the Year Preseason Watch List.

*Bryce Hopkins was named to the Karl Malone Award Preseason Watch List.

*Bryce Hopkins was named to the Naismith POY Watch List.

*In 2023, the Friars made their 22nd NCAA Tournament appearance and seventh since 2014.

*In 2023, the Friars finished tied for 4th place with UConn in league standings with a 13-7 mark in BIG EAST play.

*In 2023, Bryce Hopkins was the 1st Friar to earn All-BIG EAST First Team honors since Ben Bentil/Kris Dunn (2016).

*PC was 2-1 in overtime games in 2022-23 with both wins (Marquette and Creighton) coming in double OT.

*PC registered 13 BIG EAST wins for the second consecutive season and the second time in team history in 2023.

*PC has registered 20 or more wins in 30 of the team’s 97 seasons.

*The Friars are 38-3 in their last 41 games at the AMP and 620-238 (.723) all-time.

*PC is 88-5 in non-conference home games over last 13 seasons, including a 21-game unbeaten streak since 2019.

*Bryce Hopkins led the team in scoring (15.8) and rebounding (8.5) in 2023.

Friars Versus Wisconsin: The Friars have posted a 4-1 mark all-time versus Wisconsin, including a 2-0 record at home. In their most recent meeting, the Friars defeated Wisconsin with a 63-58 win on November 15, 2021 in Madison, Wisconsin. The last time the Friars played Wisconsin at home was on December 11, 1995 when the Friars earned a 58-57 win. The first time the two teams met is the only time Providence was defeated by Wisconsin. This came on December 16, 1961 at Madison Square Garden when the Badgers defeated the Friars, 95-84.

Friars Versus the Big Ten: The Friars will play their 65th game against a Big Ten opponent on Tuesday.  Providence has posted a 33-31 record all-time. The Friars hold a 16-8 record over Rutgers, their most frequent opponent in the Big Ten. The Friars are undefeated versus Illinois in which the Friars have posted a 3-0 record.  The last time PC played a BIG 10 opponent, the Friars defeated Northwestern, 77-72, on November 22, 2021 in Newark, N.J.  The last time the Friars defeated a Big Ten team at the Amica Mutual Pavilion was on November 18, 2015 when they beat Illinois, 60-59, in the Gavitt Games.

Friars in the Gavitt Games: The Friars hold a 2-3 mark all-time in the Gavitt Games. The Friars’ most recent appearance in the Gavitt Games came on November 15, 2021 when PC earned a 63-58 win at Wisconsin.  The last time the Friars were defeated was November 13, 2019 when Northwestern beat Providence, 72-63, in Evanston, Illinois. The Friars’ last home win the in the Gavitt Games came in their inaugural appearance on November 18, 2015 when the Friars defeated Illinois with a 60-59 win at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.

Friars Defeat Milwaukee On Nov. 11:  The Friars defeated Milwaukee, 79-69, on November 11 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I. With the win, the Friars improved to 2-0 this season. Sophomore Jayden Pierre (Elizabeth, N.J.) led the Friars in scoring with 16 points. Graduate student Josh Oduro (Gainesville, Va.) finished with a double-double scoring 13 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.  Junior Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) added 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and three blocks.  It marked the first meeting all-time between the two teams.

Carter Named To BIG EAST Honor Roll: Junior guard Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) averaged 13.0 points 6.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals in the Friars’ two wins last week.  For his efforts, he was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll.  In the Friars’ 78-59 win over Columbia on November 6, he had 13 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.  On November 11, Carter registered 13 points, six rebounds, five assists, three blocks and one steal in the team’s 79-69 win over Milwaukee.

Pierre Posts A Career High: Sophomore guard Jayden Pierre (Elizabeth, N.J.) recorded a career-high 16 points on 5-10 shooting from the field in the Friars’ 79-69 win over Milwaukee on November 11.  He was 2-5 from three and 4-4 from the free-throw line.  Pierre also added five assists.  Pierre averaged 2.5 ppg in 2022-23.

Dual Shines Vs. Milwaukee: Freshman guard Garwey Dual (Houston, Texas) scored 14 points, made four assists and had three steals in the Friars’ 79-69 win over Milwaukee on November 11.  He was 3-4 from three-point territory.  He had three points and one steal in five minutes of action in the team’s win over Columbia on November 6 before having to leave the game with an injury.

Ryan Mela Signs a NLI To Attend PC:  Providence College men’s basketball Head Coach Kim English announced on Nov. 8 that student-athlete Ryan Mela of Natick, Mass., signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Providence College beginning in September of 2024. Mela, a 6-foot-6-inch, 205-pound forward attends The Newman School in Boston, Mass. In 2022-23, he averaged 19.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.3 steals for The Newman School.  He followed that up with a productive summer with the Middlesex Magic on the Under Armour Circuit.  Mela averaged 15.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 steals.  His 15.1 points per game were tops on his Middlesex Magic squad as he helped the team capture the UAA Circuit Championship.  Prior to transferring to The Newman School, Mela attended Natick High School.  In his final season at Natick, he averaged 21 points and 11 rebounds per game.

Friars in Season Openers: The Friars opened their 97th season of basketball on Monday, November 6 with a 78-59 win over Columbia at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. The Friars have posted an 86-11 (.887) mark all-time in regular-season openers. In addition, the Friars hold an 89-8 (.918) record in home openers. The Friars opened the 2023-24 season at home for the 23rd time in 24 years. Providence has won 21 of the last 22 openers, with the lone defeat coming in the  2008-09 game against Northeastern.

Hopkins and Carter Earn Preseason All-BIG EAST Honors: It was announced on Oct. 24 that juniors Bryce Hopkins (Oak Park, Ill.) and Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) each earned All-BIG EAST Preseason honors.  Hopkins was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team and Carter earned Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention accolades.  The two juniors helped the Friars post a 21-12 mark and advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2023.

Bryce Hopkins Earns Preseason All-America Honor:  It was announced on October 18 that junior Bryce Hopkins (Oak Park, III.) was named to the CBS Sports Preseason All-America Third Team.  It marks the second Preseason All-America honor for Hopkins as he was named Preseason Second Team All-America by College Hoops Today on October 17.

Newcomers: The Friars have seven newcomers on the team — graduate students Ticket Gaines (Buffalo, N.Y.)  and Josh Oduro (Gainesville, Va.), and sophomore Justyn Fernandez (Richmond, Va.), as well as, freshmen Garwey Dual (Houston, Texas), Rich Barron (Chicago, Ill.), Eli DeLaurier (Shipman, Va.), and Donovan Santoro (Los Angeles, Calif.).

How The Friars Got To The NCAA Tournament In 2023: The Friars made their 22nd appearance all-time in the NCAA Tournament in 2023.  The Friars earned an at-large berth. They finished with a 21-12 mark overall (13-7/tied for 4th in BIG EAST).  The team had a NET Ranking of 56 with Quad 1 wins over UConn (NET 8), Marquette (NET 12) and Creighton (NET 17).  The Friars recorded a 15-2 mark at home, a 6-6 record on the road and a 0-4 mark in neutral site games.

Friars Defeated By No. 6 Seed Kentucky In First Round Of NCAA Tournament: The No. 11-seed Providence College men’s basketball team (21-12, 13-7 BIG EAST) was defeated by the No. 6-seed Kentucky Wildcats (22-11, 12-6 SEC), 61-53, on Friday, Mar. 17 in the First Round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. Ed Croswell (Philadelphia, Pa.) led the way for the Friars with 16 points and five rebounds. Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) finished with 10 points.

Bryce Hopkins Named First Team All-BIG EAST:  It was announced on March 5 that Bryce Hopkins (Oak Park, Ill.) was named First Team All-BIG EAST.  Hopkins became the first Friar to earn All-BIG EAST First Team honors since Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil received the accolades in 2016.  Hopkins, who was named BIG EAST Player of the Week twice in 2022-23, led the Friars in scoring (15.8 ppg), rebounding (8.5) and double-doubles (10).  He was tied for sixth in scoring and he was second in rebounding amongst BIG EAST players in overall action.  Hopkins also ranked third in the league in defensive rebounds (226, 6.8 rpg) and fourth in minutes played (34.9 mpg).  In BIG EAST action, he finished third in scoring (16.7 ppg) and rebounding (8.6 rpg).  He posted a team-best 10 double-doubles, including a 29-point, 23-rebound, three-steal effort in a double-overtime win over Marquette (103-98) on December 20.  He played 47 of the 50 minutes in the game. Hopkins’ 20-20 game was the 34th in program history and the first since Jamine Peterson accomplished the feat when he posted 29 points and 20 rebounds versus Rutgers on Jan. 9, 2010. It also was the first in BIG EAST play since Angel Delgado (21 pts, 20 rbs.) of Seton Hall did it on January 22, 2017. Hopkins, who is in his first season with Friars after transferring from Kentucky last spring, was named a mid-season candidate for the Naismith Award, the Karl Malone Award and the Oscar Robertson Award.

Bryce Hopkins Earns More Honors:  It was announced on March 7 that Bryce Hopkins (Oak Park, Ill.) earned 2023 Associated Press All-BIG EAST First Team honors.  It marked his second All-BIG EAST First Team honor as Hopkins was named First Team All-BIG EAST on March 5.  On March 14, he earned USBWA District 1 Honors and NABC All-District 5 First Team accolades.

Devin Carter Named All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention: It was announced on March 5 that Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) earned All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention accolades.  Carter, who transferred to Providence in 2022 after spending his freshman season at South Carolina, ranked third on the team in scoring (13.0 ppg) and rebounding (4.9).  He also was first on the team in steals (59), second on the team in assists (81, 2.4 apg) and second on the squad in blocks (34).  Carter ranked fifth in the BIG EAST in steals (1.8 spg) and 10th in blocks (1.1 bpg).  In league play, the sophomore guard was third amongst all BIG EAST players in assist to turnover ratio (2.3).  Carter scored 20 or more points four times in 2022-23, including a career-high 25 points in a double overtime win over Creighton on February 14.

Friars All-Time Versus Top-25 Teams:  The Friars have posted a 130-279 (.318) mark all-time versus top-25 teams, including a 3-5 mark in 2022-23.

Friars In Overtime:  The Friars recorded a 2-1 record in overtime games in 2022-23.  On December 20, the Friars defeated Marquette, 103-98, in double overtime.  On February 1, Providence was defeated at Xavier, 85-83, in overtime.  On February 14, the Friars defeated Creighton, 94-86, in double overtime.  They have registered a 73-68 mark all-time in overtime games, including 9-1 in their last 10 games.

Friars At The Amica Mutual Pavilion: All-time, the Friars have recorded a 620-238 (.724) mark in 51 seasons of games at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.  The AMP, formerly the Providence Civic Center and the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, opened on November 3, 1972. The Friars had played their home games there for 48 consecutive seasons, prior to the 2020-21 season when the team played on campus at Alumni Hall with no fans in attendance due to the pandemic.  PC posted a 15-2 mark at the AMP in 2022-23 and a 16-1 record in 2021-22 — the team’s best record at home since 1973-74.

Friars Are 88-5 In Non-Conference Home Over The Last 13 Years: The Friars have posted an 88-5 mark (.946) in their last 13 seasons in non-conference home games.  The team’s five losses over the last 13 years were to Brown (77-67) on December 8, 2014, Minnesota (86-74) on November 13, 2017, UMass (79-78) on December 7, 2018, Arkansas (84-72) on March 19, 2019 and Penn (81-75) on November 23, 2019.  The Friars are 21-0 in their last 21 non-conference home games (2023-24, 2-0; 2022-23, 7-0; 2021-22, 8-0; 202-21, 2-0; 2019-20, 2-0).

Providence College Basketball: The 2023-24 campaign marks the 97th season of basketball at Providence College. Since the program started in 1926-27, Providence has posted a 1,545-1,027 mark, good for a .600 winning percentage.  The Friars have made the NCAA Tournament 22 times and the National Invitation Tournament on 20 occasions.

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