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Hey Marshon, Maybe You Should go to the Ryan Gomes Skills Academy!

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:00:37 -0500

In surfing around Ryan Gomes’ player card this morning, I ran into this awesome photo.

(AP Photo/Jim Mone)

OK OK, so the Celtics did end up beating the Timberwolves 92-90 last Wednesday. BUT, our Ryan put up 11 points to Paul Pierce’s 10. Take THAT Mr. Skills!

New StatSheet.com Recruiting Features

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:44:17 -0500

Over the past week StatSheet.com has been releasing a lot of new recruiting and High School Basketball features to get ready for the new College Basketball season. Here are some interesting new pages.

Best and Worst by Category - Breaks down entire NCAA classes by wins, losses, and tourney appearances.
Best/Worst Freshman Classes - Which class had the biggest / worst impact based on three metrics: Winning %, NCAA Tourney %, NBA Draft picks.
Recruiting by Conference - breakdown of the Top 100 recruits by class in the BIG EAST. Here is a shocker: The 2008 class was the best! It also lists all the Top 100 recruits who have played in the conference.
Recruiting by Team - The data is um, a little thin for our Friars, but you can view all the Top 100 recruits data by any other team as well.
Impact Players and Most Disappointing Recruits - To my surprise, DeSean White did not make the latter. Maybe they players had to play all four years?

Note: Since 1998, Dwight Brewington (2003), Gerald Brown (2004), and DeSean White are PC’s only Top 100 recruits. According to the Number of top recruits by team, this total is pretty low on the list (which I’m sure I didn’t have to tell you that). Hey, we are TWO up on URI!

Anyways, kudos to Robbie at StatSheet for more cool features. You can follow what he is up to on the site via the StatSheet blog, or follow them on Twitter.

BMac Featured in SNY's "Get to know the players of the Big East"

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:00:42 -0500

This is a few weeks old, but you may have missed it like myself while watching a certain great franchise run through the playoffs on their way to a 27th title. Anyways, SNY had a fun little article interviewing some BIG EAST players on various topics. PC’s senior guard Brian McKenzie took part.

Q: I’ve read that you’re a Heat fan even though you’re from Brooklyn.
Brian McKenzie, Providence: Well I’m more of a Dwyane Wade fan. But right now I like watching the Nuggets most.
Q: Assuming the Nets move to Brooklyn, will that change things?
BM: It definitely will. Brooklyn is in my heart and it’s who I am. If they [the Nets] moved there, that’s who I’d have to pull for. Q: Tell me about the role Brooklyn has played in forming this team.
BM: We grew up together. Myself, Jamine Peterson and Vincent Council. Every time someone from Brooklyn comes up [to Providence] to visit they see that we’re here having fun, working together, getting a great education all while playing a high level of basketball. The connection is there, and it continues to grow.

Editor’s Note: Sophomore Jamine Peterson, freshman Vincent Council and senior Brian McKenzie all hail from Brooklyn.

Q: Video games?
BM: I’m not a big video game guy, but I do touch the sticks when it comes to “Mortal Combat VS. DC.” I’m pretty unstoppable when it comes to that game. No one on the team can beat me at that game. That’s my game.

Friars Crush Stonehill in Exhibition Game Behind Greedy's Double Double

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:51:21 -0500

One of the Friars’ biggest questions heading into this season is how their inexperienced and undersized front court will match up against the BIG EAST’s best. For all the faults Geoff McDermott, Jonathan Kale, and Randall Hanke had, we generally knew what we were going to get on a consistent basis. With newcomers Kadeem Batts, Russ Permenter, James Still, and redshirt freshman Bilal Dixon looking to kick off their Friar careers, coach Keno Davis is hoping sophomore Jamine Peterson can step up. After averaging 10 minutes a game two years ago as a Freshman, Peterson sat out last season as a redshirt and really worked on his biggest weakness, his shooting. Since he sat out the first exhibition game against Merrimack with a sore knee, Peterson was able to showcase his game for the first time this year at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center against Stonehill College. While it wasn’t against a Syracuse or UCONN team, “Greedy” Peterson had a monster game, putting together a double double of 20 points and 10 rebounds.

The Friars had an great shooting performance overall, hitting 12-25 threes — Duke Mondy, Marshon Brooks, and Sharaud Curry each had 3. Brooks led the team in scoring for the 2nd straight game, netting 21 points on 9-13 shooting.

From Friars.com

Providence opens the regular season in the World Vision Invitational on November 13-15 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The Friars host Bryant on November 13 at 7:30 p.m., Bucknell on November 14 at 6:30 p.m. and Mercer on November 15 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets for all games can be purchased by visiting Friars.com or by calling (401)-865-GOPC.

BOXSCORE

Friars.com

AROUND THE INTERWEBS

Friars.com: Peterson Posted A Double-Double For The Friars With 20 Points And 10 Rebounds

The Providence College men’s basketball team defeated Stonehill College by a score of 91-55 in the Friars’ final exhibition contest on Saturday, November 7 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Junior guard/forward Marshon Brooks (Stone Mountain, Ga.) led the Friars for the second-consecutive exhibition contest with 21 points, while sophomore forward Jamine Peterson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added a double-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.

Projo.com: PC 91, Stonehill 55: Peterson gets a lot done

“It could be a big weapon for us with a player who can play on the inside but also can spread the defense,” the coach added. “He brings an energy to the game and obviously an athleticism that we need. He can play a center position, but he’ll be more likely to play at a power forward for us. But he’s quick enough to guard guards and he’s big and strong enough and athletic enough to play on the inside. We’ll try and move him and Marshon Brooks around quite a bit.”

Patriot Ledger: Friars manhandle Stonehill on court

There won’t be any Northeast-10 competition like that.

The Div. I Providence College Friars men’s basketball team coasted to a 91-55 victory over Stonehill College at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center Saturday night.

Junior guard/forward Marshon Brooks led the Friars with 21 points and sophomore forward Jamine Peterson added 20 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.

StonehillSkyhawks.com: Providence defeats Stonehill 91-55

Providence College built a 20-point halftime lead behind 54.5-percent shooting on its way to a 91-55 victory over Stonehill College in exhibition men’s basketball action at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center tonight.

Tweet of the Game

Courtesy of phriarphreak

Alumni Hall for the Friars Exhibition Game on Saturday...

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:14:45 -0400

Alumni Hall for the Friars Exhibition Game on Saturday afternoon

Photo courtesy of Twitter user NOATHFX

South Bend Tribune Big East "Preview"

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:25:00 -0400

I’m a huge fan of unnecessary quotation marks (this “blog” is a must read), but unfortunately my use of them in the title is purely sarcastic reasons. The entire article isn’t awful — there are small blurbs about each team which give a very basic overview of the entire conference. However, the author apparently decided to mail in the Providence section. What else is new?

Providence. The Friars were among the league’s best offensive outfits last season, but as well as they could score, they played as if they were allergic to defense. Providence allowed a league-worst 76.7 points per game. The Friars allowed at least 80 points in 10 of their 18 league games. And that was with a veteran team. There are now seven new faces on the roster. Most of the leadership and experience is gone. Hopefully for second-year coach Keno Davis, more than one of the newcomers will want to stop the ball instead of just score it.

Allergic to defense! I see what you did there. Also a little shocked no mention of the “no player taller than 6-9” situation that will undoubtedly appear across previews.

Nothing to see here. Move along.

Twitter Lists!

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:10:00 -0400

Twitter is starting to roll out some new functionality, which I know is important since they rarely make any changes to their core platform (instead they rely on 3rd party applications and users). “Twitter Lists” essentially allows you to create groups of people that you follow. Instead of one big mess of a tweet stream, you’ll have the option to only see messages from that particular group you create. Additionally, lists can be followable, giving great value to users who can curate users about any given topic.

Why I am I writing about this on Friarblog? Well, I am going to start creating a few lists that I think will be extremely useful for Friar fans to follow. Also, if someone is new to Twitter or hasn’t joined yet, it makes starting up extremely painless since they can start following relevant people right away.

The great part of this is as I keep adding new users to these lists, you will automatically see their updates if you follow the list. So sit back, relax, and start following these to starting getting all the real-time information about Providence Friars Basketball that you can get.

LISTS

pc-basketball

This is going to be the official group, consisting of any accounts related to the school, staff, or media. Right now it only consists of Coach Keno, Coach Ro, The athletics office, and John Rooke. I’m sure everyone on Twitter reading this already follows these folks, but I think I can build a nice group from this.

pc-basketball-fans

Anyone who considers themselves a Providence College Basketball fan on Twitter should be on this list! I’ve only grabbed a few people off the top of my head so far, so please leave your Twitter name in the comments and I will get you added. This should be an excellent list to follow when a game is on during the season.

big-east-basketball-blogs

I’ve only added a few so far, but within the next few days I am going to try to add all of my colleagues on here so you can easily keep your finger on the pulse of the BIG EAST blogosphere.

As always, you can follow me on Twitter at Friarblog. Remember, be sure to comment with your Twitter name so I can add you to the list!

NBE Bball Report: Providence Hopes Speed Kills in 2009-2010

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:21:11 -0400

KENO DAVIS, PROVIDENCE HOPE SPEED KILLS in 2009-2010

The most glaring weakness for Providence heading into the year is its lack of size up front. The Friars have no one taller than 6-foot-9 and just four players bigger than 6-foot-7.

“We’re not going to be the biggest team,” he said. “But we’ll be one of the smallest and quickest. We’re going to have to find the match-ups to best be successful.”

Keno Davis LIVE Chat on Projo.com Today at Noon

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:17:15 -0400

Head on over to Projo.com to submit your question to Coach Keno Davis, as he will be online answering user questions from noon to 1PM today.

You can submit your question for either coach now: go to projo.com/chat, click the red “launch chat” button, choose a display name (you don’t need a password). Enter the “college hoops” chat room for Keno Davis, and the “college hoops - Jim Baron” chat room for Jim Baron.

Click here for the Keno Davis Live Chat

Marshon Brooks and the Paul Pierce Skills Academy

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:46:00 -0400

Friars.com has a great read about Marshon Brooks’ experience at this past summer’s Paul Pierce Skills Academy (a Nike sponsored training workshop).

The players were mentored by former NBA coaches and players during the sessions, and Brooks benefited greatly from working with former Cleveland Cavaliers guard/forward Craig Ehlo.

“Craig gave me pointers on my jump shot and showed me that I tend to change my shot in different situations,” Brooks said. “He told me I should make the most out of every shot, hold my follow-through and more shots will fall for me.”

There was no mention if Marshon was taught how to defend Michael Jordan buzzer beaters, then not look like you were just kicked in the butt and knocked off the court by Mr. Nike himself.

Marshon also had the opportunity to match up one-on-one with Pierce himself. The eight-time NBA All-Star played tight defense on Brooks, making him work to find open shots while denying him the ball. Pierce also spent time with Brooks and the other college players, stressing the importance of developing the proper workout and conditioning regimen necessary to compete at the professional level.

Sounds like an amazing experience for Marshon, one that will definitely pay off in another long and grueling BIG EAST season.

Check out the full article on Friars.com here.

A Tale of Two Guards

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:45:05 -0400

In catching up with some stuff from last weekend, I saw two articles focused on Friar guards that I thought were interesting.

Peter Gobis from the Sun Chronicle takes a look at incoming Freshman Johnny Lacy, who has great potential to really take Keno Davis’ up tempo style of play to the next level.

Friars Start Tuning Up

You just can’t win many games in the Big East Conference without a rudder in the backcourt. The Providence College Friars have one in senior Sharaud Curry. The Friars are hoping that Lacy, a top 20 point guard prospect last season in various scouting services, can become efficient and effective in his role - forget about the points.

Lacy, along with another Friar freshman Vincent Council out of Lincoln High in Brooklyn, N.Y., is being groomed as the point guard of PC’s future, so much so that Davis is tinkering with Curry playing more in the off-guard role

In contrast, Kevin McNamara writes about a veteran Friar who showed great potential early in his career, but had a disastrous season last year as a Junior.

A fresh start for McKenzie and Friars

“It happens,” said Davis. “We had so many seniors on that team that Brian wasn’t really given the opportunity to kind of shoot himself back in it. We were fortunate to have other guys shoulder the load.”

“It’s not something you can put your figure on as to what really happened,” said Davis, “but what he’s been able to do is improve his game in the last year so that he doesn’t have to just rely on his shot. If there happens to be a game or a week that he’s not shooting well, he can help the team in other areas. He can be one of the best defensive players in our league, and that’s something we can rely on night in and night out.”

VBTN's Providence Preview

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:15:27 -0400

Greycat over “Villanova By the Numbers” has been doing previews this month of all the BIG EAST teams. A few weeks ago he took a look at our Providence Friars, giving a look back at the team stats the last several years, key stats of the returning players, and also outlined PC’s critical games.

Check out the preview here.

New Friars Web Resources This Season

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:43:20 -0400

As Friartown continues to grow in its fanbase, so does its presence on the web. This season, Friar fans have a bunch of new resources to check out on their daily search for everything Providence College Basketball (in addition to Friarblog of course!).

CoachKenoDavis.com - Official Website of Coach Keno Davis

In addition to his frequently updated Twitter account created last summer, Coach Davis has recently launched a slick new website that looks to be very promising for the upcoming season. In addition to his blog posts, videos, and pictures, there are placeholder pages for listening to his weekly radio show, and watching his weekly tv show. You can also submit questions, and he’ll even post his responses directly to the site. It should be a great way for fans to stay connected to the Coach.

Providence Friars Basketball - New blog

The PFB looks to have started over the summer (and most definitely did a WAY better job than yours truly doing updates in the offseason — I just go into hardcore baseball mode, I just can’t help it!). From the about page:

Over the course of the season we will bring you pre-game thoughts, post-game wrap-ups, looks around the Big East, and anything else that comes up. In the off-season we will try to keep Friar Fanatics up to date on any major recruiting developments as well as how former Friars are doing as they continue on with their basketball careers.

They already have a bunch of great content, so can’t wait to see what’s in store for the season.

The Friar Faithful - Student Group Dedicated to PC Athletics

This new Friar site helps promote and organize the Student Group that helps spread the word about all PC athletics. They have some general information and news headlines so far, but some of their sections are still under works.

From their Constitution:

The Friar Faithful support all 19 varsity athletic sports and provides a way for students to cheer on their Friars, get involved on campus, and meet new people. Being a part of the Friar Faithful is a great way to spread enthusiasm for our Friars, maintain the honor and tradition that has followed Providence Athletics, and give back to the community.

Be sure to check out these new great sites throughout the season. I’ll be definitely linking to all the interesting content that is going to come out of them!

2009-10 Friars Late Night Madness Video

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:49:13 -0400

2009-10 Friars Late Night Madness Video

"These guys will push me. I’ve caught myself already pacing myself and they’re fired up and coming at..."

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:38:54 -0400

“These guys will push me. I’ve caught myself already pacing myself and they’re fired up and coming at me. I have to match that every day. They’re going to be really good and they’ll help right away.”

- Sharaud Curry on freshman guards Vincent Council and Johnnie Lacy, via Projo.com

Jonathan Kale and His Adventures in Germany

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:36:18 -0400

This off-season I was sent a nice note from an overseas blogger who covers the German professional team Phoenix Hagen. In mid September, the team signed our former Friar Jonathan Kale. Here is the original article for when he signed - if anyone knows any German, please let me know!

Jonathan seems to be doing quite well over there. He recently had a breakout game on his 24th birthday - “26 pts & 15 rbs in a 76:75 thriller phoenix hagen v ulm”, according to my new blogger friend.

So, if you are interested in following any of Kale’s overseas career, be sure to check out the HayPhoenix blog at http://hayphoenix.blogsport.de/

Big East Media Day: Hooray For Being Picked Ahead of Rutgers!

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:15:32 -0400

Well Friar fans, everyone has us right where we wanna be — UNDER THE RADAR! The coaches’ made their annual pre-season picks, and the results are not going to shock anyone. Nova, WV, and UCONN got some 1st place votes, and the usual suspects end up at the bottom.

The Providence Friars (picked #10 last year) were picked to finish #13 out of 16, and do not have any players on the 1st, 2nd, or honorable mention Teams.

Here is your full list:

1. Villanova
2. West Virginia
3. UConn
4. Louisville
5. Georgetown
6. Syracuse
7. Cincinnati
8. Notre Dame
9. Pittsburgh
10. Seton Hall
11. St. John’s
12. Marquette
13. PC
14. South Florida
15. Rutgers
16. DePaul

At least we are not Rutgers.

Luke Harangody was picked for Player of the Year - yawn. It’s quite the different BIG EAST this year with everyone graduating/leaving school early, so here is your Preseason All First Team.

Luke Harangody, Notre Dame (Player of the Year), F, Sr., 6-8, 255, Schererville, Ind.

Deonta Vaughn, Cincinnati, G, Sr., 6-1, 190, Indianapolis, Ind.

Greg Monroe, Georgetown, C, So., 6-11, 247, New Orleans, La.

Lazar Hayward, Marquette, F, Sr., 6-6, 225, Buffalo, N.Y.

Scottie Reynolds, Villanova, G, Sr., 6-2, 195, Herndon, Va.

Da’Sean Butler, West Virginia, F, Sr., 6-7, 225, Newark, N.J.

Here is the one thing you should take away from this list. Scottie Reynolds: NOOOOOOOOOOO! WHY DID YOU COME BACK! Wasn’t scoring 900 points in three years against enough for you to move on with your basketball career?

Villanova Edges West Virginia in Preseason Poll - BigEast.org

Notre Dame’s Harangody Named Preseason Player Of The Year

New Friars Commercials Hit the Youtubes

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:34:55 -0400

Hey there folks, long time no post. Hope everyone has had a fantastic summer. Despite this summer of rain, I’ve been enjoying a great baseball season (1st place!), a new job, and lots of good company.

It’s been a busy offseason with a bunch of recruiting news, so there is plenty to catch up on. So, with PCs’ new freshman now heading into the hallowed halls of Providence College, let’s get back on the Friarblog train with some new commercials just posted by the great Youtube user PCFriars07.

Gomes Visits Campus, Keno Ponders Eligibility

Wed, 13 May 2009 14:27:52 -0400

According to Friars.com, Ryan Gomes came back to PC’s campus for the first time in several years.

“All of these facilities are first-class,” Gomes said. “The lockerrooms, the offices, the Hallway of Legends, the sports medicine facility and the strength and conditioning complex have all been renovated and are state-of-the art. I wish I still had some eligibility left. This program has everything a player needs to get prepared for BIG EAST competition and the next level.”

Of course, if you are following Keno Davis on Twitter, you would have seen this yesterday.

So far, Keno has been posting some great stuff over on the Twitter to keep us Friar fans in the loop.

Keno Davis on Twitter!

Thu, 07 May 2009 17:15:44 -0400

If any Friar fans still have any reserverations about this whole Twitter nonsense, here is a good reason to join — Coach Keno Davis has signed up!

Click here for his Twitter page and be sure to follow him!

Welcome to Twitter Keno, can’t wait to see how you use the service!