This is Providence College, which means when 2 players leave early to enter the NBA, the following season is going to be a rebuilding one. That said, the Friars' talent pool is far from shallow, so there's still plenty of reasons to watch this year. The future looks very, very bright.
The 2015 Roster Breakdown:
Who's departed:
G Kris Dunn -- NBA
F Ben Bentil -- NBA
F Quadree Smith -- Transferred
G Junior Lombada -- Transferred
G Tyree Chambers -- Transferred
Who's returned (key players):
F Rodney Bullock -- RS Jr.
F Jalen Lindsey -- Jr.
F Ryan Fazekas -- So.
G Kyron Cartwright -- Jr.
F/G Isaiah Jackson -- RS So.
G Ricky Council, Jr. -- So.
G Drew Edwards -- So.
New additions:
F Emmitt Holt -- RS Jr. (Transfer)
F Kalif Young -- Fr.
F/G Alpha Diallo -- Fr.
G Maliek Young -- Fr.
Projected Starting Lineup to start the year:
PG Kyron Cartwright
SG Isaiah Jackson
SF Jalen Lindsey
PF Rodney Bulock
C Emmitt Holt
Bench:
F Kalif Young
F Ryan Fazekas
G/F Alpha Diallo
G Drew Edwards
G Maliek White
________________
G Ricky Council, Jr.
F Tom Planek
G Bryan Donovan -- Walk-on.
G Casey Woodring -- Walk-on.
2016-17 Schedule:
Nov. 14 Vermont, 7:00 PM
Nov. 17 at OSU, 7:00 PM
Nov. 19 Grambling, St 12:00 PM
Nov. 21 St Francis, (BKN) 6:30 PM
Nov. 25 at Memphis, 9:30 PM
Nov. 30 UNH, 6:30 PM
Dec. 3 URI, 4:30 PM
Dec. 6 Brown, 7:00 PM
Dec. 10 UMass, 12:00 PM
Dec. 17 Wagner, 12:00 PM
Dec. 20 Maine, 8:30 PM
Dec. 23 at Boston College, 4:00 PM
Dec. 28 at Xavier, 7:00 PM
Jan. 1 at Butler, 3:00 PM
Jan. 4 Georgetown, 7:00 PM
Jan. 7 Creighton, 2:00 PM
Jan. 10 at DePaul, 9:00 PM
Jan. 14 Seton Hall, 12:00 PM
Jan. 16 at Georgetown, 9:00 PM
Jan. 21 at Villanova, 12:00 PM
Jan. 25 St John's, 6:30 PM
Jan. 28 at Marquette, 2:00 PM
Feb. 1 Villanova, 7:00 PM
Feb. 8 at Seton Hall, 8:30 PM
Feb. 11 Butler, 4:00 PM
Feb. 15 Xavier, 6:30 PM
Feb. 22 at Creighton, 9:00 PM
Feb. 25 Marquette, 4:00 PM
Feb. 28 DePaul, 8:30 PM
Mar. 4 at St John's, 12:00 PM
What I'm Most Excited About?:
Emmitt Holt: All reports leading up to this past weekend's exhibition with the Carleton Ravens had been glowing, and his performance in the game confirmed them. This guy is going to make an immediate impact and may end up being the Friars best offensive player. Not all that familiar with Holt? Read all about him here: http://friarbasketball.com/2016/04/20/15418/
Depth: The projected starting lineup listed above could change very quickly, as Cooley has several talented to options to choose from this season. (I could see Jalen playing the 6th-man role as the 4/3, for instance.) While Cooley seems to prefer a shorter (8-man rotation), we could easily see 10 players get decent minutes in certain games. A lot will depend on performance and development as the season progresses.
The Carleton Game: Did you miss it? If so, Brendan McGair, from the Pawtucket Times, provided a nice review of the game here: http://www.pawtuckettimes.com/sports/mcgair-early-returns-on-first-year-friars-offer-promise/article_bfc5aa0c-9fd2-11e6-ae80-1f1afc51d8e3.html
Long story short? A few of the new, young additions are expected to make an immediate impact.
Alpha: Among this year's class, I'm most excited about Diallo. I think he ends up being a a legitimate STUD before his career at PC is through. Of all the incoming freshman, I think he's most likely to emerge as a starter and/or impact player, although many view Klaif Young and Maliek White as players capable of doing the same.
Should be an interesting year!
The 2015 Roster Breakdown:
Who's departed:
G Kris Dunn -- NBA
F Ben Bentil -- NBA
F Quadree Smith -- Transferred
G Junior Lombada -- Transferred
G Tyree Chambers -- Transferred
Who's returned (key players):
F Rodney Bullock -- RS Jr.
F Jalen Lindsey -- Jr.
F Ryan Fazekas -- So.
G Kyron Cartwright -- Jr.
F/G Isaiah Jackson -- RS So.
G Ricky Council, Jr. -- So.
G Drew Edwards -- So.
New additions:
F Emmitt Holt -- RS Jr. (Transfer)
F Kalif Young -- Fr.
F/G Alpha Diallo -- Fr.
G Maliek Young -- Fr.
Projected Starting Lineup to start the year:
PG Kyron Cartwright
SG Isaiah Jackson
SF Jalen Lindsey
PF Rodney Bulock
C Emmitt Holt
Bench:
F Kalif Young
F Ryan Fazekas
G/F Alpha Diallo
G Drew Edwards
G Maliek White
________________
G Ricky Council, Jr.
F Tom Planek
G Bryan Donovan -- Walk-on.
G Casey Woodring -- Walk-on.
2016-17 Schedule:
Nov. 14 Vermont, 7:00 PM
Nov. 17 at OSU, 7:00 PM
Nov. 19 Grambling, St 12:00 PM
Nov. 21 St Francis, (BKN) 6:30 PM
Nov. 25 at Memphis, 9:30 PM
Nov. 30 UNH, 6:30 PM
Dec. 3 URI, 4:30 PM
Dec. 6 Brown, 7:00 PM
Dec. 10 UMass, 12:00 PM
Dec. 17 Wagner, 12:00 PM
Dec. 20 Maine, 8:30 PM
Dec. 23 at Boston College, 4:00 PM
Dec. 28 at Xavier, 7:00 PM
Jan. 1 at Butler, 3:00 PM
Jan. 4 Georgetown, 7:00 PM
Jan. 7 Creighton, 2:00 PM
Jan. 10 at DePaul, 9:00 PM
Jan. 14 Seton Hall, 12:00 PM
Jan. 16 at Georgetown, 9:00 PM
Jan. 21 at Villanova, 12:00 PM
Jan. 25 St John's, 6:30 PM
Jan. 28 at Marquette, 2:00 PM
Feb. 1 Villanova, 7:00 PM
Feb. 8 at Seton Hall, 8:30 PM
Feb. 11 Butler, 4:00 PM
Feb. 15 Xavier, 6:30 PM
Feb. 22 at Creighton, 9:00 PM
Feb. 25 Marquette, 4:00 PM
Feb. 28 DePaul, 8:30 PM
Mar. 4 at St John's, 12:00 PM
What I'm Most Excited About?:
Emmitt Holt: All reports leading up to this past weekend's exhibition with the Carleton Ravens had been glowing, and his performance in the game confirmed them. This guy is going to make an immediate impact and may end up being the Friars best offensive player. Not all that familiar with Holt? Read all about him here: http://friarbasketball.com/2016/04/20/15418/
Depth: The projected starting lineup listed above could change very quickly, as Cooley has several talented to options to choose from this season. (I could see Jalen playing the 6th-man role as the 4/3, for instance.) While Cooley seems to prefer a shorter (8-man rotation), we could easily see 10 players get decent minutes in certain games. A lot will depend on performance and development as the season progresses.
The Carleton Game: Did you miss it? If so, Brendan McGair, from the Pawtucket Times, provided a nice review of the game here: http://www.pawtuckettimes.com/sports/mcgair-early-returns-on-first-year-friars-offer-promise/article_bfc5aa0c-9fd2-11e6-ae80-1f1afc51d8e3.html
Long story short? A few of the new, young additions are expected to make an immediate impact.
Alpha: Among this year's class, I'm most excited about Diallo. I think he ends up being a a legitimate STUD before his career at PC is through. Of all the incoming freshman, I think he's most likely to emerge as a starter and/or impact player, although many view Klaif Young and Maliek White as players capable of doing the same.
Should be an interesting year!