Batts True to His Word in Junior Season

Batts has been big when PC’s needed it

He used the first semester this year to alter the course of his career.

Kadeem Batts had his moments the past two seasons at Providence, but never to this extent.  The more desperate the Friars have been this season, the better Batts has played.

After Vincent Council injured himself and PC squeaked by NJIT in the season opener, there were legitimate questions as to whether Providence could beat a Bryant team that gave them a scare last season.  Some questioned if they’d win a game without their star point guard.

Batts was terrific that afternoon, shooting 12-15 from the field en route to 27 points and nine rebounds.  It was the first of several big games for him.

With Bryce Cotton sidelined with an ankle injury against Penn State in Puerto Rico, Batts struggled from the field, but shot a career-high 15 free throws as the Friars surprisingly battled their way into overtime without a point guard.

As Providence limped to the semester break, it was Batts serving as the team’s crutch, scoring 55 points in the final two games of the semester against Mississippi State and Rhode Island – making 20 field goals, taking 18 free throws, and twice tracking down Mississippi State guards from behind on breakouts when he and his teammates were playing on fumes.

The production is far beyond what Friartown had seen out of Batts in the past, and his activity level is way up on a team that has had to squeeze every ounce of energy from a depleted roster.

Batts has recreated himself in this first semester a year after watching the season’s first two months from the sidelines due to a team suspension. He’s a product of what Friar fans hoped Ed Cooley would bring to Providence upon arriving a year and a half ago — helping young men mature on the court and become solid citizens off of it.

Prior to the season, Batts vowed to be a better leader.  He was adamant he’d grown as a person and had learned from being suspended by Cooley last season, “I felt like that time made me better mentally and physically.  I grew.  I matured.  I definitely became a man over the summer.  I worked very hard and I’m ready to go.  I’m ready for a new year,” he told me at PC’s media day in October.

He continued, “I want to try to be a leader this year.  I can honestly say I wasn’t mature enough to take that role in past years, but now that I’ve experienced more I’m definitely ready to take on that role as a leader.”

There were small signs of Cooley’s growing trust in him early.  The coach had Batts address season ticket holders at a kickoff party in early October, for instance, and Cooley has consistently praised his effort throughout this season in which his game has evolved.

How much has Batts improved?

• He’s nearly tripled his points per game from a year ago (17.7 this year, 6.2 last).
• He’s nearly doubled his rebounds per game (8.0 versus 4.2).
• He’s getting to the free throw line with far greater regularity, taking over 7 a game after averaging less than 2 last year.
• Most telling, his shooting percentage has jumped from a paltry 39% last year to 51% in his junior year.  For a big man who does a lot of his damage facing up, that’s an outstanding figure.

Batts has added a more refined back to the basket game, has given the Friars a much-needed rebounding presence, but most significantly, he has provided stability for Cooley and the Friars when they’ve needed it most.

He’s the prototype for what Friar fans hoped to see under Cooley, but the coach would be quick to credit Batts for embracing the opportunity in front of him.  Not everyone did in Cooley’s first season, and not everyone will down the road.

Batts didn’t hesitate to tell those who would listen that he’d changed in October, and he’s more than proven it two months later.

What a difference a semester makes.

Email Kevin at kevin.farrahar@friarbasketball.com

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