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Friars at the Quarter Pole

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It’s early, but Providence is just about one quarter of the way through the 2013-14 season. The staff of Friarbasketball.com answers five burning questions as we approach December and the critical close of the non-conference portion of the schedule.

Given your expectations, how has Providence fared so far?

Kevin Farrahar: Considering the loss of Kris Dunn early, and a few potential land mines over the first seven games, it’s hard not to be happy with a 6-1 start. Five of the first seven games could have gone either way — games PC often came up short in over the past couple of seasons.

The offense has been a bit more clunky than I had hoped from a team whose top two returning scorers have logged huge minutes throughout their careers, and I’d expected this team to shoot the ball better than they have so far (41% from the field, 30% from 3), but the expectation here is that the offense will click eventually.

Craig Leighton: At 6-1, PC is right where I expected them to be after seven games. The downside is that at this point in the season I felt that some of the questions about the team would be answered. Instead, there are more questions than ever about this year’s Friars, including: Why is the team getting off to slow starts in every game? When is the consistent outside shooting coming? Will the team actually have legitimate depth this year, or will they once again have to rely on a seven man rotation?

Craig Belhumeur: Prior to the start of the season, I would have said Providence would either be 7-0 or 6-1 at this point in the season. The only true threat on the schedule was Boston College, on opening night, so once they defeated the Eagles, I expected them to take care of teams like Marist, Brown and Vermont.

What was difficult to project, was how they would fare in the Paradise Jam. Other than winning the 2009 World Vision Invitational, I don’t remember the last time that Providence made a run in an in-season tournament. Losing to Maryland was tough but like Kevin said, it’s hard to be upset with a 6-1 mark.

What has been the biggest surprise of the season?

Kevin Farrahar: The presence of Carson Desrosiers. I saw him a good amount when he was in high school, and he was a good shot blocker at that level, but in the first two games of the Paradise Jam he was dominant on the defensive end (credited for 7 blocks in two games, but in reality he must have had over 10). He struggled a bit versus Maryland, but Desrosiers has added such a different dimension — one that this program hasn’t had in a decade. The talent was always there, but he’s been so aggressive defensively.

Craig Leighton: After seven games Bryce Cotton is shooting .263 from three point range. Heading into the season one of the last things PC fans were worrying about was Cotton’s shooting. Hopefully, Cotton will be able to turn this around quickly, as the Friars will not win many games in the Big East Conference without Cotton being an outside threat. His outside shooting woes will also bring up questions of just how severely his knee is hurt.

Craig Belhumeur: The play of Bryce Cotton. As Craig mentioned, Cotton is shooting just 26% from three point range, down from the 36% that he managed last season. It is hard to believe, but in the loss to Maryland, it was his first game of the year where he sank more than two three pointers in a game. With his talent, I can’t see this trend continuing though.

What was the high point of the season? The low point?

Kevin Farrahar: The comeback against Vanderbilt was incredible. Ripping off an 18-0 run and closing the game on a 27-4 spurt, Providence played their best 12 minute stretch of the season when they needed it most, getting critical plays from a variety of different players during this stretch.

The low point came against Maryland in the Paradise Jam’s finale. Providence had the opportunity to make a big statement early: starting 7-0, winning the event, and beating a talented team from a power conference. Instead, PC went over 11 minutes without a point, fell behind by 19, and then used up whatever energy they had left on the tail end of a three game in four day stretch in a furious comeback that came up just short. The Friars have gotten themselves into trouble when falling in love with jump shots. The Terps were the more aggressive team on Monday night.

Craig Leighton: The high point of the season so far has to be the Boston College game. First game of the year, first college basketball game ever for Fox Sports1, Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery calling the game, almost a sellout crowd of passionate fans, culminating in a dramatic win in overtime. That game is everything that good college basketball is all about, and hopefully there will be many more of theses type of games at the Dunkin Donuts Center this season.

The low point had to have been when Kris Dunn was injured in the exhibition game against Rhode Island College. For the second straight season Friar fans could see their season being over before it really got started. Hopefully Dunn’s comeback from the shoulder injury can continue and he will be able to play at a high level for the rest of the season.
Craig Belhumeur: The high point for me was Kris Dunn’s return against Vermont. In 21 minutes of play Dunn came off the bench and dropped 8 assists in his first game back from injuring his shoulder. The explosiveness and court vision that he exhibited that night certainly helped to decrease the general concern of his overall health. With Dunn on the floor, Ed Cooley’s team is so much stronger.
The low point has to be the loss to Maryland. Excitement was truly growing around the 6-0 Friars but unfortunately, they couldn’t hang with the Terps. It would have been nice to knock off an ACC foe, but once again, PC fell behind by too large of a margin and simply couldn’t pull themselves out of the hole they created.

The team’s MVP to date?

Kevin Farrahar: While he’s struggled with his shot, mine is Bryce Cotton. The nod could possibly go to Kadeem Batts if not for foul troubles limiting him to just 27 minutes per game, and duds against Boston College and Maryland. He’s been solid otherwise (over 13 points and 7 boards a game, and shooting 45/82/50).

Cotton hasn’t been on the mark from three point range all season, but he’s managed to come up with deep ones when the Friars have needed them most (making two key jumpers late in the comeback against Vandy, and two others that nearly got them over the hump in the loss to Maryland). Still, he’s already had a pair of 28 point games, and almost single handedly won them the opener versus Boston College.

In Dunn’s absence Cotton stepped in at point guard and had the big night against BC and followed that up with 20 assists over the next two games.

He’s shooting 91% from the free throw line and getting there five times a game. Statistically, you could make a case for LaDontae Henton, who is second on the team in scoring (13.9), first in rebounds (8.1) and is making 48% from the field and .476 from 3, but Cotton has taken over more games than Henton to this point.

Craig Leighton: The MVP of the team so far has to be LaDontae Henton, who is averaging 13.9 ppg and 8.1 rpg. What is more impressive is that he is putting up these numbers without being the focal point on offense. In addition, any time the Friars need a big rebound Henton comes up with one. He worked on his outside shot over the summer and is currently shooting .476 from the three point line.

So far this season Henton is not only the Friars’ unsung hero, but also their MVP.
Craig Belhumeur: This is a difficult question as I feel that you could make an argument for several guys on this PC roster. Four players are currently averaging double figures for scoring and Kadeem Batts and LaDontae Henton are doing a great job rebounding the basketball. If I had to choose somebody though, I would go with Bryce Cotton. If you were to take Cotton out of the picture, this team would as thin as possible at the guard position, and because of that, Cotton’s presence is so valuable. On top of that, although he has struggled to find his shot, he has found other ways to contribute, like distributing the basketball. Through seven games, Cotton is averaging 5 assists per game.
Many will point to the loss of Kris Dunn, earlier this season, for the increase in assist production for Cotton. What’s important to point out though, is that Cotton played the same exact role last season, when both Vincent Council and Dunn were out due to injury. During the first four games of this season, Cotton averaged 7 assists a game, up from the 4 he averaged a season prior when Council and Dunn were out of the lineup.

What is your biggest concern going forward?

Kevin Farrahar: The backcourt. You have to like what Providence is getting out of their bigs. Both Henton and Batts have been productive, Desrosiers has emerged into a true low post defensive presence, and Tyler Harris was named to the all tournament team of the Paradise Jam after twice leading the Friars in scoring. The foursome can rebound, defend and score.

The guards are a concern for a variety of reasons. On a number of occasions Cotton was grabbing for his knee in St. Thomas, and his shooting numbers are down early. Of course, Dunn injured his shoulder in the preseason, missed three games to start the year, and twice had to leave games at the Paradise Jam with injuries. His shoulder is a huge concern.

Josh Fortune has had some good moments early this season (specifically, a 15 point opener vs. BC), but seems to be struggling a bit at times in identifying what Ed Cooley would define as a good shot for him. He’s probably a more capable rebounder than his 1.7 would attest, and I believe his outside shooting numbers could see a spike as he finds his comfort level in this offense.

Then there’s the question of when, if at all, Brandon Austin will return. The 6’6 freshman was the pick of some to win the Big East’s freshman of the year, but he’s been suspended along with fellow freshman Rodney Bullock and there’s been no sign of a return to date. Without Austin, this is a three man backcourt, and one with two hobbled players. Austin didn’t have to be the freshman of the year to help this team, but going without him any longer will really hurt.

Craig Leighton: The  biggest concern so far this season has to be the eligibility of the freshmen. With each game that they are not eligible the concern grow greater and greater. Will they not be eligible at all the first semester? Are they going to be suspended for the season? These are questions that still need to be answered.

The Friars not only need Brandon Austin and Reggie Bullock to add much needed depth for this year’s Friars, they are being counted on to be part of a solid nucleus for next year’s team. The longer this situation remains unresolved the more Friar fans will worry.
Craig Belhumeur: My biggest concern is the health of Bryce Cotton. My concern stems from the news that came from Ed Cooley, prior to the season’s start, when he let it be known that tendinitis was really bothering the senior guard. As the team’s leading scorer, losing him would be devastating. Like we have seen, his performance has not been as good as projected, so hopefully it isn’t due to the knee that hampered for most of last season.

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