Friar Basketball
Home / Game Recaps / The Friars are Big East Champions

The Friars are Big East Champions

BETtitle

The Providence College Friars are the 2014 Big East champions.

A season that began with high expectations, and included a number of speed bumps along the way, ended with Providence cutting down the nets in Madison Square Garden for the first time since 1994.

Bryce Cotton is the tournament MVP, LaDontae Henton a first team all performer, and Ed Cooley might as well run for mayor.

Four different Friars played 40 minutes in Saturday’s 65-58 victory over #14 Creighton and likely National Player of the Year Doug McDermott, with Cotton pacing PC with 23 points and Henton (13 rebounds) providing the grit that the Blue Jays lacked — the grit Providence lacked prior to Cooley’s arrival.

Just a week ago Creighton rolled through Providence on their senior night, with McDermott scoring 23 of his career high 45 points in the first half of a game that turned into a celebration by halftime. At halftime in MSG Creighton was wondering what was happening to them.

Cooley’s decision to play zone against the sharpshooting Jays was unorthodox, but effective, as the Friars held a team averaging over 80 points per game to just 17 in the first half — the lowest halftime total for Creighton in 13 years.

“Everybody thought we were crazy probably trying to play one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country zone, but because of Dougie, you always have to have a man and a half around him,” Cooley said.

 

Providence led 26-17 at halftime and grew their lead to as much as 12 with just over 12 minutes to play.

The game’s final 10 minutes consisted of the Friars countering every big Creighton shot with a make of their own — with the biggest coming from Henton, who connected on a 17 footer with roughly 45 seconds to play to give Providence a four point lead after a scorching McDermott drilled a deep three pointer to make it a two point game 30 seconds earlier (his fourth 3 pointer over the closing 11 minutes).

After McDermott (27 points) came up short on a bomb of a three pointer, Henton grabbed the rebound, connected on two free throw and the Friars were on their way to what seemed impossible in early January — the second Big East title in program history.

“It’s just a vindicating feeling to know that the Providence Friars are Big East champions,” Cotton said afterwards. “This is something our school and our city hasn’t seen in a long time.”

20 years to be exact, but Cotton could have been talking about more than just a Big East title.

When Cooley took over this program three years ago there wasn’t much to be proud of as a Friar fan, but he promised to set the city and college on fire, and in three short years energy and optimism reign supreme in Friartown after a long stretch of disappointment.

20 years since a Big East title? 10 years since an NCAA Tournament appearance? Those weren’t Cooley’s Friars, these are. He’ll no longer have to hear about sins of the program’s past.

His Friars are tough, they’re resilient, and they are now in the midst of the type of truly special season that as eluded Providence for so long.

“I am so, so thrilled to be called a Big East champion,” Cooley said.

Providence is thrilled to have him.

 

 

You must be logged in to post a comment Login