Friar Basketball

Top 10 of 2014

2014 look back

2014 was quite the year for the Providence College men’s basketball program. Headlined by the school’s first Big East Tournament Championship in twenty years, this past year was full of moments that PC fans will remember forever. To celebrate all of those great times, here are the top ten moments in 2014 for Ed Cooley and the Friars:

10) January 16, 2014 – Bryce Cotton leads PC to a 84-83 win in Double-OT at St. John’s
Bryce Cotton’s magical season may have began in the non-conference portion of the schedule, but his play at Carneseca Arena that night finally gave Cotton the notoriety he deserved. Finishing the game with nearly a triple-double – 21 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists, Cotton willed the Friars to victory with a game winning layup with 9.8 seconds remaining. Later that week, he was named Big East Player of the Week for the first time that season.

9) January 18, 2014 – PC takes down Doug McDermott and the Creighton Bluejays
Just two days after defeating St. John’s on the road, the Friars welcomed nationally heralded Doug McDermott to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center and it was all PC from the get-go. Eight NBA scouts were on hand to watch McDermott  play but the Friars spoiled the night for one of the country’s top players. All five PC starters scored in double-figures, with Bryce Cotton leading the way with a team high 23 points. The Friars won big, 81-68 over Creighton.

8) November 20, 2014 – Alex Owens, Ryan Fazekas and Drew Edwards Sign Letters of Intent
It has been no secret that Ed Cooley can recruit. From his first season on campus, Cooley has worked tirelessly on the recruiting trail and his most recent class of Alex Owens, Ryan Fazekas and Drew Edwards pledged their commitment to Providence College in late November. On the day of their signings, Coach Cooley had this say, “We are excited to have Alex, Drew and Ryan join the Friar family. These three men are quality student-athletes who will help make our program stronger as we continue to grow and compete for championships.”

7) January 25, 2014 – PC Honors Joe Hassett and Kevin Stacom
Two of the greatest players to wear the Friar uniform were honored during half-time of PC’s game against Xavier. In four years at Providence, Hassett’s teams finished with 93 wins and just 31 losses, including an impressive 56-3 record at home. For his career he finished with 1,828 points, which seats him seventh all time in PC history. Stacom, a key member of the 1973 Final Four team, finished his career with a pair of Defensive Player of The Year awards as well as the best field goal percentage for any guard in Providence history, 53%.

6) November 23, 2014 – LaDontae Henton Goes Off for 38 points
Putting together one of the greatest individual performances in recent memory, LaDontae Henton hit the jackpot at Mohegan Sun early on in the 2014-15 season. Scoring a career high 38 points on 14-19 shooting, Henton led the Friars to a thrilling 75-74 win over Notre Dame. The victory sent PC to a perfect 5-0 start on the season and gave the Friars the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic Championship trophy.

5) March 14, 2014 – PC heads to the Big East Tournament Championship
After defeating St. John’s, the Friars were just one win away from reaching the Big East Tournament Championship game. Seton Hall was coming off a huge upset over Villanova the previous day and the Pirates had already knocked off the Friars once, earlier in the season. PC had waited two decades for a chance to own the Big East again, so there was no way the Friars were going to look past the Pirates. Bryce Cotton and LaDontae Henton led PC in an 80-74 win over the Hall’. Henton scored a game high 26 points while grabbing 14 rebounds.

4) November 24, 2014 – PC Cracks the Top 25 Coaches Poll
Fresh off a win over Notre Dame, the Friars were 5-0 and were named to the USA Coaches Top 25 Poll for the first time since 2004. On that same day, LaDontae Henton was also named National Player of the Week by both NBC and CBS.

3) March 4, 2014  – In Double-OT, PC Knocks off Marquette 81-80
With the NCAA Tournament looming, thoughts that the Friars had fallen out of contention would end on that night. At 19-10, 9-7 in conference, many felt PC had a lot of work to do in order to impress the tournament committee. On senior night, a night which would feature both Bryce Cotton and Kadeem Batts suiting up for the final time in front of the Providence faithful, they showed up and gave Friar fans a game for the ages. Cotton finished with a game high 25 points and sank two key free throws with 7.2 seconds to play to give PC the win. LaDontae Henton also contributed with 20 points and 16 rebounds.

2) March 16, 2014 – Selection Sunday
There was no need for Bubble conversation on Selection Sunday. After defeating Creighton in the Big East Tournament Championship, the chase for an at-large bid was no longer necessary. With a jam packed Alumni Hall, the Friars and a few thousand PC fans awaited the announcement of the Friars next opponent. Shortly after 6 PM, CBS unveiled the tournament field and it was official, Providence would play North Carolina on March 21 in San Antonio, Texas.

1) March 15, 2014 – Providence Wins the Big East Tournament 65-58 Over Creighton
After a twenty year drought, Providence College was finally atop the Big East conference. Defeating Creighton for the second time, PC punched their guaranteed ticket to the NCAA Tournament. With 45 seconds left to play, LaDontae Henton hit a jumper that will be forever remembered by Friar Fans, giving PC a 4 point lead. Bryce Cotton played all 40 minutes and ended the night with a team high 23 points. Doug McDermott may have entered the night number 1, but Cotton left Madison Square Garden with tournament MVP honors and a net around his neck.

Email Craig – craig.belhumeur@friarbasketball.com
On Twitter – @Craig_Belhumeur

4 Comments

  1. Derec Lamendola

    December 22, 2014 at 6:27 pm

    THARS RIGHT Sear IS MY FULLL Birthday And I Won’t Ptovidence College Friars GO All Away #BIGEAST NCCCAA NCCAADBLAS That’s I Won’t For MY BIRTHDAY LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I KNOW We Can DO This

  2. Mario Teixeira

    December 22, 2014 at 6:49 pm

    Happy Birthday Buddy!

  3. Derec Lamendola

    December 22, 2014 at 7:59 pm

    Thinks SO MUCH Mario Can YOU ASK Friara Basket Ball About Picksher OF Me LaDoante Henton OF ME

  4. Edward Gonsalves

    December 22, 2014 at 8:22 pm

    Lady Friars down by 17 against Villanova to come all the way back and win was my number 1 PC moment.

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