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The Underappreciated Desrosiers

CD vs Kentucky

There was a time — not that long ago — when the Providence Jamfest was one of the elite AAU tournaments in the country. Scores of top prospects took to the courts at the Peterson Recreation Center on PC’s campus and you were bound to see future NBA players if you kept your eyes open.

2009 was no different. The New Jersey Celtics featured the dominating duo of Kyrie Irving and Michael Gilchrist. Kendall Marshall was there, as were promising young locals like Shabazz Napier, a freshman named Nerlens Noel, Kaleb Tarczewski, Ricky Ledo, Alex Murphy, Khem Birch, Naadir Tharpe and countless others.

In April 2009, Providence’s top targets were starting to become clear. Gerard Coleman was a slashing wing out of West Roxbury, MA who pledged to PC two months after the Jamfest, but my focus that weekend was on Carson Desrosiers — the center out of Central Catholic and clear-cut best player in Massachusetts high school basketball.

I’d just missed my first opportunity to see Desrosiers a month earlier. Central Catholic played Everett, and the relatively unknown freshman Noel, in a thriller in the state tournament — a game in which Desrosiers registered an 11 point, 12 rebound, 13 block triple double. I pulled out of that one at the last minute, regretted it, and wasn’t going to miss the Jamfest that spring.

Playing alongside Evan Smotrcyz (Maryland), Matt Brown (Harvard) and the vastly underrated Jordan Laguerre (who ended up at UMass), Desrosiers and the Mass Rivals made a run to the finals before losing to Irving and Gilchrist.

Desrosiers took a circuitous route to Providence, shunning Keno Davis and Co. later that year before transferring to PC from Wake Forest in 2012.

In his two seasons as a Friar, Desrosiers has been an undervalued defensive force, blocking more shots than any Big East player in conference play last season, and taking a step forward as a fifth year senior on both sides of the ball.

Lost in the chaos of Ed Cooley being rushed to the hospital and Providence dropping a back-and-forth battle with Xavier on Saturday was the fact that Matt Stainbrook was held scoreless. That’s the value of Desrosiers, he anchors the zone and also allows Providence to single cover big men like Stainbrook and Georgetown’s Josh Smith, while simultaneously helping off of those big men and sending shots away at the rim.

In Saturday’s loss against Xavier, Desrosiers did not register a block, snapping a streak of 17 consecutive games in which he’d had two or more blocked shots.

His 263 career blocks (combined at Wake Forest and PC) put him behind only Providence all-time shot blockers Marvin Barnes, Marcus Douthit and Bob Cooper, and he’s on pace to have the second highest blocks per game career average in PC history.

What makes Desrosiers a great shot blocker isn’t the sheer number of swats, but how rarely he’s caught out of position, or swings and misses at an opponent’s attempt. He’s mastered waiting until the shot leaves an opponent’s hand and has so often triggered fast breaks like the one below.

CD Block on Make A Gif

Add in a more confident face-up game, an occasional hook shot, and clutch free throws like those he had to give PC the lead in the closing seconds against Georgetown, and you have a center that may not get the acclaim of a Stainbrook or Smith, but is every bit as valuable as any other 5 in the Big East.

Twitter: Kevin_Farrahar

3 Comments

  1. Ann Iannotti

    February 9, 2015 at 2:07 pm

    I have been singing his praises all along.

  2. Derec Lamendola

    February 9, 2015 at 5:12 pm

    LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WHIS PUMT PUMT PUMT PUMT PUMT PUMT PUMT PUMT PUMT PUMT UP Criag Leghton Derec Lamendola IM Doing Plays For Wedensday Night LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GET GET GET GET GET GET GET GET GET GET GET GET GET GET Meeen LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MY GRIL Friend MERACZDE FREC FRED FRED FRE FRED FRED FRE FRE FRED FRED UP For Derec Lamemdola I Won’t Be ON YOUBE And Bcuase I Won’t Be With Togther And Let’s GOOOOOOOOOO OUT Thery Win THIS Providence Collllege Friars Mens Basket Ball Going IN THE TOP 25 Dacing

  3. Thomas Walters Jr

    February 9, 2015 at 8:26 pm

    He is smart runs good can make free throws

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