Friar Basketball

Here and There in Friartown

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News, notes, and opinions on Friarbasketball.com while waiting for the Hockey Friars to play a very rare game at the Dunkin Donuts Center this Saturday against Miami of Ohio in the first round of the NCAA tournament. 

  • Best wishes to Tyler Harris who announced yesterday that he would not be returning to PC for his final year of eligibility. Tyler was an integral part of PC’s NCAA teams the last two years. Despite a career which had its ups and downs he was never a complainer and was always a good teammate.
  • Speaking of Harris I can’t believe some of the reaction from PC fans to the news of Harris transferring. The vitriol coming from some fans against a 21 year old college kid is just plain ugly. Despite losing his starting job and having his time cut he was never a detriment to the team and was always a good teammate. Prospective recruits take a hard look at how players are treated by a team’s fan base.
  • (Update on the bullet previously listed here: All hardship waivers will be done away with for four year players, while graduate players can still transfer and be eligible immediately).
  • Once again the NCAA Tournament proves that it is all about the matchups. The Friars would still be playing right now if they had Xavier’s seed instead of their own.
  • Speaking of which, how difficult would it have been for the NCAA Tournanent to have just switched six seeds Providence and Xavier. If you are going to let Dayton (as an 11 seed) play in Columbus, let them play against another team from Ohio. The NCAA still would have gotten 20,000 fans in the arena, but it would have been 10,000 fans for each team.
  • Rick Barnes and Steve Lavin are both now on the coaching hot seat? It seems to me that (unless there are extraordinary circumstances) taking your team to the NCAAs should get you a “get out of jail free” card for a season.
  • In other news it looks like former PC assistant Herb Sendek used up his “get out of jail free card” as Arizona State canned him one year after making the NCAA tournament. A mid major program would be very smart to pick him up as he has a long ways to go before he is washed up.
  • There have been 10 games played since the NCAA adopted the rule of having the final four at large teams selected play in a first four round before the rest of the tournament starts. The victors of those games have gone on to win their next game 50% of the time. Either the NCAA has been doing a horrible job of identifying who the worst four at large teams are or winning a play in game is a big advantage for these first four teams. Either way, something should change. Eleven seeds should not be able to beat six seeds 50% of the time.
  • PC needs to find of way to keep God Shammgod on staff. He is much too valuable an asset. I know he has talked about the NBA being a possible option but Sham really has a gift working with younger guys and could thrive in the college environment.
  • Is it just me or has Bobby Hurley shot right past Danny Hurley as one of the “hot coaches” in college basketball? If the St. John’s job opens up it could wind up being a brother vs. brother competition.
  • In a different universe the 2014-2015 PC team could have had Ricky Ledo, Brandon Austin, Josh Fortune, Kiwi Gardner, Brice Kofane, Sidiki Johnson, Markus Crider, Kyan Anderson, and Ian Baker on it. It’s funny how things work out sometimes.
  • Eric Paschall is considering transferring from Fordham? Sign me up! Heading into the PC Elite Camp in 2013 everyone was talking about bringing in a “Fab 5” recruiting class of Kaleb Joseph, Jared Terrell, Paschal Chukwu, Malik Abu, and Jalen Lindsey. Four of those guys were at the Elite Camp and the fifth, Lindsey, had already committed to PC. By the end of the day there was just as much talk about how Fordham could have gotten a commitment so early from a guy like Eric Paschall. He wowed everyone and it was no surprise at all that he was the A10 Rookie of the Year this year. Paschall is the type of recruit that is right in Ed Cooley’s wheelhouse. Not only does Ed seem to have good relations with his parents, he also has very good relations with Eric’s AAU coaches on The City team as they bring down a few players to the PC Elite camp every year. Here is a mixtape of Eric from his high school and AAU days.

 

 

 

 

 

11 Comments

  1. Jeremy Nunes

    March 25, 2015 at 5:12 pm

    Well said about the ugly reaction to a 21 year old kid moving on in life Craig.

  2. Craig Leighton

    March 25, 2015 at 6:46 pm

    Thanks Jeremy. It just got to be too much. You can criticize the way he plays or the lack of progress if that is how you feel but it shouldn’t get ugly. He was a member of the team who helped us get to two NCAA tournaments and didn’t show an attitude problem when he was taken out of the starting lineup and had his minutes cut. A lot of other guys did just the opposite in PC’s history.

  3. Craig Leighton

    March 25, 2015 at 6:46 pm

    Thanks Jeremy. It just got to be too much. You can criticize the way he plays or the lack of progress if that is how you feel but it shouldn’t get ugly. He was a member of the team who helped us get to two NCAA tournaments and didn’t show an attitude problem when he was taken out of the starting lineup and had his minutes cut. A lot of other guys did just the opposite in PC’s history.

  4. Eric Kopf

    March 25, 2015 at 6:50 pm

    Good piece. Sometimes folks forget the Friars are not a pro team.

  5. Jeff Hoyle

    March 25, 2015 at 7:03 pm

    Very true about some of the comments on Tyler Harris. Just say ‘thank you’ and let him move on. Many of the fans at the games where very critical of his play so why the vitriol when he wants to leave? I think as most parents do, even with adult children, my sons are in there 30’s and I still think of them as kids. This kid is 21. Wish him luck and move on.

  6. Derec Lamendola

    March 25, 2015 at 7:06 pm

    CRIAG LEGHTION DEREC LAMENDOLA WHAT SHRD I DO FOR THE RECTING And Becusse I Won’t KNOW And What’s IS LaDoante Henton Doing This Year And He BEETER NOT Be GOING NBA And OR Michgian TO COLD FOR Henton GO BACK And HE GOT STAY BACK HIS ALSHBDE PROVIDENCE And KRIS DUNN IS NOT Redey TO GET DRAFTRED And Becuase KRIS DUNN HAS 4 Yeras JUNIOR SENIOR And LSTING TO Me PROVIDENCE COLLLEGE FRARS BEETER NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT TRVAL THIS SUMMMMMER THERY BEETER NOT Thery SHRD JUS Pkertkias Pkertkias Pkertkias Pkertkias Pkertkias Pkertkias Pkertkias Pkertkias Pkertkias Pkertkias Pkertkias Pkertkias ALUMNA HALL THERY SHRD STAY HEAR AND TYLER HASRRS NOT NOT NOT GRADSHWDING THIS Year Becuase HE NOT GOOD NUF FOR PC And OR TGE PORS And NBA And Turs Me HE WON’T GRADSHWATE

  7. Craig Leighton

    March 25, 2015 at 7:31 pm

    No matter where Ladontae Henton goes he is still going to be your friend Derec.

  8. Derec Lamendola

    March 25, 2015 at 7:34 pm

    THATS RIGHT IS LaDoante Henton Going TO Stay Becuase What’s IS LaDoante Henton Going TO DO And When IM Going SEE LaDoante Henton When IM And I Won’t Him Back Providence Albablde

  9. Scott Geer

    March 25, 2015 at 8:58 pm

    The future is bright Friartown! Next year they break the ’97 drought and win at least one game.

  10. Jeremy Nunes

    March 25, 2015 at 10:51 pm

    Agreed. I think a lot of the people criticizing Tyler are the same people who criticized coach Cooley Saturday after the loss. They are the fans that tune into PC after the Patriots season ends. They’re not at the Dunk for 9:00 games in November and December against Binghamton or Brown. They’re not at the Dunk on a Saturday a week before Christmas to see them play Stony Hill. Tyler took being taken out of the starting rotation like a man and he was a great 6th man off the bench for an offensive spark in games.

  11. Jeremy Nunes

    March 25, 2015 at 10:53 pm

    Bingo

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