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A Final Look Back

Dunn year end

With the NCAA Tournament wrapping up, Craig Leighton and I take a look back on what we liked most about this season, our disappointments and share memories of the senior class.

What will be your lasting impression of… 

LaDontae Henton

Kevin Farrahar: John Linehan and Ryan Gomes have to make room for Henton on my list of all-time favorite Friars. Henton had so many memorable moments throughout his PC career, but his relationship with Ed Cooley will forever stick out in my mind. Henton is perfect for Cooley — a kid who can take tough love, but has an appreciation and understanding of why it is being doled out. He was a fearless competitor from the first time he stepped on the court at Providence and symbolized the transition from a program that lacked toughness to one that felt it belonged against anyone.

Craig Leighton: Ed Cooley could not have picked a better player to bring in as his first recruit. He epitomized everything that Cooley was looking for in the type of player he wanted. Henton will be remembered for giving the Friars a warrior-type attitude during his four years here and he set an example for future Friars to follow. All that plus 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds to boot.

Carson Desrosiers

Kevin Farrahar: His sense of timing when blocking shots. Desrosiers came in with impressive shot blocking numbers, but he was a far better rim protector than I’d anticipated when he transferred in from Wake Forest. For so long Providence had played without a true rim protector and Desrosiers was one of the Big East’s best in his two seasons at PC. He did a lot of his work quietly and a prime example of that was the Miami game. While it was one or the more memorable games of the season, how many Friar fans recall Desrosiers’ 12 point, seven rebound, five block performance? I thought he might develop into a bit of an outside threat, especially early this season when he started connecting from deep against Kentucky and BC, but his defensive presence will be missed next year regardless of any offensive shortcomings.

Craig Leighton: A defensive intimidator. He really controlled the paint with his shot blocking ability. A great teammate, Desrosiers always played well when facing elite big men on teams like Kentucky and Florida State. He will also be remembered as one of the players who gave PC a second chance after originally going to another school. It was a clear indication that times were changing under new coach Ed Cooley.

Tyler Harris

Kevin Farrahar: The Big East Semifinals in 2014. Harris broke open a close game against Seton Hall by catching fire in the second half. It was the kind of effort I expected to see more frequently when Harris transferred in from NC State, and those expectations combined talk of leaving before his second season of action even began set up what ultimately became a final season here that was unfulfilling for Friar fans, and most likely Harris himself.

The Realgm.com article in which a “source” speculated that Cooley benched Harris to lower his professional stock was insulting to both the program and the intelligence of anyone who paid attention to the team this season.

Craig Leighton: Tyler Harris was the prototypical basketball junkie who lived and breathed basketball 24 hours a day. He is the type of player that you build a basketball training facility for as he can never get enough hoops. Harris was a major contributor on two NCAA tournament teams and was still a great teammate when he lost his starting position and had his minutes cut this year.

Ted Bancroft

Kevin Farrahar: 19 minutes and solid defense against National Player of the Year Doug McDermott in an upset of #20 Creighton during his junior season. Bancroft played big minutes in two huge wins over the last two seasons: the Creighton upset and the come-from-behind road win at Butler this past January. Cooley wasn’t afraid to sick Bancroft on the likes of McDermott and Roosevelt Jones, and the 6’5 former walk-on held his own. He was instant energy for the Friars whenever called upon.

Craig Leighton: Has there ever been a walk-on who has contributed more (both on and off the court) than Ted Bancroft? Whether it was playing the entire 45 minutes in an overtime game or just coming off the bench to provide an instant spark on offense or defense, Bancroft always came through for the Friars. If you are looking for the Heart and Soul of the team, you can’t do better than Ted Bancroft.

Was the season a success?

Kevin Farrahar: Hard for me to say otherwise when I had them on the outside looking in at tournament at the beginning of the season. The Dayton loss ended the season on a sour note, especially after Providence had just gone toe to toe with #1 seed Villanova in the semis of the Big East Tournament, and this team had flaws (guard depth, lack of returning scoring, outside shooting), but played their way into a six seed in the NCAAs.

Craig Leighton: Absolutely. Heading into the year many prognosticators had the Friars on the outside looking in for the NCAA Tournament. Many of them were saying that this was a rebuilding year and that the loss of Bryce Cotton was way too much to overcome. Instead they built on last year’s finish and earned their second straight NCAA Tournament bid. They were nationally ranked for a period of time, and overall the season was another step forward for Ed Cooley’s program.

Best part of this season?

Kevin Farrahar: The resolve of this group. All year I expected this team’s holes to eventually sink them, and they made the NCAA Tournament behind LaDontae Henton and Kris Dunn, but also because they rarely went away quietly. They came from behind twice against Georgetown, trailed by eight in the second half at Butler and saw Seton Hall run out to a big lead against them in Newark before winning all of those games. Their will was never on display more than against Villanova in the Big East Tournament. PC trailed by as many as 13 in the second half and countered every big Nova shot with one of their own over the final five minutes of an amazing game at MSG. The Jalen Lindsey steal and Dunn layup to tie the game was one of the most thrilling moments that Friar fans have experienced over the past fifteen years.

Craig Leighton: The development of Kris Dunn. Coming off of two straight injury-plagued seasons many national writers were expecting little or nothing out of Dunn. Instead, he wound up being the Co-Big East Player of the Year and was selected to several postseason All American teams. During the course of the year he went from being an afterthought to a possible lottery selection.

What did you like least?

Kevin Farrahar: The popular refrain from me in texts and emails this season was “Where would this team be with a consistent guard next to Dunn?” The Friars didn’t need anything spectacular, but a solid player who could knock down an option shot, defend and occasionally create offense off the bounce.

All of those near misses in recruiting last spring came back to haunt them, most notably against Dayton when the Flyers threw everyone at Dunn and all but begged anyone else to beat them. PC went hard after fifth year transfers in Matt Carlino (who went to Marquette because he loved Wojo, not because Fortune had not yet left) and Antoine Mason (his father’s relationship with Auburn assistant Chuck Person was the difference there) and talented freshmen like Jared Terrell (the Fortune factor was very real) and Davante Graham (no beating Kansas), but all four of those were potential home runs. A solid double might have made a significant difference.

The Big East’s showing in the NCAA Tournament is a very close second when it comes to disappointments this season.

Craig Leighton: Once again Ed Cooley and his staff had to go through another year without a full complement of players. Josh Fortune transferred too late in the off-season to be replaced and the outside shooting that he would have provided was sorely missed. In addition, Rodney Bullock was going to be a very important member of the starting five before he tore his ACL. Friar fans are still waiting for that season where Cooley will have their full complement of players for an entire year.

High point of the season?

Kevin Farrahar: Wins over Notre Dame and Miami were big, and I’m not a big moral victory guy, but for me it was the comeback against Villanova. Dunn was unstoppable in the Big East Tournament, Ben Bentil was really coming on, and even though they’d lost PC played an outstanding game. I’d assumed they’d bring an edge to the NCAA Tournament after such a difficult loss. Felt great about this team after that one.

Craig Leighton: There were several high points, but probably the most significant was the Friars winning the Mohegan Sun tournament. Heading into the season everyone was hoping that PC would get a split at the Mohegan Sun, but there was a real possibility that the Friars could lose both games. Winning against Notre Dame and Florida State gave the Friars a gigantic boost to their non-conference record and was also a big factor in why their RPI was ranked so high throughout the season.

Low point?

Kevin Farrahar: The Dayton loss. It was apparent early that things weren’t going to go PC’s way, but they’d so often turned horrible starts on the road into memorable victories, so when PC tied it early in the second half my assumption was they’d pull it out. This one was frustrating all the way around, from Dunn’s early flagrant and foul trouble, to Cooley’s technical, and the disappointment of seeing Henton’s career end with a clunker.

Craig Leighton: Of course the low point for me, like most in Friartown, was the Dayton game. I think all Friar fans were counting on playing more basketball and that loss was like having the rug pulled out from under us. Another low point was the Senior Night loss to Butler. If they had won that game the entire post season could have been different.

Recruit your most looking forward to seeing next year.

Kevin Farrahar: I’m most intrigued by Drew Edwards, hoping that he can be that versatile guard who doesn’t put up monster stat lines early, but provides a steady hand that can create both for himself and his teammates. Still, there’s something about Ricky Council that intrigues me more than any other recruit. 53 points against a decent prep team like the Robinson School is no joke and PC is long overdue for a knock down jump shooter.

Craig Leighton: It would have to be Alex Owens. I was able to see him at the PC Elite Camp last August and his passing ability for a big man is something special. I can’t wait to see how that ability translates to the college game. He also has the type of body as a post player that is a perfect complement to Paschal Chukwu. Rotating these two guys at the center position is going to give opposing teams two totally different looks when they face the Friars.

One Comment

  1. Derec Lamendola

    April 6, 2015 at 1:34 am

    ENETING ABOUT LaDoante Henton What’s GOING ON HOW MEENY REUDCING ClASS COMING IN TO PROVIDENCE Becuase I Won’t JOB FOR That And I Need One From YOU Guyas Enenney Detaleis About That RECING Class And Can YOU LET ME KNOW What’s Going ON

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