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Here and There in Friartown

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News, notes, and opinions on Friar basketball while wondering who the new assistant coach is going to be.

  • God Shammgod. Somehow Ed Cooley has to figure out a way to keep Shammgod on the PC staff. He has been a vital part of the program for the past three years and it looks like he is not going to be taking Bob Simon’s position which is understandable as he has no recruiting experience. Look for a job to be added to the staff if another opening does not happen. Many big time programs have additional coaches on their staff in positions such as assistant Director of Player Operations, Program Assistant, etc.
  • Jeff Battle. I have no inside information, but feel that the assistant coach’s position vacated by Simon may be Battle’s to lose. Battle was a relentless recruiter at both Xavier and Wake Forest for the past twenty years. In addition, Ed Cooley and Battle are very close and Battle was Cooley’s first choice to take the associate head coach position when Cooley came to PC. Here are a couple of quotes on Battle from the Wake Forest University website:

    “Battle, a tireless recruiter, helped bring in a number of top-notch recruiting classes. Wake Forest’s 2010 recruiting class was ranked No. 6 in the nation according to ESPN, while the Deacons’ 2008 class was ranked No. 3 in the country by Rivals.com. Battle also helped bring in the No. 10-ranked recruiting class in 2006, the No. 16 class in 2003 and the No. 30 class in 2007, all according to Rivals. Wake Forest’s 2012 recruiting class was ranked No. 21 in the country by ESPN.””FoxSports.com named Battle as one of the top high-major assistant coaches in the country in 2008. BasketballScoop.com also tabbed him as a semifinalist for its Rising Star Coach of the Year Award in 2009.”

  • Tyler Harris. I have been saying right along that Tyler Harris may wind up at Auburn and I would not be surprised if he commits shortly after he visits there this weekend. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl was Tobias Harris’s coach when he was at Tennessee and he still has a good relationship with the family. A lot of people have been critical of Harris, but I will remember him as a productive player on two NCAA Tournament teams for the Friars who never had any issues or attitude problems.
  • Kris Dunn. By now everyone has had the chance to digest the news that Dunn will be returning to Providence next year. It is refreshing that there are still college basketball players out there that want to go to college and are not reaching for the buck at the first opportunity. For me, the biggest storyline is that Kris will now have a chance to go down as one of the all-time Friar greats, right up there with Lenny Wilkens, Jimmy Walker, and Ernie D. That is something that all of these one and done players can never do at their schools.
  • Billy Donovan. Congrats to Billy the Kid on being named the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He joins Wilkens and Johnny Egan as former PC players who went on to coach in the NBA. He is in a unique position as a college coach entering the NBA as he is going to a team that actually has the ability to compete for an NBA championship. Too many times college coaches only have the opportunity to coach NBA teams that have absolutely no chance to compete. They are finished before they even have a chance to start.
  • Kyle Washington. Yesterday it was learned that PC had met with and is recruiting North Carolina State transfer Kyle Washington. I have seen Washington play in person a number of times and would love to see this guy in a PC uniform. A 6’9 power forward with a world of talent who plays with an attitude and a little mean streak. Sign me up!
  • Ben Bentil. I was at the media availability at Alumni Hall on Tuesday and there were more reporters there than at any media availability during the season. Kris Dunn was great and I am sure you have seen all the TV highlights of his interviews. Later on I spent about 15 minutes watching Ben Bentil go through a drill where he would be passed the ball out beyond the three point line and then someone would jump out at him to contest the shot. Time after time, nothing but net. I

5 Comments

  1. Lucie Fontanella Morse

    May 1, 2015 at 3:47 pm

    Great info!!

  2. Craig Leighton

    May 1, 2015 at 4:37 pm

    thanks!

  3. Matt Vincent

    May 1, 2015 at 4:51 pm

    Anthony Chu

  4. Derec Lamendola

    May 1, 2015 at 5:19 pm

    CRIAG LEGHTION DEREC LAMENDOLA CAN YOU DO ME FAVERIT DEREC LAMENDOLA STARTING Friar EDDCTION CAN YOU DO THAT ON SUNDAY ALL ABOUT ME And CAN YOU FILL ME IN ON SUNDAY EDDECTIN AND What’s Fineal Exams Schduile

  5. Bobby Bouchard

    May 2, 2015 at 11:10 am

    Best handle I ever seen with a BBall, no shot but damn madd handles

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