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Making Sense of Chukwu

Paschal Brook

We’re in the free agency era of college basketball, where recruits who play for two, three or four high schools so often turn into players who suit up for two or three different colleges — institutions that think little of switching conference allegiances as soon as another flashes more money in front of them.

No one is immune, but with Ed Cooley at the helm and the reconfigured Big East aligning like-minded schools, PC finally has the type of stability they’d lacked for much of the past 15 years. Gone is the fear of football abandonment. In place is the ideal coach for this program.

Providence finally has the infrastructure that it lacked since originally joining the Big East. They have the coach and a league they can be more competitive in, while athletic fundraising is at an all-time high.

And this is why it’s so crushing when a player the caliber of Paschal Chukwu decides to transfer with nothing but opportunity awaiting him at Providence. The next step suddenly feels so close.

Chukwu was looking at as many minutes as he could handle, the top point guard in the country finding him, and a coaching staff that recruited him when he was only a blip on the New England radar.

On the surface it makes no sense.

Chukwu’s transfer cannot simply be tied to the kids nowadays/college hoops free agency era.

Yes, over 700 players at the Division I level transferred in 2014, an absurd number that should be matched again this season, but how many of them have the upside of Chukwu? Virtually none.

Of the hundreds of transfers in 2015, just 22 of them were composite 4 star players coming out of high school (per verbal commits). Only four of those players were part of Chukwu’s class of 2014. Each of them had more obvious reasons to jump ship.

Shaqqan Aaron left Louisville after missing time due to an eligibility issue and then having his work ethic publicly challenged by Rick Pitino upon his return.

Terry Larrier left VCU after Shaka Smart took over at Texas.

Craig Victor couldn’t crack the rotation at Arizona, so the New Orleans native packed up and headed home to LSU midseason.

The only other member of ESPN’s top 100 that transferred, Josh Cunningham, left Bradley after the team went 9-24 last season and lost six players to transfer.

Those all made sense, but Chukwu? His playing time was limited as a freshman, but that was to be expected for a physically raw center playing behind a 5th year senior.

Kris Dunn is the superstar, and perhaps the biggest star Providence will see for years to come, but Chukwu was to be the cornerstone for the future — a 7’2 center with surprisingly good hands, rebounding ability, under-appreciated poise around the basket, and upside as a shot blocker. Seemingly the only thing left was the physicality.

700 kids may transfer this year, but it’s difficult to imagine that any will sting as much as this one does for Providence.

When Josh Fortune dropped the news of his transfer in late May of 2014, it was a surprise. This is an anvil. Fortune was a developing role player. Chukwu has superstar potential.

The ever encouraging Cooley was his typical positive self in talking to The Providence Journal’s Kevin McNamara, saying, “Friartown isn’t burning down. We’ll be alright.”

And chances are Cooley and his Friars will be alright. Under Cooley PC has successfully navigated through Vincent Council’s hamstring, Dunn’s shoulder surgeries, a semester without Kadeem Batts, the suspensions of Brandon Austin and Rodney Bullock, Ricky Ledo’s ineligibility, and the hole left behind by Fortune.

They’ve won a Big East Championship and made two NCAA Tournaments in Cooley’s four years here; yet lost in the rise from afterthought to annual tournament contender have been the near misses — two years of Cotton and Dunn playing together wiped out by injury, or a season in which PC could have had a backcourt of Council/Cotton/Dunn/Ledo.

When it looked like the Friars might fall apart in past seasons Cooley has pulled them together, and that might be his most impressive feat to date. With Dunn back next season, they’ll most likely find a way to push for a third straight tournament bid if they can fill the frontcourt hole left behind by Chukwu.

As we approach year five of the Cooley Era the stabilization of the program is complete. Now it’s time to take the next step, from tournament team to tournament threat. Paschal Chukwu figured to be an essential component in that transition, but suddenly, shockingly, he’s gone.

700 kids may transfer this year, but it’s hard to imagine any hurting this much.

Twitter: @Kevin_Farrahar

Email: kevin.farrahar@friarbasketball.com

12 Comments

  1. Derec Lamendola

    May 20, 2015 at 12:18 am

    WHAT ARE WE Going TO Do And Enenthing Ahout LaDoante Henton Criag LEIGHTON I Don’t Won’t LaDoante Henton LEFE Me And Becuass I AM UP Set That LaDoante Henton Lefing Me All Redey I Dont Don’t Won’t Him Go And I Don’t Wnt LaDoante Henton Get Drtafited And I Love His Fammily

  2. Mario Teixeira

    May 20, 2015 at 12:20 am

    Simon really meant a lot more then people think or know!

  3. Jeremy Nunes

    May 20, 2015 at 12:25 am

    This one will hurt for awhile

  4. Aaron Cicillini

    May 20, 2015 at 1:00 am

    Mikey IntheClutch Mac

  5. Sean Leonard

    May 20, 2015 at 1:04 am

    This had nothing to do with Simon. He was in the program for a year. If he left because of Simon’s departure, we have far bigger issues.

  6. Chris Primini

    May 20, 2015 at 2:35 am

    No answers still. Just another lame text message response. No one transfers for no reason. Well just Fortune and Chukwu

  7. John Walmsley

    May 20, 2015 at 5:48 am

    Last year at the Fsu game is bro was there wearing Bama gear, would not be surprised that’s the reason

  8. James Adams

    May 20, 2015 at 1:18 pm

    Don’t think as small as our city and state are… There are plenty of programs that go through the same thing! I believe in the coaching staff and believe it is stable yes there was an upside but the more important player Dunn is coming back and part of his decision has to do with the coaching staff! They will be fine!

  9. David Levesque

    May 20, 2015 at 3:27 pm

    Maybe they should have given Simon the head coaching job…

  10. Neil Primeau

    May 20, 2015 at 6:18 pm

    Very dissapointing. There goes the shot altering…shot blocking center.

  11. Jack Durkan

    May 21, 2015 at 12:38 am

    Reflecting on this for awhile, my belief is that Mr Simon convinced Chukwu with a year at the student athlete food/training fitness schedule and a year of weight training with the football program and other athletes that he will be ready for awesome on the BB court 2016/17. I would have to agree and it is too bad PC doesn’t have a mega milllion training table sitting there like the Tide. Chukwu should go along way which PC, a small college cannot compete against. Just remember this, with Dunn on the other end this could have been right up there with Ernie/Marvin and Friar history. I only have one thing to say to you Chukwu. You have lost the best coach that you will ever have. It kinda reminds you of Hoosiers doesn’t it? Go Friars and lets kick butt next season!

  12. Jason Brush

    May 21, 2015 at 12:57 am

    Here’s an easy answer: he was at Providence.

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