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Season Preview: The Backcourt

Cartwright Kentucky

The next “15 in 40” article takes a closer look at the backcourt and how younger players will be asked to step into bigger roles in 2015-16. 

Ed Cooley and his staff won’t truly know what they have until the season tips off on Nov. 14 at home against Harvard, but there are consistent themes coming from Smith Hill this fall: playing at a faster pace, exploiting mismatches, and running with multiple ball handlers. Of course, it doesn’t hurt having the best guard in the country.

Kris Dunn was spectacular last season, and spectacular on both sides of the ball. Rare is the guard who can dominate both offensively and defensively, but Dunn was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year and the league’s player of the year for his ability to control the game on either end.

Dunn will simplify the game for his teammates and keep opposing coaches up at night, but the rest of the backcourt — how they will perform and what roles they’ll play — is still very much in question.

Sophomore Jalen Lindsey saw time at shooting guard last season, but could slide into a role as a small forward who plays spot minutes at the 4 this season. If he does see time at the 2 it will give the Friars one of the longest and most athletic backcourts in the Big East. Lindsey’s game was broken down in greater detail in an earlier “15 in 40” article.

Fellow sophomore Kyron Cartwright is a point guard who will spend most of his first two seasons in Providence playing off of the ball due to Dunn’s presence.

Cartwright didn’t shoot it well a year ago, making just 4-33 from deep and 38% from the field, but he’ll be asked to be more of a scoring threat this season. The staff sounds confident he’ll provide more offense with greater opportunities. And on a team that will look to spread the floor and run, Cartwright will be asked to make more plays with the ball in his hands.

“He’s a guy who can get his feet in the paint and make plays for others,” Associate Head Coach Andre Lafleur said of Cartwright. “He’s very good with the ball screen, and with the way we’re going to play this year we’ll have multiple ball handlers on the floor at times and he’s going to be one of the key ones.”

“Kyron put a lot in this summer to becoming more of a scoring threat if he’s playing off the ball, and if he’s playing with the ball we’re going to run a lot of things to get Kris the second touch.”

One area in which Cartwright impressed last season was taking care of the ball. The California native played big minutes in February, logging 20+ minutes in seven games beginning on Jan. 31. He didn’t turn the ball over more than once in any game from late January until the NCAA Tournament loss against Dayton.

The coaching staff was very encouraged with Cartwright’s early season effort against Yale. The Friars had just lost Dunn to an ankle injury and he filled in more than ably, scoring eight points, to go along with seven assists and six rebounds in a 72-66 PC win. A few days later Yale knocked off UConn on the road.

Junior Lomomba is a veteran who the staff values for his ability to guard multiple positions, while a third sophomore, Tyree Chambers, was a non-factor a season ago as he recovered from multiple injuries.

Lafleur lauded Lomomba’s work ethic, “Junior Lomomba is one of the hardest workers that we’ve ever coached. He sets a tone that even Kris follows at times when it comes to his work ethic and things that the fans don’t see — in the weight room and how hard he practices.”

He called Lomomba a “tone-setter”, yet Lomomba struggled to find his niche last season. He often looked hesitant with the ball in his hands offensively, especially when left open beyond the arc where, like Cartwright, he struggled from deep (2-11 from 3) and shot at a subpar rate (.326) overall.

For much of November and December Lomomba was a bit player, but he saw a bump in minutes once Big East play started.

“He’s a veteran. A guy that knows how to play,” Lafleur said of Lomomba. “Last year we struggled with solidifying what position he’d play for us. This year’s style of play should help him because he’s one of those multi-positional guys that can play on the ball or off the ball because of his size and his toughness.”

“He’s really worked on his offensive game and ability to score the ball. We’ve really emphasized with him his ability to get into the paint, finishing and getting to the free throw line. He was one of our best defenders last year. He was one of those guys that you can put in a matchup against the team’s leading scorer in different positions.”

If the Friars are to make any noise in March they’ll likely need something from freshmen Drew Edwards and Ricky Council. Both come to Providence with reputations as shooters — Council viewed as more of a scorer, while Edwards has been billed as a cerebral combo guard who can provide depth at either position.

Providence’s athletic department lists freshman Ryan Fazekas as a guard, but at 6’7, but on a team that lacks length in the frontcourt, it seems likely that he’ll see most of his time at a forward spot.

A full breakdown of the entire freshman class can be found here.

Walk-on guard Casey Woodring is now in his third year with the program and saw time in seven games last season.

The backcourt, like PC’s upcoming season, relies heavily on Dunn, who was recently named Blue Ribbon’s Preseason National Player of the Year. The ball will be in his hands virtually every second he’s on the floor. “Kris going to have the ball 90% of the time. He’s just that dynamic of a player,” Lafleur said. “But there are going to be situations in which he’s off the ball.”

“For the other guys they’ll be encouraged, ‘you’re going to have an awesome opportunity to make plays because everybody is going to know where Kris is on the court.’ Our job is to get guys ready to make plays and keep defenses from keying in on Kris.”

Twitter: @Kevin_Farrahar

Email: kevin.farrahar@friarbasketball.com

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2015-16 “15 in 40″ season preview articles:

15. Finding the Range from Deep: http://friarbasketball.com/2015/08/19/15-in-40-finding-the-range-from-deep/

14. Where Are They Now? http://friarbasketball.com/2015/09/11/15-in-40-where-are-they-now/

13. Rodney Bullock’s Day Approaching: http://friarbasketball.com/2015/09/12/rodney-bullocks-day-approaching/

12. Learning More About the Freshmen: http://friarbasketball.com/2015/09/18/learning-more-about-the-freshmen/

11. Season Preview: Jalen Lindsey: http://friarbasketball.com/2015/09/20/season-preview-jalen-lindsey/

10. Season Preview: Ben Bentil: http://friarbasketball.com/2015/09/23/season-preview-ben-bentil/

9: Not Dunn Yet: Video on Kris Dunn’s Career: http://friarbasketball.com/2015/09/25/new-video-not-dunn-yet/

 

 

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