Friar Basketball

Previewing Harvard

Kyron Cartwright Kentucky

Finally. After a seemingly endless offseason, Providence kicks off the 2015-’16 campaign on Saturday night against Harvard.

Expectations are high in Friartown as Ed Cooley enters his fifth year as PC’s head coach. And in his fifth year Cooley will look to become just the third coach in school history to reach three straight NCAA Tournaments (and the first in over 40 years).

Providence returns perhaps the best player in the country in point guard Kris Dunn, and he’s flanked by a pair of high-upside forwards in sophomore Ben Bentil (five double doubles after Feb. 1 last year) and redshirt sophomore Rodney Bullock.

For all of the success of the past two seasons and the thrill of watching Dunn for one more year, there is angst in Friartown. The frontcourt is a question mark after Paschal Chukwu transferred to Syracuse and top 100 power forward recruit Alex Owens failed to qualify academically. The coaching staff added 6’7, 280 lb freshman Quadree Smith in the spring, but could not lock down any other big men after news of Chukwu and Owens broke — and up front is where so many of the questions lie.

The Friars will look different this year, with Cooley and his staff promising to open up the offense to capitalize on the brilliance of Dunn and a supporting cast that they believe will be much better from beyond the three point arc this season. They targeted shooters in the class of 2015 and came away with 6’7 Ryan Fazekas out of Indiana and North Carolina guard Ricky Council. Drew Edwards is a cerebral combo guard out of Maryland who figures to see quality minutes early.

Cooley claims Kyron Cartwright has improved more than any other player on the team, while Friartown will look for Jalen Lindsey to carry a strong postseason into his sophomore campaign.

Which brings us to Saturday night.

Providence welcomes Harvard to the Dunkin Donuts Center to kick off a busy two-week span to start the season. PC is 5-0 all time against Harvard, but haven’t seen the Crimson since 2007 (a 93-70 victory). Tommy Amaker has built an Ivy League power in his eight seasons as Harvard’s head coach. They’ve been to four straight NCAA Tournaments, but expectations are down a bit, despite their returning 10 players from a season ago.

Here’s a preview of the Crimson from their media day:

Providence’s Expected Starters:

  • Kris Dunn (G)
  • Junior Lomomba (G)
  • Jalen Lindsey (G)
  • Rodney Bullock (F)
  • Ben Bentil (F)

What to Watch For:

What questions are you looking for the Friars to answer on Saturday night?

Kevin Farrahar: As is the case with so many season openers, but even more so this year with a reliance on newcomers, I’ll be very interested to see which of the rookies is unfazed by the moment. While only an exhibition game, a key takeaway from Stonehill was the aggression of the freshmen Ryan Fazkeas, Ricky Council and Drew Edwards in seeking out their offense. Edwards finished calmly at the rim three times, Fazekas confidently knocked down the first open look given to him, and Council fired away the first time he had an opportunity.

I also want to see Dunn make an early statement. He could have scored 40+ on Stonehill but got his teammates involved early. It’s important in the opener for him to put the country and his younger teammates on notice from the jump.

Craig Leighton: What is the Friars’ rotation going to look like? PC currently has 11 players on scholarship, and it will be interesting to see which players make Cooley’s rotation.

What type of defenses will be played against Dunn? Most assume that teams will double team Dunn when they can, but will teams resort to playing “special” defenses against him like a box and one or a triangle and two? It will be interesting to see how effective Dunn and the Friars fair against junk defenses.

Will PC’s undersized front line be able to rebound the ball well enough to get the fast break going on a regular basis? PC is going to rely on their speed this year and run at every opportunity.

Which player do you have an eye on?

Kevin Farrahar: Jalen Lindsey. Dunn will shine, Bentil should be an anchor inside, and apparently Rodney Bullock was just as impressive in the closed scrimmage against Northeastern as he was when he lit up Stonehill.

Lindsey projects to be a very good wing defender, but the Friars will take a giant leap forward if he diversifies his game — crashing the boards more frequently, aggressively playing the passing lanes and more forcefully taking the ball to the basket. The jump shot will come and go, but how assertive will Lindsey be when given an opportunity?

Craig Leighton: Rodney Bullock is going to be critical for the Friars. During the scrimmage against Stonehill he demonstrated that he is going to be a good player. Just how good he can become is going to determine how far PC goes this season.

What is your biggest concern heading into the opener? 

Kevin Farrahar: My biggest concern for the opener itself is closing out at the three point line. Providence was torched by Stonehill from beyond the arc, and giving up uncontested threes is a recipe for an upset this early in the year.

Long term, the interior defense and rebounding bear watching.

Craig Leighton: My three biggest concerns for the Friars this year? Defense, defense, and defense. Can they stop good low post players underneath the basket? Will PC’s small front line be able to keep opposing teams off the glass? Will the young players be able to catch on quickly to PC’s defensive schemes?

The Friars will put up points. Their biggest concern is keeping opposing teams from doing the same.

 

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