Friar Basketball

Kris Monroe Commits to Providence

Kris Monroe Team Wall

While much of the focus on Providence’s 2018 class has been directed toward New England prospects, Ed Cooley and his staff once again pulled a recruit from the South, as 2018 forward Kris Monroe announced he committed to Providence on Thursday night.

Monroe, a North Carolina native, is the second member of the class of 2018 to commit to PC, joining top 50 shooting guard AJ Reeves, who pledged to Providence at the school’s elite camp in June.

Providence’s roster will certainly have a Southern flair in the seasons ahead. The staff has targeted the Mid-Atlantic and South successfully in recent years, thanks in no small part to the efforts of assistant coaches Jeff Battle and Ivan Thomas. Battle is a former Wake Forest assistant, while Thomas was a long-time high school and AAU coach in Virginia.

Battle was reportedly the lead recruiter on Monroe, a 6’7 forward whose scouting report reads like one written on Rodney Bullock when he committed to PC. Monroe is listed at 6’7-6’8, 225 lbs, is a good rebounder for his size (9 boards per game as a sophomore, 8.6 as a junior last year), and has range beyond the 3-point line.

Monroe spends his summers playing with Team Wall on the AAU circuit — a program that Battle has followed closely in the past. The Friars pushed hard for small forward Jalen Johnson before he committed to Rick Barnes and Tennessee, and recruited former Team Wall point guard Jalen Harris.

The program also produced Boston College sophomore point guard Ky Bowman, who had three 30 point games as a freshman a year ago, while scoring over 17 points per game.

Bowman was an underrated recruit prior to taking the floor at the Heights, and Providence would be extremely fortunate if Monroe were to follow a similar path.

Monroe is currently rated a three star recruit on both ESPN and Scout.com, and was most heavily recruited by Providence, Boston College, and Rhode Island.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login