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Shooting Woes Killing This Edition of the Friars

Diallo White Uni

Basketball can be a simpler game than we make it out to be at times. In the case of the 2019-20 Friars, they just can’t put the ball in the basket. 

Their inability to muster any sort extended offense has taken the wind out of Dunkin Donuts Center crowds ready to explode — in particular today against Villanova and two weeks ago in a late Friday start versus Butler.

This has been the case over the past two seasons in Friartown. 12,000 fans fill the Dunk and offensive droughts quiet the place down. The building roared when Nate Watson’s putback put Providence ahead with under ten minutes to go (after trailing by 10), but too often over the past two seasons, PC’s offensive struggles haven’t allowed for the home crowd to lift the team past the finish line.

It probably would not be so aggravating if this version of the Friars weren’t playing so hard. Through sheer will they were down five at Seton Hall earlier this week, while on Saturday Villanova’s only basket during the final five minutes of the game came off of a two on one break that put the Wildcats ahead, 61-56, with 53 seconds on the clock. 

The numbers were ugly for the Friars: 20-63 from the field (31%) and 3-23 from 3 (13%)

They were just as ugly during the four other games since Providence started Big East play at 3-0.

  • 23-64 from the field (35%) and 4-24 from 3 (16%) at the Hall
  • 25-64 (39%) and 11-28 (39%) against Creighton — and that was with David Duke shooting 12-18 from the field and 6-8 from 3.
  • 21-59 (35%) and 4-17 (23%) in a win versus St. John’s
  • 19-60 (31%) and 6-25 (24%) to open this stretch against Butler

Against Villanova, the looks were there. Providence just missed them.

After Collin Gillespie hit a 3-pointer with 8:34 on the clock to put Nova up, 51-49, Providence had eight possessions to tie the game and was unable to do so.

Watson was terrific for Providence, making 7-12 shots from the field and all four of his foul shots, but it isn’t easy to establish a paint presence when the defense gambles on you missing outside shots — and wins that bet 87% of the time. 

PC’s seniors have not been good during this five game stretch. Ed Cooley benched Alpha Diallo, who sat most of the first half with two fouls and took two bad shots early in the second. Diallo finished 0-6 from the field, with three of those shots coming from deep. 

Diallo has incurred the wrath of the Friar fanbase more than anyone this side of Luwane Pipkins, but, in fairness, he was PC’s best player against St. John’s (7-15 shooting, 2-3 from 3) and was the only Friar to show up against Butler. During Providence’s five game winning streak that started with a win over Texas, it seemed as though Diallo returned to the paint, where he is at his best. More recently, it feels as though his game has veered back toward the quick, early, deep jumper. 

Maliek White played at his peak in road wins at Marquette and DePaul (35 points in those two games). But it has been a struggle for White since, particularly from beyond the 3-point arc where he’s 2-22 since the Butler game. He’s 13-49 from the field in those five games.

During that same stretch, backcourt-mate Luwane Pipkins hasn’t shot much better. He is 5-25 from deep and 10-39 from the field.

Providence has a week off until they return to the floor. Next Saturday, it will be a road trip to Butler ending the most difficult portion of the schedule. The best PC can finish this six game stretch is 2-4, thanks in large part to their inability to knock down jump shots.

9 Comments

  1. Wally

    January 26, 2020 at 9:02 am

    Another tough game to watch!! What’s Diallo thinking!! Last 2 years it’s like not he same player at all. A very bad clone!!! Bad decisions, terrible shooting and the slip on the floor twice in a row: that was really weird! Quick shots every game never good. When the Friars win they share the ball. Just really tough to watch!! Awesome crowd, great energy I thought we had this one!!! GOFRIARS

  2. SoxDirtDog

    January 26, 2020 at 11:47 am

    Maybe I get sitting Alpha, but have we ever seen coach sit a player of that caliber that many key minutes before .Why is he still playing Pipkins so many minutes and key minutes. He’s just not a fit for this team at this time. The bad shots and bad decisions far out weigh the good. Its painful to watch him play- sorry.

  3. Irish Spectre

    January 26, 2020 at 1:53 pm

    No one knows what’s happening behind the scenes, so we can’t make a good judgement about Diallo being sat, but he’s the closest the Friars have to a leader, and sitting your leading scorer down the stretch, when none of the Friars on the floor can hit the ocean with a shot, obviously raises questions. Lots of folks think Duke is or should be the leader, and indeed he’s got lots of talent, but he’s even less consistent than Diallo, and unfortunately didn’t help the team yesterday down the stretch. I definitely appreciate that they’re still competing, defending hard and trying to find a way, but unless and until they can get their floor shooting to close to 40%, they won’t win much in their talented conference.

    Is it me, or do the Friars seems to move without the ball less than their opponents do?

  4. rayi

    January 26, 2020 at 4:05 pm

    Diallo last yr and this yr has been a turnover machine plus shooting getting worse. Foul shooting, how can he be so bad. I just don’t understand how so many highly recruited players can all shoot so bad except for an occasional game or so. No on court leadership. At this point why not start duke, reeves and Gnett and use white, Diallo and Pimkins off the bench. Let’s See What out highly touted freshman and sophomores can do with lots of minutes.

  5. Irish Spectre

    January 26, 2020 at 5:38 pm

    Duke and Reeves have gotten plenty of opportunity to prove the recruiting hype thus far, and have not done it. Both have shown flashes, though Reeves much less so than Duke, but have not favorably impacted games more often than not. I’m surprised that Gantt isn’t seeing more time, especially while Coach seems to be starting to desperately pull different levers.

    I kind of feel for Diallo; I still think that he’s the best all-around Friar, but his offensive game is off, and I think that that combined with no one else consistently showing up is making him press too much, which is making matters worse.

    Diallo struggled in the few minutes that he played yesterday. Who knows whether or not that was all that was behind him sitting so much, but it made no difference in the end, and arguably handicapped them down the stretch.

  6. Bob Peterson

    January 27, 2020 at 8:13 am

    Bob P- Are we sure Diallo wasn’t ill Saturday? If you noticed Gantt and Nichols weren’t on the bench due to illness.

    I feel I need to defend David Duke- while not a star yet, he has made big strides this year. Unfortunately AJ Reeves hasn’t shown us much other than an occasional three pointer.

  7. rayi

    January 27, 2020 at 12:03 pm

    Ashford Langston highly recruited and hyped, did not pan out. Duke and reeves stellar recruits, one doing okay, one almost nothing. Maybe the coaching staff not good at development to compete at this level.

  8. GTJ

    January 30, 2020 at 7:49 am

    Three years from now, Duke and Reeves are both going to be playing professionally, at least one will be in the NBA. I know that sounds crazy right now, but you can bet on it. Right now they lack confidence, especially Reeves. In the Big East, where the margin of victory is so slight, their lack of confidence down the stretch gets magnified. At this point, coach C needs to play both of them (along with White and Watson- the teams most consistent players other than Duke) because they are the future of this team and they need to be in “attack mode” not “thinking mode”.

  9. Marty

    February 2, 2020 at 6:13 pm

    Im glad coach C benched Diallo. He isn’t anywhere near the player he was last year. He appears to me that he’s just not interested this year. Leads the team in turnovers, can’t hit free throws. Too bad I really was a big fan.

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