Providence Friars '16 - 17 Men's Basketball Thread -- Life After Dunn

HomeRunBaker

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The class could crack the Top-25 and this team could crack the Pre-Season Top-25 if Bullock returns which from his tone and language seems to be the case.....from my read anyway.

Good stuff.
 

PC Drunken Friar

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The class could crack the Top-25 and this team could crack the Pre-Season Top-25 if Bullock returns which from his tone and language seems to be the case.....from my read anyway.

Good stuff.
Is Bullock thinking he could leave early and get decent money playing in a 2nd tier league in Greece or Turkey or something?
 

HomeRunBaker

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Is Bullock thinking he could leave early and get decent money playing in a 2nd tier league in Greece or Turkey or something?
In his statement he talked about learning what NBA people feel he needs to work on and about being excited about the Friars team next year. He didn't come across as a player ready to leave. That was the feeling I got from it but of course I could be way off and he used this language purposely.
 

PC Drunken Friar

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In his statement he talked about learning what NBA people feel he needs to work on and about being excited about the Friars team next year. He didn't come across as a player ready to leave. That was the feeling I got from it but of course I could be way off and he used this language purposely.
Gotcha. That's what I assumed he was doing when he declared without hiring an agent. It's the smart thing to do.
 

CouchsideSteve

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Langford is a huge coup for Cooley, giving PC a consensus top-20 incoming recruiting class, alongside PF Nate Watson and 7' C Dajour Dickens. Enormous for the program.

That being said, it's looking like a really crowded rotation for 2017-18. Great problem to have from a long-term perspective, but I do wonder if any of White, Young or Edwards look to transfer now. Assuming everyone stays, here's my best guess at next year's minutes allocation come Big East play:

Primary:
Cartwright, G - 32min
Langford, G - 20min
Lindsey, G - 32min
Diallo, F - 28min
Bullock, F/C - 30min
Holt, F/C - 25min

Secondary:
Watson, F/C - 9min
Jackson, G/F - 12min
White, G - 6min
Young, C - 6min

Mop-up:
Edwards
Planek

Redshirt:
Dickens
Incoming Transfer
 

CouchsideSteve

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Purely a hunch, based on having read anecdotes that his game is a bit raw, that he has a very slight build, and that he likely comes in behind Holt, Young and potentially Watson on the depth chart at center. Should Bullock opt to go pro (conceivable that he plays overseas regardless of NBA evals) or if there's an unexpected transfer, then that obviously changes the equation, as Holt would presumably play more PF, opening up minutes at C.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Purely a hunch, based on having read anecdotes that his game is a bit raw, that he has a very slight build, and that he likely comes in behind Holt, Young and potentially Watson on the depth chart at center. Should Bullock opt to go pro (conceivable that he plays overseas regardless of NBA evals) or if there's an unexpected transfer, then that obviously changes the equation, as Holt would presumably play more PF, opening up minutes at C.
In this day and age of recruiting I can't imagine that redshirting a Top-20 positional player is even on the table. How does Cooley sell that one to the player and his family, "Come to Providence, you'll get to play at the outdated Dunk, and oh by the way you'll have to way until the 2018-19 season to do so. How does that sound?"

It wouldn't surprise me at all if Young transferred.....I actually kinda expect it.
 

CouchsideSteve

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In this day and age of recruiting I can't imagine that redshirting a Top-20 positional player is even on the table. How does Cooley sell that one to the player and his family, "Come to Providence, you'll get to play at the outdated Dunk, and oh by the way you'll have to way until the 2018-19 season to do so. How does that sound?"

It wouldn't surprise me at all if Young transferred.....I actually kinda expect it.
Sorry, HRB - I missed your reply about Dickens. Again, I have zero inside info on the matter, but look no further than Justin Patton as an example of a Top-20 positional recruit (#18 C in the 2015 class per ESPN) redshirting, with a very favorable developmental outcome. Some insightful commentary on Dickens beginning at the ~10min mark of the latest PCBB1917.com podcast:

https://pcbb1917.com/2017/04/21/friartown-fan-voice-podcast-recruiting-preview-plus-news-and-notes/

My take: There almost has to be another shoe to drop to find sufficient minutes for all of the frontcourt players. Whether that is a transfer, redshirt or Bullock deciding to go pro remains to be seen. But in order of likelihood, I think a May transfer announcement is least likely (though we saw one with Chukwu just a couple of years ago).
 

CouchsideSteve

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Quick recap of the last 4 weeks:

- Bullock returning, though largely expected, is a huge deal. No one could have blamed him had he walked with his diploma and pursued a six-figure salary overseas.

- Also returning next season are Trevon Bluiett (Xavier) and Angel Delgado (Seton Hall), meaning the Big East will have 4 of 6 all-conference 1st team and 4 of 5 all-conference 2nd team athletes back next season (including PC's Bullock & Cartwright). That is to say...

- The Big East looks to be loaded next season, with Nova a likely preseason top-10 team, Seton Hall and Xavier projected comfortably within the top-25, and PC, Butler, Marquette and Creighton all expected to be serious threats to return to the NCAA tournament. Can't sleep on St. John's, either, who returns a really dynamic backcourt and has a former top-50 recruit joining the mix via transfer.

- The Friars non-conference schedule includes hosting Minnesota, a neutral site tilt vs. Houston, and the biennial trip to the Ryan Center against what should be a tournament-caliber URI team. Stronger slate than last season, fitting of a more experienced squad with high expectations.
 

MillarTime

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Congrats....great get. With Nova missing out, glad to see another BE team closing the deal. Conference is in great shape.
 

CouchsideSteve

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Another coup for the program. In the last 18 months, Cooley has landed 5 top-100 caliber recruits: Diallo ('16); Dickens, Watson, Ashton-Langford ('17); and now Reeves, with a seemingly good chance at landing his Rivals teammate Duke ('18).

Exciting times.
 

NickEsasky

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Duke commits to Providence. Cooley is killing it right now. Scout has us with the #9 recruiting class for 2018. That's crazy. I might actually see the Friars play in the second weekend of the NCAAs in my lifetime.