Previewing the 2015 Providence Jam Fest

The Providence Jam Fest will take place May 9th and 10th with games being held at various locales around the greater Providence area, including Rhode Island College. Every team in attendance is guaranteed 3 games but teams can play more if they continue to win and advance. There will be local New England prep talent playing in this event across several classes.

Craig Leighton from FriarBasketball.com will be in attendance this weekend so keep an eye on their site for updates.

You can follow the action on Twitter at the hashtag #HGJamFest.

Players to Watch

With some of the local AAU program attending the Providence Jam Fest, Friar fans will get a look at some of the local New England prep school targets that Providence coaches have been recruiting.

Here are some players to watch for fans that want to attend some games this weekend.

Wenyen Gabriel – 2016

Wenyen Gabriel got a write-up from me earlier this week when looking at potential new priority recruits for Ed Cooley and his staff now that Temple Gibbs is off the board. Gabriel played at Wilbraham & Monson Academy last season and earned Honorable Mention for NEPSAC Class AA. WMA had a good season but fell to #1 seed Tilton in the Class AA semifinals.

Gabriel had a good year too but his play on the grassroots circuit has caused him to begin to blow up on the recruiting front. Providence was Gabriel’s first high major offer last summer but he now boasts a handful with more likely on the way. Gabriel had a growth spurt of about 5 inches and he may still be growing. As it stands now he’s about 6’9 with a 7’1 wingspan. He needs to add weight as most players that experience a significant growth spurt do but being a guard prior to adding height means he’s had added versatility. He told Rivals.com recently that Providence is the only school recruiting him as a small forward, while everyone else is pegging him at the power forward spot. Through 8 games with Mass Rivals on the Adidas Gaunlet series Gabriel is averaging 10.1 points/game (68.5% FG), 5.4 rebounds/game and 1.6 blocks/game in 15.5 minutes/game. The team is 7-1 in those 8 games.

Gabriel could end up being Providence’s top target in 2016 and the Friars are in a good position with him. He’s one I would definitely watch if you plan on attending any games this weekend.

Saul Phiri – 2016

Saul Phiri recently announced that he would be transferring from Worcester Academy to Woodstock Academy next season. Woodstock is where the former postgrad basketball program from Putnam Science Academy will end up while PSA closes down for a couple of years for renovations. Phiri will join other Friar targets Mamadou Diarra (2016) and Hamidou Diallo (2017) on that Woodstock team that has the potential to be very good next season.

Phiri attended Providence’s Elite Camp in August 2014 and had a very good year with Worcester Academy this past season. The Massachusetts native was named to the NEPSAC Class AA 1st Team and has been playing well with the Mass Rivals on the Adidas Gaunlet series. Through 8 games he is averaging 8.0 points/game, 3.9 rebounds/game and 1.3 steals/game.

Javon Taylor – 2017

Javon Taylor verbally committed to Providence shortly after attending Elite Camp back in August 2014. Taylor plays for Beaver Country Day in NEPSAC Class B. They ended up beating Rivers in the quarterfinals of the Class B playoffs and then losing to Canterbury in the semifinals. Taylor dealt with some knee issues this season but he believes they are related to a growth spurt. He has grown a few inches and told me recently that he’s been doing a lot of lifting and leg work to try to continue to add strength to his growing frame. He projects as a guard but if he continues to grow he may transition into a wing player by the time he actually arrives at Providence in the fall of 2017.

Taylor is running with the Mass Rivals U16 squad that is part of the Adidas Gauntlet series. This weekend in the Providence Jam Fest would be a good first chance for Friar fans to check out Taylor’s game.

Tomas Murphy – 2017

Tomas Murphy has been on Providence’s radar for some time. Murphy’s two older brothers were big time recruits that ended up leaving the New England area for college with Erik going to Florida and Alex intitially enrolling at Duke before transferring to Florida after 2 seasons with the Blue Devils. The recent hiring of Billy Donovan to the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA means that the youngest Murphy’s recruitment may have opened up a bit.

He plays for Northfield-Mount Hermon in NEPSAC Class AAA. NMH lost to St. Thomas More in the semifinals after having a first round bye as the #2 seed. Through 8 games on the Adidas Gaunlet series with the New England Playaz, Murphy is averaging 6.6 points/game and 4.0 rebounds/game in 16.4 minutes/game.

Here is a list of Providence recruits and who they are running with this weekend. To see their schedules, click here.

Mass Rivals

• 2016 Chris Baldwin
• 2016 Wenyen Gabriel
• 2016 Tyonne Malone
• 2017 Makai Ashton-Langford
• 2017 Jarrod Simmons

Mass Rivals 16U

• 2016 Saul Phiri
• 2017 Javon Taylor (Providence commit)

New England Playaz

• 2017 Jerome Desrosiers
• 2017 Kellan Grady
• 2017 Tomas Murphy

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Mike Hopkins

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