2015 John Carlos Reyes Schedules Visit to Providence

Providence is in need of big bodies in their frontcourt that can contribute right away in 2015-16. They have been actively scouring the graduate transfer market with little success. They have also been keeping an ear to the ground about anyone left in the class of 2015 that can help. Enter John Carlos Reyes, or JC as he likes to be called.

Newly hired assistant coach Jeff Battle is the one who made the connection with Reyes and the 6’10 Georgia native will make an official visit to the Providence campus this weekend. Kevin McNamara of the Providence Journal first reported the possibility of a visit earlier this week and then Lineage of Champions, a Georgia-based football and basketball tournament organizer, tweeted on Wednesday that the visit was expected to be this upcoming weekend. UPDATE: The visit did not take place this weekend and is happening June 11th. I have to think Cooley and his staff will be putting the fullcourt press on Reyes to get him to commit to a program that is in dire need of help up front. Reyes is already fully qualified, per Justin Young of HoopSeen.com.

Reyes officially visited Penn State on April 16th. His other offers, according to VerbalCommits.com, are from Charlotte, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Houston, Kennesaw State, Middle Tennessee, Penn State, South Florida, Tennessee, Tulsa and Western Kentucky. Rivals also lists offers from Clemson, Memphis, South Carolina and Tennessee Tech. According to a Rivals.com article, Reyes has a 7’3 wingspan and his parents don’t speak much English. They hail from the Dominican Republic. Cooley’s wife Nurys may have to get involved in the recruitment as she is also Dominican and fluent in Spanish.

Winston Neal, a former assistant coach at Loyola Marymount, USC and Jacksonville recently told me via email that Reyes “is athletic, runs the floor well, & plays hard.” When I asked Neal if Reyes was capable of contributing right away in the Big East he responded, “I would say 7-12 min[ute]s is realistic depending on what else you have around him. If all he has to do is block shots, rebound, & dunk around the basket for y’all then yes, 15 m[inutes] p[er] g[ame] might be about right as a freshman.” Neal finished by saying “he’s an active player around the rim [who] needs to add weight but his energy, effort, & athleticism make him productive. He’d be a good get late.”

With two open scholarships and a gaping hole at the center position a commitment from Reyes this weekend would put Providence fans at ease and give the Friars a player on their roster taller than 6’8. The Friars are also still in the mix for NC State transfer Kyle Washington who will visit Marquette this weekend followed by Cincinnati next week. The Marquette visit was first reported here while the Cincinnati visit was reported by CBSSports.com’s Jon Rothstein earlier this week. Washington will have to sit out the 2015-16 season, per NCAA transfer rules.

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Mike Hopkins

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