Here are some Providence news and notes from the week, including David Duke commitment day, an Emmitt Holt update and more.
Duke to Commit Friday Evening
This column has been a place for updates and news that have happened over the last week, but I’ll lead off this Friday with something that hasn’t happened yet. 2018 Cushing Academy and Mass Rivals guard David Duke announced on Wednesday that he will commit Friday evening.
I will be making my college decision this Friday💯🏀
— David Duke Jr (@daviddukejr) October 11, 2017
We learned later via Kevin McNamara at the Providence Journal that the announcement is expected to come via Duke’s social media accounts. The former Classical High School hero is down to the hometown Friars and Buzz Williams’ Virginia Tech Hokies. The steam picked up on 247Sports Crystal Ball page on Thursday with all but one previous Virginia Tech pick flipping to Providence and some new picks coming out of the clouds for the Friars. I’ve remained optimistic that Duke would end up in black and white. We’ll see if that comes to fruition for the athletic guard who turned 18 on Friday.
Here are some highlights from Duke’s state playoff run with Classical in 2016 while we wait for the announcement:
Emmitt Holt Update
Providence released a statement at the beginning of October that stated Emmitt Holt “has had abdominal issues. It has not been determined how long Holt will be out of the team’s lineup.” The Friars had a media availability earlier this week and Cooley gave reporters an update on Holt:
Ed Cooley on Emmitt Holt: "It's a daily process with him, but when he's ready to return, we'll be happy to have him back."
— Brendan McGair (@BWMcGair03) October 10, 2017
Also, Holt isn't in school at the moment: https://t.co/mU7pbfSTDc
— Brendan McGair (@BWMcGair03) October 10, 2017
Ed Cooley says Emmitt Holt remains off campus dealing with health issue .
— Kevin McNamara (@KevinMcNamara33) October 10, 2017
Rumors have been flying about the severity of Holt’s medical issue and the potential that he will miss the entire season. For now, that’s all speculation until something more concrete is announced. Get well, Emmitt.
Coverage from PC Media Availability
As I mentioned above, Cooley and some players spoke with the media on Tuesday. Here is a bevy of sources that were there:
Ed Cooley’s team is 2-deep at every position – when healthy pic.twitter.com/Y6AImiyHiP
— Kevin McNamara (@KevinMcNamara33) October 10, 2017
.@Cartwright_2014 meets the media @PCFriarsmbb pic.twitter.com/xyXYRf53es
— Brendan McGair (@BWMcGair03) October 10, 2017
Senior PG Kyron Cartwright needs to know where frosh bigs Dickens/Watson are lurking pic.twitter.com/wQ8HK3cJK4
— Kevin McNamara (@KevinMcNamara33) October 10, 2017
ABC6 – Providence, RI and New Bedford, MA News, Weather
Friarbasketball.com – Craig Leighton – Going 1:1 with Rodney Bullock, Jalen Lindsey
Friarbasketball.com – Kevin Farrahar – Jalen Lindsey Found His Way at PC
Turnto10.com – Joe Kayata – Back to work for PC Friars
Kyron Cartwright Getting National Love
The Providence senior was named to two top point guard lists this week. CBSSports.com listed Cartwright as the 6th-best point guard in the nation, while The Athletic’s Fieldhouse site (sidenote, The Athletic is worth the money) listed Cartwright 18th. Both articles are worth your time to read. In addition to the national love, Kevin Farrahar of Friarbasketball.com released a highlight tape of Cartwright’s junior season this week:
Makai Ashton-Langford Getting Big East Love
Cartwright’s backcourt mate also received some love this week when Scout.com listed Makai Ashton-Langford #2 on their “Top Five Big East Basketball Impact Freshmen” list. Based on my reading of the list, it seems like the only reason they selected Georgetown freshman Jamarko Pickett is that he’s expected to play more for a bad Hoya team.
Kevin McNamara on Big East Shootaround
McNamara and Jon Nyatawa from the Omaha World-Herald appeared on this week’s edition of the Big East Shootaround. They discussed some interesting topics across the league:
You can also hear McNamara and Bill Koch on the latest episode of the Pick & Pop College Hoops podcast out earlier in the week.
Shammgod Featured in Bleacher Report Doc
A very cool video was released by Bleacher Report this week that discussed God Shammgod’s famous dribbling moved named after him. It’s worth the 11+ minutes and is a very cool nod to a Friar legend.
2018 Commit Nichols MVP of Big Shots Top 100
Providence commit Jimmy Nichols defended his crown at the Big Shots Top 100 event that was two weeks ago by averaging 32 points/game to be named MVP of the event for the second straight season. ESPN’s Paul Biancardi attended the event and shared some thoughts on Nichols:
Spent the day with Jimmy Nichols. GREAT KID who is productive with improving skills. @CoachCooleyPC @PCFriarsmbb @jimmynichols17 https://t.co/UHubvfm7n9
— Paul Biancardi (@PaulBiancardi) October 2, 2017
Late Night Madness Saturday Night
Providence’s annual Late Night Madness festivities will be held on Saturday night with the initial portion taking place in Alumni Hall with Doris Burke hosting for the second straight year. After the basketball portion ends there will be a concert held in Peterson Rec Center featuring Lil Uzi Vert. No word yet whether Yurview (formerly Cox) will have a live stream available but the Providence social media accounts will be active and covering the event. I’m gathering a list of recruits who will be in attendance, so keep an eye out for a separate post about that.
Excited for our Late Night Madness this weekend for our entire campus. pic.twitter.com/MihzLLsOvD
— Ed Cooley (@HoyaCoachCooley) October 13, 2017
Update on Ruane Friar Development Center
The final thing for this week’s Friar Friday News & Notes is a quick look at the progress being made on the construction of the Ruane Friar Development Center that is scheduled to open in August or September of 2018. Kevin McNamara tweeted a picture of the site as he walked by to attend Providence’s media availability on Tuesday:
Things are taking shape at Providence’s Friar Development Center pic.twitter.com/yFwezGr2NB
— Kevin McNamara (@KevinMcNamara33) October 10, 2017
Want to get a live look at the construction? Providence has a live webcam set up here.
Follow me on Twitter @pcbb1917