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Monday Friar Mailbag: Last 2018 Scholarship, Holt Update & More
Each Monday I’ll do my best to answer some of your questions. The below are actual e-mails and tweets from readers. In some cases I have cleaned up the questions for grammar and/or clarity.
After a week off while honeymooning, the Monday Friar Mailbag returns. I saved some questions from the last version that I’ll answer in this one and I got a bunch of good ones over the weekend. Providence now has a 4-man recruiting class in 2018 with the pledge of David Duke on Friday. A common question has been what will Ed Cooley do with the final open scholarship for 2018. Let’s tackle that first…
Chris P. asks: With Jackson the only senior next year – do you think it wise to hold that last ‘ship and use next year? I realize transfers happen or other things that could open up another spot, but more then four incoming players at a time seem to create future lopsided classes and possible other issues (separate clic’s on the team, etc.) So do you think the staff will be happy with this top 10 class, and hope to move on and have another great class (more then one recruit) – next year?
(Add) Any players still available that could take the last Scholarship?
— God Bless America (@SportFanatic120) October 13, 2017
Q? With one scholarship to give, but multiple offers out on the table, does Cooley have the right of refusal if someone not needed commits?
— John Paul (@oldhead100) October 14, 2017
There are certainly plenty of players available. Part of the scholarship calculus is always a bit hazy because transfers and injuries and any number of other things can happen at any moment. Isaiah Jackson, mentioned in the first question as being the only senior, does have another year of eligibility for 2018-19 since he transferred to Providence after his freshman season at George Mason. If he graduates from Providence in the Spring then he has options as a graduate transfer, should he choose to think about that path. That could mean his scholarship becomes available. Again, it’s a complicated calculus in mid-October. Having some flexibility with an open scholarship has been something Cooley has done in the past. For example, there was an open scholarship last season, so Cooley gave it to walk-on Tom Planek. That may be the case again in 2017-18. With so much talent and depth expected on the 2018-19 roster I wouldn’t rule out redshirt as another method to break up the classes.
As for whether Cooley has the right of refusal, he absolutely does. This is something that happens occasionally, maybe even more frequently than people realize. Coaches will sometimes hold off a commitment. One other important thing to keep in mind is that sometimes an offer reported on Twitter isn’t a true, real actionable offer.
Ralph F. asks: Purely speculating, since limited info on Holt, but at what point does a school make a decision to red shirt an athlete? Does it have to be prior to the start of the season? Thanks.
W/the news Emmitt might be done for the season who do you see stepping up to help fill his absence &?is a redshirt in the cards for E?#pcbb
— Chandler Crawford (@ChandlarThe2nd) October 13, 2017
The Emmitt Holt situation appears to be very fluid at the moment. Cooley referred to it as “a daily process.” Holt continues to be off-campus dealing with medical issues that aren’t fully clear. Rumors have been all over the place as to the issue(s) and severity. For now, I’ll just say that Holt hasn’t been ruled out officially for the season. However, if we assume that does happen a redshirt is a possibility. Holt never had to sit out as a transfer because he went from Indiana to Indian Hills Community College and then graduated from there and came straight to Providence. Players are given 5 years to play 4 by the NCAA, so Holt has played 3 seasons in 3 years so far. That means it wouldn’t have to be a medical redshirt, so if Holt is healthy enough to come back but it’s deemed that he wouldn’t be able to get back into shape to really help the 2017-18 team they could just not play him and that would be a redshirt year. Early reports out of practice are that freshmen big men Nate Watson and Dajour Dickens have looked good. Dickens has been described to me as further along that some people expected. However, they are both freshmen and that has to factor into the expectations. Sophomore Kalif Young figures to be the logical first guy to get a crack at Holt’s minutes, though I suspect it will be a mix and match type of thing for as long as Holt is out of the lineup.
Brett C. asks: How many minutes can we expect Makai Ashton-Langford to play this year?
Kyron Cartwright will certainly start at point guard and play a heavy bulk of the minutes as the senior leader of the Providence squad. However, Makai Ashton-Langford is a top-40 recruit and will play. There will certainly be some minutes for Ashton-Langford to give Cartwright a rest, but the two are also expected to play alongside each other at times. Gun to my head, I think Ashton-Langford plays in the range of 15-18 minutes/game.
What role do you envision maliek white having on this team and future teams? He showed flashes as a freshman
— Dan Flynn (@atomcdog) October 14, 2017
Maliek White was a sparkplug off the bench for the Friars last season as a freshman. He had some flashes of explosive offense and, for the most part, didn’t cough the ball up that often. With additional bodies being instroduced to Providence’s backcourt this season between Ashton-Langford and the return of Drew Edwards after knee surgery means minutes may be hard to come by if a player isn’t performing. It will be important for White, and all of the guards, to produce when given minutes. At some point the rotation will develop and someone will likely be the odd man out. White’s role will likely be similar to the one he had last season, but it remains to be seen if he will see 11.5 minutes/game again or get more/less. My guess is that his minutes fluctuate in the non-conference but he’s used as a scoring option off the bench. Cooley likes having multiple ball-handlers on the court together, so White can certainly play with Cartwright, as well as subbing in directly for the senior.
Kris C. asks: Who do you think will be the Star, X Factor, and most improved on the team this year?
Since Cooley & staff are known for player development, who stuck out the most and is poised for a big jump?
— friar fred (@friarbgood) September 20, 2017
The star will be Cartwright. I think he is primed to have a big-time senior season and should be right there with Jalen Brunson as the top point guard in the league. For x-factor I like Alpha Diallo. He brings versatility and played with poise beyond his years last season as a freshman. Diallo’s stat-line may not always be gaudy, but he showed last year that he can defend top players and provide on the offensive end. For most improved I would have gone with Holt. Since he’s currently out of the lineup I’ll go with Kalif Young. Young has shown flashes but he paired an offseason of skill development with a big change in his body. He should see a jump from 3.2 points/game and 3.2 rebounds/game in his rookie campaign.
Thanks to everyone that submitted questions! There were some I didn’t answer this week. I’m holding them for a future mailbag.
Have a question you want answered? Email mhopkins@pcbb1917.com, tweet me @pcbb1917 or leave a comment on the Facebook page.
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