As we anxiously await the start of the 2024-25 season, Friar fans got a preview of the roster, albeit a short-handed version of team. Bryce Hopkins, Jayden Pierre, Richard Barron, Jabri Abdur-Rahim, and Christ Essandoko all missed the game Saturday, but Coach English said in the post-game press conference that all but Hopkins should be available for opening night next Monday. From time to time throughout the year, I will do game report cards on the team. Since I cannot wait for opening night (and the fact that my editor rejected my first 263 ideas), this game seemed to be a good one to begin.
Corey Floyd Jr. (A+) – To be upfront, I am the biggest Corey Floyd supporter around. Last year I predicted big things from him. He clearly struggled with his shot but showed signs with quality defense. Also, his shooting did improve over the second half of the season. From my outside view, he seemed unsure of himself with his decision-making. This year he finally has the chance to play consecutive years with the same coaching staff and he looked much more like the player I expected him to be. Floyd played nearly the entire game and was the game’s leading scorer with 19 points on 8-13 shooting including 3-7 from three. More importantly, he looked confident and comfortable taking the ball to the basket with authority. His decision-making was what we should expect from a veteran guard. Defensively, he gave up a couple of baskets early, but then settled down and looked as good or better than last year. If this is the Corey Floyd we get all season, he will be a major contributor to the team getting major minutes regardless of who else is available.
Oswin Erhunmwunse (A+) – Everyone who saw Oswin play last year (including me) raved about his elite athleticism. After watching him in this game, it is fair to say everyone may have underestimated him. His athleticism and size are unlike anyone we have ever had at Providence. He started early with a couple of crowd-exciting dunks and was getting up and down the court as fast as anyone on either team. He had four blocks for the game and forced several other missed shots. Additionally, he had a goaltending call because I am convinced the referee was shocked to see a player get up that high to block a jump shot from nearly ten feet away. Offensively, he looked much more confident and comfortable than he did last year, a tribute to the work Coach Dennis Felton has done with him, Even though all of his shots were close to the basket, his moves and confidence were far superior than I expected. Even though he was only 2-6 from the free throw line, his shooting stroke is smooth and consistent. His free throw percentage should be acceptable at least. I do not expect him to be putting up 12 points per game on a regular basis, but it appears that he will be a contributor on both sides of the court.
Bensley Joseph (A-) – Bensley Joseph was a somewhat under the radar portal addition to Friartown, but early reports have praised the leadership and abilities on the court. He ran the offense like a true point guard, and was aggressive on defense, as evidenced by his four steals and the shooting struggles by the UMass guards (Jaylen Curry and Rahsool Diggins were a combined 7-26 from the field, including 0-5 from three). Joseph also added 8 assists to go with his 13 points and shot 5-5 from the free throw line. The only negative was that he went 0-5 from three, including a couple of bad misses. This is not a major red flag considering that Joseph is a career 38% shooter from three on 269 attempts at Miami. He should be able to provide a strong partnership with Jayden Pierre, as they both can shoot from deep and run the offense, allowing them to play together at times.
Wesley Cardet (C-) – Cardet was arguably the most high-profile recruit for the Friars after averaging nearly 19 points per game at Chicago State last year. While they were not a major conference program, Cardet did score in double figures against Wisconsin (10), DePaul (18), Kansas St. (19), and Northwestern (30). Yesterday he scored the first points for the Friars, a picture-perfect three pointer. Unfortunately, that was his only basket of the game. He also had 5 turnovers, at least four of which were in the first half. It appeared to me that he was trying to do too much for his new team and fans. When he got by his initial defender, he did not seem to know how to react to the defenders that collapsed on him in the lane, leading to forced shots or passes and turnovers. I thought he looked much better in the second half, finishing with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal while playing good defense. I am confident that he will develop offensively, as he has proven throughout his career. The slow start to the season with 5 potential Quad 4 games should give him time to develop. His athleticism will help him to contribute in other aspects of the game as his offense gets accustomed to Coach English’s style.
Eli DeLaurier (D) – My initial thought after the game was to give Eli an F, but after reflecting more, I changed it to a D. His three-point shooting was way off, with two of the three three-pointers not even close. He also struggled defensively but looked better in the second half before fouling out [editor’s note: they got 8 fouls!]. On the positive side, he was aggressive on the boards with seven rebounds, including five on the offensive end. He also had a blocked shot and a couple of nice moves under the basket. The word around Friartown is that he has shown a good stroke from three over the summer, so hopefully yesterday was an aberration. It is also important to remember that he enrolled early as a reclass player last year and this is actually his true freshman year (similar to Corey Floyd at UConn).
Ryan Mela (B) – His numbers were nothing special (no shots, three rebounds, two assists, and a steal) but it was clear that he was comfortable on the court. He jumped right into the action, playing solid defense, making the right decisions, and being aggressive. After the game, Coach English revealed that Mela has only had four practices before the game. This makes his efforts on the floor as a freshman even more impressive. It seems clear that Mela will be a contributor to this team, perhaps even sooner than originally expected.
Justyn Fernandez (C-) – Fernandez only played 12 minutes in the game, which was a bit surprising since this is his third year with Coach English. While he did not score on two attempts, he did show flashes on defense, contributing with a block and a steal. It is hard to judge too much yesterday in limited play, but he was on the floor during much of the Friars second half run, as the athleticism of Fernandez with Floyd Cardet, and Oswin was too much for UMass to handle.
Anton Bonke (B) – For someone who has only ten games of organized basketball experience, the manner in which Bonke played offensive was amazing. He was 3-3 from the field, including a pump fake leading to an old school three-point play.His touch from the field and the line reinforces the stories about him having strong shooting range. Defensively, he looked tentative, thinking rather than reacting. Despite that, he caused some problems defensively because of his immense size and activeness. As he gets more comfortable understanding the defensive game plan, he is going to be a force. Until then, he can still be a rotational player with his skills.
Nilavan Daniels (B+) – If there was an election for Friar fan favorite, Nilavan made a home run impression for the 5000 fans at the AMP. Like Ryan Mela, he simply showed that he was comfortable and belonged on the court at this level. In a short span during the second half, he nailed a three-pointer with a quick release, grabbed a rebound in traffic, and secured a tie ball that led to a dust-up with a UMass player. Nilavan would not let go of the ball and, after about 20 seconds, came away with the ball. Coach English mentioned that he expects to offer Daniels a scholarship last year when the scholarship limit increases from 13 to 15, and he appears to be capable of earning one over the next several months.
Random Notes: It is always a mistake to make snap judgment after one game, especially an exhibition game when missing five key contributors. This does not mean that there wasn’t any reason for optimism yesterday. UMass is 117 in the preseason KenPom rankings and picked to be in the middle of a solid Atlantic 10 conference this year. Also, they played all of their non-freshman players. The fact that the Friars were missing five key contributors and won fairly comfortably shows the depth and the potential of this team. Once Bryce Hopkins went down for the year at the beginning of January, the Friars only had seven players with more than ten minutes per game in conference play. I would not be surprised to see ten players reaching that level this year.
The biggest concern with one week before the season begins is the five missing players from this game. This first one is Bryce Hopkins, who is definitely out for the beginning of the season. Given the encouraging reports from Coach English, hopefully Hopkins will be playing at the AMP before the end of November. With the depth, it will be an opportunity for other players to establish themselves. Richard Barron is recuperating from off-season shoulder surgery and, like Hopkins, participated in pregame warm-ups. Hopefully he will be on the court for the opening night or shortly thereafter. Jayden Pierre and Christ Essandoko are expected to be ready for opening night and we learned that they have support at their respective positions.
The final person who did not play yesterday was Jabri Abdur-Rahim. He has been dealing with injuries, but more importantly he lost his uncle, South Florida coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. As I diehard college basketball fan, I have watched Abdur-Rahim’s teams at Kennesaw State and USF, and it was clear he was quickly moving up the national coaching ranks. He inherited a one-win Kennesaw State team and brought them to the NCAA tournament with a 26-win team three years later. Moving to USF last year, he turned a 14-18 team to a 25-8 record and their first AAC championship. More importantly, he appeared to be universally liked and respected throughout the college basketball community. It was a major shock to everyone around to lose him at age 43. I can’t wait to Jabri on a Friar uniform, but he has more important priorities at the moment.
Go Friars!
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