Providence Basketball Season Preview

With most of its team back and by adding some impact newcomers, the Providence basketball program appears to be on track to return to the NCAA Tournament.

It was another fine season for head coach Ed Cooley and his Friars. While the Providence basketball program did not advance to their sixth straight NCAA Tournament, the Friars made it to the NIT, while amassing an 18-16 overall record.

Previewing the Providence Friars 2019-20 Season

Recapping the 2018-19 season

There were inconsistent moments along the way, as the Friars went a respectable 10-3 in the non-conference showing (beating quality teams like Texas and South Carolina along the way). From there, the Friars stumbled out of the gate losing their first three Big East contests.

They regrouped to win seven of their next 15 contests, while also winning their first-round game against Butler in the Big East Tournament. The Friars quickly exited the NIT, losing to Arkansas in the first round.

While the Friars did not make their sixth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, Cooley took a lot of positives from last season.

“It’s disappointing (not making NCAA Tournament) but when you start three freshmen and lost the players (Rodney Bullock, Kyron Cartwright, and Jalen Lindsey) from the year before you have to deal with the ups and downs,” Cooley said at Big East media day. “(Missing out) will motivate us and we’ll try to work on a better seed; our seeds (in prior tournaments) have been hard.”

From a personal standpoint, Alpha Diallo had himself a fine season en route to being named to the All-Big East Second Team after averaging a team-high 16 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

Whose Back

We, of course, have to start with the return of Diallo.

As he goes, so do the Friars.

Diallo is one of the more well-rounded players in the conference. He can be a bully in the paint and adequately knock down jumpers. Look for him to be in contention for Big East Player of the Year.

He is one of the more complete players in Providence basketball history.

Also back is center Nate Watson. The burly big man is a force in the paint (11.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game) and he can intimidate opposing big men. The thing is, he is tending to a knee injury, and it’s possible he’s not ready for the beginning of the season.

The backcourt remains intact with the return of guards David Duke, Maliek White, and A.J. Reeves. Duke (7.1 points per game) and Reeves (9.8 points per game on 38.1 percent shooting from three-point range) are a pair of sophomores who possess tantalizing upside. Expect major gains from both in their sophomore seasons.

Cooley echoed that sentiment.

“I’m looking forward to David Duke and A.J. Reeves making a big jump this year,” said Cooley.

He also sees even better things for the proven veterans of the team.

“I think Watson made a big jump this summer. Alpha Diallo, in particular, has probably made the greatest jump and those guys are so versatile. If we can get some production and more maturity out of A.J. and David, I think the Friars’ (fans) are in for a fun season.”

Role players Kalif Young, Jimmy Nichols Jr. and Kris Monroe are also back. Also returning for a sixth year will be big man Emmitt Holt. Holt is a nice player and how he comes back after missing most of the last two years after intestinal surgery will be telling.

If Holt is fully healthy — and early reports show he is on track — he can be a godsend for Cooley.

New Additions

The biggest addition to the Providence basketball program is UMass grad transfer, Luwane Pipkins.

Pipkins is a powder keg waiting to erupt. The combo guard is an explosive scorer and he’ll prove to be a great mentor to Duke while getting most of the minutes at the point position. He is tending to a hamstring injury as we get closer to tip-off. Hopefully, he is back to 100 percent before the Friars’ first game against Sacred Heart.

Ed Cooley: Hoping Luwane Pipkins is ready by opener, Nate Watson ‘probably out.’ #pcbb pic.twitter.com/l6FNxZN5Gw

— Kevin McNamara (@KevinMcNamara33) October 25, 2019

Cooley only brings in one true freshman in wing Greg Gantt. He is a good one though, as he was the number 67th ranked player in the 2019 class, according to 247 Sports. He should see a healthy dose of minutes if he gets over his current Achilles injury.

Season Expectations

Cooley has a lot of talented pieces and he has enough experience to contend in the Big East.

With Diallo leading the way, the Friars should have enough to make the NCAA Tournament. By adding Pipkins and Gantt along with the expected maturation of Duke and Reeves, this iteration of the Friars should yield better results than last year. This squad should yield results more in line with the teams of the previous five years when Providence was a regular in the NCAA Tournament.

Suffice to say the Providence basketball program is banged up at the moment and how quickly they heal will be a telling sign. The talent, experience and the venerable guidance of Cooley should keep the Friars in discussion for a bid—that much is certain.