Friars’ Young Talent Starts to Emerge
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The young Friars are starting to grow up after their first final exams.
In a season sure to have its growing pains, Providence has a roster full of youth. Fourth-year starter Donnie McGrath is the only scholarship senior, while nine freshmen and sophomores are present. Four of the starters in Thursday night’s 76-63 win over Yale were either freshmen or sophomores, and they have started at least three from those two classes in every game this season.
Coming off a ten-day break for final exams, the Friars scored wins over Northeastern (92-70, sparked by a run of 31 unanswered points) and Yale to improve to 5-4 as the holidays approach. Head coach Tim Welsh didn’t have an easy time in the days leading up to the Northeastern game, and the early minutes justified it as the Huskies were in control until late in the first half, but his team certainly responded when they took over the game.
“I think you see the progress of this basketball team, and sometimes you grow within weeks – I think tonight, we grew within a game,” Welsh said after the win over the Huskies.
The Friars’ young players certainly have talent, and they come from winning programs, the latter of which Welsh especially likes. They all come to play, which means there won’t be concerns about the effort. Their youthful exuberance will probably help them pull off a surprise win or two along the way, although they have made and will surely continue to make their share of mistakes as they gain experience.
Thus far, they have gone with two freshmen point guards, moving McGrath off the ball. Though there have been bumps in the road, things are starting to look promising. Weyinme Efejuku started the first four games at the point, since giving way to diminutive Sharaud Curry. Efejuku gives them size at 6’4″ and is very athletic, getting a few highlight-reel slam dunks during the season. Curry has started to settle in at the point after missing the first preseason game and having a tough night in the season opener against Vermont. Curry’s recent success featured a career-high 25 points on 10-14 shooting against Yale. After having two assists and four turnovers against Vermont, he has 31 assists and 14 turnovers for a nearly 2:1 assist/turnover ratio. He’s very quick and showed right away that he can be disruptive on defense, but his offense is now coming along and he looks like a floor leader.
“I think at the beginning of the year, he was feeling his way,” said Welsh. “Now he’s rounding into a comfort zone where he knows he can do certain things without looking over to the bench.”
Having two point guards and moving McGrath to shooting guard allows the Friars to get the most out of McGrath’s shooting ability. The senior is second on the team in scoring and recently eclipsed 1,000 career points. Additionally, the Friars can better protect leads late in the game by having another ball-handler on the floor. McGrath has also given Curry a helping hand, and it’s clearly aided the freshman’s development.
The progress of the two point guards also helped lead to the departure of Dwight Brewington, who wanted to play the point and apparently saw the writing on the wall. While a talented scorer and defender, Brewington has been suspended before and his loss may well be addition by subtraction.
Sophomore center Randall Hanke has had some big games this season, none bigger thus far than his career night on Tuesday against Northeastern. Hanke went for 34 points on 15-23 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds, as the Friars ran the offense to precision after the early going and found a number of ways to get the ball to him. It’s a good thing they did, as Hanke knows how to convert when he gets the ball: he is shooting over 72 percent from the field after making a similar percentage last season, breaking Otis Thorpe’s record in the process. It’s a part of the game Welsh emphasized early in the season with their offensive plan.
“He’s going to finish plays, so we have to find a way to get it inside to him,” Welsh said of the 6’10” sophomore.
The Friars are still trying to find an identity at the defensive end, having gone back and forth with schemes. They shut down Northeastern with a zone, but Welsh isn’t fully comfortable with that on a full-time basis just yet. Hanke isn’t a game-changing enforcer inside, although he did block just over two shots per game last year. Junior Herbert Hill leads the team in blocked shots and is a presence off the bench.
It may be tempting at times for Friar fans to wish that Ryan Gomes, who along with former players Sheiku Kabba and John Linehan was present at Thursday night’s game, could suit up and play again. But Welsh likes what he has with his young players, and that’s who they have to make do with.
“They have a high basketball IQ. They just want to win, and they’re wide-eyed with everything I give them, and they’re great with adjustments,” said Welsh.
