PROVIDENCE, R.I. – For a young team, starting the season with three straight wins and a tournament title can be a major boost that can carry them through the season. While there’s a long way to go yet for Providence, this team with seven newcomers and two players who redshirted last season came out of the opening weekend with about all they could hope for.
After holding off Mercer on Sunday, the Friars took home the World Vision Invitational title. They blew out Bryant, found a way to win thanks to some late defense against Bucknell, and held off a late rally by Mercer. It’s natural to be happy about it, but Keno Davis had his reasons.
“This team found a way to win,” said the second-year head coach. “When we weren’t quite executing last night, we found a way. Tonight, when we couldn’t buy a three-point shot when they packed it in and they forced us to shoot from the outside, when we got to the free throw line and tightened up a little bit, we still found a way to win. That’s a credit to any team, but especially a young team like the one that we have.”
This wasn’t a weekend that went flawlessly. The Friars took exactly 32 three-point shots in each game, making just 27 all told. They were 1-17 from long range in the second half against Mercer, when the Bears came back from a 15-point halftime deficit to get within one in the final minute and ultimately had a chance to win the game. As happened often with last season’s team, a number of those attempts were ones they settled for.
The inside game also has some questions, although they got some good performances. Redshirt freshman Bilal Dixon posted a double-double in his first college game and went 8-8 from the field, and Jamine Peterson grabbed 22 rebounds on Sunday. Russ Permenter contributed in limited minutes as well. But none have great size, lacking even more is any semblance of post scoring ability. Peterson was 5-20 from the field on Sunday and was 1-9 from three-point range on the weekend. James Still is raw and had his moments, including five blocked shots on the weekend, but isn’t yet going to provide the inside scoring to complement the guards.
The perimeter play carried this team, but it wasn’t always a work of art. The press went a long way toward Friday’s win, as they forced early turnovers and fed off them, gaining confidence in the press and continuing to get results with it. The biggest reason it was such a lopsided result wasn’t just a talent differential, although that played a part.
“I was really pleased with our team’s intensity coming out to start the game, and pretty much throughout the entire 40 minutes,” Davis said. “With half of our team being freshmen this year, we needed to make sure intensity and effort were our focus points, and I’m pleased with our effort tonight.”
Besides that, though, you get the sense that Davis thinks he has a different team in another sense, and not one you might expect. The way the Friars pulled out a couple of close games, something a young team isn’t expected to do, is a good sign if it continues.
“I think you could argue that last year’s team was a better team, at least at this point in the year,” Davis reflected. “I think we have the youth and energy of being able to play hard, and to be able to pick that up at any time in the game. Sometimes when you have the youth, they might not be as talented yet as they’ll be later in their career, but what they don’t have in talent sometimes you can make up with effort and hustle plays.”
Driving the Friars to victory in both close games were two key veterans and ironically for Sunday, Georgia natives. Sharaud Curry made the all-tournament team and Marshon Brooks was the MVP, with Brooks scoring 26 on Sunday. Brooks had just four points in the second half, but he gutted it out with a bad ankle and added seven rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots. If there’s a Friar playing with more confidence than the junior wing, he hasn’t been spotted yet.
Another promising indicator is that Brian McKenzie, the other key holdover, shot well during the weekend. He was 7-18 from long range in the three games, starting off a little like he did last season. Add him in, and you have the nucleus for this team that Davis is counting on. It’s not a surprise in that many figured as much before the season, but the first weekend of games reinforced it.
“I think it shows that we’ve got some winners on this team, with Sharaud, with Brian McKenzie, with Marshon Brooks,” Davis said. “I need to have those guys on the court as much as possible, especially in crunch time.”
The Friars now head to Alabama later in the week with a 3-0 mark and the confidence that goes with it. Pulling out two close ones only helps, and as Davis noted, it’s better to learn from winning close games than losing them. He also likes that at worst, they will come back at 3-1 instead of a .500 mark. The Friars took advantage of having the tournament at home, and it might be just the early boost they need to make this season what they hope it can be.
