PROVIDENCE, R.I. – After his team’s 77-68 win to advance to the quarterfinals of the NIT, Providence head coach Ed Cooley got on the microphone and had a message for the Friar faithful. It was a “Thank You” message, as it’s their final game in the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in 2012-13, and he told them the Friars need them to pack the building like this more often because they are tough to beat when that happens.
A few fans later chanted, “Ledo, Ledo,” to implore heralded recruit Ricky Ledo to stick around for next season. That’s a conversation for another time. For now, however, whether Ledo is around next season or not, the Friar faithful have reason to be optimistic based on what this season’s team has done.
For starters, Providence has, as Cooley noted, come a long way this season. It would have been easy for this team to feel like they arrived when they ran out to an 8-2 start despite major personnel issues that at times had them suit up just five or six scholarship players. Similarly, it would have been just as easy for them to go in the tank when they lost their last two non-conference games on the road and then started Big East play 0-3 and 2-7, especially since by then they had pretty much their whole team together. No one would have been shocked if either happened, although one would always hope they would keep competing.
Expectations were pretty high this season, then took a slight dip when Ledo was declared a partial qualifier and thus couldn’t play this season. In the meantime, Bryce Cotton led the Big East in scoring and at times played the point when Vincent Council was out with a hamstring injury for most of non-conference play. Kadeem Batts was one of the Big East’s most improved players. Later, in a frontcourt not loaded with depth, Lee Goldsbrough suddenly became a key role player.
Add that to some good talent already there, and one can see how the future is looking brighter even if Ledo doesn’t come back. There has been a lot of talk swirling about whether or not he ever plays for the Friars given the weak NBA Draft ahead. If he comes back, there is a risk to playing him alongside the reigning Big East scoring champion, with the latter having a reduced role. You never know how that will play out, although Cotton could be part of a point guard by committee since there’s no clear floor leader next season. Kris Dunn has a nice future as at least a glue guy, but he never was a true point guard and has a good deal of work to do to become one.
“I think Kris Dunn, at the end of the day, will become an elite-level defender,” said Cooley. “He has a lot of Andre Iguodala in him defensively – his length, his toughness. I think he will become the Big East Defensive Player of the Year in years to come, and he’s just a baby learning how to play.”
Providence has improved since the middle of Big East play. At one point they were in the discussion as a possible bubble team for the NCAA Tournament, but splitting their last two games didn’t help before losing in the second round of the Big East Tournament. Now they are working their way through the NIT, heading to Waco to take on Baylor in the NIT quarterfinals on Wednesday night.
The Friars are more fundamentally sound at both ends of the floor. They have played good defense much of the season, although they had a stretch early in Big East play where they didn’t. They have rebounded well and now take better care of the ball than last year, and Council seems to finally be close to full health. This team also has built chemistry and has some balance. Cooley was very happy with how the Friars used a team effort to beat Robert Morris despite foul trouble and the Colonials shooting well from long range.
“That’s the fun part about building teams, that’s the great part about building chemistry and guys believing in one another,” said Cooley. “It’s not just a one-man game, and when that starts to happen, guys start to feel like they’re part of it all the time, not some time. Credit our players. These kids have come a long way, I mean a long way, and it’s a credit to them to stay the course and believe in what we’re teaching.”
And that’s why, if Ledo does head to the NBA Draft, this team should remain on an upward swing, which would mean contending for an NCAA Tournament bid.
The Friars have had good crowds in the NIT, and the Dunkin’ Donuts Center has been a lively place for their two games. The fan base seems to be getting energized again as Cooley’s rebuilding starts to see some results and hope for the future.
“I think we’ve had some really good crowds,” said Cooley. “I’d like to see every seat filled, but part of building a program is building your fan base back up. I think this is a really tough place to play when the energy is like that.”
Cooley hopes they can get to New York with a win on Wednesday, knowing they haven’t played well at Madison Square Garden lately. He’s very cognizant of the fact that Providence has lost five straight Big East Tournament games and ten of their last 11, and wants to turn that around as part of turning the program around. Lately, there is a lot of reason to believe he and his staff are well on their way to doing just that.
