BIG EAST play is officially under way, and the Friars have a tough opener at the Dome tonight on ESPNU. Let’s kick it off with a live blog!
Archives For December 2010
I know this is old news by now, but just wanted to give a roundup of the huge Ricky Ledo announcement from Christmas. Truly amazing news for Friartown. I may try to hold my full excitement until I actually see him on the court, but it can not be underestimated to what this means for the bright future of Providence College Basketball.
Projo.com: PC’s Christmas surprise: Prep star Ricky Ledo commit
Ledo said the attraction of his family and friends was powerful, as was PC’s pitch for him to stay home and follow in the footsteps of Barnes, Ernie DiGregorio, Joe Hassett, Abdul Abdullah and, most recently, Jeff Xavier, as local high school stars who played for the Friars. Ledo spent Christmas with his grandparents, Ada and Julio Carrasco, as well as his brother Kyron and his parents, Kimeco Ledo and Ricardo Carrasco. He said everyone was excited with his choice.
“I talked to my family and I just wanted to get this over with,” he said. “It’s home and Providence gives me the best shot as a player to play a lot right away. I also like Keno’s style: fast-paced, run-and-gun.”
ESPN Boston: Nice Christmas gift for Ledo, Providence
His latest evaluation from Scouts, Inc. reads as follows:
Strengths:
Ledo is a pure scorer who is capable of getting buckets from any spots on the floor. He has great size for his position with a long build, explosive athleticism, and the full range of offensive skills. He is quick off the bounce with a tight handle and corresponding range to the arc off the catch or dribble. He has great body control in the lane where he can finish either above his man or around multiple defenders. Ledo is a good paser when he wants to be and is capable of taking the game over at any time.
ESPN: Recruit’s commitment huge for Keno Davis
Ledo is the No. 13-ranked overall player and the No. 3-ranked shooting guard in the class of 2012, according to ESPN.com’s recruiting analysts. Ledo spurned Kentucky, Louisville, Kansas, Syracuse and Connecticut — a who’s who of national recruiting powerhouses — to play for Davis at Providence. Why? Because he’s a local kid from Providence’s West End that decided he wants to stay at home, play right away and, if all goes well, become a provincial hero in the process.
ESPN: Ricardo Ledo is a program changer (Insider Required)
5. Big season on the horizon?
A Coleman-Ledo tandem should be among the best wing duos in the entire Big East as both are pure scorers that should thrive in Davis’ up-and-down system. When Ledo arrives as a freshmen Coleman will be a junior and the duo will have the benefit of playing with a deep and talented senior class, headlined by point guard Vincent Council and also including Kadeem Batts, Duke Mondy and Bilal Dixon. In other words, with a couple more pinpoint additions, Providence could be two years away from one of its best teams in recent memory.
Jeff Goodman: Pitino’s plan not coming to fruition
“It was tempting,” Ledo told FOXSports.com. “But I just felt like Louisville kept getting more (players at Ledo’s position).”
Don’t expect Pitino to bail on his duties with Puerto Rico, though. Despite the fact that Ledo is just in high school and committed to Providence, look for him to be given a spot on the team.
And after a few months of Pitino working with Ledo, you never know what could happen.
Friar Basketball: Bombshell: Ricky Ledo Commits to Providence
An absolutely massive get for Keno Davis and the Friars. Ledo will be able to score from the minute he steps foot on campus and could form a potentially terrific trio with Gerard Coleman and Vincent Council.
This verbal gives the Friars yet another selling point when hitting the recruiting trail. The floodgates looked like they were going to bust open last spring and the commitment of Ledo, only nine months later, positions the Friars to pick up where they left off in May.
You may have noticed it has been a little quiet around here the past week. On Christmas day, my wife and I welcomed our baby boy to the world! While I become adjusted to life as a dad, please bear with me as far as this blog being updated with the same regularity as before for the next few weeks. I might be more active on Twitter at first, so be sure to follow me over there!
Go Friars!
Rush the Court: Surprise! Assessing Early Signs of Life at Providence, Oregon & Iowa State
There is certainly a ways to go for this Friar team, and the talent level is still such that any dream of a run to an upper-division Big East finish should be tempered with, you know, sanity, but Davis has taken what was a disastrous offseason and settled things down in Providence to the point where the program is no longer in freefall and is playing up to their talent level. There are sure to be plenty of losses (and losing streaks) in conference play, but expect the Friars to beat a team or two that they have no business beating, and to be competitive on a regular basis.
Not the Common Fan: 2010-2011 Providence College Friars – Pre-Big East Review
If there is one person in the world that despises the way that Marshon Brooks plays basketball, it is me. Ask anyone who attends games with me. Every time Brooks touches the ball I make it a point to yell, “Marshon don’t pass!” Brooks has the uncanny ability to pass when he should be shooting and to shoot when he should be passing, but I’ve got to give credit where credit is due. Brooks has put the team on his back so far this season, and the results have been pretty damn good. Not only has Marshon been scoring like a mad-man, but he has finally dedicated himself to rebounding, which has the potential to be one of the best parts of his game.
The East Coast Bias: BIG EAST December Roundtable: Team Expectations
Friar Basketball – expectations were low in Providence after a 12-19 season and much of the roster being stripped bare after an ugly offseason. With a win over Sacred Heart the Friars will finish their out of conference schedule at 11-2. The competition hasn’t been great, but no one saw this coming on a team with so few proven Big East level players and seven freshman.
With two freshmen and two sophomores starting, PC fans are looking for growth more than anything else this season and have seen it, with the exception of step back games against Boston College (a two point loss on the road) and a poor showing versus LaSalle in Cancun.
LA Times: Clippers update: Ryan Gomes interviewed by federal agents in Connecticut probe
Keith Gomes agreed to a three-year prison term for first-degree assault in a 2007 plea deal but then received what the Courant called a “rare sentence modification,” which cut six months off his sentence. At issue is whether Ryan Gomes reached out to Connelly in an effort to have his cousin’s prison sentence reduced, the Courant reported.
Gomes also had one of his best games of the season this past Monday with 22 points and 10 rebounds in a win over his old MInnesota Timberwolves team.
Interesting article from Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com, who thinks Rick Pitino has an ulterior motive in coaching the National Team for free next summer in Puerto Rico.
Pitino’s real motivation is recruiting
Ledo, who is of Puerto Rican descent, also just happens to sit atop Pitino and the Cardinals’ recruiting board.
Just think about this: If Ledo does elect to play for the Puerto Rican national team this year, Pitino will basically be in close contact with him from April through June.
In this day and age of recruiting restrictions, Pitino will essentially have none with regards to Ledo.
Rhode Island native Ricky Ledo is ranked #13 overall by ESPN in the class of 2012. He is considering many big time programs, but is also apparently “intrigued with staying home”, according to Kevin McNamara.
Ledo and Providence College’s coaching staff have spoken regularly, and especially in recent weeks. Two Friar assistant coaches were in the stands for Ledo’s game at Marianapolis Prep last weekend.
The pitch is simple. Stay home and be a star. Let your grandparents see your picture on billboards looming above Route 95. Be a key piece in Keno Davis’ young-and-building program.
While other high-profile local recruits either didn’t hear much from Providence or won’t give the Friars a second look, Ledo is looking.
Jay Bilas had a nice in-depth SportsNation Chat on ESPN.com yesterday afternoon, and he took a question about the Providence Friars.
Mike (Providence)
Hey Jay- Have you seen Vincent Council or Marshon Brooks play this year? VC is averaging 7 assists and 16 points, while Marshon is averaging 23 points and 8 ribbies a game. Do you see any potential for Providence with these two studs?
Jay Bilas (4:05 PM)
Yes, I have. Providence is much improved and is actually playing some defense. Last year, the Friars couldn’t guard a chair. This year, they are actually giving defensive effort. That is a team that can beat some people this year. Perhaps not an NCAA Tournament team, but it will be a competitive one.
Last season, Bilas made a funny during a PC broadcast saying coach Keno would soon be known as Keno Avis “because there is no ‘D’”. Obviously everything he (plus alot of the media) said last year was completely warranted based on how the Friars played. I just think its good to see people recognizing that the team is starting to head in the right direction.
For those of you who haven’t been able to make it to the DUNK yet this year, here is one of the intro videos played before the game.
Some good national attention is finally starting to trickle the Friars’ way. I can’ t remember the last time Providence was mentioned in the ESPN Weekly Watch (maybe for the wrong reasons last year), but this Monday’s edition called out Marshon Brooks’ big week as well as Vincent Council’s crazy assist game against Brown.
Tennessee, Cuse’s Jackson highlight past week
Rick Jackson of Syracuse was the Player of the Week (although not according to the BIG EAST itself!), but Marshon Brooks was listed as one of three “Other contenders“.
Marshon Brooks, Providence: PC had a three-game week, and Brooks probably wishes it had played more. The senior swingman started the week with a career-high 33 points plus eight rebounds in a win over Brown and closed it by posting the same stat line (33 points, eight rebounds) in a win over Alabama. Wedged in between was a 28-and-10 performance in a two-point loss at BC for the surprisingly decent 10-2 Friars.
Although Council struggled shooting the last two games, his game against Brown last Monday earned him a place on the “More performances that wowed us” list with 11 other players.
Vincent Council, Providence: Teammate Marshon Brooks wasn’t the only one to shine in the 91-64 rout of Brown. The sophomore guard from Brooklyn, N.Y., scored 19 points and tied a school record with 16 assists.
Also of note, Boston College was listed under “Teams that impressed us” – In addition to beating Indiana and the Friars earlier in the week, the Eagles also went into Maryland and picked up a great 79-75 road win. Oh half court shot, why couldn’t you have dropped!!
With two honor rolls already under his belt this season, Marshon Brooks stepped it up even more this past week on his way to BIG EAST Player of the Week honors.
BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Honors – Dec. 13
The BIG EAST Conference has named Providence forward Marshon Brooks and Marquette guard Vander Blue the winners of the league’s men’s basketball honors for the week-ending Dec. 12.
Brooks was named BIG EAST Player of the Week after he averaged 31.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in a 2-1 week for the Friars. He shot 53.2 percent from the floor and 43.5 percent from 3-point range. Brooks scored 33 points twice, in wins over Alabama (82-70) and Brown (91-64). In an 88-86 loss at Boston College, he recorded 28 points and 10 rebounds. For the season, the native of Stone Mountain, Ga., is averaging 22.9 points, which is second in the BIG EAST, and 8.7 rebounds.
Brooks is currently #10 in the nation in scoring at 22.9 points per game, and has currently scored the most total points in all of college basketball.
With the Friars up 65-74 with 4 minutes remaining against Alabama, Vincent Council made a tremendous drive by dribbling between his legs from behind and made a great pass to Marshon Brooks for an easy basket. Brooks missed the layup, but Bilal Dixon was there to rebound for an easy tip in.
Here is the (poor quality) video I recorded off my TV. After the timeout, they give a closer replay showing the nice dribble.
