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Archives For September 2011

Cooley Featured on SI.com College Basketball Homepage

dave@friarblog —  September 30th, 2011 12:48 PM — 6 Comments

Andy Glockner of SI did a feature on Ed Cooley and the Providence College Friars today. The story was featured prominently on the SI.com college basketball section on Friday afternoon.

Cooley brings unique perspective to Providence coaching gig

“I have a deep conviction about Providence itself because I was born and raised here. I can talk about experiences and things I’ve seen and the development of the entire city and talk about the educational value that Providence College has for alumni,” Cooley said. “… [I have] the ability to sell a [recruit a] dream and become part of that dream, part of that quest [on the court], and just the belief that I have that I can sell these young men that they can become more than just basketball players. They can become complete people.”

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Friars Links 9.29.11

dave@friarblog —  September 29th, 2011 8:59 PM — 2 Comments

Rumble in the Garden:  Blogger roundtable: the newcomers we’re excited to see

The latest installment of the BIG EAST roundtable. For newcomer I was most excited with, I went with the FOCUS MACHINE.

Can I do a “what” here instead? During Ed Cooley’s initial press conference, he said “I love the treadmill in practice. I call it the focus machine. If you can’t focus in practice, you’re going to go to the focus machine.” Friar fans ate this up and with good reason.

The lack of discipline and accountability constantly plagued the Keno Davis error, so it’s great hearing that Cooley plans to get Friartown focused.

Friar Basketball:  38 in 76: #20 Ten Must-see Games

I am excited for all the BIG EAST games that Kevin mentioned, but I am really looking forward to Cooley’s first game in the URI series. One of these days we will win at the Ryan Center. I just hope it doesn’t snow again.

December 23 at Rhode Island: Cooley can give Providence fans an early Christmas gift by defeating the Rams at the Ryan Center for the first time.

RickPitino.com:  RICK PITINO BLOG 9-29-11

Admist the never ending talk of conference alignment (seriously, there is a new rumor on Twitter every day and I can’t take it anymore), Rick Pitino insists that the BIG EAST will not lose a step. Here is why:

Rutgers and Seton Hall have two outstanding young coaches who will turn things around and make great strides.

 DePaul will press their way back into competitiveness .

 Marquette is a team you should be concerned about when you get off the bus.

Georgetown, Villanova, Cincinnati, St. Johns, West Virginia, UConn, and Louisville will always be some of the strongest teams in college basketball.

 USF and TCU are a unique situation, but with two or three great additions to their rosters anything can happen.

Woh back up the bus slick Rick. BEEP BEEP BEEP.  What about Ed Cooley and the Friars (he also doesn’t mention Notre Dame for some reason)? I know you were one of the 4 teams to lose to the lowly Friars in the conference last year and might be a little embarrassed, but are you really going to mention Rutgers, Seton Hall, and MOTHER EFFING DEPAUL as reasons why the BIG EAST will be OK? After blogging some more, you might want to check out next year’s recruiting rankings.

UPDATE: Either I am an idiot (highly possible) or a paragraph was added for PC. I can’t imagine missing that at the end, although I am constantly sleep deprived.

The Cowl:  Cooley Promises “Something They Have Never Seen Before”

@CWHager cracked me up on Twitter with his comment on the article: “Defense? Unity? No arrests?”

Midnight Madness will be the first time the students will really see what Coach Cooley is all about. “I will do the ‘Dougie’with the team,” said Cooley. “I am also hoping to pull some students out onto the floor and have them compete to win some prizes.” Cooley wants everyone to know that he is in this for all of us. He isn’t recruiting 24 hours a day for himself or the team; he is doing it for the school and the city of Providence. We have ourselves a big man on campus now—Ed Cooley.

Providence.edu:  Boston Sports Night

Like people in Boston need another reason to drink!

Please join Athletic Director Bob Driscoll along with head men’s basketball coach, Ed Cooley, head women’s basketball coach, Phil Seymore, head men’s ice hockey coach Nate Leaman and head women’s ice hockey coach, Bob Deraney as we kick-off another exciting year in Friartown!

Date: October 05, 2011

Time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Location: The Black Rose, 160 State Street, Boston, MA

ClipperBlog:  NBA 2K12 ratings are leaked … And DeAndre Jordan should be upset

Ryan Gomes should probably be as well, because he is rated a 62.

For as bad as Ryan Gomes was last season, a 62 overall rating is pretty low. It’s borderline “he shouldn’t be playing at all.” Maybe I just differ in opinion, but I feel a mid-60s rating (64 or 65) would have been better. Yes, I’m that petty that a increase of two in Gomes’ overall rating would appease me (Gomes’ B+ outside shooting grade is higher than Gordon’s B grade … really 2K? Gordon is arguably the Clippers best shooter. Ugh. Moving on.).

Unfortunately, NBA Rookies are not going to be in the game until the lockout is resolved, so we are going to have to wait to see what Marshon Brooks gets.

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Westwind Prep Coach Answers Some Questions About Former Player Kiwi Gardner

dave@friarblog —  September 29th, 2011 6:51 PM — 3 Comments

Image courtesy of Rivals

To get a better understanding of freshman point guard / YouTube sensation Kiwi Gardner, I reached out to Adam Desautels of Westwind Preparatory Academy. Adam is the assistant prep team coach there, and saw firsthand the ankle breaking that probably went on in coaching Gardner last season on their way to a state championship . Many thanks to him for the taking the time to talk about his former player.

Friarblog: Ever since Kiwi committed, he has been very active active on Twitter and extremely engaging with PC fans. He seems to have a great attitude and passion for basketball. What was it like coaching him?

Adam Desautels: Kiwi does have a great attitude, and has always shown his love for the game. He is always very engaged in what is going on, is constantly talking strategy with his coaches, and communicating with his team. While he sometimes can be frustrating with his decisions, for the most part, he is like having another coach on the floor because of how he understands the game and the situations we are in. He kept us in a lot of games on his own. I think he will win PC fans over with his passion for basketball, and his energy that he brings to the court.

FB: During the course of the season at Westwind, where did you see his biggest improvement in?

AD: On court, shooting. Kiwi has always been able to handle the ball and get to the rim. He shot the ball very well as the season went on. Off the court, maturity. Kiwi really grew up a lot here at Westwind as a student and as a person. He has grown into a mature young man, and has channeled that personality that he is showing on Twitter.

FB: What is one aspect of his game you would have hoped he focused on in between playing at Westwind and suiting up for the Friars?

AD: I really hope he has focused on his strength between WWP and PC. The college game is a grind, and you’ve got to be built to withstand it. Kiwi needs to hit the weightroom before he suits up.

FB: We’ve seen all sorts of crazy moves on YouTube as it looks like Kiwi has incredible ball handling and passing skills. What can we expect from him on the defensive end?

AD: Kiwi is an incredible on-ball defender. Since he is so quick, he is able to keep nearly anyone in front of him. He is a pest to opposing point guards and wears them out. As good as Kiwi is with the ball, he is a better defender. He was usually good for causing 4-6 turnovers per game for us.

FB: With a new coach at Providence, it remains to be seen what kind of offense will be run this season. When at Fairfield, Cooley’s teams often played to a much slower pace. What kind of offense was run while Kiwi was the floor general? How do you think he will adjust if things are slowed down?

AD: Kiwi likes to run, and that is where he is at his best. However, every team gets in situations where they must run sets. Kiwi can set his team up, and get the ball where it needs to go. I wouldn’t be worried about adjusting. He will always try and push in transition though. I don’t see him changing that.

FB: The Friars currently have a junior point guard in Vincent Council who has already played a lot of BIG EAST minutes and will get the majority of the playing time. How do you see Kiwi contributing off the bench?

AD: Kiwi will bring instant energy. If PC looks sluggish, look for Kiwi to come into the game because he is never low on energy.

FB: What was the best play you saw Kiwi pull off in person?

AD: I once saw Kiwi hunt an opponent down, tap the ball out from behind, start the break, and he used a back cut to finish on the other end with a dunk. I had to check to make sure I’d really seen him do all that.

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Zagoria Visits Ledo at South Kent

dave@friarblog —  September 28th, 2011 11:55 PM — 1 Comment

ZagsBlog posted a great piece on Ricky Ledo today after visiting South Kent. He spoke with the PC commit and his coach about his decision to play for Providence, his critics, ,where his academic situation is heading, and his overall game.

Potential Pros Ledo, Thomas Join Forces at South Kent

“All those people that speak on me, they don’t know me and they never have met me to judge me or my character.

Maybe sometimes if I’m upset with a call or something there’s body language. I have to work on that. I agree. But otherwise, a bad person and all that, they don’t know me so they can’t judge me.”

It was also greating seeing Adam Zagoria take a shot at Jeff Goodman’s piece on Ledo awhile back.

One report — which lacked a single quote from Ledo himself — even went so far as to suggest the best thing for Providence would be if Ledo never even stepped foot on campus.

South Kent coach Kevin Jefferson also said this regarding Ricky Ledo’s eligibility concerns:

“Honestly, I wouldn’t have taken him if I didn’t think he had a chance to qualify,” Jefferson said.

 

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Shoegate: Kris Dunn Being Investigated for Appearance in Adidas Video?

dave@friarblog —  September 28th, 2011 8:22 PM — 1 Comment

According to Norwich Bulletin, Providence commit Kris Dunn is being investigated by the state’s high school governing body because he was in a video promoting a new Adidas shoe with UCONN freshman Andre Drummond.

In the video, Dunn, while holding a shoe, says, “I like to run up and down the court and with these shoes I’d probably run faster, make better decisions out there. If you get more speed, you can see things quicker.”

Drummond looks into the camera and says, “I want them.”

It is not known whether any player accepted payment for their appearance.

Dunn is facing an investigation by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, which governs high school sports in the state. CIAC Associate Executive Director Paul Hoey said he has reviewed the video and that an investigation could take several weeks.

This is what makes no sense whatsoever:

“The bylaw states: The individual’s involvement in this type of activity was initiated prior to his or her enrollment in a member institution.”

Neither Drummond nor Dunn qualifies beyond the first condition

Uh, Dunn has only given a verbal to Providence. He has not signed a LOI or has enrolled whatsoever.

The Day isn’t buying it either regarding Drummond.

UConn refutes report questioning Drummond’s eligibility

UConn refuted a published report from earlier today that freshman Andre Drummond jeopardized his eligibility by appearing in a promotional video for a basketball shoe while attending an adidas summer camp in Houston.

The article also has some info regarding Dunn.

When reached Wednesday evening, John Seldon, Kris’ father, said that he is confident that his son did nothing wrong.

“Kris was never paid anything,” Seldon said.

Seldon added that Providence College coach Ed Cooley contacted Kris Wednesday afternoon and told him he had “nothing to worry about.”

Nothing to see here, move on.

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Friars Links 9.27.11

dave@friarblog —  September 27th, 2011 6:51 PM — 2 Comments

Rumble in the Garden: Blogger Roundtable: step your game up

Part 2 of the Roundtable is up! Today’s question was asking who needs to step up this season in order for the program to be success. Below are the answers from the Providence Blogs. What do you think? Who needs to step up this year?

Friar Basketball – STEP IT UP: Gerard Coleman

Council will be solid, Coleman could give PC a solid BE level backcourt.

Friarblog – STEP IT UP: Bilal Dixon

The Friars can have a great backcourt if Vincent Council and Gerard Coleman show more consistency and keep developing. With Dunn and Ledo joining in 2012, the backcourt becomes downright sick. However, PC still needs a presence down low. Bilal Dixon will be the most experienced over the next two years, so he needs to step up after regressing as a sophomore.

Friar Basketball: 38 in 76: #21 Landing the Big Man

The Friars are all of a sudden loaded at the guard level next year. Bigs? Well Cooley is working on that as we speeak. Hey, we got guys to pass you the ball! We got playing time! And Donuts! What more can you ask for Chris and JaKarr?!

Landing either Obekpa, who had a recent in-home visit with Jim Calhoun and is reportedly interested in visiting UCLA, or Sampson (Kansas was on campus for a look at him last week) would mark yet another occasion in which Cooley trumps what has been conventional wisdom when it comes to recruiting at Providence.

Twitter: JaKarr Sampson Competition Heating up

A day after Coach Cooley and La Fleur flew in to see former St. John’s committ JaKarr Sampson, there were reports of all kinds of schools also looking at him today and tomorrow. Everyone needs a big man.

@TheRecruitScoop Cincinnati, Kentucky & NC State will check out 2012 Brewster (NH) trio Mitch McGary, Jakarr Sampson & TJ Warren today.

@jeffborzello Per @BrewsterHoops, St. John’s assistant Mike Dunlap and Pitt assistant Bill Barton will both visit with Jakarr Sampson tomorrow.

@GTuckersports: Kentucky has expressed “preliminary interest” about Jakarr Sampson, per Brewster coach Jason Smith

Providence Business News: Learn with Leaders Series

In November, Ed Cooley will be giving a talk with the theme: “How to Engage and Lead a Team”. It is unclear if Keno Davis will giving his inspired speeches “How to run a Division I program directly into the ground”, “Creating a dysfunctional environment in the college atmosphere”, “How to not Engage and not Lead a Team”.

“The Young Leaders Circle Learn with Leaders series provides the unique opportunity for young professionals to broaden their perspective, network, and engage with business, government, and non-profit leaders in topics that matters to today’s young professionals,” said Brian Angell, Chair of the Young Leaders Circle.

Five Star Basketball: Nerlens Noel: ‘Chip on his mind

I think his list of 10 schools should be coming out soon. Probably a long shot, but you have to think PC makes the list just because Cooley is involved.

Defensively, it’s nearly impossible to find any high school player with Noel’s ability to protect the basket and turn away or alter opponent’s shots. Five-Star rated PG Andrew Harrison (Houston Defenders/Travis H.S.) called him the “best shot blocker he’s ever played against.”

And while BABC Head Coach Leo Papile compares the big man’s game to Bill Russell, Noel said he strives to be more like Kevin Garnett.

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Friars Links 9.26.11

dave@friarblog —  September 26th, 2011 9:47 PM — Leave a comment

Rumble in the Garden: Big East Blogger Roundtable: biggest loss

Pico from the St. John’s blog “Rumble in the Garden” put together a great roundtable of all the BIG EAST bloggers out there. The first installment posed the question of who would be the biggest loss for their team.  SHOCKER: Kevin from Friar Basketball and myself both picked Marshon. Many thanks to Pico for rounding up everyone and getting this out. Here is what I wrote:

Although the crowd might get confused about what to cheer about when they don’t see Ray Hall come off the bench.The Friars will need to replace Marshon’s great scoring ability used across an almost 30% possession percentage (49th in the nation). Friartown is praying the team’s possession count drops considerably with an emphasis on defense and a more structured offense.

Friar Basketball: 38 in 76: #22 Cotton’s Niche

Oh yeah, we have players that are playing this year! Kevin takes a look at the role Bryce Cotton will play with all the talent coming in at the guard position for the next two seasons.

Where does that leave Cotton? With a season to establish a niche on this team. Where that will most likely come is on the defensive end.  The six foot guard is in phenomenal physical condition heading into this season.  He is physically equipped to defend point guards at this level, but would certainly help his case as a member of next season’s rotation if he proves he can hold his own against shooting guards in the conference (more specifically, shooting guards 6’4 and under).

Twitter: BrewsterHoops

This morning, Coach La Fleur tweeted (IN ALL CAPS, BECAUSE THAT’S HOW HE ROLLS) that they had flown in somewhere to “get some friars”. Well, we found out what he and Cooley were up to when Brewster Hoops of NH tweeted.

@BrewsterHoops
Jason Smith#Providence head coach Ed Cooley makes return trip to #Brewster today and will have @CoachDre_PC with him.
Sep 26 via webFavoriteRetweetReply



There were obviously there to see former St. John’s commit JaKarr Sampson. They were not alone however, as @BrewsterHoops tweeted that the Baylor head coach was to visiting. Baylor was on Sampson’s final three list before committing to the Johnnies (he was ruled ineligible this season and subsequently de-comitted). I hope Cooley has a little Marlo in him. Our turf Scott Drew!

Twitter: Marshon Brooks

New York Knicks, (Brooklyn officially!) Nets. Fight to the death! I have no idea what this image is about, but Marshon is posing here with Knick Iman Shumpert.

New York Post: Ladies and Gentlemen, the Brooklyn Nets

Speaking of Marshon, time for a new jersey!

The subtle and expected name change – which isn’t official until approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors – was announced during a spectacle of a press conference Monday held in front of the construction site of the $1 billion Barclays Center. Minority owner Jay-Z made a grand entrance, proclaimed the team as “the Brooklyn Nets” – along with news that he’ll open the arena with a concert in September of next year – and then was escorted out of the tent in a hurry.

WPRO: Conference Musical Chairs

I don’t think we are out of the woods yet by any means.

After a weekend of chaos and uncertainty the dust is finally starting to settle and everyone is breathing a little easier.Syracuse and Pitt are gone from the Big East starting in 2014, with their incendiary actions they also burn away the traditions and culture they built from the infant days in the Big East.

Washington Post: Connecticut governor confirms UConn wants into ACC, says decision not expected soon

“Beyond that, then you fall back to the Big East,” he said “The Big East then has to rebuild itself to fill the loss of the two teams that left and has to worry about its ability to compete on the major sports of basketball and football in particular, as well as how do we make that work for student athletes.”

Cue the “Safety school calling us a safety conference” jokes.

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Obekpa Visit Details

dave@friarblog —  September 25th, 2011 8:39 PM — 2 Comments

Adam Zagoria posted some details of Christopher Obekpa’s visit to Providence College this weekend.

Obekpa Visits Providence, Hosts Calhoun for Home Visit

The [Providence] visit went well,” Our Savior assistant Eric Jaklitsch told SNY.tv. “We took a took a tour of their campus and got a chance to see to their facilities such as the locker room, players’ lounge, weight room, etc. We also got a chance to see the Dunkin Doughnuts Center which has been recently renovated. They have done a lot of improvements to their facilities since the last time I have been up there.

Dunkin DOUGHNUTS? Really? That’s disrespectful to me. Sounds like someone is a Starbucks drinker.

When I briefly chatted with Chris yesterday, he mentioned that he was currently playing ball with Marshon Brooks (who was preparing for the NBA season back in town for classes). Zagoria also reported that Ricky Ledo was there playing with Chris and the team too.

According to some reports on Twitter, Obekpa (who also plays soccer for high school — a 6’9″ sweeper, WTF? Guy must have some insane footwork) also attended the Providence Men’s Soccer game (a 2-0 win over Cincinnati) on Saturday.

Despite some rumblings around Friartown that Christopher had already given his verbal, he informed me this evening that he had not made any commitments yet. Of course he could have been told by the staff not to say anything until they could announce it / leak it elsewhere, but that’s currently where he stands officially. Apparently he will be taking an unofficial to UCONN soon, but after chatting with the kid he didn’t seem to be the type of guy that was into Ponzi schemes. Heyoooooo.

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Chris Obekpa at PC This Weekend for Unofficial Visit

dave@friarblog —  September 24th, 2011 10:49 AM — 3 Comments

(Photo by ESPN)

Chris Obekpa was spotted on campus last night at PC, and I just got confirmation from the two sport star himself that he was there for an unofficial visit. Until he takes the SAT he can’t take the official visits he wants to UCLA and Cincinnati. Since lives in NY, he can shoot up to Providence College pretty easily for an unofficial.

It was originally reported that Chris would be at Alumni last weekend when Noel Nerlens was visiting, but I didn’t hear anything about him being there at that time. He did take in-home visits with UCONN and Seton Hall last weekend, so maybe he just couldn’t fit PC in. The timing isn’t too bad considering he has an NBA player around campus as well.

ESPN Profile

Rivals Profile

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Marshon: Cooley No F’in Joke

dave@friarblog —  September 23rd, 2011 8:52 PM — 2 Comments

With no end in sight for the NBA Lockout and classes to finish to get his college degree, Marshon Brooks has been frequently back at Providence College. On Friday, Marshon tweeted that he was going to visit a Friar practice. Apparently Coach Cooley impressed Brooks, because an hour later he tweeted:

@Marshon2
Marshon S. Brooks Excuse my French, but Coach Cooley is no fucking joke…
Sep 23 via EchofonFavoriteRetweetReply



Someone one twitter sent me the reply “And coach Davis most certainly was”. Heyooooooo!  Marshon also added “Wow great effort in the practice…”.  It definitely must have been a shock to see a Cooley practice after  three years under Keno Davis. He was probably all, “Wait, what’s this structure thing, and disci-a-what? I think the track team left something behind. There’s a treadmill on the side. Move your s#$% runners!”

Brooks also sent a message to 2013 6’7″ SG Brannen Greene (who is also from Georgia).

@Marshon2
Marshon S. Brooks @b_greene14 boy u need to become a friar, shit bout to be special I’m telling u! Hit my phone…
Sep 23 via EchofonFavoriteRetweetReply



Greene is currently ranked #20 overall by ESPN with a 97/100 Scouts grade. He currently has a crapload of schools interested in him.

Greene named all these schools as universities that contacted him the first day coaches could call recruits as well. He also named Stanford, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, Harvard, Depaul, Seton Hall, Providence, Virginia, Boston College, Ole Miss, Cincinnati, Wake Forest, Arkansas and Auburn.

That was written early in the early summer, and I haven’t really seen Providence mentioned in any recent articles about him. I know Cooley beat out some tough competition for Dunn and Ledo (even though he was local), but Duke, Kansas, Ohio State? That will be a tall order. However, its great to see Marshon reach out to him like this because he believes in what Coach Cooley is doing. Brooks has really done a terrific job staying in touch with the current team and just being an ambassador to Friartown. Once a Friar, always a Friar!

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