Just when we thought the days of disasters like the “Prime Time Incident” were over, the Providence College basketball program finds itself a part another disturbing event.

Update: PC suspends 2 hoop players in alleged assault

Johnnie Lacy, 20, of Milwaukee, Wis., and James Still, 19, of Detroit, Mich., were both charged with one count of felony assault and arraigned Monday morning in District Court, Providence. Bail was set for each at $10,000 with surety, or $1,000 cash. Neither had posted bail as of 10:30 a.m., according to the court.

At about 1:05 a.m. Monday, the Providence police responded to a reported assault at Eaton Street and Huxley Avenue, where they found Yerkin Abdrakhmanov, 21, with blood on his face, according to Maj. Thomas F. Oates III.

Jonnie Lacy already announced last week that he was transferring.  Anyone else still sad that we will not have a true back-up point guard now?  I’ll take our chances with another signing, kthnx.  Don’t let the door hit you….

James Still was a very raw freshman who most likely would have redshirted next season.  I guess that will be a non-issue, since if he is guilty as charged his days at Providence College will be over.

The ProJo also mentions a third player being involved (RUH ROH, Duke Mondy?) but not charged.

With Russ Permenter, Kyle Wright, Johnnie Lacy already gone, and Still most likely on the way out, Keno Davis only has Vincent Council, Duke Mondy, and Kadeem Batts left from the big 7 player class of ‘09.

I must say, with all of the rumors flying around during the season of fights occurring every other weekend, you start to wonder if any of them had any merit.  Despite all the good recruiting news Keno Davis has had of late, it seems that he still has some work to do with the players and instilling discipline throughout the program.  Yes, the season is over and Davis is not their babysitter, but the character of players he brought in for his first class seems incredibly questionable now.

More to come as this develops..

A reader tipped me this morning to an update on Johnnie Lacy’s Facebook page.

“Just waitng to get the f**k out”

Obviously, the freshman guard is unhappy with his current playing time.  He has since posted more updates about needing to focus after some fans helped put things in perspective about being patient.  However, seeing something like this is a bit discouraging as a Friar fan (I’m sure there are many within his near 4,000 friend list).

I’m sure Keno and the coaching staff are constantly dealing with the situation and trying to get Lacy to see the big picture.  Let’s hope he realizes he can be a big part of the future Friars.

Hoop Mountain Prep Tournament – Day 3 Recap

Weekend’s Top Prospects

7.  Johnnie Lacy – He didn’t do anything that he doesn’t normally do…and that’s why he’s so good.  He controlled the tempo of the game, handed out 8 assists, and only committed 2 turnovers.  Providence is expecting nothing less than that next year.

So after learning that point gaurd Johnnie Lacy signed a letter of intent with Providence, I naturally turned to Facebook to see if I could find him.  Yeah I’m a Facebook stalker, so what?  I like to network.  Anyway, I think I’m really gonna like this guy, because here is his public Facebook profile picture and listed name (I’m assuming its really him because he has over 1,000 friends and is in the Notre Dame Prep ‘09 and Milwaukee, WI networks).

Johnnie King Lacy

Welcome to Friartown buddy!

http://friars.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/111908aae.html

Providence College men’s basketball coach Keno Davis announced on November 19 that student-athlete Johnnie Lacy (Milwaukee, Wis.) has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Providence College beginning in September 2009. Lacy, who attends Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass., is one of the top-ranked high school point guards in the country. Dave Telep ranks him as the ninth best point guard in the nation, while Scout.com puts him at No. 12, and ESPN.com rates him at No. 25.

http://www.wissports.net/sports/hoopsb/blog/message.aspx?f=123&id=972931

Milwaukee native Johnnie Lacy signed a letter of intent to play for coach Keno Davis and the Friars today. The dynamic 5-foot-11 point guard spent the past three seasons at Bay View High School before transferring to Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, for his senior season

From Rivals.com

Rank: No. 110 overall, No. 18 point guard in the nation
Schools in the mix: Unknown
Visits: None scheduled at the moment.
Notes: Lacy, a Milwaukee native, appears to have put his recruitment on hold since his move to Massachusetts for prep school. Prior to his move, Lacy claimed offers from Marquette and Minnesota. Several sources have told Rivals.com that academics are the holdup with Lacy’s recruitment at the moment. There even is a chance that he reclassifies to 2010. If he can work out his grades this season, Lacy will certainly be a one of the hottest players in the class at his position.

From ESPN.com

December, 2007: Johnnie Lacy can put the ball in the basket. Lacy is a dynamic scorer who can create his own shot and can get into the lane at will. He is a streaky 3-point shooter, but when he is on, he is tough to stop. Lacy is a very good athlete and he is strong with the ball. He is old for his class (2009) and he needs to become a little better as a floor leader. With his size, he plays the point, but has a scorers mentality at that position. He needs to work on nuances of the position and needs to learn when to try to score and when to get others involved. He has speed, quickness and is tough to stop when he wants to get in the paint. He also has a chance to become a great on-the-ball defender.

From CollegeHoops.net

PG Johnnie Lacy (Milwaukee, WI; Wisconsin Playground Elite; Rivals # 99)

Lacy (5-10, 160) is an explosive lead guard who in some respects reminded me of Jonny Flynn this weekend. While he’s not as athletic as Flynn, Lacy has the speed to get up and down the floor in a hurry, but under control while doing so. On occasion, however, he can over-penetrate and end up having to force this issue and the outside shot is a definite work in progress at this point in time. Still uncommitted, it looks as if Marquette has the inside track on keeping Lacy home in Milwaukee.