In the meantime, Gavitt had brought in a few more studs and when the Friars got their chance at the Big Dance these studs showed that they were a team to be reckoned with as they made a run for the ages that would make Dan Fogelberg proud.  This run is probably what got the Friars the invite to the Big East (oh and it is a catholic school of course) but they also lost their leader and the first year in this new league was anything but successful. That is where timing comes in to play as right after Gavitt left for his new gig the Friars had a few off the court incidences that affected their team.  Not one but two player on player crimes (though one was a baseball player and not a fellow hoopster) shook the team’s foundation.  It did not go well and when the administration bungled the response and the media of this courageous and moral state came calling.  Throw in a couple of ‘bad timed’ injuries and the first year in the Big East was miserable as the Friars finished in the bottom half of the league.  Well, the administration decided to bring back Mullaney (say it is so Joe) to try and right this ship.  PC does have the talent to compete in this league if and this is a big if the culture of this program changes back to the place it was a few years back when the Friars were on highlight shows seemingly every other day.  That is a heck of a lot better than being on police blotters! 

Leading the way for the Friars once again will be senior point guard Lenny Wilkens.  Mullaney recruited Wilkens to Providence as this program was one of the first in the nation to bring in African Americans with full scholarships for athletics in the entire country.  Wilkens was a baseball fan first growing up in the Bed Sty region of Brooklyn (he was a huge Jackie Robinson fan) but quickly discovered he could hang with the kids during the street games.  This lefty developed some great skills/moves on those playgrounds and is adept at being able to maneuver in the key and get his shot off or hit his teammates for gimmes.  Wilkens admits he had no idea if he could play at this level but when early on he was put up against basketball Houdini Vinny Ernst in practices he knew this was the test.  Wilkens discovered he could handle the ultra-quick but undersized New England school boy legend and from then on the team was his.  Mullaney had this dynamic duo play together in backcourt that first year in their three guard sets but this program known for developing great point guards had a few more coming down the pike.  But more on that later.  Though considered cerebral (and he is) is also a warrior who is not immune to mixing it up with whoever he is guarding.  Yes, he grew up on the playgrounds of Brooklyn and he learned a tremendous set of  skills that have enabled to do just about anything he wants on the basketball court but to do so in an almost stealth like way unlike most of the showboats who come from the streets.  Wilkens might be the best player on this team but you wouldn’t know it by the way he plays and he does get overshadowed by some of the extreme personalities on this team but Mullaney knows who holds this team together and will almost assuredly hand the keys to this Mercedes to him no matter how popular that curly haired hometown kid is. 

The ‘other guy’ in this equation is none other than the ultra-popular Providence born and bred basketball maestro Ernie DiGregorio.  Ernie D as he is now known is one of the most magical players in the country with his incredible handles and Cousyesque passing skills.  DiGregorio took New England by storm a few years back when he led this team on that marvelous run to the Final Four.  Gavitt had decided to team him and Wilkens together plus a rather notorious big man and the Friars went wild.  But Ernie D was the key as he marveled the fans and opponents with his behind the back passes and big time shooting against the best competition.  His 29 point, 11 assist masterpiece over Maryland is legendary up in these parts but like they tell you in High School the good times don’t always last.  Last year DiGregorio blew out a knee midway thru the season and was lost for the rest of the season.  The season was not going well anyway but with Ernie D gone and with the largest part of the inaugural Big East season in front of them (and a few others incidences) the Friars lost 12 of their last 15 games.  The rehab on Ernie’s leg has supposedly went well but if anyone thinks this kid will be back to full speed by the start of the year and more importantly if they think he will have his same quickness well you got another thing coming.  Ernie D was not exactly the best defensive guard in the country before the injury and keeping up with the Pearls (though nobody can wait for that matchup as they did not get to play against each other last year) or that slew of waterbugs from rival BC will be no easy task.  But of course the mop haired one will still have his flair for the game and unless he forgot how to dribble and pass the Friar faithful will cheer on their heartthrob once again.  The only question is whether Mullaney goes with the double point guard set or if he decides one leader is best.  I hate to say it but no matter how good Wilkens is he is nowhere near as dynamic as Ernie D and team Lenny has an uphill struggle if they think the fans of the Dunkin’ will not demand their guy plays.

As good as those two wonderful point guards are neither one is the best player on the team.  Senior Jimmy Walker might be the best scoring guard in the Northeast.  This kid can flat put the ball in the hoop and he does it from anywhere on the court.  Walker is a Boston kid (from the Roxbury section) but got a bit of an assist to get to where he is and no it was not from Lenny or Ernie D.  Walker was  in the gyms of Beantown working out when Celtic legend Sam Jones saw him and  took him under his wing. Jones pulled a Buck Rogers and got him into his High School in North Carolina.  This prep school in the middle of nowhere with no outside influences gave the kid the time and air to develop his game which he has done.  Walker has been a stud since he enrolled at PC and has a bit of Jones infamous jump shot (he loves to use the glass just like Sam) and has led the team in scoring all three years. Jimmy is as good of a scorer as there is in the Big East and might have the most complete game of any guard in the league. Walker has good range but when he drives to the hoop he is dynamite.  He is very strong and can get his shot off in the paint.  He has taken full advantage of the three point line and is without question the go to guy for the Friars on the perimeter.  He has point guard skills but with Wilkens and Ernie D around he did not mind settling into his role as the designated scoring machine.   He, like Wilkens, may not get the pub as some other guys around here but as long as he can keep scoring he does not mind being second fiddle.  And he is the coolest cat ever!      

DiGregorio’s partner in crime and fellow Junior Marvin Barnes is another homegrown kid who is a true beast at center.  Even at only six eight Barnes had no problem knocking around with the big boys of this conference and usually got the better of them.  A terrific rebounder also has one of the most complete offensive games down low on the East Coast.   He can score from the box or facing up and getting to the hoop with a quick drive and fly move. And when he gets to the hoop Barnes does know how to finish.  He is also a terrific shot blocker and intimidator underneath (he will use a tire iron if you come into his paint).  AS good as the guards were the Friars success revolved around the man they call Bad News.  And of course the downfall had much to do with this great player.  You see before last year Barnes nickname was quite different than the one we know today.  After the incredible Big Dance run he was dubbed marvelous as in Marvelous Marvin Barnes.  And has all of that and a bag of chips.  He was the primary impetus of that run and who knows how far that team could have went but an injury kept him off the court and as great as his partner Digregorio was they could not stop the floodgates of the other team (Memphis) who scored at will without this enforcer inside.  He fully recovered though he might have developed some kind of addiction to the pain meds he was taking at the time and last year started off well.  This did not last as Barnes got upset at teammate John Thompson during a workout and after he was kicked out of the gym actually came back and hit him with a tire iron.  REALLY!  He was suspended from the team for a few games (many thought this deserved more time) and paid ten grand to the guy to keep him out of the courts.  Don’t get me wrong he was charged but to way less than he could have been if the administration (and former Coach Gavitt who only suspended him for two games from Big East competition) had not seen fit to minimize this event.  Of course that didn’t work as Barnes continued to spin out of control last year finally ending up spending a considerable amount of time over the summer in lockup for violating some probationary restrictions related to the incident.  How did he violate them?  Well, let’s say there were some narcotics involved.  Barnes is back but for how long?  And how effective will he be?  He did not miss that much time last year and the kid has got an unreal game but he will be under the magnifying glass this year.  He won’t get as many chances as he has in the past especially with Mullaney back in town but you don’t just throw someone with this kind of talent to the wolves either.  Especially when you don’t have anyone on the roster nearly as talented as Barnes is. 

Barnes is not the only post player in Providence but he is for sure the best.  Still, these other guys have had their shot at playing time especially with the enigmatic one missing so much time.  Big Jim Hadnot got more than his fair share of playing time at center and played well.  This 6’10 board man from San Francisco is the definition of a project but the kid is not afraid to work.  Hadnot was raised in the same neighborhood as superstar Bill Russell who went and played for the Dons but the two are good friends and shared many a battle on the playgrounds of the city by the bay.  Hadnot is nowhere near the defensive presence the great Russell is but he can sure board as he is after all the same height.  His offensive game is basically putbacks and dunks but he is not the worst guy to have on your bench with a guy that you are not sure how long he will make it through the season.  Hadnot used to battle John Thompson for playing time before Barnes came along but this ornery big man is now coaching Georgetown, one of the Friars primary new rivals in this strange new world.  The Friars recruiting coordinator, a slick talking kid from New York City named Rick Pitino, has brought in some fresh talent up front but for now they will be waiting their turn until the next Barnes misstep.  Pitino went to school just down the road at UMASS and coached briefly at BU so he has connections here but was the assistant coach for the Knicks when the call came for help in Providence.  Pitino was under the assumption, some say, that he was going to be head coach and started recruiting right away.  When Mullaney became available the Friars went with the legend and Pitino has been promised to take over the reins in the near future.  How far that future is away has yet to be determined! 

The fifth starter going into the season was the biggest recruit the Friars have ever had.  Junior Bruce ‘Soup’ Campbell chose Providence over just about every other program on the East Coast.  This West Haven Connecticut stud has been a stud ever since he walked on campus here as part of arguably the greatest recruiting class not only in PC history but perhaps the entire New England area.  Barnes, DiGregorio, Joe Hassett, Bob Misevicius, Billy Eason, etc al and Campbell was by far the biggest catch of that school of fish Gavitt reeled in.  Why he did not go to UCONN we may never know but if Jim Calhoun would have been around then Soup would have never left that state.  Campbell has the size at 6’9 210 pounds but more importantly he has a great set of skills in his toolbox.  Campbell is a nifty ballhandler and one of the best passing big men you will ever but the one thing the Friars do not need is more passers.  They need boards and defense in the key next to Barnes and to be honest that is not exactly Soup’s cup of tea.  He will bang down low but he is not going to grab ten boards a game and he would rather be working from the perimeter.  The four spot is Campbell’s as of right now but there are plenty of other post guys chomping at the bit to get their shot.  Of course none of them are as skilled or as popular as Campbell so if he gets replaced you better be ready for the blowback.  Competing with Campbell and company down low will be a slew of able bodies ready for their shot at the big time of the Big East.  Foremost of these will be sophomore Otis Thorpe. Thorpe was recruited from Florida last year as the Friars have finally started recruiting outside of New England and the Midwest.  This 6’9 stud is about as athletic as they come at his size though he does have limitations outside the key.  Thorpe showed last year that he can run the court as well as bang inside and uses his long arms to take up space.  His rebounding and defense show signs of being superb but for now he is a bit green.  He might not beat out Campbell this year but he will play many minutes and gives the Friars the kind of bulldog defense they have lacked down low.  Juniors Misevicius, Eaton and Bob Cooper, a rim protector, have rotated in limited minutes on varsity but have done well on JV.  Misevicius in particular has shown that he is solid role player who has the passing skills of a Walton or Unseld up top.  This is the year they move up or move out and with the new portal this trio would be a find for any smaller program.  For now they are battling for playing time on a team that has superb talent in the paint with more coming but things can change quickly in Providence (ie last year) so don’t count them out.  Yet!

Juniors Joe Hassett and Kevin Stacom will vie for playing time backing up the prolific trio in front of them.  Another junior to be was the second part of the breakdown of this program last year.  Anderson transferred in from Idaho last year after leading a JC to a national title but was stuck behind Wilkens and Ernie D at point so was tearing it up with the aforementioned cats on the JV.  When DiGregorio went down Anderson got the call and was rather impressive on both ends in limited minutes behind Wilkens and Vinnie Ernst.  Near the end of the season however Anderson got accused of stabbing a Friar baseball player in bowling alley at the quad.  After the negative press from the Barnes debacle PC quickly cut loose the athletic point guard.  That’s right he was expelled.  This did not set well with the players on the team and most of the student fans.  It was the final low point on a season that folks up here would like to forget.  Stacom was another one year transfer but he came from that hated Catholic school rival from around the bend.  Yes, Stacom was once a Holy Cross Crusader but after a year of backing up Cousy and Ronnie Perry he decided to join the Friars.  Now he is backing up Walker.  Oh well, Queens kid can play.  A solid shooter he will get some minutes as will his sidekick Joe Hassett.  Hassett is a six foot five sweet stroking wing who on a lesser team might score 20 a game.  He has range to his house (he is another Providence kid) and has fallen in love with the three point line.  Ernst, Mike Riordan and Johnny Egan are three seniors coming back for more and all of them can flat ball as well.  Ernst may be only 5’8 but he is magician with the ball and Egan is just that tough as nails glue guy that every team needs.  Speaking of tough Iron Mike is a 6’4 wing who will guard his opponent at the scorer’s table when he comes in and then escort him out with all the acquired bruises from the interaction.  Two guard Ray Flynn is legendary around these parts as his 25 footer to beat BC a few years ago is legendary.  He does not play much but he is so beloved around Beantown (he was a HS stud there) I wouldn’t be surprised if he ran for mayor someday.  This kind of depth is not on every roster but it needs to be utilized and treated correctly.  Last year it was not! 

If you think Wilkens slips under the radar on this team than the next guy is absolutely a ghost.  Barnes partner in crime up front is power forward Otis Thorpe.  Thorpe is as good as they come at finishing on the break with his patented left-handed jam over the rim. Thorpe is one of the best low post defenders playing and his wars with Alonzo Mourning are classic.  Thorpe does not get the attention that Barnes does (who wants that kind of attention) but he is every bit the player as the enigmatic Barnes.  Well almost.   A terrific all-around player under the boards, Thorpe and Barnes were a great combination down low. Thorpe never takes a bad shot and usually does not go outside the key but can hit the open 17 footer when open.  He comes to play every night (with pail in hand) and does whatever it takes to get the job done.  The fans love this blue collar guy but he is nowhere near as popular as his teammates and when he took over the starting job early on from fan favorite Bruce ‘Soup’ Campbell at the four he was not the most beloved guy in the Dunkin.  He actually broke into the starting lineup next to Campbell at first after Barnes went ballistic in practice and Pitino sat him down for a few games.  TP had to play the center when Barnes missed a few games and did well but was better suited at the 4 and Pitino needed his toughness going into the battles of the Big East.  Thorpe quickly became arguably the best power forward in the conference.  Well at least the best one you have never heard of as he is the silent star of this team filled with some very confident and vociferous teammates.  And he does not mind that at all as long as the Friars are winning. 

The Providence Friars are in a unique situation as they come from the smallest but bravest state in the union but are competing other programs from not only the biggest city in the country but the new powerhouse conference.  The Friars are the darlings of New England but because of some stellar years they were invited to join the bullies from Philly, Syracuse, DC, Boston and of course the Big Apple themselves.  Funny thing is this program under Coach Dave Gavitt had just as much talent and historically success as any of these teams.  Things were looking good in Providence and then just like that the first season in the Big East went right down the drain.  First, the AD’s from the other programs recruited Gavitt to be the Commissioner of this brave new world (can you say collusion).  Then the star player on the team decided to take a tire iron to a teammate.  On top of that an injury to their superstar point guard midway through the year and the freshmen year in the Big East was over except for the final record which ended up being bottom of the barrel.  There is hope here as the Friars have brought back former Coach Joe Mullaney to right the ship and he takes over a roster filled with experience and talent.  Can this group show last year was a fluke or was last year the norm for the city that was once blockaded to force their state to pass a certain constitution.  This city has come a long way and has one of the best basketball arenas in the country and the fans that fill it up.  Now they just need to prove to New England they are indeed the chosen ones!