Providence Friars Basketball

Five-star forward Jamier Jones, who is ranked 22nd overall on the 247Sports composite list of class of 2025 men's high school basketball prospects, has committed to Providence.

Jones revealed the news to Joe Tipton of On3 on Instagram Live Sunday. He chose the Friars over Ohio State, Houston, Kansas, LSU and South Carolina.

Jones, a 6'6", 210-pound small forward out of Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, Florida, explained to Tipton why he chose Providence over five other schools.

"The loyalty of coach English and the coaching staff," Jones stated.

"I wouldn't want to trust any other coaching staff to get me to where I want to be which is the NBA. Everything those guys have been telling me sounds great and I'm just ready to work hard and do what I do to reach my goal!"

Jones also provided a self-scouting report when asked what Providence will be getting when he steps on campus in a year:

"One word: Dog. Literally the dog mentally I play with separates me a lot. I'm a willing passer and love to get my teammates involved. I put pressure on the rim (rim attacker is the best thing I do) and I can knock down shots and it's only going to get better from here."

Jones is a massive addition for a Providence team that's already added 4-star center Erhunmwunse Oswin to its class of 2025. Oswin, who committed to head coach Kim English's program in January, is ranked No. 24 overall on the 247Sports composite list.

After starring for Providence for the past two seasons, junior guard Devin Carter is ready to test his skills at the professional level.

Carter announced on social media on Wednesday that he is declaring for the 2024 NBA draft:

pic.twitter.com/XUfpTUpKyv

— Devin Carter (@kingcarter2225) April 3, 2024

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman projected Carter to be a first-round pick in his latest mock draft, going at No. 16 to the Miami Heat.

After beginning his collegiate career with South Carolina in 2021, Carter transferred to Providence and immediately established himself as a primary option. He has started every game for the Friars over the past two years, and in 2023-24 he posted impressive averages of 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.8 steals.

Carter was named Big East Player of the Year and earned All-American honorable mention honors by AP. Unfortunately, Providence was controversially left out of the field for the NCAA Tournament, robbing Carter of the chance to showcase his skills during March Madness.

Carter's rebounding average jumps off the page, especially considering that he's just 6'3". He also added 32 blocked shots this year, and Wasserman declared that his "versatility and intangibles" would allow him to see playing time immediately in the NBA.

"Unteachable defensive intensity, toughness and instincts separate Carter and fuel his identity, though he's entered the lottery conversation by developing into a dangerous shot-maker and crafty pick-and-roll ball-handler," Wasserman stated.

Carter is the son of Memphis Grizzlies assistant coach Anthony Carter, who played 13 seasons in the NBA after entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 1999.

This year's NBA draft will be held on June 26-27 in New York City with the first round taking place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

An overtime battle between the Kansas State and Providence men's basketball teams turned physical Friday night.

Kansas State freshman guard Dai Dai Ames and Providence freshman guard Garwey Dual were ejected from the game after fighting during extra time.

After several instances of Ames making contact with Dual on the court, Dual turned around and hit Ames in the face.

The two were then physically separated by Providence head coach Kim English and other members of the coaching staff.

A fight broke out in overtime between Kansas State and Providence. pic.twitter.com/IIC0CUHuGW

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) November 18, 2023

Kansas State won 73-70 as David N'Guessan scored six points in extra time.

The contest was a neutral-site game held in Nassau, Bahamas as part of the first round of the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship.

Ames and Dual are each slated to serve automatic one-game suspensions following their ejections, according to Fox's John Fanta.

Dual will miss Providence's Sunday game against Georgia, while Kansas State will take on Miami the same day without Ames.

Providence suspended men's basketball player Alyn Breed indefinitely after he was charged with multiple firearm and domestic counts, per ESPN's Myron Medcalf.

Medcalf shared the athletic department's statement stemming from Saturday's off-campus incident:

"It was announced [Saturday] by the Providence Police Department that Providence College student-athlete Alyn Breed was charged with several crimes for actions that occurred off campus on Saturday, April 1. As a result of these charges, athletic director Steve Napolillo and head coach Kim English have determined that Breed is suspended from the men's basketball team and will not be allowed to participate in any other athletic department-related activities. [Providence] will follow its student-conduct disciplinary process regarding this matter. At this time, there will not be any further comment."

Bill Koch and Patrick Anderson of the Providence Journal noted Breed was charged with "numerous firearm offenses," unlawful entry of a home, robbery, vandalism and taking someone's car without permission.

The incident comes just more than a week after Providence introduced English, who was previously with George Mason, as their head coach.

He is replacing Ed Cooley after the latter left to join Big East rival Georgetown.

Breed appeared in 32 games last season for the Friars and was expected to be a contributor for the 2023-24 team under English.

Georgetown has officially hired Providence men's basketball head coach Ed Cooley for the same position with the Hoyas.

Providence announced Cooley's resignation Monday, and Georgetown has since revealed his hire.

CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported the news earlier Monday alongside others such as Jeff Goodman of Stadium and ESPN's Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello.

Cooley will replace Basketball Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing. Georgetown fired the former star Hoyas and New York Knicks center after six seasons.

The 53-year-old Cooley coached at Providence for 12 seasons and made the NCAA tournament in seven of them, including this year. He also led the Friars to the 2014 Big East tournament title.

Cooley's Friars teams went as far as the Sweet 16, doing so once in 2022. Providence nearly picked off eventual national champion Kansas before falling 66-61. This year's Friars team made the NCAA tournament as a No. 11 seed but lost to Kentucky.

He will have a tough task at Georgetown, which has lost 25 games each of the past two seasons. However, he knows a thing or two about turning programs around.

Cooley led Fairfield for five seasons (2006-2011) before joining Providence. The Stags were 9-19 the season before he got there but improved to 25 wins with an NIT appearance in 2010-11.

Providence went 4-14 in the Big East in the two seasons prior to Cooley's arrival. That was the case during Cooley's first Friars year as well, but Providence then went 9-9 in conference in 2012-13 before winning the conference tournament in his third season.

Now Cooley moves on to Washington, D.C., where he hopes to restore the once-dominant program to its past greatness.

Ed Cooley, who led the Providence Friars to a Big East regular-season championship and the Sweet 16, was named the Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year on Sunday.

Cooley defeated fellow finalists Mark Adams of Texas Tech, Greg Gard of Wisconsin and Tommy Lloyd of Arizona for the award.

"First, I want to thank the Naismith Awards and those of you who voted that saw something special in our group," Cooley said. "Secondly, I think the Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year is not an individual award, but the highest team award. I am thankful for my team who showed dedication and perseverance this season. And as the proud coach of Providence College, I know it also can't be done without a powerful and strong staff supporting all of us."

Cooley wasn't the only one who took home a major award Sunday, as Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe (Naismith Player of the Year) and Auburn's Walker Kessler (Naismith Defensive Player of the Year) were also recognized.

While Providence has a track record of success under Cooley from when it went to five straight NCAA tournaments from 2013-14 through 2017-18, expectations were lower heading into the 2021-22 campaign.

After all, it was just 13-13 overall and 9-10 in the Big East the previous season and hadn't been to the Big Dance since that stretch of five straight appearances. What's more, All-Big East selection David Duke was in the NBA.

All the Friars did was go 27-6 overall and 14-3 in conference play while capturing a Big East crown.

A balanced scoring act that saw five players average between 9.9 and 13.6 points per game was key, as was the ability to come through in key moments with outcomes hanging in the balance. All but three of the team's wins in conference play came by single digits, and three straight came in overtime during an impressive stretch in February.

Perhaps there was some luck involved with all the close games, but Cooley's ability to coach his team in the biggest moments stood out throughout the season.

The Friars then advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1997 and lost by just five points to a Kansas team that will play for the national championship Monday.              

The top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks avoided becoming the third No. 1 seed to be eliminated in the Sweet 16 by defeating the fourth-seeded Providence Friars 66-61 on Friday at the United Center in Chicago. 

Kansas earned a spot in the Sweet 16 by beating Texas Southern and Creighton. The Jayhawks were coming off a hard-fought battle against Creighton, and that momentum carried over against the Friars. 

Before Friday, the Jayhawks hadn't reached the Elite Eight since they did so in back-to-back seasons between 2016-17 and 2017-18. They haven't won the title since the 2007-08 season, but with teams like Gonzaga, Arizona, Kentucky and Baylor already eliminated, anything can happen. After all, it is March Madness. 

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Notable Performers

Jalen Wilson, Kansas: 16 PTS, 11 REB, 1 STL

Al Durham, Providence: 21 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL

Remy Martin, Kansas: 23 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST

Noah Horchler, Providence: 10 PTS, 9 REB

Christian Braun, Kansas: 6 PTS, 10 REB, 2 AST

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Jayhawks Hold Off Late Push From Friars

Providence had an unimpressive first half against Kansas, struggling to shoot both from the floor and three-point range. However, it began to turn things around in the second half.

After trailing 26-17 at intermission, the Friars stormed back and held a brief 48-47 lead with about six minutes to go in the game, putting more pressure on the Jayhawks than they had all night.

However, Kansas fought off the push thanks to players like Remy Martin, Ochai Agbaji and David McCormack. Martin, in particular, was instrumental in Friday's win, finishing with 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists. 

JAYHAWKS AREN'T BACKING DOWN 😤@thejalenwilson gets the and-one to go #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/dxirbHfm74

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 26, 2022

will be thinking about this dunk for the foreseeable future pic.twitter.com/Fa4uMpNpaW

— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) March 26, 2022

REMY MARTIN IS LOCKED IN 🔒@KUHoops | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/oyoiDAIzvQ

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 26, 2022

This kind of resiliency is nothing new for the Jayhawks, who have been solid defensively throughout this tournament. Christian Braun even told reporters Thursday that when the defense plays well, everything else falls into place, and that's exactly what happened Friday.

"It is a big focus of ours, focus on defense, because we know when we get out and we get stops, we get out in transition, we can run. And that's when we’re at our best," Braun said, according to Glenn Kinley of KSNT. "When we get our stops that's when we're at our best."

If the Jayhawks are going to make it past the Elite Eight, though, they're going to have to prevent the type of comeback that Providence mounted. If they can ratchet up the defense even further, they should be in good shape against either team they face in the next round. 

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Early Shooting Struggles Cost Friars

Providence got off to a slow start offensively. And while some of that has to do with the shutdown defense Kansas played, the Friars didn't help themselves by missing shots. 

Through the first nine-plus minutes of the first half, Providence scored just six points, and the offense didn't get rolling until about five minutes before halftime. The Friars' 17 first-half points were their lowest of any half during the NCAA tournament. 

And while the Friars shot better in the second half, they still finished shooting just 33.8 percent from the floor and 17.4 percent from deep. To put those numbers in perspective, Providence shot 43.8 percent from the floor and 35.0 percent from deep this season. 

Ed Cooley's team had also been known for its grit in getting to the free-throw line, but it was limited to 16 attempts from the charity stripe against Kansas. The Friars entered averaging 21 free-throw attempts per game, which further highlights how disciplined the Jayhawks defense was Friday.

While Providence is heading home with a disappointing loss, this year's tournament was still its best since the 1996-97 season when it reached the Elite Eight, and that's something to be proud of. 

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What's Next?

The Jayhawks will move on to face No. 10 Miami or No. 11 Iowa State. 

The Providence Friars are in the Sweet 16 of the men's NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997, and their supporters reportedly will be arriving in style.

According to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, the New England Patriots loaned their private jet to the fourth-seeded Friars "to help transport support staff members and some fans" to Chicago for Friday's game against the No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks. Providence's team arrived in Chicago on Wednesday aboard a separate charter.

Friars head coach Ed Cooley is a longtime fan of the Patriots and spoke with owner Robert Kraft on Wednesday night.

"It's New England teams supporting New England teams," Cooley said. "Our families are able to come, our donors are able to come, our supporters are able to come. I really appreciate him looking out for us. Given how many planes are being used for the NIT, for the NCAA tournament, it just was limited."

Despite facing the powerhouse Jayhawks, Cooley said his team is excited for the chance to continue its run in the Big Dance.

"An opportunity to play against a No. 1 seed is just something, just stuff that you dream about," he said. "And we're living that dream and hopefully continue to dream it big."

Providence punched its ticket to the Sweet 16 of the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament thanks to a 79-51 win over No. 12 Richmond.

This is the sixth time the fourth-seeded Friars have reached the regional semifinals and the first time since 1997. It will be an especially satisfying result for head coach Ed Cooley, who has turned the program into a consistent winner again but couldn't get over the hump in March.

The emotion of Ed Cooley’s wife, Nurys, tells you all you need to know about what this night means for Providence College pic.twitter.com/5bq3E9XwRu

— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) March 20, 2022

The Big East regular-season champions went wire-to-wire, opening the game on a 10-2 run and didn't look back from there.

The margin of victory was the biggest ever for the Friars in the NCAA tournament.

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Notable Performers

Noah Horchler, F, Providence: 16 points, 13 rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block

Al Durham, G, Providence: 13 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal

Nathan Cayo, F, Richmond: 18 points, five rebounds, one assist, one block

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Friars Dominate on Both Ends

Providence hasn't been an elite three-point outfit this season. The Friars were tied for 148th in three-point percentage (34.3) and 183rd in made threes (7.3 per game).

They found their stroke to open Saturday's contest. Cooley's squad was 8-of-15 from the perimeter in the first half. Those 24 points were enough to match Richmond's entire offensive output in the opening 20 minutes.

Providence is on fire right now from deep. Friars have made 7 of first 12 shots and also dominating on the glass. Richmond needs to get out on PC’s shooters and close out quicker.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 19, 2022

Noah Horchler HEATING UP for Providence 🔥

Almost has a double-double heading into the 2nd 👀 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/tJfrQxMaV0

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 19, 2022

Fresh off holding South Dakota State to 57 points—nearly 30 points fewer than the Jackrabbits' season average—Providence also carried its smothering defense over from the first round.

A 15-point halftime lead for the Friars felt much larger because of the way they were slowing the game down and dictating the tempo. The second half bore that out as the gulf between the teams widened.

When Providence shoots it like this - everything opens up for them offensively.

Plus the way they are guarding this Richmond team (which is no easy task) has been awesome. Really locked in off the ball. It’s been a beauty to watch.

— Terrence Oglesby (@T_Oglesby22) March 19, 2022

Before the NCAA tournament got underway, Providence was the most overseeded team in the field based on their position in the bracket and where they ranked on KenPom.com, per FiveThirtyEight's Santul Nerkar and Neil Paine.

The selection committee might have seen something in the Friars the analytics didn't.

Providence continuing to defy the analytics to ruin everyone's bets in March 🤣 pic.twitter.com/voFRqbyvzI

— br_betting (@br_betting) March 20, 2022

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Richmond Runs out of Gas

Beyond the talent gap, one problem for mid-majors in the NCAA tournament is often the accumulating effect of playing multiple games in which your season hangs in the balance. It can be mentally and physically exhausting when you go from the end of the regular season to the conference tournament to the Big Dance, knowing one loss could upend everything.

As the second half wore on, Richmond looked spent.

The Atlantic 10 champion shot 39.6 percent from the field due in large part to going 1-of-21 from long range. While the Friars' defense played a role in that, missing the mark on 20 three-point attempts is typically a sign of fatigue.

Going to sound a little trite and cliche, but Richmond looks like a team that has been playing a lot of do or die games the past 10 days.

Providence has been sharper and more energetic in every way.

PC 39, Richmond 24 at the half.

— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoATH) March 19, 2022

Richmond looks like I do when I forget something and have to go up and down the stairs again pic.twitter.com/aVhvDVoTSk

— Matt Scott (@KUTheShiver) March 19, 2022

Nathan Cayo at least had himself a game. The Spiders offense was a one-man show, with Grant Golden the only other player to score in double figures.

Nathan Cayo was good for Richmond with 10 points on 5/6 FG. The issue? Players outside of him shot 5/22. Spiders just can’t get anything going offensively.

— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) March 19, 2022

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What's Next?

Providence will meet top-seeded Kansas in the next round in Chicago. The Jayhawks were tested by No. 9 Creighton in the second round, escaping 79-72.