Kevin Stacom: Where Do Friars Go From Here?
GoLocalProv
Kevin Stacom: Where Do Friars Go From Here?
After the first four games in a previous article, I remarked that, of course, we all would have felt better if Stefan Vaaks' last shot in regulation vs Virginia Tech had stayed in for a dramatic W, and the tough road loss against Colorado notwithstanding, a 3 and 1 record would have felt a lot better than 2 and 2 at that point.
Well, since that time, beginning with the return home game at the AMP vs New Hampshire (November 18th), the next four games, bringing us to the present time, began on a very positive note, especially as compared to the same time last year, in a few key areas.
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Yes, it was a win vs a “Mid Major,” but unlike last year, the trend continues that although there were still periods of offensive lulls and a few defensive lapses, the game was never actually in doubt. At the beginning of this 4-game stretch vs New Hampshire, the team recalibrated its approach, knuckled down on D when they had to, shared the ball for an overall 21 assists to only 8 turnovers night, leading to 5 different players in high double figures, scoring 98 points on 56% from the Field, and 39% from 3.
Oswin had 11 rebounds in only 21 minutes of playing time, Jason Edwards scored 25 points on 8 for 11 FG’s, with 8 assists and zero turnovers, Jaylin Sellers had 18 points in 25 minutes of PT; Vaaks continued to impress with an efficient 13 points, including 3 out of 4 from deep; Ryan Mela did his often occurring statistical across the board contribution with 12 points on 5 for 9 from the field, along with 7 rebounds and 3 assists, Jamier Jones had a bit of a breakout game offensively scoring 14 points on 6 for 11 from the field, highlighted by his almost expected acrobatic athletic dunks and drives to the hoop, and also talented freshmen Jaylen Harrell took advantage of some rare minutes to go 3 for 4 from the field, scoring 6 points in his allotted 15 minutes.
With some confidence and rhythm restored, it was on to the uneasy confines of Mohegan Sun Casino to go against a Big 10 opponent, Penn State.
This was a very good win for a couple of reasons. Penn State was a typical Big 10 team with a good amount of size and a very good backcourt with a highly recruited point guard out of Long Island Lutheran, Kayden Mingo (6’3” 195 lb FR G), and a former Top 50 recruit who Rick Barnes originally brought to Tennessee as well as the talented Freddie Dilione ( 6’5” 195lb R Jr). They will win a good amount of games in the Big 10.
The impressive part about this win is that even with PC shooting an abysmal 18% from 3, they still managed to pull out a win by clamping down and getting stops at key times, hitting 15 of 18 FTs, and having a better than 2 to 1 assist to turnover ratio for the game with 15 assists and 7 turnovers. Better than respectable performances in 2 categories that were very scarce last year.
The 77 to 65 final score is very deceiving as the Providence lead was only 3 points with about 2 minutes to go and the feeling that the momentum had swung towards Penn State. Up till this point PC as a team shot 4 for 31 from the 3, and Vaaks was only 1 for 9 up till that point, and he wasn’t the only player struggling from deep- Jason Edwards was 1 for 8, Jaylin Sellers was 1 for 9, and Ryan Mela was 0 for 3!
Despite that context of such a struggle shooting from 3 for the game, Vaaks, you could tell, really wanted the ball in that crucial situation, stepping right into it and nailing it like he was on a roll all night long. Same with the next one he hit to ice the game, pulling up on a break all alone from the deep left wing. I get the impression that Edwards and Sellers also have that attitude, and if the ball had happened to come their way, they would have had no problem also pulling the trigger in the same situation.
I thought it worthwhile to mention the two positive reboots after the Colorado loss to give some context to the aftermath of the most recent Thanksgiving losses.
Wisconsin is another quality, well-coached Big 10 team with a good amount of size - Austin Rapp, 6’10”, 238 lbs, and Nolan Winter, 7’0”, 235 lbs.
Rapp had 20 points, 5/11 from 3, 8 rebounds, and 3 Blocks
Winter had 19 points, 10 rebounds
But the guy who really killed them was Portal transfer, Nick Boyd (6’3”, 177 lbs) - 15/25 FG’s; 4/9 from 3; 7 rebounds, 7 assists/ 0 turnovers; 36 points
He penetrated at will, creating havoc for PC’s faltering defense, either getting to the hoop to score or dish, punctuating it all with well-timed deep 3’s.
Coach English's post-game comments rightly stated that he didn’t feel that their rebounding and scoring dominance around the hoop was necessarily due to their size advantage, but the result of an uncharacteristic lack of effort on his team's part.
Wisconsin put on an old-fashioned clinic on how to play the game with excellent player and ball movement, hitting the open man with the extra pass, etc - very reminiscent of the Davidson game last year in the Bahamas.
The following day's game vs. Florida was probably the worst possible scenario for PC, as reigning NCAA Champ Florida was more than a bit motivated to right the ship after an upset loss to TCU on Thanksgiving Day.
A game in which again a distinct size advantage was in the offing
Micah Handlogten, 7’1”, 260 lbs
Rueben Chinyelu, 6’10”, 265 lbs
Thomas Haugh 6’9” 215 lbs
Victor Mikic 6’11” 260 lbs
Alex Condon 6’11” 236 lbs (Thankfully, he didn’t play)
Although PC was dramatically overmatched physically at least in this game Coach English was pleased with the effort as Providence battled within 6 at the half before being eventually worn down by a dominant front court and not to mention by a breakout game by former Princeton guard, Xaivian Lee (20 points/ 4 assists), a solid game from Arkansas transfer Boogie Fland (17 points) and continuous 3 point daggers off the bench from Slovenian sharp shooter, Urban Klavzar (18points)
After having absorbed the bad taste of these Thanksgiving defeats in San Diego, there might be a way to put them in a valuable perspective in recalling the inauspicious start that the University of Connecticut had in Maui last year, when, after losing all three games in a row there, Dan Hurley stated that never again would he play in a multi-game Holiday Tournament.
They left fairly shaken, but they picked themselves up and grinded their way back to another very successful season Not with their desired result of another 3rd consecutive Championship, but with another great effort (24-11 record, including 14-6 Big East), falling only at the hands of eventual Champ Florida in a dramatic 77-75 loss in the NCAA Tournament.
Providence has an opportunity with 4 out of the next five games at home - FDU, URI, Brown, Butler ( on the road), Seton Hall- to dust themselves off, and gain some momentum to get back on track, including the possibility of acquiring two very valuable Big East wins I know nobody wants to hear any excuses but it would help if everyone got healthy for this crucial stretch. Duncan Powell at 6’8” 240 lbs, would bring another much-needed active, live body to complement Oswin Erhunmwunse up front, and a healthy Daquan Davis (6’1” 185 lbs) would at least provide an effective on-ball defender to keep a player like Wisconsin’s Nick Boyd better in check. Coach English and his staff would also be happy to welcome back a healthy Rich Barron with his signature defensive physicality.
So basically, in this most recent 4-game stretch beginning with New Hampshire and ending with Florida, a positive 2-game trajectory was abruptly punctuated by a Thanksgiving punch to the gut in San Diego.
At this juncture of the season, which is hard not to see as a crossroads of sorts, it might be of value to recall the immortal orations of Rocky Balboa in the movie “Rocky,” played by Sylvester Stallone:
“The World ain’t all Sunshine and Rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you permanently there if you let it! …. But it ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can GET hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward…That’s how Winning is done!”
If there was ever a city that understood Rocky’s words, it’s Providence RI, with a fan base that seemingly always had a built-in effort detector, who more than anything want to see if the people they willingly support have hearts that beat as strong as theirs.
That unspoken deal is still available, and there is no reason why this imperfect but talented team cannot access that loyalty and its attendant power if they can now hold up their end of the bargain.