NEW: NCAA Basketball, Lacrosse & Hockey Tournaments Returning to Providence
Joe Calabro, GoLocalProv Sports Team
NEW: NCAA Basketball, Lacrosse & Hockey Tournaments Returning to Providence
Brown Stadium will host the men’s lacrosse quarterfinal in May 2020.
The announcements come following the NCAA’s release of future division I championship sites through the year 2022.
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The NCAA men’s basketball tournament was last held in Providence in March 2016. The tournament brought in an estimated $3.5 million in direct spending by visitors.
“The ticket price was the highest in the country, higher than any of the eight locations, which was all based on demand. We were the first to sell out. This is a big deal in Providence, people support it,” Dunkin’ Donuts Center General Manager Larry Lepore told GoLocalProv at the time.
The tournament saw eight teams come to Providence, including UNC Wilmington, Yale, Duke, Baylor, Miami, Arizona, Buffalo and Wichita St.
NCAA Hockey in Providence
The Dunkin Donuts Center has hosted regionals five times, including 2015, which saw the Providence College Friars advance to the Frozen Four and go on to win the National Championship.
The Dunkin' Donuts Center has also hosted the Frozen Four six times, with the last one coming in 2000.
Overall, the Dunkin’ Donuts Center has and have hosted a total of 38 men's ice hockey tournament games which is the third highest total of any arena in the country.
NCAA Lacrosse in Providence
The NCAA Lacrosse tournament was held at Brown Stadium in May of 2016.
The tournament saw four teams come to Providence including Syracuse, Navy, Maryland and Brown.
Brown and Maryland advanced to the Final Four.
Excited to host the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship 1st & 2nd Rounds on March 18 & 20 at the @DunkinDonutsCtr! #NCAAHost #GoFriars�� pic.twitter.com/4xafq3JrWm
— Providence Friars (@PCAthletics) April 18, 2017
GoLocal’s All-Rhode Island 2016-17 Division I Hoop Teams
GoLocal First Team
G - Kyron Cartwright
A year after backing up Kris Dunn, Cartwright established himself as one of the better guards in the Big East.
At season's end, he was named to the All-Big East second team and named most improved player.
Cartwright averaged 11.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in the regular season helping the Friars to a third place finish in the conference. PC was picked to finish 9th at the beginning of the season.
He finished the season ranked third in the country and first in the Big East with 6.8 assists per game.
"He is that straw. He stirs us up a lot, he is able to drive, he is able to kick, he is really talented. I want Kyron to still think he is better than he is. By nature he is a quiet kid, he is a docile young man, hopefully, he continues to know he is a pretty good basketball player. When he thinks he is good, he plays well," said PC head coach Ed Cooley following the Friars final home game.
GoLocal First Team
G - Nisre Zouzoua
Zouzoua was named all-conference first team in the NEC after averaging 20 points per game to lead the Bulldogs.
Zouzoua scored at least 20 points in 15 games and scored at least 25 points on seven different occasions. He reached the 30 point mark on two different occasions.
This past week, Zouzoua announced via his twitter account that he was leaving Bryant.
GoLocal First Team
SF - Steven Spieth
Spieth was named First Team All-Ivy following the conclusion of his senior season at Brown. He is the 19th player in Brown history to receive the honor and the first to do it since Sean McGonagil in 2014.
"Steven had a great season. He really elevated his game from his junior year and I think that is a credit to the work that he put in this offseason. He was a big part of every win that we had this year," said Brown head coach Mike Martin.
In 2016-17 Spieth led Brown and the Ivy league with an average of 19 points per game in conference play. He ranked third in the Ivy League in overall scoring with an average of 17 points per game.
Spieth finished his career as Brown's fifth all-time leading scorer with 1,367 points. His 117 career starts are the most ever at Brown and second in the Ivy League. His 118 games played are first at Brown and rank 11th in Ivy League history.
"He has been as reliable as they come, he has played the most games in Brown history, he's played all five positions at one point, he's had a great career," Martin said.
GoLocal First Team
F - Emmitt Holt
In his first season in the Big East, Emmitt Holt averaged 12 points and 5.4 rebounds per game for the Friars.
Holt had four double-doubles on the season, including the NCAA Tournament in which he posted 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Holt will return to the Friars in 2017-18 for his senior season.
GoLocal First Team
F - Hassan Martin
Martin was named A-10 Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season after leading the conference with 2.4 blocked shots per game.
Martin finishes his career with 321 blocked shots, just seven shy of the URI all-time record held by Kenny Green.
He also ranked 17th in scoring (14 points per game) in the conference and eighth in rebounding (7 per game).
Martin helped lead URI to an A-10 championship and the program's first NCAA Tournament birth since 1999.
"I'm going to remember Hassan Martin who has been a rock of this program. You don't get a chance to coach a better person than him. You don't get a chance to play with a better person than him," said URI head coach Dan Hurley following the Rams NCAA Tournament loss to Oregon.
GoLocal Second Team
G - E.C. Matthews
One season after tearing his ACL, Matthews returned to the Rams and averaged 15 points per game on 42% shooting from the field.
While Matthews was up and down most of the season, he looked much more comfortable in URI's final seven games, reaching double figures in all of them.
In the A-10 tournament, Matthews carried the Rams offense scoring 20, 19 and 19 points respectively in the three games to get the Rams the title.
Matthews returns for his redshirt senior season in 2017-18.
GoLocal Second Team
G - Jeff Dowtin
Dowtin started the final 19 games for the Rams, including both NCAA Tournament games.
On the season, he averaged 6 points in 22 minutes of action per game.
Dowtin posted a career-high of 23 points in URI's NCAA Tournament win over Creighton in the first round.
GoLocal Second Team
F - Rodney Bullock
Bullock averaged 15 points and 6.4 rebounds per game for the Friars in 2016-17, helping them reach their fourth straight NCAA Tournament.
Bullock had five double-doubles on the year and was named to the All-Big East second team at season's end.
GoLocal Second Team
F - Kuran Iverson
Iverson nearly averaged a double-double for URI in his senior season with 9.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
His best game of the season came on the road against Duquesne where he poured in 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
One game later, Iverson pulled down 23 rebounds against Richmond.
GoLocal Second Team
F - Marcel Pettway
Pettway's numbers dropped from last season, but he was still a critical part of the Bryant front court.
Pettway averaged 10.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs after averaged 12 points and 7 rebounds last season.
Pettway had two double-doubles on the year.
Coach of the Year
Dan Hurley
Dan Hurley led the URI Rams to their first A-10 Championship win since 1999 and then their first NCAA Tournament win since 1998.
Despite some ups and downs throughout the year, Hurley led the Rams to a 25-10 overall record and 13-5 in the A-10 this season, good enough for a third-place finish in the conference.
Rookie of the Year
G - Jeff Dowtin
Dowtin took over the starting point guard role in the February 7 game against Massachusetts and he never gave it back.
Dowtin started the next 19 games for URI and averaged 6 points in 22 minutes of action per game.
Dowtin saved his best performance for the first round of the NCAA Tournament when he poured in 23 points to lead the Rams past Creighton.
"This is a guy that came from a great family, played at a great high school program at St. John's College in D.C., maybe the best high school league in the country, DeMatha, pulled a 6, high-level league, comes from a great family, high-level student.
This guy has all the attributes, all the qualities of someone that's going to be very, very successful. Because he's such a well-rounded person he has tremendous confidence," said URI head coach Dan Hurley after the Creighton game.
Player of the Year
Kyron Cartwright
Kyron Cartwright is the player of the year in Rhode Island.
Cartwright was third in the country in assists and averaged 11.3 points per game, taking a PC team that was picked to finish 9 in the conference to a fourth straight NCAA Tournament.
