VIDEO: PC Beats Rider 88-84, Holt Out for the Year
GoLocalProv Sports Team
VIDEO: PC Beats Rider 88-84, Holt Out for the Year
"First and foremost I am happy we won the game. Sometimes you play like that and lose so it is a credit to our guys to win the basketball game. I thought we did a lot of things bad, but you have to credit Rider, I thought they were well coached, well connected. I thought we were very lackluster in the second half, I didn't think we were well connected like they were," said PC head coach Ed Cooley after the game.
The win comes after the school announced that forward Emmitt Holt would be out for the season. He will use this season as a medical red shirt and return to the Friars in 2018-19.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTPC got nine points and three rebounds out of the center position (Nate Watson & Kalif Young) for the game. Not exactly Holt-like numbers and not good enough when the Friars hit the Big East conference play.
"No, it is not a concern. I thought they had some good looks in front of the rim, we missed a couple of layups. They will be fine," Cooley said. But, Rider is supposed to be a cupcake game -- an automatic win that helps the win-loss record.
The Friars shot just 68% from the free throw line in the game, by comparison, Rider shot 94% from the free throw line.
The win improves PC to 6-1 on the season, while Rider drops to 5-2. A loss to a low conference team at home could have been a disaster later in the season when putting together the post-season resume.
Rodney Bullock poured in 23 points on 8 of 18 shooting, led the Friars.
Alpha Diallo followed up with a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
Next up
PC returns to action on Saturday, December 2 when they visit the University of Rhode Island at the Ryan Center. The game is sold out and on Wednesday night tickets were selling on StubHub for more than $200 for 300-level seats.
The PC-URI rivalry will be in full force.
Game time is set for 5 p.m.
Providence College Basketball 2017-18 Projected Starting Lineup
Guard
Kyron Cartwright - Senior
Kyron Cartwright was ranked as the sixth-best guard in the country and the second-best guard in the Big East by CBS Sports.
He was also named to the preseason All-Big East second team at Big East media day.
"Kyron is the fastest player in the Big East, he can distribute the ball, he was 4th in the league in assists last season, so he can make things happen," said Hassett.
In 2016-17, Cartwright averaged 11.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in the regular season helping the Friars to a third-place finish in the conference.
He finished the season ranked fourth in the country and first in the Big East with 6.7 assists per game.
Coming into this season, Cartwright is tied with John Linehan with 450 career assists. He has a chance to climb as high as second all-time and pass Ernie DeGregorio who recorded 662 career assists.
Vincent Council is number one with 725 career assists.
Guard
Alpha Diallo - Sophomore
Alpha Diallo will look to build off a freshman season in which he started 16 games for the Friars.
He averaged 5.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and one steal in 21 minutes of action per game. At the end of the year, the team named him the Marvin Barnes Defensive Player of the Year.
Diallo started his freshman season coming off the bench and playing inconsistent minutes through the first eight games.
By PC's fifth Big East Conference game, he was in the starting lineup and would stay there.
Diallo finished the season reaching double figures in five of the Friars final 12 games, including 18 points against both Villanova and St. John's.
Guard
Jalen Lindsey - Senior
Jalen Lindsey has missed the entire preseason with a knee injury.
Lindsey returned to practice on Wednesday and will be a game-time decision for Friday, according to Cooley.
If Lindsey can't go, senior Isaiah Jackson will take his place in the starting lineup.
Last season with PC, Lindsey averaged 10.4 points, four rebounds and one steal in 31 minutes of action per game.
He also shot 46% from three.
Forward
Rodney Bullock - Senior
Rodney Bullock returns to the Friars this season after testing the NBA Draft waters last March, before pulling his name out.
Prior to the start of this season, Bullock was named second-team all-Big East.
"With Rodney Bullock, he has to be consistent. He has to come out and give it to you every night. With this team, there is no reason why he shouldn't average 17 points and get 8-10 rebounds per game. He has to be more aggressive on both ends of the floor," said Hassett.
In 2016-17, Bullock led Providence in scoring and rebounding with an average of 15.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
He also led PC with five double-doubles on the year and scored at least 20 points in nine games, including a career-high 36 points against New Hampshire.
In PC’s NCAA Tournament game against USC, Bullock poured in 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Center
Kalif Young - Sophomore
Forward Emmitt Holt remains out with abdominal issues and is not even on campus,
"The Holt injury is a major problem. He is the toughest player on the team, the best rebounder, and a post up guy that they don’t have. He is also good outside guy that can stretch the defense. Plus, you lose the experience," said Hassett.
Holt's absence means 6'9" sophomore Kalif Young will open the season at center.
"He has a tremendous opportunity now with Holt gone to get more minutes then he would have gotten. The reliance on him now is bigger. With Emmitt out there he didn’t have to play important minutes, now he has to play important minutes," said Hassett.
In his freshman season with the Friars, Young averaged 3.2 points, 3.2 rebounds 0.5 blocked shots in 13 minutes of action per game.
