Providence commit Dink Pate had one of his best games of the season in a 117-110 win over the Maine Celtics, scoring 26 points, dishing out five assists, and coming down with a season-high 13 rebounds.

The Dallas native was efficient in this one, as he shot 9-12 from the field, 4-6 beyond the arc, and made all four of his free throws.

Notably, Pate played alongside another guard who will make the transition from the G League to college basketball this season in Bryson Warren. Warren, a former five star recruit headed to Texas A&M, went for 28 points and 11 assists of his own.

Here’s Pate doing a bit of everything in Portland, Maine:

After a pair of challenging seasons that saw their beloved Friars combine to go 13–27 in Big East play and finish 11 games below .500 overall, this spring has felt rather cathartic for Providence fans.

The overhaul of a roster returning only one scholarship player feels all but complete as June approaches — and you’d be hard-pressed to find many in Friartown disappointed with Bryan Hodgson’s first portal haul.

As always, these rankings should be taken with a grain of salt, but Providence sits near the top of virtually every transfer class ranking, with 247 Sports slotting them in at ninth in the country — one spot behind North Carolina, and two back of Duke.

For all of the positive press surrounding this group, Friar fans have been burned by the portal one too many times over the past two years to get too far ahead of themselves.

This certainly has the making of PC’s first NCAA Tournament team since the 2023 squad fell to Kentucky in the first round, but like every program in the current landscape, there is a higher level of uncertainty with all the roster turnover.

What are the biggest questions facing Providence as players make their way to campus?

Is Dink Pate ready for year-one stardom?

Hodgson didn’t mix words on The Field of 68’s Off the Carousel series earlier this spring. He expects big things from G-League-to-Providence wing Dink Pate.

There will be an adjustment period after Pate spent the past three years playing in the G League, but Hodgson noted, “When it clicks, he’s going to be special.”

“I did as much homework on him as any young man I’ve ever recruited,” Hodgson said. “I called six NBA front offices and eight NBA G League head coaches, and it was a unanimous no-brainer. One G League head coach was like ‘Is this a serious question? He had 25 against us and the guy I had guarding him was an ACC Player of the Year a few years ago.’”

Pate became the youngest American professional basketball player in history when he turned pro at 17 — and he brings terrific credentials with him to Providence three years later: 16 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game for the Westchester Knicks this year. It was a season highlighted by a 37-point, 11-rebound, 13-assist triple-double in December.

The freedom Hodgson provides offensively should help the transition to the Big East (Pate shot 40% on spot-up opportunities this year). However, unlike in the G League, every game feels like life or death in college.

Providence may not necessarily need him to be an alpha scorer come February and March, but if they do, will Pate be ready to deliver?

As the rest of the country tripped over themselves adding big men, where do Samson Aletan and Arrinten Page slot in among the rest of the Big East’s centers?

Full disclosure: I loved Providence’s approach to the center spot this spring. As the price tag for bigs exploded, PC’s coaching staff landed a tough defender who did nothing but win at Yale the last three years in Samson Aletan, while they’ll look to channel the Arrinten Page that Northwestern saw in November and December into a full season of productivity.

PC has lacked a 1-2 punch at center in recent seasons, but that shouldn’t be the case next year — despite the wings and guards grabbing headlines.

Looking around the Big East, DePaul leaned hard into the big man market. They nabbed two terrific pieces in Magoon Gwath from San Diego State and Fresno State freshman transfer Wilson Jacques (8.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG). Gwath was a terrific shot blocker for one of the best defensive teams in the country in San Diego State (2.6 BPG as a freshman), while Jacques was a nightly double-double threat.

Meanwhile, Georgetown (Chol Machot/Charleston), Marquette (Sananda Fru/Louisville), UConn (Najai Hines/Seton Hall), and Xavier (Michael Nwoko/LSU) all added promising starting centers — and of course, Creighton picked up former Friar Oswin Erhunmwunse.

Yet, despite the popular sentiment that Providence prioritized guards and wings, none of these names feel like the type of matchup problem that Zuby Ejiofor or Tarris Reed presented for Providence inside last year. Expected Aletan and Page to hold their own against any big in the league next year.

Aletan is a very solid piece — a defender who also hits the offensive glass hard and finishes at the rim — while Page could be a swing player for this group if he taps into his potential. He averaged double figures last season at Northwestern (10.2 ppg), even though his production dipped later in the year.

Page put up 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists a game in November, and 14.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in December, but didn’t average more than seven points or three boards in any month for the rest of the season.

Can Malik Mack approach the lofty expectations set when he left Harvard?

It’s been a wild ride for Mack — one that will end in the most unlikely place in Providence.

Considered one of the top ten prospects in the portal after his freshman season at Harvard, Mack was supposed to help lead a resurgence for Ed Cooley and Georgetown. Instead, he’ll wrap up his career at Providence.

Just when it seemed nothing could surprise more than Pate committing to Providence out of nowhere, a few weeks later Mack shocked everyone by becoming a Friar.

Headlines aside, Mack brings a ton of experience to Providence (90 career games, 90 career starts) and a familiarity with the league, but he’ll be hounded by efficiency questions until the ball tips in November.

Mack shot 38% in each of his two seasons at Georgetown, and saw his 3-point percentage fall from 35.5% two years ago to 29.8% last season. On pure point and assist numbers, Mack has certainly been productive. He’s never averaged below four assists a night, and his scoring averages were 17.2 as the Ivy League Freshman of the Year, 12.9 as a sophomore at Georgetown, and 13.6 last season.

He’ll be flanked with shooters next year in a system offering great freedom. Providence doesn’t need him to be a star, but Friar fans would love to see him go from villain to a maestro effectively running the show at the AMP.

How does the off-guard position play out?

Hodgson has two new intriguing options at the two-guard in Devin Vanterpool (FAU) and Ryan Sabol (Buffalo).

Vanterpool brings good two-way versatility — a 15.2 point-per-game scorer who also grabbed six rebounds a night, all while serving an outstanding 3-point shooter from the wing.

Sabol is one of the best shooters in the country, putting up 18.9 points per game and making nearly 40% from three — on a ridiculous 122 makes from deep.

Both Sabol (9.8 per game) and Vanterpool (6.1 per game) took a lot of shots beyond the arc last year. That will only continue under Hodgson.

There’s some positional versatility here as well. Vanterpool at 6’4, 190, provides a little more physicality, while Sabol has more game off the bounce than one would expect from such a pure shooter.

Could Sabol potentially play lead guard alongside Vanterpool? Can Vanterpool set the offense, or even swing over to the three in a smaller lineup? Can Mack, Sabol, and Vanterpool play together in a three-guard lineup? All seem like possibilities, and it will be interesting to see how Hodgson deploys them.

Each of these options highlighted above, combined with the returning Ryan Mela and a top 10-20 portal addition in Miles Byrd have Providence heading into the summer with plenty of intrigue and high hopes for next season.

When Rick Pitino met with the local press last week he ran down the roster and said he thought he had enough talent to win the Big East for the third year in a row. Still, he left the door open a crack when it came to filling his final roster spot — but this?

St. John’s made major waves overnight into Thursday when it was announced that Tounde Yessoufou, a star freshman at Baylor last season, was withdrawing his name from the NBA Draft and joining the Red Storm.

Put simply, this is massive news for St. John’s and the Big East.

In Yessoufou, Pitino adds a physical 6’5 wing who averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game as a rookie at Baylor. A relentless competitor, he set Baylor’s freshman scoring record this past season and also came up just shy of V.J. Edgecombe’s steals record.

His season-high 37 points came in a duel with BYU’s freshman sensation A.J. Dybantsa — a game in which Dybantsa responded with 36 points of his own.

The 14th-ranked player in the class of 2025, according to 247 Sports (two spots below UConn’s Braylon Mullins and one ahead of Duke-to-UConn transfer Nik Khamenia), Yessoufou closed the season with 11 games of 20+ points, had a season-high 12 boards against Houston, dished out six assists versus Southern, and had ten games of 3+ steals (with a high of 6 coming against Utah).

Where Yessoufou Got His Looks

Yessoufou is a bit of an anomaly in today’s game in some regards. Sporting a 6’10 wingspan and terrific strength, he’s a strong driver whose 8.1 paint points per game, ranked in the 97th percentile in the country — 46% of his points came in the paint.

While not considered an outside shooter, his 3-point percentage jumped to 33% in Big 12 play (33-100), helping him finish 53-181 beyond the arc on the season (29%).

There are some encouraging jump shot numbers here, however. Yessoufou shot just 32% on catch-and-shoot opportunities, but hit at a 41% clip when left open, and made 38% off the dribble.

Where Yessoufou is different comes in his attempts from the mid-range, where 15% of his field goal attempts came from last year:

He also brings the ability to post smaller defenders. At Baylor, Yessoufou had nearly 60 post-up possessions (about 10% of his touches) and was efficient enough to rank in the 84th percentile in points per possession. He scored 3.3 second-chance points per game (99th percentile) and finished 16 and-1s.

On the defensive end of the floor is where things get a little interesting. From a wholesale perspective, Baylor wasn’t very good at generating stops this past season, evident by allowing 76.4 points per game (which ranked 251st nationally) and an Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Rating (AdjDE) of 105.8 points allowed per 100 possessions; 103rd in the country (which certainly isn’t a bad mark, especially given the Division I average this past year was 109.3 PA/100 Poss.).

However, given the fact that it was the worst defensive showing by a Scott Drew-led team in Waco since his second year at the helm (the Bears were 9-19 that season, for context), it helps explain why the team went 17-17 this year and missed out on the NCAA Tournament in a non-COVID year for the first time since 2017-18.

From an individual standpoint, Yessoufou was a plus for Baylor defensively. His two steals per game (and 67 total) each ranked third in the Big Twelve, while his 3.5% steal percentage ranked fourth in the conference and in the 92nd percentile of all Division I players.

Add to that the fact that he committed just 2.3 fouls per game in 32.6 minutes played on average (a number which equates to 2.9 fouls per forty minutes), and the makings of a disciplined defender are clear. To further break down Yessoufou’s defensive efficiency, consider the following, per CBB Analytics:

• He maintained a “Personal Foul Efficiency Ratio” (the sum of a given player’s steals and blocks divided by their personal fouls) ratio of 1.04 — a number which ranked in the country’s 94th percentile, and

• Had a blocks-to-personal foul ratio of 0.26 (21 rejections, 79 personals), which ranked in the 92nd percentile.

Those numbers must be music to Pitino’s ears. After all, the Red Storm have been elite defensively during his time manning the program, limiting opponents to under 100 points per 100 possessions in each of the last three seasons — including a second-place finish in AdjDE in 2024-25 (88 PA/ 100 Poss.), and 11th nationally in 2025-26 (93.9 PA/ 100 Poss.), allowing fewer than 70 points per game to opponents each season (65.8 in 2024-25; 29th in the country, and 69.6 last year, 67th overall).

The Fit at St. John’s

It’s tough to pinpoint where anyone will fit in at St. John’s this year given the complete roster overhaul which the program has experienced. However, Yessoufou has all the makings of a player who’s a likely lottery pick in the 2027 NBA Draft, and, financial implications aside, he’s found the perfect place to continue his collegiate career.

With the graduation of Oziyah Sellers coupled with the portal losses of Dylan Darling (Grand Canyon) and Joson Sanon (West Virginia), Pitino and the Red Storm had no choice but to rejuvenate the backcourt in Queens — doubly so when you consider the fact that the likes of Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins, and Dillon Mitchell all served as de-facto big guards for the group last year.

Yessoufou’s five-star talent was on full display last year, and he models what Pitino often looks for in his pieces: a willing defender, physical rebounder, and efficient scorer. He and the returning Ian Jackson (a former five-star in his own right) should split a lion’s share of the two-guard duties next to incoming EuroLeague guard Quinn Ellis (Olimpia Milano), helping to form one of the most complete backcourts you’ll find in college basketball this upcoming season.

A Look at the Film

In each of these transfer portal deep cuts, we’ll show 3-4 minutes of unfiltered possessions from late in the season to give our readers an honest look at the Big East’s newcomer.

In these clips from late in the season you’ll see his awesome transition ability, some post work, and a bit of his mid-range game:

The Final Word

St. John’s has done it again. After assembling a new roster which features a steady blend of returning talent (Ian Jackson, Lefteris Liouthopolous, Reuben Prey), domestic transfer portal acquisitions (Yessoufou, Mercer’s Kyle Cuffe Jr., Avery Brown from Columbia, and Donnie Freeman, formerly of Syracuse) as well as a number of international adds (the aforementioned Ellis as well as Babacar Sane, Lazar Stojkovic, and Djordije Jovanovic), and a fast-rising high school recruit in four-star center Theo Edema (Cushing Academy- Ashburnham, Massachusetts), Pitino and company have just one scholarship to fill.

It also reflects where the Red Storm — back-to-back Big East regular and postseason champs — stand in relation to today’s day and age of player contracts. Saint John’s has had money to burn this offseason; prominent boosters doled out a reported $4.8 million to procure Ellis’ services, while Adam Zagoria of the New York Times Sports reported on Thursday night that Yessoufou’s NIL deal was in the range of $6 million. In a college basketball world where low seven figures seems to be the asking price for most players, you can bet that the rest of the roster was also compensated accordingly.

And so, for a St. John’s team which has amassed an overall record of 61-12 and has gone 36-4 in Big East play over the last two years, the addition of Tounde Yessoufou — a true First Team All-Big East candidate next year — caps off an exceptional offseason. The Red Storm were picked 5th in the Associated Press’ Preseason Poll ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, and don’t at all be surprised if you see them up near the top again.

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Chance Westry has navigated one of the toughest paths of any player in college basketball — and if he produces at Xavier anything like he did at UAB last season, Big East fans are about to hear his name a lot more.

Once considered a top 50 prospect in his high school class, injuries ultimately derailed the first three years of his career.

Knee surgery prior to his freshman season at Auburn resulted in just 11 games played. He sat the next season as a medical redshirt at Syracuse.

Westry didn’t have any better luck the following year at Syracuse, appearing in just three games and taking only one field goal attempt with the Orange before his career there was finished.

Surgeries on both knees essentially cost him two full seasons before Westry headed south to play for Andy Kennedy at UAB last summer.

He’d played in just 14 games in three years since graduating from a high school — and in this era of roster upheaval, even a year away from the court feels like an eternity.

But Westry finally emerged into the player scouts envisioned at UAB: a point guard with outstanding vision complemented by terrific size (6’6) and strength.

Westry was a consistent double-double threat by season’s end, and he earned American Athletic Conference Second Team honors after putting up 15.5 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.

Now, he’s the headliner of Richard Pitino’s impressive transfer haul — a class that 247 Sports ranks as the 17th best in the nation.

What Makes Westry Intriguing?

There are shades of another jumbo-sized point guard from Pennsylvania when watching Westry carve up defenses — he’s reminiscent of Tyreke Evans, the former Memphis star from Chester, PA who later enjoyed a long NBA career.

Like Evans, Westry is productive despite below-average shooting numbers beyond the arc (24% on 87 attempts at UAB). And while neither played well above the rim, both were not just tall, but physically punishing.

Westry wasted little time making an impact once he returned to health. He averaged 16.9 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game in November, and his play only improved throughout the year.

He set an American Conference record with 15 assists in the conference tournament, and closed his season with three consecutive games of 10+ assists.

Over half of Westry’s possessions came in the pick-and-roll game at UAB, and he had a terrific assist-turnover ratio (177 assists vs. 61 turnovers).

Here are some figures that tell the story of his game:

• Westry took 6.1 free throws per game, as his 56.3% Free Throw Rate ranked in the 93rd percentile in the country.

• He played through contact all year, converting 23 and-1s.

• UAB’s Net Rating (point differential per 100 possessions) was +12.5 with Westry on the floor — by far the best mark on the club (+5.3 was the second best).

• His 8.5 points per game in the paint ranked in the 97th percentile, while he shot an outstanding 70% at the rim.

• Westry scored 20+ points in 11 games and had 10+ assists four times.

• Over the final 10 games of the season, Westry averaged 16.7 points and 7.8 assists per game for a UAB team that finished 20-12 overall and 11-7 in the American.

Standout Performances

He had a number of huge games last season — scoring 20+ in four of the first five games of the year. This included a 22-point, 6-assist, 5-rebound effort in a win over High Point (a team that won 31 games and beat Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament).

Westry set a career-high with 31 points against Cleveland State, had 24 points and six assists against new Providence coach Bryan Hodgson and USF in early January, and went for 20 points, 11 assists, and eight boards in a March win over Charlotte.

The game against USF was a battle. UAB trailed by 11 with under six minutes left, but came back to win it in double overtime. Westry took 13 free throws and made big buckets late:

Here is Westry coming up big (24 points, 8 assists) in a great game against Temple:

What are the Biggest Question Marks?

Here’s hoping Westry’s injuries are a thing of the past. The two biggest question marks for the new Xavier point guard will be centered around remaining healthy and his jump shot.

His game is similar to former Xavier guard Desmond Claude, and Claude worked out just fine (16.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists as a sophomore at X) despite shooting 23% from three in his final season in the Big East.

Claude played off the ball, however, while Westry will run the show for a Xavier team that has been almost completely overhauled.

A Look at the Film

In each of these transfer portal deep cuts, we’ll show 3-4 minutes of unfiltered possessions from late in the season to give our readers an honest look at the Big East’s newcomers. Here is Westry in March, with tape including makes, misses, assists, and turnovers:

The Final Word

The addition of Westry served as a bit of a statement for Xavier this spring — a program that looked to have lagged in terms of portal spending in Pitino’s first spring.

The Muskies added five players who averaged in double figures last season, with Westry, big man Michael Nwoko (13.4 at LSU), Tru Washington (11.9 at Miami), Nikolaos Chitikoudis (11.1 at Robert Morris), and Ruben Dominguez (10.2 at Texas A&M) headlining a very good portal haul.

With the 6’10 Jovan Milicevic returning following a productive year, and talented wing Gabriel Pozzato back after missing last season, Xavier has the potential to be a real factor in the Big East.

Westry will have all sorts of options to set up teammates next year, as he continues to build upon one of the better comeback stories in the country.

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In March, the Connecticut Huskies fell just short of securing their seventh national title (and third in the last four seasons) when they lost to Michigan in the national title game, 69-63.

The No. 2 seed in the bracket’s East Region, UConn advanced to college basketball’s final evening by way of a tremendous NCAA Tournament run, during which standout senior Tarris Reed Jr. averaged 19.5 points and 13.2 rebounds per game.

His March Madness résumé included a 31-point, 27-board explosion in the first round versus Furman, as well as two additional twenty-point performances (20 points and 5 rebounds versus Michigan State in the Sweet 16; 26 points, 9 boards, and 4 blocks against Duke in the Elite Eight).

Reed dominated the 2026 Tournament before facing a Wolverines team ranked 27^th in average height — one featuring three outstanding bigs in their starting lineup (the 6’9” Yaxel Landeborg, 6’10” Morez Johnson Jr., and the monstrous 7’3” Aday Mara).

A man who played for Michigan from 2022-24, Reed struggled with his old team’s size in the finale, but regardless he revived his career under Dan Hurley — earning 1st Team All-Big East honors, winning Most Outstanding Player of the East Region, and he’s now being talked about as the next UConn center to go in the first round of the NBA Draft.

A Changing of the Guard at Center

Reed’s departure left the Huskies with a clear void entering the 2026-27 season. In theory, his role would have been filled by the 7’1” rising sophomore Eric Reibe, a former five-star recruit who spent much of the 2025-26 league year as the backup big man in Connecticut’s frontcourt — where he’d prove to be reliable, averaging 5.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game on 65.8% shooting, including a Big East-best 69% (100-for-145) from two-point range, while appearing in an NCAA-best 40 games. However, Reibe transferred to USC earlier this offseason, further intensifying UConn’s need for an established frontcourt presence.

All it took to find their next great center was a quick trip down I-95.

Enter Najai Hines.

A 6’10”, 265-pound former four-star recruit, Hines fits the mold of a “thumper,” with a rugged play style which Big East traditionalists have come to love. The Plainfield, New Jersey native stayed local for his freshman season, serving as the defensive anchor of a Seton Hall unit which ranked 15^th nationally in points allowed per 100 possessions.

Despite failing to crack the Pirates’ opening unit in any of his 31 games played last year (and only averaging 18 minutes per contest), Hines made a substantial impact on the floor:

• He averaged 6.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and a conference-best 2.2 blocks per game on 60.2% shooting (80-for-133)

• His 69 total blocks on the year were tied with Reed for the third most in the Big East, behind only Providence’s Oswin Erhunmwunse (70) and Saint John’s star Zuby Ejiofor (79).

Anyone familiar with Seton Hall head coach Shaheen Holloway’s defensive philosophy understands that it begins with stout rim protection:

• Opponents looking to press the paint versus the Pirates did so to little avail this year, as they shot 46.4% from the interior (17^th nationally).

• Furthermore, the Hall maintained the nation’s best blocked shot rate of 18.7% — a mark 1.3 percentage points ahead of second-place Virginia (17.4%) and near double the national average of 9.5%.

While the collective structure around him helped, Hines was an integral component of Seton Hall’s defensive success. His Block Rate of 16.4% was second in all of Division I play (trailing only Virginia’s Ugonna Onyenso at 17.4%), and he showed excellent defensive discipline, evidenced by a blocks-to-foul ratio of 0.95 (69 rejections against 73 personal fouls last year) which ranked in the 98^th percentile nationally.

Here’s just a sampling of his terrific shot-blocking ability:

Where Does His Offense Come From?

Hines reflects the conventional back-to-the-basket big. He thrives inside, with virtually all of his offense coming in the paint. At Seton Hall, he operated in a relatively low-usage role offensively (16.8%; 45^th percentile) but was indispensable in both generating secondary scoring opportunities, thanks to his excellent offensive rebounding (15.5%; 97^th percentile), and second-chance scoring, which accounted for 30.5% of his total offensive production (86th percentile).

Whether or not there will be greater usage for him in a Connecticut system loaded with high-end talent across the board remains to be seen, but recent history suggests he could have strong involvement. Last year, Reed posted a 26% usage rate (93^rd percentile), while Reibe maintained a solid 19.1% mark (62^nd percentile) in his reserve role.

Let’s take a look at Hines offensively, where he buries smaller defenders when posting up, hits the offensive glass hard, and finishes well as a roll man:

Stepping into a Massive Void

Hines comes to Storrs with big shoes to fill. In 2025-26, Reed led the Big East in Player Efficiency Rating (28.8) and Defensive Rating (92.9). He also finishing atop the conference leaderboard in two-point field goals (210), both Field Goal/Effective Field Goal Percentage (60.7%), and Defensive Box Plus/Minus (6.1), while splitting first with Zuby Ejiofor in Defensive Win Shares (2.6).

Despite his upside, expecting Hines to immediately replicate that level of production would be unreasonable. The learning curve playing for Hurley is steep, and Reed certainly had his adjustment coming in from Michigan.

However, Reed’s successor impacts winning in so many ways. Hines’ statistical profile at Seton Hall strongly suggest he has all of the tools needed to elevate Connecticut’s defense while also enhancing his own offensive ceiling — especially given he’ll be able to run pick-and-rolls with Silas Demary Jr., who averaged a Big East-best 5.9 assists per game last season.

This is why the move feels like a perfect marriage between player and program. Connecticut needed to incorporate more size and physicality to their rotation, and when Hines entered the portal, the match became a no-brainer.

His new destination ultimately keeps him close to home, within the conference, and positions him as the likely starting center for a Huskies team expected to open the year inside the top five of the AP preseason poll, as well as firmly within the national championship conversation once again.

And with the improvement of Reed, Donovan Clingan, and Adama Sanogo in recent years, there’s no reason to believe Hines won’t turn into one of the best big men in the country in time, following a promising freshman campaign.

Hines’ commitment serves as another reminder that UConn’s sustained dominance (both under Hurley and throughout the 21st century) has been driven as much by roster construction as it has on-court execution. The program has consistently adapted to the increasingly volatile landscape of modern college basketball, and this addition is just another one of their championship-level responses.

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Rick Pitino and St. John’s added power and potential to their frontcourt when they landed 6’11 center Theo Edema, a Nigerian native whose game dramatically improved in recent years playing at Cushing Academy (MA) and with Team New England.

Originally a class of 2027 recruit, Edema signed a two-year deal with St. John’s, and he will reclassify to join the Johnnies next season. With his size and power he just might crack the big-man rotation following the departure of the dominant Zuby Ejiofor.

Cushing has long been one of the best programs in New England, and Edema’s time there was no exception. Playing alongside guards like Ebuka Okorie (a one-and-done star for Stanford this year) and more recently Ryan Moesch (originally a Siena commit who is now headed to Syracuse with Gerry McNamara), Edema and Cushing had the best record in NEPSAC AA the past two seasons, winning the league tournament this past spring.

Over the past decade-plus, a number of Big East programs have welcomed players who spent time at Cushing, from Marquette’s Chase Ross to Jalen Adams at UConn, David Duke Jr. at Providence, as well as Andrew Chrabascz (Butler), Kaleb Joseph (Creighton), and Makai Ashton-Langford (PC).

Cushing has been a hotbed for a long time, and Edema has a chance to be its best long-term prospect not only due to his size and frame — he’s also earned praise from head coach James Cormier for his advanced feel.

Edema averaged 12 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks per game this season, according to the New England Basketball Journal’s Steve Hewitt. Edema was their top-ranked player in New England in the class of 2027, while 247 Sports had him at #33 in the country prior to reclassifying.

Edema’s stock took off during a breakout summer in 2025 that earned offers from the likes of Kansas, Tennessee, and Alabama, but ultimately, St. John’s won out.

Of course, Pitino’s track record stands for itself. Edema now has an opportunity to develop under one of the greatest coaches the game has seen. Ejiofor went from Kansas castoff to superstar in Queens.

Despite his youth, Edema could work his way into minutes this year. Pitino returns a very solid piece in Ruben Prey at center, and he added 7-foot-1 Serbian center Lazar Stojkovic earlier this spring. Unlike other international prospects coming to the college game, Stojkovic is still young at just 18 years old.

Both Stojkovic and Prey bring the ability to stretch the floor. Here’s a bit of Stojkovic from deep:

Meanwhile, Edema did most of his scoring at the rim in high school. He brings a physical presence that the Johnnies will miss with the departure of Ejiofor.

“He’s someone who reminds me of (former Iona and New Mexico big man) Nelly Joseph Jr. in terms of his potential,” Pitino said to the New York media earlier this week on Edema. Joseph averaged 14.2 points and 11.0 rebounds per game in his final year of college basketball.

“He has to be developed as a young basketball player. Remember, he’s classified up to his senior year, so he’s a young basketball player — as well as Lazar. I think with all the individual work that we do, those guys will develop nicely.”

Despite losing Ejiofor and the relative youth of Edema and Stojkovic, Pitino sounds quite comfortable with what he has in his three centers — and the overall length on this roster.

Syracuse transfer Donnie Freeman brings great size at 6’9, while Pitino believes 6’8 newcomer Babacar Sane could give St. John’s on the wing, or even at center.

In Edema, Pitino added a promising long-term piece who just might give him minutes early.

Here’s film of Edema during his final season at Cushing:

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Following a hectic spring in which Bryan Hodgson and his staff took over at Providence and then built one of the top-ten transfer portal classes in the country, PC went to work during last week’s live recruiting period.

Over the past week, seven elite high school prospects claimed new offers from Providence — the highest total of any program in the Big East.

The Friars have certainly aimed high, targeting the top prospects in the classes of 2027 and 2028. And with the state of the transfer portal, there’s little downside to going big in the high school ranks.

There’s perhaps no bigger swing than seven-footer Yann Kamagate, who exploded onto the scene this spring. The class of 2028 star recently moved to the United States from West Africa. He went under the radar after missing most of his sophomore season due to injury, but that’s not the case any longer.

Currently unranked, Kamagate could be working his way toward the No. 1 overall spot in the class of 2028. He recently earned offers from Michigan, Arizona, Kansas, North Carolina, BYU, Providence, and more after averaging 16.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game on the Adidas 3SSB circuit for the Compton Magic.

The Friars also offered 247 Sports’ No. 10 player in 2027 — North Carolina scoring guard Jordan Page, a left-hander putting up over 16 points and seven rebounds per game for Garner Road this spring. Page is shooting 39% from three.

Fellow 2027 guards Cayden Daughtry (a Floridian ranked #18 per 247 who is scoring at a very high clip) and Chase Lumpkin (a 6’4 combo guard ranked #60) also earned Providence offers.

Meanwhile, top 2028 prospects Josh Lowery (a guard from Sierra Canyon ranked #14), versatile forward Zion Green (#33), and big man Lewis Uvwo (#19) also received offers. Uvwo averaged a ridiculous 6.8 blocks per game in the most recent Nike EYBL session.

UConn, Creighton, and Seton Hall All Active in May

Dan Hurley and Connecticut were also busy this week, offering five prospects in the class of 2027. Like Providence, they offered both Jordan Page and Cayden Daughtry. Page (from Raleigh) saw new offers from PC, UConn, and Florida State, as well as home-state North Carolina.

Daughtry, who plays with the EYBL powerhouse Florida Rebels, is putting up a ridiculous 26.8 PPG this spring, earning himself offers from UConn, Providence, LSU, Texas, Kentucky, and others.

Hurley offered another top-ten guard in Spire Academy’s King Gibson — a versatile combo guard out of North Carolina who is receiving interest from Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky, and others.

UConn offered 2027 big man Caleb Ourigou, a 6’11 center out of Overtime Elite who plays with the NY Rens. Ourigou is currently ranked No. 88 by 247 Sports and boasts Kentucky and Tennessee offers. The Huskies also targeted 6’7 wing DeMarcus Henry, a five-star prospect.

Two more Big East schools put out a number of reported offers this week, as Seton Hall also offered Jordan Page, as well as an under-the-radar prospect in Nathan Yambayamba, a 2027 Canadian wing who announced the Pirates were his first high major offer after a solid showing on the EYBL circuit.

Seton Hall offered class of 2029 guard Juleeyan Williams, a 6’4 freshman from California.

Finally, Creighton spread offers across classes this week — ranging from 6’8 freshman Bob Da Silva from Indiana Elite to sophomore Kaharri Coleman (a 2028 point guard ranked #48 by 247), and 2027 point guard Micah Gordon, the 46th player in his class who hails from New Jersey.

While St. John’s (Theo Edema), Georgetown (A.J. Olivier) and Marquette (Colton Crowdis) picked up class of 2026 commitments this week (more on them in an upcoming article), they were among a group of five Big East schools who did not have any reported 2027 or 2028 offers this week, per Verbal Commits. This doesn’t necessarily mean those schools didn’t make offers, but none were posted publicly.

Clearly, the biggest takeaway continues to be how the transfer portal has changed high school recruiting. The portal has led to Big East schools getting very selective in the high school ranks — some by zeroing in on elite talent, while others hold out on offers altogether.

And there’s no one way to win. St. John’s has feasted on transfers the past two years, while Connecticut built its core around retaining top high school recruits and complementing them with select portal additions.

Miles Byrd’s most explosive offensive night of the season came in one of San Diego State’s most painful losses.

In just the third game of the season, the Aztecs and Troy played into double overtime before the Trojans escaped with a 108-107 victory on the road.

They survived some late-game heroics from Byrd — namely this halfcourt shot at the buzzer that sent the game into overtime:

Byrd had a season-high in points (24) and made 3-pointers (4) on a night in which he shot 7-12 from the field, 4-8 beyond the arc, 6-7 at the free throw line, and added three boards and three assists.

San Diego State was down 12 with under five minutes to play, and a lot went their way to send this game to OT. Down four points with two seconds left, Byrd forced contact on a 3-pointer. He made the first two free throws, then missed the third intentionally. When Troy followed by making just 1-2 at the line on the other end, it paved the way for Byrd’s halfcourt heave that tied it.

He helped push the game into double overtime by drawing a late charge in OT, and Byrd also buried a three with 1:30 left in 2OT with his team trailing by a point.

Byrd had a chance to win it late, but missed an open look with three seconds left that would have given San Diego State a two-point lead. He also served as a primary ball handler at times in this one.

“We need to work on everything,” Byrd said following the loss. “It’s early in the season, and we still have a lot of gelling to do as a team. We are super talented, but we had a lot of mental slippage tonight. We went away from our identity of defensive rebounding. We need to hone in on who we are as a team. We are a defensive rebounding culture team, and we did not show that.”

Here’s a deep cut of Byrd — his makes, misses, free throws, turnovers, and more from a thriller:

Arrinten Page Starts the Season Strong vs. DePaul

Just days prior to San Diego State and Troy’s thriller, Arrinten Page and Northwestern had their first high major test of the season in a tight one at DePaul.

Page’s strongest stretch of the season came over the first two months, and he was at his peak offensively versus the Demons with 22 points on 10-11 shooting from the field and 2-4 at the free throw line. His 22 points were a career-high.

This one was played to a virtual standstill throughout the night with 14 ties and 17 lead changes. The game was tied at 79 when DePaul was called for a somewhat questionable foul that led to two free throws — and ultimately the final score of 81-79 as DePaul missed a desperation three at the horn.

“I think the thing with Arrinten is he feels needed. He knows we need him and this is a great opportunity. He’s a very talented player, and in basketball you can always turn things around. For him to come into our culture and really buy in, the way he’s been playing — he’s been huge for us so far,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said after the game.

This was Page showing a bit of everything in his offensive game, scoring when posting up, grabbing offensive boards, rolling, and as a trailer. He also flashed some good passing ability, twice hitting Nick Martinelli for layups.

Here’s a look back at one of Page’s best games of the 2025-26 season:

Finally, in the latest episode of The Friar Podcast, Billy, Tom, and I cover several topics, including PC’s addition of UNLV transfer Jacob Bannarbie, Big East winners and losers at the combine, and expanding our coverage to all of the Big East.

New Providence head coach Bryan Hodgson kicked off The Field of 68’s Off the Carousel series with an insightful, wide‑ranging conversation with Jeff Goodman.

Hodgson touched on a bit of everything in this podcast, including his decision to come to Providence, the extensive homework he did on Dink Pate, going head-to-head with Dan Hurley and other Big East coaches, the Friar fanbase, and conversations with Billy Donovan and Ed Cooley after taking the job.

It’s a must-listen for all Friar fans.

Here are some highlights:

On the potential of wing Dink Pate: “He’s all of 6’8. He can play one through the four with the way we play. He’s versatile. He became a much-improved shooter over the past 12 months in the G League.”

“I did as much homework on him as any young man I’ve ever recruited. I called six NBA front offices and eight NBA G League head coaches, and it was a unanimous no-brainer. One G League head coach was like ‘Is this a serious question? He had like 25 against us and the guy I had guarding him was an ACC Player of the Year a few years ago.’”

Hodgson expects an early adjustment to college basketball, but noted, “When it clicks, he’s going to be special.”

He called Pate’s energy “infectious” and noted Pate is very excited to experience college after joining the G League at age 17.

On the talent of his big men: Hodgson pushed back on the notion that his main focus was on the backcourt and wings in the portal.

“Our guards are getting a lot of attention, but if you take a look at our average height, we’re going to be right there with anybody. We’ve got two 6’11, 240s coming. Arrinten Page was 6’10 and a half, 242 on his visit. Samson Aletan from Yale is all of 6’11, 240.”

Page is a versatile scorer, while Hodgson believes Aletan can unlock more of his offensive game playing in PC’s system.

On the Providence fanbase: Hodgson had high praise for Providence fans, but certainly seemed aware of the negativity that crept into the AMP and online last year.

“You see the fanbase on Twitter and they are brash. Now that’s my fanbase, so I’ve got their back. We do want to treat people with respect, that’s for sure, and if I ever feel like they don’t then I’m going to call them out. That’s how I operate, but the support is unbelievable. I’ve had great fanbases everywhere I’ve been, but this city and this state just rally behind this basketball team.”

On Dan Hurley and upcoming Big East battles: Goodman joked that he could see Hodgson and Hurley exchanging words next year on the sidelines, which led to Hodgson speaking of his respect for Hurley and meeting Hurley’s wife at the Final Four this year.

“I love Dan. We’re talking about a Hall of Fame coach. Every year he’s right there in the conversation to win a national championship. I’ve got a great relationship with him.”

And on the potential scenario in which tempers heat up and words are exchanged? “Dan’s not going to shy away from it and I’m not going to either.”

What can Providence fans expect from Hodgson away from the floor? “I’m going to be heavily involved in this community and I’m going to be in the trenches with them. I think that’s what this fanbase appreciates from a coach. To be honest with each other, Ed (Cooley) was loved, man. The dude’s from Providence and was heavily involved in the community, and we’re going to do that as well.”

“I think those are the guys they connect with — not saying other guys haven’t done that, but I’m not on a pedestal. I wasn’t a big-time player, I worked my way up from junior college and I’m extremely honored to be here.”

On Cooley and how he’ll handle when Georgetown returns next year: “It’s pretty simple to me. We’re going to treat him with elite respect. The guy won a lot of basketball games here. He is a big part of Providence College basketball history. We want to kick their ass, that’s for sure, but when he’s here we’ll treat him with class and respect. You can be a fan and talk junk and do the deal, but at the end of the day don’t make it overly personal. That’s important to me because we want to represent this college in the right way.”

Hodgson shared that he spoke with Cooley after taking the job and that Cooley genuinely praised the college and program during their conversation.

After a week spent visiting Providence and North Carolina State, UNLV transfer Jacob Bannarbie (a 6’9 redshirt sophomore) announced via Instagram that he will play for the Friars.

News broke late on Friday, as Bryan Hodgson and his staff added a depth piece to their frontcourt with Bannarbie joining big men Samson Aletan (Yale) and Arrinten Page (Northwestern) on the interior.

With Bannarbie, Providence adds a big body with experience (15 starts in 30 games last season) who averaged 5.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 16.2 minutes per game. He’s not a leaper, but the Alaska native can put the ball on the deck and pass some, and he was effective on limited touches rolling to the basket off screens (10-12 shooting as a roll man).

Bannarbie’s biggest games came against Grand Canyon (5 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists) and St. Joe’s (12 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists). Here’s tape of him against the Hawks:

When Hodgson and his staff were scouting Bannarbie, they were likely drawn to his +10.8 NET Rating — the best mark on UNLV last season. That number shows that the Rebels were 10.8 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor last year.

Offensively, Bannarbie likely won’t be asked to carry a heavy burden. He ranked in the 45th percentile in points per possession last season (.910) and did a large portion of his damage in the paint on cuts (30 possessions) and the offensive glass.

While Bannarbie has the ability to put the ball on the deck, his tape from later in the season showed a player who can be a bit turnover-prone — and the numbers back that up, as he had 20.2% Turnover Percentage last season.

Bannarbie likely projects as a backup big who can swing between the four and five spots — but also one the staff could trust to step in and give more minutes if necessary. Providence was caught off guard the past few seasons without this type of 4/5 hybrid on the bench, particularly when Bryce Hopkins couldn’t go and they leaned on wings like Jabri Abdur-Rahim or Ticket Gaines to slide over to the four.

With the addition of Bannarbie, Providence’s roster build feels close to complete with ten new players joining Ryan Mela. The frontcourt now features three physical big men. The ceiling of this trio could come down to what Hodgson and Co. get out of Arrinten Page offensively. Regardless, the floor is high with Page, the defensively stout Aletan, and now Bannarbie giving PC three bigs who should be able to hold up physically as top teams look to go bigger.

For someone who has written thousands of articles over the past two decades, it’s impossible to adequately express how much I’ve loved covering the Providence Friars.

I’ve loved all aspects of it — the relationships, the recruiting, digging into the numbers, and becoming a voice that many of you have trusted throughout a tenure that has now spanned four coaching staffs.

I hope this comes through in our content, but my favorite aspects have been the challenge of reinventing how we do things and the opportunity to amplify new voices.

Reinvention has kept me going over the past 17 years — from the early days of digging into the New England recruiting scene, to introducing video content and highlight reels, dipping our toes into podcasting a decade ago and later returning with Billy at The Friar Podcast, and more recently transitioning to Substack.

The move to Substack couldn’t have been timed any better. The Friars won the Big East regular season title and reached the Sweet 16 in the first year after the move, then Ed Cooley left a year later, and there has been no shortage of stories ever since.

But even with all that, I often found myself thinking about what was next. How could I offer something new and different in this space?

Today, I’m excited to share that we are expanding our coverage beyond Providence to include the entire Big East. ​​Later this month, this space will transition from Friarbasketball.com to The Big East Film Room — as we continue to evolve what we’ve been building since 2009.

What won’t change?

For starters, we’ll still be at the AMP covering games live, and The Friar Podcast and partnership with Billy aren’t going anywhere. If you’ve been with us on this journey from the early days, I’m confident you’ll love what’s next: in-depth coverage of all eleven Big East programs.

There will still be great Friar coverage — and it will continue to be year-round. Any subscriptions to Friarbasketball.com will carry over to this new site and if you’re on our current email list you’ll remain on the new one. We’re just broadening our scope.

Our Big East content will include recruiting and transfer portal breakdowns, offseason storylines, interviews, a podcast, and deep-dives throughout the season. It will be a natural progression and expansion of what we do.

Why now?

This idea isn’t a new one. As far back as 2014, I talked with Craig Leighton and Craig Belhumeur about expanding to cover the entire league. We even had a logo and URL ready to go.

But timing matters, and it just felt like such a massive undertaking at the time.

As an independent writer, I’ve always felt a responsibility to evolve, to push myself, and to avoid being not just another voice, but a different one. We’ve built a great community here, and it’s time to see if this content can translate across the league.

Candidly, I want to further challenge myself. We’ve built such a loyal following and there’s a big part of me that wants to see if that can carry over across the league. I’m dying to see what interesting stories and angles we can uncover when writing about all eleven teams.

The turning point came over the past two years, sitting next to Tom Harkness on press row. I realized that expanding to the full conference was possible, but only with the right person. I couldn’t do this alone and maintain the standard you’ve come to expect. And I certainly couldn’t do it with someone who wasn’t as invested as I am.

Tom is measured, deeply knowledgeable, tireless, and passionate about this space. He just “gets” it, and I feel very fortunate to partner with him on what’s next. Tom has been a fixture at PC, URI, Bryant, and Brown games over the past few seasons writing for The Rhody Vault, and his insight into the college hoops scene expands well beyond Rhode Island or even the Big East. He’s going to absolutely crush it.

Tom’s already written some great pieces for us:

As for what you can expect? The same mentality that has made this site successful over the past decade and a half will continue.

We won’t take shortcuts or hunt clicks, and we won’t be combative or inflammatory. We’ll be straightforward, fact‑based, and fully committed to telling the story of the league from that perspective. It’s the league I grew up on and I can’t wait to get after this new venture.

I’m beyond grateful to everyone who has supported us along the way. I am confident you’ll enjoy the next iteration of the site. We will continue to push to bring you something new and unique moving forward — something with depth, insight, and heart.

Thanks for supporting us along the way.

Here’s to the next chapter.

With transfer portal activity starting to slow, it’s safe to say that Providence will wind up with one of the most highly acclaimed classes of the spring.

Even though these rankings don’t include G League addition Dink Pate, the Friars still have a top‑ten group, according to both 247 Sports and CBS.

The writers at 247 rank Providence seventh nationally and tops in the Big East. The Friars headline four Big East schools in 247’s top 25, with Xavier (15), UConn (16), and Villanova (17) all included.

CBS is even higher on the next wave of Friars, ranking Bryan Hodgson’s group third in the country, behind just Indiana and Texas.

The outlier, in terms of national publications, is On3.com, which ranks Providence at No. 34. Their ranking equation takes into account players who have departed from the program, so the losses of Stefan Vaaks (Illinois), Jamier Jones (Missouri), and Oswin Erhunmwunse (Creighton) are considered significant.

Of course, the rankings mean little until November, but for perspective here’s a look at how 247’s top ten classes fared last year:

1. St. John’s: A group headlined by Bryce Hopkins, Dillon Mitchell, Dylan Darling, Ian Jackson, and Joson Sanon helped lead the Johnnies to 30 wins, a Sweet 16 appearance, and Big East regular season and tournament titles. The big caveat here is that the returning Zuby Ejiofor was their catalyst and best player.

2. Michigan: A grand slam for Dusty May, as the Wolverines won the national title behind transfers Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara, Morez Johnson Jr., and Elliot Cadeau. It doesn’t get any better than that.

3. Louisville: Leading scorer Ryan Conwell transferred in from Xavier and helped lead Louisville to 24 wins and a first round NCAA Tournament victory over South Florida, despite playing without star freshman Mikel Brown Jr.

4. Kansas State: Okay, so a top-ten ranking doesn’t guarantee success. K-State was atrocious last year, finishing 3-15 in the Big 12 and 12-20 overall. Head coach Jerome Tang was fired in mid-February.

5. Kentucky: The Wildcats’ spending spree was enough to get them in the top five of 247’s rankings, but not enough to make them a Final Four contender. Kentucky won 22 games last season and reached the round of 32, before being blown out by Iowa State. Injuries to newcomers Jaland Lowe (9 games) and Jayden Quaintance (4 games) were massive for the Cats.

6. Florida: The Gators were outstanding once again (16-2 in the SEC), despite portal additions Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland being somewhat underwhelming. They were actually that good in spite of their new backcourt. Both came in with huge reps, but they each underachieved.

7. USC: Losers of their final eight games, USC finished 18-14 and 7-13 in the Big Ten. Injuries and defections played a factor here. Maryland transfer Rodney Rice was averaging 20 points and six rebounds per game before going down for the season with a shoulder injury in November. Chad Baker-Mazara (26 years old and playing for his fifth program) was dismissed from the team late in the year.

Read more

Every transfer portal comes with a certain reputation, but the rep doesn’t always match reality. In our Transfer Portal Deep Cuts series, we aim to dig a little deeper — and let readers decide for themselves — by looking into individual games that shaped the course of their seasons.

In this series you can expect to see a bit of everything: makes, misses, assists, turnovers, and critical moments from games this past season.

Today, we’ll start with new Providence Friars Devin Vanterpool and Ryan Sabol in their season openers.

Devin Vanterpool and Florida Atlantic played into overtime against Boston College in their first game of the season, eventually taking an 83-78 victory. The Owls trailed by nine points with under five minutes to play, and went down five in the final minute, before rallying to tie the game late.

Vanterpool’s Stat Line: 9 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 turnovers, 37 minutes, 4-10 FG, 1-2 3PT, 0-0 FT

Fresh off a season in which he averaged two points and eight minutes a game, Vanterpool logged 37 minutes in FAU’s season opener. He was the only returnee starting alongside four transfers.

He had the look of a Villanova guard under Jay Wright, getting into the lane with consistency, playing off two feet, and spraying the ball out to shooters as FAU surged back in the second half.

Among his best finishes were a lefty layup in traffic and a fadeaway over one of BC’s bigs, while he was blocked at the rim on two other drives.

Vanterpool assisted on huge shots late, including a three in a one-possession game in overtime to help seal the deal. He was very effective as a creator in this one.

After scoring nine points against BC in the opener and six versus Charleston in the second game of the season, Vanterpool got hot — going for 24 and 30 the next two times out, kicking off a nine-game stretch in which he scored in double figures (four of which were 24+ point efforts).

The same night Vanterpool and BC played into overtime, Ryan Sabol and Buffalo were in a battle of their own.

Buffalo fell behind by 15 points in the first half before surging back for an 85-79 victory. At the heart of the comeback was a scorching shooting night from Sabol.

Sabol’s Stat Line: 32 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers, 35 minutes, 9-18 FG, 7-14 3PT, 7-8 FT

Sabol set the tone for his season with a big-time night against a Southern Miss team that would eventually finish 19-16 on the year.

His 32 points set a career high, while his seven made 3-pointers matched a career best. His two makes inside the arc were high difficulty — an and-1 on a drive early in the first half and a closely contested fadeaway just inside the arc. His two misses inside the arc came on a missed layup and a tough baseline jumper off the bounce.

Buffalo led 78-77 with 45 seconds left when Sabol buried a catch-and-shoot three to help close it out.

Obviously, this was a big-time scoring effort for Sabol.

We’ll continue this series throughout the offseason, featuring Friars and more newcomers to the Big East.

Providence has built one of the best transfer portal classes in the country this spring, with CBS ranking it among the top ten on Thursday. Meanwhile 247 Sports ranks PC’s class its sixth-best, while On3.com has them at No. 24.

Bill and I had a lot of fun taking a deep dive into this class in the latest episode of The Friar Podcast — sharing advanced numbers, as well as strengths and potential areas of concern.

Check it out on Spotify, Apple, or SoundCloud.

We appreciate you listening!

Malik Mack was supposed to lead the turnaround for Georgetown under Ed Cooley. Now — two years later — he’ll finish his collegiate career as a Providence Friar.

Who could’ve dreamed up this scenario back then?

Of all the twists and turns that occur in Portal Season, no one saw this coming. Two years ago, Mack was considered one of the top ten players in the transfer portal market. 247 Sports ranked him as the best point guard available after he won Ivy League Rookie of the Year behind averages of 17.2 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.0 rebounds for the Crimson.

The Hoyas finished 9-23 overall and 2-18 in the Big East that year. Mack was the highest-profile addition heading into Cooley’s second season at the Hilltop — a group that included eventual NBA draft picks Thomas Sorber and Micah Peavy.

With Sorber and Peavy vastly outperforming expectations in year two under Cooley, Mack played huge minutes (34.8 per game), led the team in assists (4.3), and was third in scoring (12.9) as a secondary scoring option.

Mack shot 35% from beyond the arc, but just 38% overall — and he saw his numbers from three dip during conference play to 27%.

Playing without either Sorber or Peavy, Mack caught fire in the postseason Crown Tournament, first going for 37 points on 8-12 beyond the arc against Washington State and then scoring 25 more in a season-ending loss to Nebraska.

With Sorber and Peavy off to the NBA, the hope in D.C. was that Mack would parlay his strong finish into a huge 2025-26 campaign. He certainly started the season well (19/8 vs. Maryland, 16/7/3 vs. Clemson, 24/4/4 vs. Dayton, and 16/7/3 vs. Miami in November), but by season’s end, Mack’s numbers looked similar to his first year as a Hoya: 13.6 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game on 38% shooting from the field and 29% beyond the arc.

Georgetown finished tied with Xavier for last in the Big East with a 6-14 mark, but rallied in the Big East Tournament, despite being down star wing K.J. Lewis. They took out DePaul in the first round and knocked off Villanova in the quarterfinals, but eventually fell to UConn, 67-51, on Friday night.

The loss to UConn would mark the last time Mack would suit up for Georgetown.

He entered the portal earlier this spring, taking with him the promise of two years ago, and on Tuesday Joe Tipton of On3.com reported the rather shocking news that Mack was headed to Providence.

It’s either a testament to what truly matters in the portal era, or perhaps a sign of what’s transpiring at Georgetown, that Mack would witness the vitriol directed at Cooley and the Hoyas when they visited Providence the past two seasons — and yet he still decided to jump ship.

At this time a year ago, it seemed very possible that Bryce Hopkins would switch from Providence to Georgetown, considering Cooley helped revive his career, but Hopkins eventually chose St. John’s.

Mack’s Georgetown-to-Providence flip is a certifiable shock.

Juicy storylines aside, the question now becomes how Mack fits in at point guard alongside Ryan Mela and the talented transfer haul of new PC head man Bryan Hodgson.

Mack certainly brings experience, having played 33.8 minutes per game to this point of his career, plus he’s seen every gym the Big East has to offer.

Can he become a more efficient shooter playing in Hodgson’s fast-paced system? It probably depends on how and where he gets his shots.

This season, Mack shot 39.8% on catch-and-shoot opportunities, ranking in the 83rd percentile nationally, and he was terrific when spotting up (90th percentile).

His efficiency dropped in the pick and roll game, where his national ranking dropped to the 40th percentile. It’s worth noting that Mack had nearly 350 pick-and-roll possessions last season versus just 87 as a spot-up shooter.

This is probably a good time to point out that Hodgson’s USF team had over 200 more spot-up possessions than Georgetown this season. The Bulls had about five more spot-up possession per game.

Mack had 138 assists to just 67 turnovers and shot 82% at the free throw line. He was effective against the physical, pressing style of St. John’s: 18/8 and 15/5/5 in two games against them.

This is more of an offense-first point guard. As virtually every Friar fan knows, Mack is paper-thin and not physically imposing defensively. Stylistically, he’s essentially a 180 from Gavin Hightower, the point guard Hodgson brought with him from South Florida who rarely takes a jump shot and is a pest defensively.

With this move, Mack instantly becomes one of the most intriguing players in the Big East next year. As we learn more and more with each passing season, college basketball is strictly a business in 2026, but despite that, Mack’s decision to head to Providence registers as a stunner.

Bryan Hodgson and his staff continue to add wing depth this spring, as 247 Sports’ Travis Branham reported that 6’7 Italian wing Leonardo Marangon will suit up for Providence next year.

The 20-year-old forward plays for UEB Gesteco Cividale (an Italian professional club) and averages 9.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. Heading into this season, Marangon was known as a defense-first prospect with a questionable jumper, but he saw a significant big spike in his shooting numbers this year.

His three-point percentage jumped from 26% to 39% (on 160 attempts), while his catch-and-shoot percentage went from 23% to 38%. Marangon played primarily off the ball, with nearly 30% of his possessions coming on spot-up opportunities.

Here’s a one-minute sample of his jumper from this season:

Branham reported that he had interest from programs in the Big East, SEC, and ACC.

Marangon is known as a good athlete — one who led his team in steals this season, while ranking in the 68th percentile in his league in points per possession allowed (.830).

He won a gold medal with Italy at the U20 EuroBasket tournament in 2025.

Providence continues to build out its roster with depth and size on the wings. The Friars will have a versatile veteran in Ryan Mela, a 6’8 scorer in Dink Pate, one of the best defenders in the country in 6’7 Miles Byrd, and additional length and athleticism on the perimeter with Marangon.

Additionally, their combo guards are 6’4 (Devin Vanterpool) and 6’3 (Ryan Sabol), while their center additions (Arrinten Page and Samson Aletan) are listed at 6’11 and 6’10, respectively.

Providence’s roster currently stands at eight players, and it stands to reason that they’ll prioritize another point guard and additional depth as they round out the team.

The remodeling of the Providence Friars continued on Friday night, as 6’11, 245-pound Northwestern transfer Arrinten Page committed to Bryan Hodgson and PC.

While Hodgson and his staff have aimed high on the wings and in the backcourt this spring, it appears as though they have taken a more pragmatic approach to the interior as the center market has exploded.

They added a steady veteran in 6’9 Yale transfer Samson Aletan (7.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks) earlier in the week, and they’ll pair him with the broader Page at the center spot next season.

Aletan has spent his entire three-year career at Yale. He boasts very good defensive metrics and played for a team that won at least 22 games every year — reaching the NCAA Tournament twice.

Page, meanwhile, fits a different mold. He was a top-50 recruit coming out of famed Wheeler in Atlanta (where Jaylen Brown and Shareef Abdur-Rahim once shined).

Providence will be his fourth college stop, as he began at USC, went to Cincinnati as a sophomore, then suited up for Northwestern this year.

He saw limited minutes at USC and Cincinnati, averaging 9-10 minutes a night over the first two years of his career.

Page’s playing time then jumped at Northwestern, as he started 16 of 29 games and averaged 10.2 points and 4.5 rebounds. He displayed a rather varied offensive game with the ability to post, pass, and make plays off the dribble.

Perhaps the biggest red flag was his decreasing minutes as the year unfolded at Northwestern. Page started the year very strong, highlighted by an 18-point, 12-rebound effort in the season opener, which was later followed by a 22-point outburst against DePaul. He also enjoyed a 21-point effort against Wisconsin and scored 20 more when Northwestern played Virginia.

His production and minutes dipped in Big Ten play, however:

• Non-conference: 27.1 minutes, 14.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 66% shooting from two, 27% beyond the arc (on 1.8 attempts)

• Big Ten competition: 20.6 minutes, 8.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 59% shooting from two, 23% beyond the arc (on 1.4 attempts)

Page has one career double-figure rebounding game (against Mercyhurst), but brings a measure of offensive skill — with potential as a pick-and-pop threat mixed in with flashes of good passing ability and creation off the bounce.

His offensive metrics are promising. On a pure Points Per Possession basis, Page ranked in the 79th percentile nationally (1.035), and he finished in the 97th percentile in scoring at the rim thanks to 81% shooting inside.

Page can face defenders up, has some post ability (49 post-up possessions last year), and runs the floor well for his size.

Defensively, his numbers slowing post scorers are terrific, while his defensive pick and roll stats are quite the opposite. A large part of that had more to do with playing so many teams in the Big Ten that featured centers with easy range beyond the 3-point arc. Page would hedge a screen and have a long recovery out to the shooters at schools like Illinois and Nebraska.

The Fit at Providence

It would appear that Hodgson and his staff targeted Page for a variety of reasons. His body type and game balance out the leaner, more defensive-minded Aletan in the middle.

Hodgson spoke at length about spending the budget wisely, and as so many high major schools are dropping a reported $3-4M on centers, Hodgson invested heavily in guards and wings — and has done so effectively.

College basketball is notoriously filled with groupthink, and after Michigan, Florida, and UConn won national titles behind dominant centers, the cost of bigs has exploded.

Providence looks to have gone in the direction of steady play behind a two-headed center versus entering the arms race for a top-of-the-market big man. Conversely, the staff has three years of tape on both big men, so they should have a firm grasp of their capabilities.

Despite three years of experience, there’s an untapped potential in Page that is likely quite appealing to them.

Here’s a look at three-and-a-half minutes of unfiltered possessions of Page from late in the season. You’ll see makes and assists mixed in with misses and turnovers, providing a realistic perspective of his game:

If you want just pure highlights from his entire career, we’ve got that too (we’ve even got some commentary from the late Bill Walton mixed in from Page’s freshman year at USC):

Page has more offensive skill than anything PC’s centers offered the past two seasons. Of all the plays included in this footage, the passing ability is perhaps the most encouraging.

Ultimately, Page provides a blend of size, skill, and a measure of upside that fits Providence’s strategy of building smarter rather than spending big on the interior.

To what extent the calculated bet of pairing Aletan and Page pays off will be a key storyline for the Friars in 2026-27.

Alright, let’s start with the obvious: Ryan Sabol is a shooter — a very, very dangerous shooter.

The Buffalo transfer committed to Providence on Wednesday and brings amazing credentials from beyond the arc. This season he averaged 18.8 points per game, while hitting a ridiculous 122 three-pointers at a 39.9% clip.

The 122 threes were good for seventh-most in the country and third on a per-game basis.

As a point of comparison, Providence’s record for 3-pointers made in a season is 98 (Bryce Cotton in 2012-13).

Sabol has already made 263 threes in his three-year career.

The Providence career mark? Donnie McGrath’s 274.

Perhaps most encouraging isn’t only the sheer numbers from beyond the arc, but the several ways in which the 6’3 Sabol can get buckets. He’s not just a shooter, but a scorer.

He put up a ton of production as a scorer out of the pick and roll. In 165 possessions as a PNR scorer, Sabol ranked in the 84th percentile in points per possession.

In isolation, he shot 13-21 from the field.

He ranked in the 94th percentile off screens (shooting 52%), made 42% of his catch-and-shoot attempts, hit 39% of his jumpers when being closely guarded, and connected on another 42% when taking jumpers off the dribble. Sabol was also an efficient midrange jump shooter.

In other words, this is a guard who beat teams in all sorts of ways for Buffalo this season.

In his career, he’s had two games of 30+ points, 25 of 20+ points, enjoyed a 10-assist night against UMass, and he has four contests in which he’s made seven 3-pointers.

Sabol isn’t a lockdown defender, with a steal percentage that ranked in the 10th percentile last year, but on sheer points per possession against, he held up fine at Buffalo — finishing in the 62nd percentile.

Providence certainly became more dangerous when they locked up Sabol on Wednesday.

Here’s a look at his scoring prowess from games late in the year:

Bryan Hodgson’s incredibly busy and fruitful two-week run in the portal continued on Wednesday night with the addition of Yale transfer Samson Aletan.

The 6’10 Aletan is a Dallas native who has played on very successful Bulldogs teams over the past three seasons. Yale has won at least 22 games in each of his three years and they reached the NCAA Tournament in 2024 and 2025. They won 24 games this season, but were upset in the Ivy League title game before falling by a point to UNC Wilmington in the first round of the NIT.

Aletan’s numbers don’t jump off the page (7.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks), but he’ll be counted on to provide a defensive presence on the interior. His 6.9% block percentage was good for the 88th percentile nationally, while his 11.8% offensive rebound percentage was 84th.

To date, his offensive game has looked similar to what Providence got out of Oswin Erhunmwunse. He took just ten shots outside of the paint all season, making three of them, but he shot nearly 70% at the rim.

Aletan really wasn’t used much as a roll man in Yale’s offense. He had nearly 100 possessions in the post, but he was rather inefficient (.802 points per possession, 35th percentile).

Here are some of his defensive highlights from this season:

With the additions of Sabol and Aletan, Providence continues to solidify its rotation, which is shaping up this way:

Ball Handlers: Devin Vanterpool, Ryan Sabol, Gavin Hightower

Breakdown: There’s certainly versatility here. Both Vanterpool (American Athletic Conference) and Sabol (MAC) were all-league performers last season. Vanterpool is a terrific shooter from the wings and projects as a two-way threat who can get you 20 on any given night, while defending at a high level.

Sabol is much better off the bounce than expected for a player who hit over 120 threes last year. He has a lot of offensive game. As noted above, he did a ton of damage and was a pretty high-usage pick and roll scorer this year.

Meanwhile, Hightower is a non-shooter, but brings quickness, defensive punch, and knowledge of Hodgson’s system.

Wings: Ryan Mela, Miles Byrd, Dink Pate

Breakdown: Friar fans know what Mela can do — a bit of everything. Hodgson said he thinks Mela can develop into an all-league player in the Big East. Meanwhile, Byrd is one of the best wing defenders in the country, while Pate will serve as one of the real mystery/X-factors heading into the Big East next year.

How high prognosticators are on Providence may hinge on how high they are on Pate, a 6’8 former top 30 prospect who put up a couple 30-point games in the G League this season.

Bigs: Samson Aletan

Breakdown: Aletan is a quick leaper who brings three years of experience playing for a very good program. Like Sabol, Vanterpool, and Byrd, he isn’t a player who has bounced around programs.

Hodgson very rarely gave his bigs post touches last year, so Aletan’s so-so numbers there shouldn’t impact much of what PC does offensively. It will be interesting to see how high Hodgson swings for his other big. The Friars could also benefit from having a physical four man as part of their rotation.

The rotation is coming into focus and Providence’s new staff has wasted little time in identifying and locking down players via the portal.

The Shark struck again on Tuesday night as Bryan Hodgson picked up his fourth transfer portal commit in Devin Vanterpool from Florida Atlantic.

Vanterpool, a 6’4 redshirt sophomore, comes to Providence with some pedigree. His father, David, is a long-time NBA assistant, while Devin was recruited to Florida Atlantic by Dusty May, arguably the best coach in the college game.

Dame Lillard is also a big fan of his father:

Vanterpool joined FAU the year after May led the Owls to the Final Four. He redshirted his freshman season before playing a reserve role as a redshirt frosh two seasons ago.

His breakout came this year as he earned Third Team All-American Athletic Conference honors after putting up 15.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists a game while hitting threes at 35%.

An ankle injury ended his season in February, but the versatile Vanterpool still finished with seven games of 20+ points, two games of 10+ rebounds, and two games with 4+ steals.

Hodgson is obviously very familiar with his game after having scouted and competed against him in the American this year. Vanterpool scored 48 points in two games against Hodgson and South Florida.

Behind the Numbers

Vanterpool will stretch the floor next season for the Friars. He was an absolutely deadly 3-point shooter from the wings — hitting at a 44% clip from the left wing and 48% from the right.

Vanterpool ranked in the 87th percentile on spot-up opportunities (1.157 points per possession) and he has some game off the bounce — ranking in the 87th percentile in jumpers off the dribble as well.

He was a 78% free throw shooter this season, made 43% from the field, and took a healthy 6.2 threes per game.

There was some buzz online about Vanterpool’s defensive prowess, and there are on/off numbers to back that up. For instance, FAU’s Defensive Rating was 105.4 with him on the court and rose to 111.3 without him.

His points per possession against numbers were relatively average, however. Opponents shot 40% from the field when being guarded by him, and scored .929 points per possession — which ranked Vanterpool in the 38th percentile nationally.

An Unfiltered Look

As we try to do with all newcomers to Friartown, here are about four minutes of unfiltered footage of Vanterpool from late in the season. This film shows makes, misses, assists, and turnovers to give readers a realistic sense of what to expect next year.

The Final Verdict

In Vanterpool, Providence adds a versatile combo guard who could potentially play for two years in Friartown. He’s a terrific rebounder for his size, a considerable threat beyond the arc, and boasts very good numbers in the screen-and-roll game (73rd percentile as a pick and roll ball scorer/passer).

Vanterpool is not a high-flyer (he had six dunks last year), but figures to pair well with Dink Pate to give Hodgson two dangerous shooters on the perimeter — shooters who also bring a level of versatility.

Almost a week after the transfer portal opened, three Friars have found new homes, headlined by Sunday’s news that Stefan Vaaks will play for Illinois next year.

Vaaks was ranked among the top ten of all available players in the portal by a few services following a season in whic…

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