All-Time Friar Teams

Now that the season is over, Craig Leighton takes a look back at some of the best of the best in Providence history

Now that the season is over, I thought it would be fun to compile a list of some of the all-time Friar teams.

These opinions are my own and are very subjective.

I would love to hear some of the players you would put on these teams in the comments.

All Time Friar Team:

Jimmy Walker: Probably the best player to put on a Friar uniform, Walker was the first overall pick in the 1967 NBA Draft and was selected to two NBA All Star teams (1970 and 1972). Walker was a two-time consensus All American at PC and led the nation in scoring in 1967 after averaging 30.4 points per game. Walker scored over 2,000 points in three seasons at Providence, averaging 25.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists for his career.  

Lenny Wilkens: Wilkens was the first truly great Friar, who went on to be a three-time NBA Hall of Famer (as a player, head coach, and assistant coach of the 1992 Dream Team). Wilkens was the sixth overall pick in the Draft, was named to nine NBA All Star teams, and made the NBA Anniversary teams at the 50 and 75 year marks. Wilkens coached the 1979 NBA champion Seattle Supersonics and was the coach in four NBA All Star games. 

Ernie DiGregorio: Ernie D. led the Friars to their first ever Final Four appearance, and was possibly the best passer in college basketball history. DiGregorio was the third pick in the 1973 NBA Draft, and was named NBA Rookie of the Year after leading the league in assists and free throw percentage in 1973-74. Ernie D. averaged 24.5 points and 8.6 assists in his senior year at PC. 

Marvin Barnes: Barnes led Providence to the Final Four, along with DiGregorio. Barnes is the best rebounder and greatest all-around big man in Friar history. He led the nation in rebounding his junior year (1973-74) and topped out at 52 points in one game (vs. Austin Peay). For his career, Barnes averaged 20.7 points, 17.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. 

John Thompson: One of PC's great two-way players, Thompson went on to be a Hall of Fame coach at Georgetown. He was the interior anchor of PC’s 1963 NIT Championship team, and was part of Providence’s first NCAA Tournament team a year later. At the time of his graduation, Thompson was Providence’s all-time leader in points, scoring average, and field goal percentage. 

All Time Friar Defensive Team

John Linehan: One of the greatest on the ball defensive players in college basketball history, Linehan ranks second in career steals in NCAA history. Linehan was a lightning quick, 5’9 blur who pestered opponents the length of the floor and ruined game plans almost single-handedly. 

Eric Murdock: Another of college basketball's all-time great defenders, Murdock ranks third behind Linehan in career steals – impressive for a player who was just as lethal on the offensive end. 

Justin Minaya: Minaya was a great lockdown defender who was a huge reason why the Friars reached the Sweet 16 in 2022. 

Marvin Barnes: Barnes is still the school’s career leader in blocked shots. 

Marcus Douthit: The 6'10 center averaged 3 blocks per game during the 2003-2004 season, and was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers due to his defensive prowess. Douthit was the anchor of Providence’s stout 2-3 defense – which led them to a top 15 ranking in the AP poll. 

All Time Friar Coaches

Joe Mullaney: The Friar coach who first led PC to national prominence in the 1950's and 60's, Mullaney won 319 games at Providence and won .660 of the games he coached in at PC. 

Dave Gavitt: The founder of the Big East Conference who led Providence to their first Final Four appearance in 1973. The Friars reached five NCAA Tournaments under Gavitt in the ‘70s, and they won at least 20 games in every year from 1971-1978. Providence was ranked in the AP top 10 in four different seasons under Gavitt. 

Rick Pitino: Pitino led Providence to their second Final Four in 1987, during a time when many believed PC would never again achieve national prominence. 

Pete Gillen: Gillen was a great in-game coach who led Providence to the Elite Eight in 1997. 

Ed Cooley: The current PC head coach transformed the program into a perennial NCAA Tournament  contender. When Cooley arrived in 2011, it had been seven years since the Friars made the NCAA Tournament. Cooley has won 221 games at Providence, been to six NCAA Tournaments, has won both Big East regular season and tournament championships, and took a big step forward with a Sweet 16 appearance in 2022. 

All Time Friar Scoring Team

Jimmy Walker: Walker led the nation in scoring his senior year, averaging over 30 points a game.

LaDontae Henton: His nickname "Buckets" says it all, Henton scored over 2000 points during his PC career. 

Ryan Gomes: Gomes scored more points than anyone in PC history (2138), and went on to have a lengthy and productive NBA career. 

Marvin Barnes: Deadly from 15 feet on in, Barnes finished with over 1800 points during his PC career. 

John Thompson: A deadly low post scorer who averaged over 26 points per game his senior year. 

All Time Friar Future Coaches

Billy Donovan: A Hall of Fame head coach at Florida, Donovan is currently the head coach with the Chicago Bulls. Donovan has coached in four Final Fours, and won back-to-back national titles at Florida in 2006 and 2007. 

Lenny Wilkens: An NBA Hall of Fame head coach, Wilkens is currently third on the list for all-time wins in the NBA. 

John Thompson: A pioneer and tremendous winner during his near-30 year run at Georgetown. Thompson won the 1984 NCAA Tournament championship, six Big East Tournament championships, and five Big East regular season titles while leading the Hoyas. 

Johnny Egan: After an 11-year NBA career, Egan was an NBA head coach with the Houston Rockets, succeeding Tex Winter. 

Jim Larranaga: Larranaga has had quite the coaching career, reaching the Final Four as the head coach at George Mason in 2006, and most recently the Elite Eight this spring. He has won 668 career games, and coached in ten NCAA Tournaments. 

All time Friar Transfer Team

Kevin Stacom (Holy Cross): Stacom was the key addition at shooting guard for the Friars' first Final Four team. Stacom averaged over 18 points per game in his two seasons in black and white, and was later a second round draft choice. 

Eric Williams (Burlington College): An instant contributor, Williams put up nearly 17 points per game in his two seasons at Providence. He was the 14th overall pick by the Celtics in the 1995 NBA Draft. 

Abdul Abdulla (CCRI): A local player who graduated from Central High School, he went on to be the point guard on Rick Barnes' last NCAA tournament team at Providence. 

Al Durham (Indiana): The backbone of Ed Cooley's first Sweet 16 team who came in and helped change the tenor of the program in his one season at Providence. 

Jared Bynum (St. Joseph's): Bynum was named the Big East’s Sixth Man of the Year, as well as earning Second Team All Big East honors during the 2021-22 season. Bynum shot over 41% from distance and was the tone-setter offensively for a Sweet 16 club. 

All Time Friar Point Guard Team

Lenny Wilkens: The first of PC's great point guards

Ernie DiGregorio: The greatest passer in PC history

God Shammgod: The greatest ball handler in PC history

Bryce Cotton: Perfected the role of a scoring point guard

Kris Dunn: Ed Cooley's first big-time recruit who overcame injuries to become an NBA Lottery Pick

Vinny Ernst: The little point guard with the big heart who led the Friars to the NIT Championship

All Time Friar Shooting Team

Joe Hassett: Tremendous outside shooter who never met a shot he didn't like

Ray Flynn: Dead-eye shooter who went on to become the mayor of Boston

Jimmy Walker: All-time Friar scorer who could hit from anywhere on the court

Kevin Stacom: Outside shooter who was the perfect complement to Ernie D and Marvin Barnes on PC's first Final Four team

All Time Friar Rebounding Team

Marvin Barnes: The best Friar rebounder of all time

Michael Smith: Intimidating rebounder nicknamed "The Animal" who was the Friars' best rebounder in the Big East era

Jim Hadnot: PC's first Big Man who averaged over 16 rebounds a game in his career

Dexter Westbrook: Very talented big who averaged over 12 rebounds a game in his only season

John Thompson: In addition to his scoring prowess, Thompson averaged over thirteen rebounds a game in his Friar career