With the Friars roughly a month into their offseason program together, Providence head coach Bryan Hodgson met with the local media on Monday and offered an update on how his group is coming together so far.
Hodgson reiterated that it's early in the process. He's pleased with the work ethic his group has shown and the way the roster is coming together, but emphasized there's still plenty of work to do.
“If you’ve ever got a head coach that’s thrilled about the way his team looks in the summer, you need to run because we’ve got a lot to learn. That’s just the reality. We’ve got to get better in a lot of different areas, but our attitude, our effort, our consistency, all those things are where they need to be, and when those things are in place you’ve got a shot.”
Hodgson also shared (while knocking on wood) that his team is healthy and fully participating in practice. The lone exception is wing Leonardo Marangon, who is expected to arrive from Italy within the next week.
If one theme emerged Monday, it was that playing time and starting roles remain wide open. Hodgson also lightly deflected questions about early standouts and emerging leaders.
He suggested some newcomers may ultimately outperform what their previous production suggests.
“There are some guys that are better than their film. We think they fit us more than maybe what they did at their previous stop. Sometimes you get so caught up in the numbers and what somebody averaged at their last school, or how many stops they’ve made — there’s fit involved and we’ve got guys who we feel are a better fit than they were at their previous institutions,” he said.
On the leadership front, Hodgson isn't ready to identify anyone just yet. “I’m a firm believer that it’s hard for leaders to emerge until there’s some adversity,” Hodgson shared. “I’m not the type to walk in and name a captain. I want to see a couple guys separate themselves from the group.”
The one player Hodgson did praise was freshman Clyde Walters. The 6’7 wing reclassified from 2027 to the class of 2026 this spring, and he’s impressed the coaching staff with his ability to compete at this early stage of his journey, “Clyde has been phenomenal. Clyde has really stepped in and made a big jump out of the gate.”
As for projecting a starting lineup, Hodgson made it clear the competition is far from settled.
“In the summertime it’s really hard to identify roles because they are still competing on a daily basis. If you see media put out our projected starting five don’t pay it any attention. I’ve been asked that question by different members of the national media on three or four occasions and I’m like, ‘How is any coach giving you their starting five in July?’”
“I want guys breathing down each other’s necks.”
When asked whether this offseason has been easier after taking over programs at Arkansas State and South Florida, Hodgson pointed to the stability at Providence and the importance of the basketball program within the community.
“Moving that much is not something I want to do,” he said. “That’s why we’re trying to find a beautiful home to plant our roots here in Rhode Island. There’s people who talk about me leaving my last two jobs so quickly, but it’s never mentioned that both athletic directors also left. There’s a lot of continuity amongst the staff and administration here at PC, which is phenomenal.”
“It’s really exciting for me to have a media availability on July 6 and have this many people here. That just doesn’t happen at 99% of the other programs in the country.”
Hodgson didn't shy away from the expectations surrounding his first season: “We're coming here with the expectation to win this year. There's no rebuild, there's no year zero. Everybody's got the same opportunity that we do across the college basketball landscape.”
The more I see and hear from the coach the more I can’t wait for the season to start