Bryce Hopkins, Justyn Fernandez to the Portal in a Busy Day in Friartown

Welcome to Portal Season.

In a span of just a few hours, Providence fans learned that Justyn Fernandez, and later Bryce Hopkins, are entering the transfer portal. Hours later, Joe Tipton reported that forward Jabri Abdur-Rahim is applying for a medical hardship waiver in hopes of returning to Friartown next year.

The headliner is obviously Hopkins, the 2023 1st Team All-Big East performer who played in just three games this season after returning from a torn ACL suffered his junior year.

Hopkins exploded onto the scene as a sophomore at Providence after failing to crack the rotation during his freshman year at Kentucky. The highlight of his career came when he scored 29 points and grabbed 23 rebounds in a victory over Marquette. He was in contention for Big East Player of the Year until Providence faltered down the stretch.

His sophomore season ended in what should have been a dream matchup with Kentucky, but by that point it was evident Ed Cooley was likely leaving at season’s end. The Friars came up short, 61-53, with Hopkins finishing with seven points and eight rebounds.

The return of Hopkins and Devin Carter for their junior years was a significant statement with all of the questions surrounding the program after Cooley departed for Georgetown.

His torn ACL in January 2024 changed the course of the program. While Hopkins struggled to find his jumper under the new coaching staff, the Friars were 11-2 and ranked #23 in the country prior to his injury.

This past season was played under a cloud of questions surrounding Hopkins’ availability. The Field of 68’s John Fanta and Jeff Goodman both reported he would be back for the team’s three-game stint at the Battle for Atlantis in November, but he did not play that week.

He returned to the court to a rousing welcome back from Friartown in early December. All looked well again with the Friars taking an 83-64 win over a very good BYU club, but that would prove to be the season’s high point.

His season lasted two more games. Hopkins bruised his knee in a collision at DePaul, and it was later announced that he would sit the remainder of the season, rather than using his final year of eligibility.

Now, after three seasons at Providence and essentially a year and a half spent rehabbing, Hopkins appears destined to finish his career elsewhere.

His legacy will be one of the more interesting in program history. He helped keep the program elevated by joining after the Sweet 16 run of 2022, turned into one of the best players in the country in his first year at PC, but ultimately couldn’t help raise the bar further due to his injury. Where he winds up next will play a big part in how he’s remembered in Friartown.

The writing seemed to be on the wall for Fernandez late in the year. He played fewer than ten minutes in six of the final 11 games of the season, despite providing an offensive lift when given playing time (15 points in 32 minutes against Xavier, 17 points in 27 minutes at Villanova). After missing last season with a torn ACL, Fernandez shot 38.5% from three and averaged 3.6 points in 10.1 minutes per game.

He was originally a surprise commitment to Kim English and his staff at George Mason. Fernandez was considered a four star recruit by many, but turned down the likes of Florida and Providence and opted for Mason instead. He followed English from George Mason to PC after his freshman year, but got caught in a glut of wings and off-guards this past season and never found his way into consistent minutes.

With Friartown abuzz with the Hopkins news, it was then reported that Abdur-Rahim is seeking a final year of eligibility to return to Providence. Who would have seen that coming when Abdur-Rahim’s role seemed so tenuous earlier this year? His last game in a Friar uniform was his best. He scored 27 points on 8-11 shooting from beyond the arc against St. John’s at Madison Square Garden. Abdur-Rahim injured his knee in that game, however, and was done for the season just as he was finding a niche.

Welcome to life in the tumultuous world of the portal. Providence really hadn’t been negatively impacted by departures the past two years, but the spring of 2025 is set to be a wild one in Friartown.