Class of 2023 Big Man Drew Fielder is a Friar
The early returns from Providence’s 27-6 record a season ago on the recruiting trail have been significant. Ed Cooley and his staff parlayed that success into one of the top transfer hauls in the country last spring, and now they have landed one of the fastest rising players in the class of 2023 for the second time in four months.
Drew Fielder, a 6’10 center who grew up just outside of Boise, ID and now plays on a loaded Southern California Academy (SCA) team, visited Providence over the past week and pledged to Cooley and his staff shortly after. Ranked just outside of the top 100 by most national recruiting services, Fielder saw his stock explode on the Under Armour circuit this summer. He visited USC in early September, and was scheduled to see Syracuse next week, but his recruitment never got that far. The versatile big man will be a Friar.
So, why was Fielder flying under the radar heading into this spring? He battled through injuries in his first season at SCA last year, while playing on a team that featured six top 100 players in the class of 2022. That group included big men Vince Iwuchukwu, a five star USC commit who joined the team last January, and a top 60 big man in Michigan State pledge Jaxon Kohler.
While he received more national pub this summer, Fielder did hold offers from the likes of Arizona State and Creighton, as far back as the summer of 2021.
Fielder further cemented his status as one of the top big men in the country when he took home MVP honors while playing on ESPN in the Big Time Tournament against the Compton Magic in July (see highlights of Fielder from that game here).
There’s plenty to like about Fielder’s game. He hits the offensive glass, shows poise when playing with his back to the basket, and as he proved throughout the summer, he has range that extends a few feet beyond the 3-point arc (with a release that is reminiscent of Friar great Austin Croshere — who played high school basketball 20 minutes from SCA’s campus).
Fielder spoke glowingly about his relationship with Cooley and his staff throughout this recruitment: “Providence really likes my versatility, being able to score in the post and outside. They like me as a big stretch four. They also really like my toughness which fits them well. Obviously, Coach Cooley is a legendary coach and a great human. I love what they stand for and their winning culture,” he told Stockrisers over the summer.
He becomes Providence’s second commitment in the class of 2023. Ironically, he followed a very similar path to that of Garwey Dual, who committed to Cooley and Co. in June.
They started at new high schools last year, neither saw many minutes, and both saw their reputation explode seemingly overnight.
Providence got in on each of these recruits as their stock started to soar, and held off heavy competition to land them.
And they will team together at SCA this season. We already saw some early chemistry when the two played together at the Pangos All American Fest:
It’s hard to be anything but encouraged with the direction of the program. The coaching staff is developing an exciting young core, all while the Friars should remain in the hunt for a top four spot in the Big East this season.
In Fielder, Cooley has gotten himself a big man who should perfectly complement the playmaking abilities of Dual and promising freshman Jayden Pierre — both as a pick and pop shooter and in finishing at the rim. It’s not a stretch to assume that Dual and Fielder were the top two targets of the staff in the class of 2023.
Now, they have the benefit of learning each other’s games over the next year, and then coming to Providence to try to continue to build upon the momentum that has taken off over the past ten months.
Stretch 4/5 makes the offense super hard to defend