Friar Basketball Newsletter: Providence Splits in the Bahamas After Beating Georgia While Shorthanded, Josh Oduro's Stabilizing Presence, Ryan Mela's Hot Start, and much more
All things considered, Kim English and his staff can’t be disappointed with a 2-1 week that included a dominant effort against Wisconsin at home, followed by splitting a pair of games against Kansas State and Georgia in the Bahamas.
On Sunday, Providence played without both of its point guards, Jayden Pierre (injury) and Garwey Dual (suspension), and once again PC tightened on defense, and did enough on offense to come away with a 71-64 victory over the Bulldogs. Devin Carter continued his terrific play this year with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists, while the Friars got important contributions from each of the seven players that took to the floor.
Key among them was graduate transfer center Josh Oduro, who shined with 19 points on a very efficient 6-8 shooting from the field, 2-2 beyond the arc, and 5-6 at the foul line. We break down how Oduro has facets of his game that Friar fans are just starting to get glimpses of, and how he impacted winning against Georgia.
Miss the game? Here are highlights of every made Providence field goal on Sunday. PC got a critical late 3-pointer from Corey Floyd Jr., who played 34 minutes and didn’t turn the ball over once in stepping into the point guard role.
We have all sorts of additional coverage from a big week in Friartown.
Bill Ricci shares his thoughts on how Providence worked through some growing pains in Friday’s overtime loss to Kansas State.
I also wrote a deep dive breaking down a hard-fought battle against the Wildcats.
Ryan Mela, a Providence commit in the class of 2024, is putting up big-time numbers against elite prep competition early in the year for the Newman School. Mela is drawing fouls at a ridiculous rate, scoring, and hitting the glass. We look into his early start, and share some highlights of a strong effort against a great South Kent team.
Readers can also take a look back at our coverage of Providence’s win over Wisconsin, which includes a breakdown of a very impressive showing against the Badgers, as well as highlights.
The Friars are now off until Friday (Nov. 24) when they welcome Lehigh to the AMP.
Thank you for reading Friar Basketball! We hope you consider subscribing (if you aren’t already) or spreading the word about us!
Certainly better today, must keep turnovers to a minimum and make those crucial free throws!🏀