News and Notes: Friars Officially Kick Off Practice, It's Down to the Wire for Abdou Toure, Schedule Updates
Providence hosted its first official practice of the 2025-26 season as Kim English, sophomore Ryan Mela, and UCF transfer Jaylin Sellers met with the media on Tuesday afternoon.
A few takeaways:
Head coach Kim English shared that the summer was a solid learning experience for his program, but business is about to pick up. “It’s more real now,” he said of transitioning from the comfortable confines of summer and fall workouts to official practices.
Providence plays two exhibition games this October — starting at Pittsburgh on Oct. 19 before hosting Harvard at home on Oct. 25. English made it sound as though the game against Pitt will be more experimental, while the following week versus Harvard will look more similar to a regular season game in terms of rotations. “We had a good talk with our guys yesterday, making it very clear how we envision each of their qualities as basketball players. Now these three weeks are up to these guys to define their roles,” he said.
English shared that freshman Stefan Vaaks is “a little bit ahead of schedule” in regard to his recovery from an offseason knee injury. Vaaks has been pushing the training staff to “let him go” and take on more during practice. “He’s cut from the cloth of guys we like,” English shared. Vaaks was spotted playing five-on-five in clips the team released on Tuesday.
Sellers said he didn’t know what a Friar was when PC started recruiting him, but the fanbase made sure he knew in short order. Two years removed from being one of the best players in the Big 12, expectations are high for the athletic lefty. “Out of all my years in college, this was probably the fastest the team ever clicked,” Sellers said.
Sellers also shared his appreciation for English’s support during a trying time. Sellers lost his best friend a month ago and noted how English traveled to the funeral to support him and has been there for him throughout the challenging weeks that have followed.
Mela shared similar sentiments about the connectivity of this team and explained how a healthy summer (which he didn’t have a year ago) has helped him prepare for the upcoming season. “It gives me a lot more time to get my game to where it should be — to get my shot right and get in the weight room,” Mela said. He noted he has been putting in a lot of work on his jumper.
“Last year we didn’t do as much off the court stuff as we are this year,” Mela shared. “I think we have a better bond with the team this year.”
Abdou Toure Set to Announce College Decision
Abdou Toure, a 6’6 small forward out of New Haven, Connecticut, is set to announce his college decision on Friday. The 37th ranked player in 247 Sports’ class of 2026 rankings announced he is down to Providence, Connecticut, and Arkansas — with Dave Borges of CT Insider reporting that he won’t be popping for the Huskies, as did Joe Arruda of The Hartford Courant.
Clearly, the folks in Storrs wanted to get out in front of this story.
Toure is an extremely athletic guard out of Notre Dame-West Haven, who spent this past summer playing for BABC. He’d obviously be a huge get for Kim English and his staff at Providence.
“He’s a truly explosive leaper, who rises up with extreme quickness and power, and a violent finisher who can immediately change the momentum of a game with a single dunk,” 247 Sports’ Adam Finkelstein said of Toure in his scouting report. “While he can be physically dominant, his ball skills and overall feel for the game have shown consistent growth as well.”
Prepping for Late Night Madness and Season Ticket Holder Party
The Friars will host their Late Night Madness and Homecoming Weekend celebration on Saturday night, with country star Carrie Underwood as the musical guest at the AMP.
PC also announced it will hold its annual Season Ticket Holder party on Oct. 22 from 5-7 p.m. at Bally’s Lincoln Casino. All Friar men’s basketball, women’s basketball and men’s ice hockey season ticket holders are invited to attend. Fans will hear from English, as well as women’s basketball coach Erin Batth and men’s hockey head man Nate Leaman.
Providence also announced its game times and broadcast assignments on Wednesday: https://friars.com/news/2025/10/1/mens-basketball-mens-basketball-announces-2025-26-schedule-with-times-and-television-broadcast-assignments