Providence Adds UNLV Transfer Jacob Bannarbie

The 6'9, 235 pound interior presence started 15 games for the Rebels and adds depth to the Friar frontcourt.

After a week spent visiting Providence and North Carolina State, UNLV transfer Jacob Bannarbie (a 6’9 redshirt sophomore) announced via Instagram that he will play for the Friars.

News broke late on Friday, as Bryan Hodgson and his staff added a depth piece to their frontcourt with Bannarbie joining big men Samson Aletan (Yale) and Arrinten Page (Northwestern) on the interior.

With Bannarbie, Providence adds a big body with experience (15 starts in 30 games last season) who averaged 5.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 16.2 minutes per game. He’s not a leaper, but the Alaska native can put the ball on the deck and pass some, and he was effective on limited touches rolling to the basket off screens (10-12 shooting as a roll man).

Bannarbie’s biggest games came against Grand Canyon (5 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists) and St. Joe’s (12 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists). Here’s tape of him against the Hawks:

When Hodgson and his staff were scouting Bannarbie, they were likely drawn to his +10.8 NET Rating — the best mark on UNLV last season. That number shows that the Rebels were 10.8 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor last year.

Offensively, Bannarbie likely won’t be asked to carry a heavy burden. He ranked in the 45th percentile in points per possession last season (.910) and did a large portion of his damage in the paint on cuts (30 possessions) and the offensive glass.

While Bannarbie has the ability to put the ball on the deck, his tape from later in the season showed a player who can be a bit turnover-prone — and the numbers back that up, as he had 20.2% Turnover Percentage last season.

Bannarbie likely projects as a backup big who can swing between the four and five spots — but also one the staff could trust to step in and give more minutes if necessary. Providence was caught off guard the past few seasons without this type of 4/5 hybrid on the bench, particularly when Bryce Hopkins couldn’t go and they leaned on wings like Jabri Abdur-Rahim or Ticket Gaines to slide over to the four.

With the addition of Bannarbie, Providence’s roster build feels close to complete with ten new players joining Ryan Mela. The frontcourt now features three physical big men. The ceiling of this trio could come down to what Hodgson and Co. get out of Arrinten Page offensively. Regardless, the floor is high with Page, the defensively stout Aletan, and now Bannarbie giving PC three bigs who should be able to hold up physically as top teams look to go bigger.