Ryan Mela Serves Up a Reminder, Frosh Shine Again, Corey Floyd’s Jumper Heats Up, and More Takeaways from an Offensive Explosion Against Penn

Plus, highlights and a photo gallery from the AMP.

Photo Courtesy of Carl Rizzo at gameone_photography

It’s only natural that, with all of the new faces on this roster, Ryan Mela would go somewhat overlooked throughout the summer and the first week of the season.

A nine-point, six-rebound, four-steal performance in the opener against Holy Cross was overshadowed by concerns about the defense — and while he flashed in moments against Virginia Tech (6 points, 6 rebounds, and an assist in 22 minutes) there were simply too many other headlines between the breakout performances of Jason Edwards, Jaylin Sellers, Stefan Vaaks, and a crushing overtime loss.

Tuesday night against Penn served as a reminder of Mela’s versatility and importance to Providence this season.

Let’s start with the versatility.

On a night in which PC was without starting power forward Duncan Powell and backup guard Daquan Davis, Mela stepped into the starting lineup and provided a little bit of everything — 18 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and a giant exhale as the first of his two made 3-pointers went down in the second half.

Of course, the biggest question mark surrounding the sophomore had to do with his outside shot, and while he hadn’t taken many (0-5 before his consecutive makes on Tuesday) there was a visible sigh of relief accompanied by a look upward after the first three dropped.

Truth be told, Mela hadn’t been as tight with the ball in his hands through the first two games of the season (5 turnovers in 50 minutes and challenges with his handle in traffic), but on Tuesday he provided the type of passing and rebounding this team will need from him going forward.

Those potential shortcomings are Mela’s strengths.

Mela has a knack for drawing multiple defenders and making the right pass, and against Penn it seemed as though he could get into the paint at will. On a team lacking true assist men in the backcourt, Providence’s best passers could be wings in Mela and freshman Stefan Vaaks (who had five assists in the second half). Mela found teammates for great looks on Tuesday.

Defensive rebounding cost Providence in the waning moments against Virginia Tech, and Mela could be the best pound-for-pound defensive rebounder on this team.

If his two late 3-pointers were the start of a step forward beyond the arc, then an offense that already looks pretty potent (the Friars scored over 100 points in each of their last two contests and 89 in the opener) becomes that much more challenging to defend.

And Mela could give them a little bit of everything across the box score.

The Friar Freshmen Continue to Shine

A day after Stefan Vaaks was named Big East Freshman of the Week, he was back at it again versus Penn.

Tuesday night didn’t start smoothly for Vaaks, who misfired on some difficult looks early, but instead of shying away (like so many newcomers would) Vaaks continued to confidently let it rip in the first half.

His second half performance against Penn was every bit as encouraging as his scoring outburst against Virginia Tech — albeit for very different reasons.

Vaaks’ tape from a season ago was filled with outstanding passes, and through two and a half games, he was pretty much in shoot-first mode.

But in the second half against Penn Vaaks’ passing ability was on full display.

When Providence signed him last spring I’d written:

Despite the question marks, the offensive skill set is tantalizing when you watch extended tape of Vaaks. He has the look of a really good passer — freezing defenders, throwing pretty bounce passes in pick and roll action, and whipping high-velocity looks to shooters beyond the arc. If he’s able to beat defenders off the dribble at the high major level, he’ll create a lot of great shots for his teammates.

Against Penn we saw Vaaks drop off a pass to Corey Floyd for a transition three, fire a fastball to Oswin Erhunmwunse out of the pick and roll for a layup, freeze defenders and hit Oswin for a dunk on another roll, throw a ridiculous cross court pass to Jamier Jones resulting in a slam, and draw multiple defenders before kicking it out to Mela for a wide-open three.

Vaaks had two assists in two games before notching five in the second half alone against Penn.

His scouting report is lengthening by the game.

Meanwhile, Jamier Jones continues to provide production and highlight reel plays, while Jaylen Harrell made the most of his first collegiate appearance.

Jones finished with 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists in 23 minutes, while his athleticism puts constant pressure on opponents.

Harrell grabbed an offensive rebound, converted a four-point play, and knocked down a corner three on a look from Jones to cap a 2-4 shooting night from distance. Impressive stuff for a player who hadn’t seen the floor until Tuesday.

Here’s a look at the frosh in this one:

Corey Floyd Heats Up, Additional News and Notes

“Captain Corey” made the most of his 26 minutes — shooting 6-9 from the field and 4-5 from 3-point range in an impressive 20-point, three-rebound, two-assist, one-turnover effort.

The four 3-pointers set a career high (he had three in a game on three separate occasions). Floyd has made six of the nine 3-pointers he’s attempted this season and looks to be shooting the ball with far more confidence.

Game Notes:

• Scoring 106 points — while down two rotation players and with Edwards and Sellers combining for 26 — certainly bodes well for the offensive potential of this group, regardless of the opponent.

• Providence had 77 offensive possessions, which is right in the wheelhouse Kim English shared after the opener (75-80).

• The Friars scored 46 points in the paint — marking the third straight game in which they’ve scored over 40 inside. Last season Providence averaged 30.1 points per game in the paint and had six games of 40+ paint points. They’re halfway there through three games.

• PC scored 58 points in the second half, marking the most points they’ve scored in a half under English. It was the fourth half in which they’d scored 50 points with English at the helm. They’ve scored 40+ points in every half this season and 45+ in four of six halves.

• Penn scored 81 points, despite shooting just 31% inside the arc. They were 12-28 from three and looked to take advantage of overeager closeouts from PC. Allowing that type of effort beyond the arc, combined with seeing Penn go 19-24 at the free throw line is far from a formula for success on the defensive end.

• Massachusetts native TJ Power returned to New England after spending his career in the ACC (Duke/Virginia) and looked solid with 15 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in 34 minutes.

• Providence was without Daquan Davis and Duncan Powell, but English said he believes both could play on Friday night at Colorado. Rich Barron remains a question mark after suffering a concussion prior to the opener. Barron has yet to suit up this season.

See Full Game Highlights and Our Photo Gallery:

Photos From Carl Rizzo at gameone_photography on IG