The Friar Podcast: John Linehan and Bryce Cotton Enter the Providence Athletics Hall of Fame
Two of Providence’s all-time great players, John Linehan and Bryce Cotton, were inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame this weekend.
Not only are Cotton and Linehan among the most accomplished players in program history, both were among its greatest, most improbable stories.
Linehan came to Providence in the fall of 1997 after it looked like he was headed to Howard University. A scholarship opened up late when God Shammgod entered the NBA Draft as a sophomore, opening the door for Linehan — who went on to become one of the best defenders in Big East history. The Chester, PA native led PC to the 2001 NCAA Tournament, and graduated as the NCAA career leader in steals.
A little over a decade later, Cotton became the next amazing underdog story to turn into a star in Friartown.
Providence was the first, and only, Division 1 school to offer him a scholarship — and they did so in late August before his freshman year of college. After playing sparingly as a freshman, Cotton later led the Big East in scoring as a junior before the Friars won the 2014 Big East Tournament his senior year. Cotton capped his career with a 36-point masterpiece against North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Billy and I reflected on the careers of Linehan and Cotton in the most recent episode of The Friar Podcast.