The story of the 2021-22 Friars hasn't been luck, but the group's ability to build cohesion in a short period of time
What we’re watching this season out of the Providence Friars is a rarity, and not just because PC is 17-2 for the first time since Ernie, Marvin and Kevin led them to the Final Four in 1973.
We’re not slapping Final Four expectations on this group of Friars just yet, but it’s remarkable how a team made up of seven transfers has melded into such a cohesive unit driving toward a shared goal.
An annual rite of spring in college basketball occurs when the transfer market is flooded with players looking for a new opportunity — and with that the banal commentary about how today’s players can’t commit to anything anymore, how they don’t want to work their way through a difficult situation.
They’re selfish, in other words, according to so many in the media who care so deeply about the future of the sport.
So much about the 2021-22 Friars makes no sense to those same pundits. The narrative right in front of their faces must be the only one that exists.
After Providence picked up a 65-62 win at Xavier on Wednesday night, maybe the narrative will switch from how “lucky” the Friars have been, to how a group with seven players who have transferred in has found such cohesion.
That would involve looking closely at this team — something that hasn’t happened yet by many of the louder voices covering college basketball.
Ed Cooley’s group is all but forcing them to take a look.
Upon further inspection, the naysayers may soon realize that in an era in which college basketball players are allegedly the most selfish the game has seen, Cooley and Co. have themselves a team hellbent on focusing on the greater good. It’s a stark, and jarring, difference from the Friars of a season ago. That group lost its way, while this one embodies what Cooley loves most — toughness, togetherness, and a bit of “you just have to really get to know them to understand what makes them work.”
Cooley nabbed Justin Minaya from South Carolina who came to Providence as a graduate transfer, albeit not one singularly focused on getting more offensive exposure. Minaya may be the best defender in the country no one is talking about. He put on a defensive clinic against Xavier — taking a charge from seven footer Jack Nunge, pulling the table out from Zach Freemantle, and blocking four shots along the way. There aren’t many players in the nation who can squeeze a minute’s worth of defensive highlights into one game:
It took a year (and a few tough injuries) for Providence fans to see the real Jared Bynum — the one they thought they were getting from St. Joe’s. Bynum hit the game-winning 3-pointer with a second to go against Xavier last night. His 12.1 points per game are second on the team in Big East play, and he’s knocking down threes at a 38% clip in conference games.
Not only did Bynum hit the game-winner, but he also made a pair of critical plays to snap a tie game at Xavier with under six minutes to play. The first came on a drive after a timeout, and on the second he found Noah Horchler for a three to push PC ahead once more.
Luwane Pipkins could certainly score, but Bynum has given Providence the point guard they’ve lacked since Kyron Cartwright graduated in 2018.
Teams simply haven’t been able to keep Bynum out of the paint since he returned in the Big East opener against UConn.
An argument can be made that Bynum has been the Friars’ best offensive player since Big East play began — and he’s doing so off the bench.
Horchler, the North Florida transfer, went 37 minutes against Xavier on a sprained ankle that left him a game-time decision. He led the Friars with 11 boards, and his late-game threes are becoming a nightly occurrence. Chalk up another one from Wednesday night.
On a night in which Nate Watson was limited by foul trouble and held scoreless on two field goal attempts, Ed Croswell — once again — played a critical role with 10 points, six rebounds, and two assists in relief of Watson.
Croswell is averaging 8.9 points per game and shooting over 71% from the field in Big East games. Like Bynum, he’s willingly doing so off the bench. Both Croswell and Bynum are in their fourth year of college.
Bynum’s big shot aside, Wednesday’s hero may have been Indiana transfer Al Durham, who came out of the gates firing early, then made a pair of significant plays late. After Xavier had recaptured the lead with under a minute to play, Durham got to the free throw line and made both to tie the game with 36 seconds left.
After Xavier missed in the waning seconds, Durham had the ball (and the game) in his hands. Instead of rushing a bad shot, Durham calmly flipped the ball to Bynum, who threw a quick fake, then buried the game winner.
In another world, or in a different situation, Bynum and Durham could be competing for minutes or shots or the limelight. Instead, it was Durham (22 points, 10-10 free throws) and Bynum (16 points, 4 assists) combining to help Providence win for just the second time ever at the Cintas Center.
Effectively blending together a team of transfers will be a huge determiner in which programs are successful going forward in college basketball, and Cooley and his staff have done a masterful job of doing so this year. Still, this shouldn’t be the expectation every season. It’s not easy to find a group as selfless as this one. In that sense, Providence has been quite fortunate to have the players with the makeup that this group does. Coaching staffs can identify the talent, or find guys they believe have the right makeup, but you just never can tell how it’s going to come together.
There is seemingly a different headliner every night on Providence, and despite playing in what is supposed to be the most selfish generation of basketball players ever, this group of Friars seems to be just fine with someone else making the headlines as long as they keeping piling up wins.
Great article. Your site is the best place to go for everything Friars!
Fantastic article Kevin!