Big East
2004-05: 14-17, 4-12, 9th
2004-05 postseason: none
By
Joel Welser
The Ryan Gomes era didn’t end well in
Providence with a disappointing 4-12 record in the conference.
The post Gomes era has potential to be decent. The Friars won’t
be towards the top of the conference year in and year out, but
Providence has some quality players returning. A few freshmen in
the frontcourt saw quality minutes last year and will continue
to develop.
Who’s Out: Ryan Gomes and his 21.6 points,
8.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game will obviously be missed.
The 50th overall pick in the NBA Draft, along with
fellow starter Tuukka Kotti will leave a big hole in the
frontcourt. Kotti started all 31 contests averaging 9.9 points
and 5.8 rebounds. Another forward, Jeff Parmer, is transferring
from Providence. Parmer started nine games, averaging 2.0 points
and 1.7 boards per contest. The backcourt takes a hit with the
transfer of Gerald Brown and Rob McKiver. Brown saw action in 15
games averaging 7.1 points per contest. McKiver didn’t play much
as a freshman, but he would have seen an increase in minutes as
a sophomore.
Who’s In: Donnie McGrath and Dwight Brewington are a solid backcourt duo, but the depth is lacking
entirely, unless retuning walk-ons Ray Cross and Tim Englert can
make a surprising contribution. Newcomers Sharaud Curry and
Weyinmi Efejuku will have to fill the void off the bench. Curry
averaged 20.7 points and 7.0 assists per game as a senior at
Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia. He is a hardworker and
a solid outside shooter who will see plenty of minutes backing
up McGrath. Efejuku spent last year leading the Brewster Academy
and will spend this year as a factor off the bench in
Providence. At 6-5, Efejuku has good height for a shooting guard
and isn’t afraid to use his height driving against shorter
opposition. If Head Coach Tim Welsh wanted a big lineup, Geoff
McDermott could also play at a guard spot. The high school
football star is most likely to see minutes as a forward. He
averaged 19.8 points, 11.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists last year at
New Rochelle High School in New York. Power forward Jonathan
Kale will help out on the rebounding gap left by the absence of
Gomes and Kotti. Kale, at 6-7, 245 pounds can, and will, battle
for every board. Kale needs to work on some other aspects of his
game in order to see a lot of minutes, but his potential is
great.
Who to Watch: Donnie McGrath will inherit
the team leadership role, but the play of a couple youngsters
under the basket will avoid this becoming a horribly
disappointing year for the Friars. Randall Hanke and DeSean
White had some great moments last season as freshmen. Suddenly
they are fighting for starting roles and will need to avoid the
dreaded sophomore slump. Hanke, a 6-11 center, started 10 games
last season, averaging 6.5 points and 3.6 rebounds. White had
the highest expectations of the class of 2004. He played in 29
contests, averaging 5.5 points 2.9 rebounds. The 6-7 forward
ideally would play the four spot. He is undersized for a power
forward but has a knack for putting his back to the basket and
taking on whomever the defense throws at him.
Projected Conference Rank: Losing Ryan
Gomes and ending in 14th place next season is not
that bad. Normally with a quality player like Gomes not on the
roster, a team will see a major drop. The Friars just don’t have
that far to drop.
Projected Post-season Tournament: none
Projected Starting Five:
Donnie McGrath, Senior , Guard, 9.7 points per game
Dwight Brewington, Junior, Guard, 13.3 points per game
DeSean White, Sophomore, Forward, 5.5 points per game
Herbert Hill, Junior, Forward, 4.8 points per game
Randall Hanke, Sophomore, Center, 6.5 points per game
