Friar fans got their first look at big man Anton Bonke vs. Stonehill (Photos: Louriann Mardo-Zayat)
By KEVIN McNAMARA
PROVIDENCE – Remember the seasons when the Friars were a little short on the depth chart? No more.
After running low on bodies (and talent) in his initial tour through the Big East, Providence coach Kim English promised to stock his roster with ’13 Dudes’ in 2024-25. While it’s still much too early to classify which players can morph into legitimate Dudes, it is clear that English has infinitely more options off his bench.
That was certainly on display in Saturday’s 76-49 win over Stonehill, a decidedly more pleasing effort than a gritty 59-55 win over Central Connecticut State. The Friars started slowly but tore away from the Skyhawks midway through the first half, closing on a 22-5 run over the final 7:15. They’d out-score the visitors by just 32-24 in the second half but defended hard throughout. Stonehill shot just 32 percent for the game, 28 percent from the 3-point line.
Pointing to the liberal use of playing time, a whopping 11 players hit the scoring column. No one played more than 27 minutes. Jabri Abdur-Rahim led the way with 16 points and three 3-point shots. Wesley Cardet added 12 and 8 rebounds.
English said that due to injuries and time away from the program for personal reasons, most notably the death of Abdur-Rahim’s uncle, South Florida coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, his group “is about three weeks behind.
“These are all the things we’d love to have figured out a few weeks ago,” English said. “The guys are still fighting for rotational minutes and that’s without Bryce Hopkins. You can plug (him) in high twenties, low thirties for him. This starting group, we’re still evaluating. We have depth which plays into our hands with all the energy we expend on defense.”
Coming into this season English’s task to blend returnees like Jayden Pierre and Corey Floyd with key additions Abdur-Rahim and Cardet, for example, will be a process. These parts need to show they can fit together and identifying which players carve out which specific roles will take time.
So will the process of whittling down the 13 Dudes on the roster. Would English like to play nine, 10 guys a night? Sure. Anything above that will only mean fewer minutes (and shots) for players like Abdur-Rahim, Cardet and (when he returns) Bryce Hopkins.
“It’s the (transfers) adjusting to us and us adjusting to them,” English pointed out. “This thing isn’t as quick as (the basketball) society wants it to be.”
Jabri Abdur-Rahim owns a deadly 3-point stroke
One example of the quest for playing time comes at center. English loves the fact that he has three young, talented players at that spot and believes all three can help this season and in the future.
English started the live, bouncy Oswin Erhunmwunse once again and it is clear what his path to playing time will be. He’s a defensive stopper and active rebounder, as quick off the floor as any big man the Friars have had in awhile. Erhunmwunse had five rebounds in the first half and the first of what will be many alley-oop slam dunks.
Christ Essandoko (8 points, 4 turnovers) replaced him after four minutes but after a quick traveling violation, English pulled his 7-footer and inserted the 7-foot-2 Anton Bonke for the first time this season. He drew a hearty round of applause from the crowd and stepped to the foul line and made two shots a few minutes later. But Bonke is still adjusting to high-major defensive concepts and does not attack the defensive glass like Orhunmwunse.
English praised all three big guys, saying “the future is bright for those three young men.” He said Oswin boasts “freakish athleticism,” while Essandoko is a “God-gifted passer,” and Bonke as as coachab;e a player as he’s enjoyed.
The Big O – Oswin Erhunmwunse – slams home an alley-oop
The Friars will use three more home games to further define their rotation. It’s also a rotation that could change as the year rolls along. In fact, that’s almost a definite. Providence hosts Hampton on Tuesday, Wisconsin-Green Bay next Saturday and then plays Delaware State on Nov. 19 before packing up for a trip to the Battle 4 Atlantis over Thanksgiving.
Asked what the status of Hopkins might be for the trip to the beach, English seemed hopeful. “I think there’s a chance,” he said. “He’s jumping into live stuff more and more. He’s getting better every day.”
