2008–09 Providence Friars men's basketball team

2008–09 Providence Friars men's basketball
NIT, #5, 1st Round
Conference Big East Conference
2008–09 record 19–14 (10–8 Big East)
Head coach Keno Davis
Assistant coach Chris Davis
Assistant coach Rodell Davis
Assistant coach Pat Skerry
MVP Weyinmi Efejuku
Home arena Dunkin' Donuts Center
Seasons
« 2007–08 2009–10 »
2008–09 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT
#1 Louisville† 16   2   .889     31   6   .838
#4 Pittsburgh 15   3   .833     31   5   .861
#5 Connecticut 15   3   .833     31   5   .861
#11 Villanova 13   5   .722     30   8   .789
#23 Marquette 12   6   .667     25   10   .714
#13 Syracuse 11   7   .611     28   10   .737
West Virginia 10   8   .556     23   12   .657
Providence 10   8   .556     19   14   .576
Notre Dame 8   10   .444     21   15   .583
Cincinnati 8   10   .444     18   14   .563
Seton Hall 7   11   .389     17   15   .531
Georgetown 7   11   .389     16   15   .516
St. John's 6   12   .333     16   18   .471
South Florida 4   14   .222     9   22   .290
Rutgers 2   16   .111     11   21   .344
DePaul 0   18   .000     9   24   .273
† 2009 Big East Tournament winner
As of April 4, 2009[1] • Rankings from AP Poll

The 2008–09 Providence Friars men's basketball team represented Providence College in the Big East Conference. The team finished with a 10–8 conference record and a 19–14 record overall.

In March 2008, head coach Tim Welsh was fired by the school after finishing with a losing record for the third time in four seasons. In April, Drake University head coach Keno Davis replaced him; Davis was named the 2008 Associated Press National Coach of the Year in his first and only season as a head coach at Drake.[2] The Friars had previously been turned down by Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, who coached Providence to the 1987 Final Four, George Mason University head coach Jim Larranaga, a Providence alumnus, and University of Massachusetts head coach Travis Ford.[2][3]

Davis inherited all five starters from Welsh's final season with the Friars. However, prior to the season junior guard Dwain Williams transferred to Oregon State,[4] while reserve forward Charles Burch was the team's lone departing senior.

At home, the Friars twice defeated ranked opponents; on January 28 they defeated #15 Syracuse, and on February 24, the Friars knocked off #1 Pittsburgh, the first time the school had accomplished the feat since 1976. The Friars received votes in the AP Poll after each win, but were not ranked at any point in the season.

Finishing with a 10-8 record in the Big East, the Friars began the 2009 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament as an eighth seed, defeating DePaul in the first round before falling to top-seeded Louisville in the quarterfinals. They missed the NCAA Tournament for a fifth straight season and lost in the first round of the NIT to Miami.

Contents

Roster

2008–09 Providence Friars men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year High School/Junior College Home town
F 0 Kellogg, AlexAlex Kellogg 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So St. Francis DeSales High School Columbus, Ohio
G 1 Xavier, JeffJeff Xavier 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr St. Raphael Academy Pawtucket, Rhode Island
G/F 2 Brooks, MarshonMarshon Brooks 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Tucker High School Stone Mountain, Georgia
G 4 Curry, SharaudSharaud Curry 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Jr Joseph Wheeler High School Gainesville, Georgia
F 11 McDermott, GeoffGeoff McDermott 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr New Rochelle High School New Rochelle, New York
G 12 Burchett, LukeLuke Burchett 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Fenwick High School Western Springs, Illinois
G/F 13 Efejuku, WeyinmiWeyinmi Efejuku 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Brewster Academy Fresh Meadows, New York
F 15 Peterson, JamineJamine Peterson  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Notre Dame Prep Brooklyn, New York
F 21 Baudinet, ChrisChris Baudinet 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Taft School Watertown, Connecticut
G 23 McKenzie, BrianBrian McKenzie 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Xaverian High School Brooklyn, New York
F 25 Beloin, BrianBrian Beloin 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Avon High School Avon, Connecticut
F 31 Heine, ConnorConnor Heine 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Fairfield Prep Fairfield, Connecticut
F/C 32 Hanke, RandallRandall Hanke 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Sr Trinity-Pawling School New York, New York
F/C 34 Kale, JonathanJonathan Kale 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr St. Andrew's School Mattapan, Massachusetts
F/C 42 Dixon, BilalBilal Dixon  6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 228 lb (103 kg) Fr Queen of Peace High School Jersey City, New Jersey
C 55 Hall, RayRay Hall  6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Jr J. K. Mullen High School Denver, Colorado
Head coach

Keno Davis

Assistant coach(es)

Chris Davis
Rodell Davis
Pat Skerry

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: 2010-02-06

Depth chart

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2 Bench 3
C Jonathan Kale Randall Hanke Bilal Dixon Ray Hall
PF Geoff McDermott Alex Kellogg Chris Baudinet Jamine Peterson
SF Weyinmi Efejuku Marshon Brooks Brian Beloin Connor Heine
SG Jeff Xavier Brian McKenzie
PG Sharaud Curry Luke Burchett

Incoming recruits

Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Bilal Dixon
PF		 Jersey City, NJ Queen of Peace HS 6 ft 9 in (206 cm) 229 lb (104 kg) Sep 25,
2007 
Scout:   Rivals:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout and Rivals may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
In these cases, an average of the two was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:

Schedule

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Record
Exhibition games
November 1* 7:00 PM University of Ottawa (CIS) Dunkin' Donuts Center • Providence, RI W 85–57 
November 8* 7:00 PM Slippery Rock (D-II) Dunkin' Donuts Center • Providence, RI W 105–84 
Non-conference games
November 15* 7:00 PM Northeastern Dunkin' Donuts Center • Providence, RI L 66–70  0–1
November 18* 7:00 PM Dartmouth Dunkin' Donuts Center • Providence, RI W 100–82  1–1
November 20* 7:00 PM Sacred Heart Dunkin' Donuts Center • Providence, RI W 111-87  2–1
November 22* 2:00 PM Maine Dunkin' Donuts Center • Providence, RI W 83–62  3–1
November 27* 11:30 PM vs. Baylor Anaheim Convention Center • Anaheim, CA
(76 Classic)		 ESPN2 L 56–72  3–2
November 28* 10:00 PM vs. Charlotte Anaheim Convention Center • Anaheim, CA
(76 Classic)		 ESPNU W 67–62  4–2
November 30* 5:30 PM vs. St. Mary's (CA) Anaheim Convention Center • Anaheim, CA
(76 Classic)		 ESPNU L 75–81  4–3
December 3* 7:00 PM Brown Dunkin' Donuts Center • Providence, RI W 86–62  5–3
December 6* 2:00 PM Rhode Island Dunkin' Donuts Center • Providence, RI Cox Sports W 66–65  6–3
December 17* 7:00 PM Jackson State Dunkin' Donuts Center • Providence, RI W 85–71  7–3
December 20* 4:00 PM at Boston College Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, MA NESN L 76–81  7–4
December 22* 7:00 PM Bryant Dunkin' Donuts Center • Providence, RI W 91–64  8–4
Big East regular season
December 31 4:00 PM St. John's Dunkin' Donuts Center • Providence, RI Cox Sports W 75–54  9–4 (1–0)
January 3 7:00 PM DePaul Dunkin' Donuts Center • Providence, RI Cox Sports W 62–54  10–4 (2–0)
January 7 7:00 PM at Cincinnati Fifth Third Arena • Cincinnati, OH ESPNU W 87–79  11–4 (3–0)
January 10 1:00 PM at #9 Georgetown Verizon Center • Washington, D.C. ESPNU L 75–82  11–5 (3–1)
January 17 9:00 PM #14 Marquette Dunkin' Donuts Center • Providence, RI ESPN2 L 82–91  11–6 (3–2)
January 19 8:00 PM Cincinnati Dunkin' Donuts Center • Providence, RI Cox Sports W 72–63  12–6 (4–2)
January 22 7:00 PM at Seton Hall Prudential Center • Newark, NJ ESPNU W 98–93 OT 13–6 (5–2)
January 28 7:00 PM #15 Syracuse Dunkin' Donuts Center • Providence, RI Cox Sports W 100–94  14–6 (6–2)
January 31 4:00 PM at #2 Connecticut Harry A. Gampel Pavilion • Storrs, CT Cox Sports L 61–94  14–7 (6–3)
February 4 8:00 PM #17 Villanova Dunkin' Donuts Center • Providence, RI Cox Sports L 91–94  14–8 (6–4)
February 7 4:00 PM at West Virginia WVU Coliseum • Morgantown, WV Cox Sports L 59–86  14–9 (6–5)
February 10 7:00 PM at South Florida USF Sun Dome • Tampa, FL ESPN360 W 77–62  15–9 (7–5)
February 14 7:00 PM Rutgers Dunkin' Donuts Center • Providence, RI Cox Sports W 78–68  16–9 (8–5)
February 18 7:30 PM at #7 Louisville Freedom Hall • Louisville, KY ESPN2 L 76–94  16–10 (8–6)
February 21 12:00 PM Notre Dame Dunkin' Donuts Center • Providence, RI Cox Sports L 84–103  16–11 (8–7)
February 24 7:00 PM #1 Pittsburgh Dunkin' Donuts Center • Providence, RI Cox Sports W 81–73  17–11 (9–7)
March 1 2:00 PM at Rutgers Louis Brown Athletic Center • Piscataway, NJ ESPNU W 73–66  18–11 (10–7)
March 5 7:00 PM at #11 Villanova The Pavilion • Villanova, PA ESPN2 L 80–97  18–12 (10–8)
Big East Tournament
March 11 12:00 PM vs. DePaul Madison Square Garden • New York, NY
(First Round)		 ESPN W 83–74  19–12 (10–8)
March 12 12:00 PM vs. #5 Louisville Madison Square Garden • New York, NY
(Quarterfinals)		 ESPN L 55–73  19–13 (10–8)
NIT
March 18 7:00 PM Miami Dunkin' Donuts Center • Providence, RI
(First Round)		 ESPN2 L 66–78  19–14 (10–8)
*Non-Conference Game. #Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Eastern Time [5].

Rankings

Main article: 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking Movement
Legend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
Poll Pre Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Wk 15 Wk 16 WK 17 Wk 18 Final
AP RV RV n/a
Coaches RV

Awards and honors

Recipient Award(s)
Marshon Brooks 2009 Co-Coca-Cola Most Promising Prospect Award[6]
Sharaud Curry 2009 Ernie D Team Leader Award[6]
Weyinmi Efejuku 2009 All-Big East Honorable Mention[7]
2009 USBWA All-District 1[8]
2009 Jimmy Walker Most Valuable Player Award[6]
March 2: Big East Player of the Week[9]
Ray Hall 2009 Thomas Ramos Academic Award[6]
Randall Hanke 2009 John Zannini Coaches' Award[6]
Jonathan Kale 2009 Ryan Gomes Most Improved Player Award[6]
Geoff McDermott 2009 Marvin Barnes Defensive Player Award[6]
Brian McKenzie 2009 Co-Coca-Cola Most Promising Prospect Award[6]
Jeff Xavier 2009 Lenny Wilkens Hustle Award[6]

References

  1. ^ "Big East Conference Standings - 2008-09." ESPN.com. Retrieved 03-23-10.
  2. ^ a b Tucker, Eric (2008-04-15). "Providence picks Drake's Keno Davis to replace Tim Welsh". Associated Press. The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/mens_basketball/articles/2008/04/15/providence_picks_drakes_keno_davis_as_new_coach/?page=full. Retrieved 2009-10-30. 
  3. ^ McNamara, Kevin (2008-10-26). "Courting Pitino -- Friar coaching legend considered a return to PC". The Providence Journal. http://www.projo.com/pc/content/sp_bkc_rick_pitino26_10-26-08_VDC23EU_v59.3b94b1e.html. Retrieved 2010-03-10. 
  4. ^ "Dwain Williams to Transfer to Oregon State". Oregon State University. 2008-08-11. http://www.osubeavers.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/081108aab.html. Retrieved 2010-02-07. 
  5. ^ Schedule Friars.com. Retrieved on October 30, 2009.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Men's Basketball Team Awards Announced". Friars.com. 2009-04-25. http://www.friars.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/042509aaa.html. Retrieved 2009-10-30. 
  7. ^ "Weyinmi Efejuku Named All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention". Friars.com. 2009-03-08. http://www.friars.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030809aab.html. Retrieved 2009-10-30. 
  8. ^ "Weyinmi Efejuku Named USBWA All-District 1". Friars.com. 2009-03-13. http://www.friars.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/031309aab.html. Retrieved 2009-10-30. 
  9. ^ "Weyinmi Efejuku Named BIG EAST Player Of The Week". Friars.com. 2009-03-02. http://www.friars.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030209aaa.html. Retrieved 2009-10-30. 

External links