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Justin Farley is eligible to play for the first time.
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Dec. 12, 1997
PC Looks to Get on Winning Track
Friars Head to Canisius
PROVIDENCE COLLEGE (2-3) at CANISIUS COLLEGE (4-2)
SITE: Marine Midland Arena (19,500) - Buffalo, New York
DATE/TIME: Saturday, December 20, 1997 - 7:35 p.m.
FRIARS VERSUS GOLDEN GRIFFINS...The Friars return to action after a ten day break for exams with tonight's game against Canisius. PC leads the all-time series, 19-5, including three wins in a row. PC won last year's game in Providence, 80-53. The last time the Friars faced the Golden Griffins in Buffalo was January 27, 1979. That was the last time Canisius won in the series, an 89-74 win. The Friars are 5-5 on Canisius' home floor, 13-0 in Providence and 1-0 on neutral courts. This is the first time that the Friars have played in the new Marine Midland Arena.
FRIAR UPDATE...PC dropped its third game in a row on Tuesday, December 9th, losing at Rhode Island, 69-58. Jamel Thomas led the Friars with 25 points. PC's three losses have come to Boston College (78-62), Utah (64-58) and URI. PC's loss to URI was a road game played at the Providence Civic Center.
GRAND OPENING...The happiest player on the Friars' roster tonight will be swingman Justin Farley (Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.). He transferred to Providence from Evansville last January and is eligible to play for the first time tonight against Canisius.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Pos. No. Name Pts/Reb.Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
F 25 Ben PERKINS 9.0/7.2 6-7 200 Fr. Vinton, La.
F 33 Jamel THOMAS 20.4/8.0 6-6 215 Jr. Brooklyn, N.Y.
C 42 Llewellyn COLE 9.0/4.6 6-7 215 So. New York, N.Y.
G 3 Kendrick MOORE 7.2/3.4 6-3 180 Jr. Hartford, Conn.
G 10 Corey WRIGHT 2.6/1.6 5-8 160 Jr. New York, N.Y.
OFF THE BENCH
F 4 Kofi POINTER 0.0/0.0 6-8 220 So. Baltimore, Md.
C 5 T.J. McKENZIE 2.0/2.3 6-10 235 Fr. Friendswood, Tex.
G 12 John LINEHAN 5.0/1.4 5-9 165 Fr. Chester, Pa.
G 13 Mark ADAMS 0.0/0.0 6-3 200 Sr. Clifton, N.J.
F 15 Peter FARRELL- 0.0/0.0 6-5 195 Fr. Hanover, Mass.
MARCELLINO
G 20 Dennis CLEARY 2.0/0.0 6-0 160 So. West Orange, N.J.
G/F 24 Erron MAXEY 5.6/2.0 6-6 195 Fr. Lake Elsinore, Cal.
C 34 Ndongo N'DIAYE 1.6/1.2 7-0 225 So. Dakar, Senegal
G/F 40 Justin FARLEY DNP 6-6 205 Jr. Indianapolis, Ind.
F 50 Rick CORDELLA 0.0/1.0 6-4 210 Jr.. Foxboro, Mass.
PROVIDENCE - CANISIUS SERIES FACTS
Series Record: 25th meeting - PC leads, 19-5
BIG EAST Series: N/A
At Canisius: Series tied at 5-5
At Providence: PC leads, 13-0
Neutral Courts: PC leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: 1/27/97 at PC 80 CC 53
Last PC win overall: Same as above
Last Canisius win: 1/27/79 - at CC 89 PC 74
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
PC Canisius
2-3 Overall Record 4-2
0-1 League Record 1-0
.377 Field Goal Pct. .433
.303 3-Pt. Field Goal Pct. .417
.686 Free Throw Pct.. .703
.438 Opp. FG Pct. .435
.344 Opp. 3-Pt. FG Pct. .275
.600 Opp. FT Pct. .582
35.8 Rebound Average 36.7
-0.8 Rebound Margin +3.2
10.8 Assists/Game 12.5
13.8 Turnovers/Game 16.5
3.4 Blocks/Game 2.0
8.0 Steals/Game 6.2
62.4 Points/Game 67.8
61.4 Pts Allowed/Game 67.7
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PC freshman forward Ben Perkins.
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SERIES NOTES
Streaks: The Friars have won three in a row in the series (1980, 1996 and 1997). The last Canisius win came in Buffalo on January 27, 1979. The last three meetings have occured in Providence. PC is 13-0 against Canisius in Providence and just 5-5 in Buffalo.
Notes: This is the Friars first trip to Buffalo since 1979. This is the earliest meeting between the two schools since a December 17 meeting in the first game ever played by the two schools in 1960.
FRIARS CAREER STATS VS. CANISIUS
No. Player GP PPG RPG APG
3 Moore First Meeting
4 Pointer 1 0.0 1.0 1.0
Career Best - 1/27/97 - 0 pts./1 reb./1 ast.
5 McKenzie First Meeting
10 Wright 1 4.0 3.0 6.0
Career Best - 1/27/97 - 4 pts./3 rebs./6 ast.
12 Linehan First Meeting
13 Adams 2 0.0 0.0 0.0
15 F-Marcellino First Meeting
20 Cleary 2 0.5 0.0 0.0
Career Best - 1/27/97 - 1 pt./0 rebs./0 ast.
24 Maxey First Meeting
25 Perkins First Meeting
33 Thomas 2 10.5 3.0 3.0
Career Best - 1/27/97 - 12 pts./4 rebs./4 asts
34 N'Diaye 1 4.0 8.0 0.0
Career Best - 1/27/97 - 4 pts./8 rebs.
40 Farley First Meeting
42 Cole 1 4.0 7.0 1.0
Career Best - 1/8/96 - 4 pts./7 rebs./1 ast.
50 Cordella 2 0.0 0.5 0.0
Career Best - 1/27/97 - 0 pts./1 reb.
HEAD COACH PETE GILLEN
FOURTH YEAR AT PC: 2-3 (.400)/(0-1 in BIG EAST)
Overall at PC: 61-40 (.604)/26-29 in BIG EAST
XAVIER: 202-75 (.724)
13-YEAR CAREER: 263-115 (.696)
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Llewellyn Cole is averaging 9.0 points for the Friars.
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PROVIDENCE...All-time record: 1084-668 (.619) - Best in New England...Home record: 643-201 (.762)...Civic Center record: 319-120 (.727).
PROVIDENCE IN BIG EAST...112-175 in regular season and 125-192 overall in 18 seasons ... Eighth all-time in wins and percentage.
PC BASKETBALL MONTH BY MONTH (1997-98)...2-1 in November...0-2 in December...
HOME COOKING...The Friars are 2-1 at home this season after going 12-3 at home last season. The Friars are 59-16 (.787) record over the last 75 games at the Providence Civic Center (dating back to January 25, 1993). Over the last five full seasons plus three games this year, PC is 66-19 (.776) at the Civic Center. PC is 34-4 (.895) in its last 38 non-conference games in Providence dating back to the start of the 1992-93 season. Two of the losses have come in the NIT (Virginia Tech -1995, St. Joseph's - 1996) and two losses have been to Rhode Island (1992, 1996).
CIVIC CENTER RECORD...PC owns a 319-120 (.728) record at the Providence Civic Center since the building opened in 1972. The Friars recorded their 300th win on January 8, 1996 against Canisius (91-63).
INJURED LIST...Junior forward Waleed Driscoll (torn ACL - right knee). Could miss the entire 1997-98 season.
NAIL BITERS...PC is 15-11 in games decided by five points or less in Pete Gillen's three seasons at PC. The Friars are 1-0 in games decided by five or less this season.
CAPTAINS...Three juniors will serve as the Friars tri-captains this season. Kendrick Moore, Jamel Thomas and Corey Wright were selected as captains prior to the start of the 1997-98 season.
FRIARS IN THE NBA...Providence College currently has seven players in the NBA. They are:
Otis Thorpe - Vancouver Grizzlies
Austin Croshere - Indiana Pacers
Eric Murdock - Miami Heat
God Shammgod - Washington Wizards
Dickey Simpkins - Golden State Warriors
Michael Smith - Sacramento Kings
Eric Williams - Denver Nuggets
Also, Atlanta Hawks coach Lenny Wilkens, is one of Providence College's all-time greatest players.
ROSTER UPDATE...Forward Kofi Pointer has left the team to concentrate on academics the remainder of the semester. His status will be decided following finals.
PLAYER SIGNING...Sean Connolly, a 6-4, 190-pound guard from Peabody, Massachusetts and Bishop Fenwick High School has signed a national letter of intent to attend Providence College for the 1998-99 school year.
FAMOUS RELATIVES...Junior guard/forward Jamel Thomas is the cousin of the Minnesota Timberwolves' Stephon Marbury.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES...The Friars return just one starter (Jamel Thomas) from last year's Elite Eight and 24-12 team. Gone to graduation are Austin Croshere (Indiana Pacers -12th pick overall), Derrick Brown (CBA - Connecticut Pride), Ruben Garces (recovering from leg surgery) and Jason Murdock (out of basketball). Sophomore guard God Shammgod (Washington Wizards) opted for the NBA Draft where he was selected in the second round by Washington. Those five players accounted for 75.9% of PC's scoring and 68.1% of the Friars rebounding last season.
ATTENDANCE MARK...The 1996-97 Friars averaged more fans per game that ever at the Providence Civic Center. PC played 15 home games in front of 165,447 fans for an average of 11,030 per game. The previous best year was 1993-94 when the Friars averaged 10,882 per game.
CLASS BY CLASS..This season's Providence College roster features one senior, seven juniors, three sophomores and five freshman.
PUTTING ON THE PRESSURE...The Friars were able to pressure Utah into a season high 21 turnovers in the Great Eight meeting on December 2nd. That was a season high for the Friars. The Friars followed that by forcing Rhode Island into 18 turnovers on December 9th.
MOORE OFFENSE...Transfer guard Kendrick Moore is starting to find himself in the Friars' offense. After sitting out a season after transferring from Missouri. Moore got his first start of the season against Utah and was 5-6 from the floor including a pair of three pointers for ten points in the game. His offense is a key to PC's success this season. "Silk" followed up the Utah game by playing a career high 35 minutes against Rhode Island.
FRIAR FIRSTS...PC's loss to URI marked just the first time since the 1980-81 seasons that the Friars had lost two in a row to the Rams....The loss to URI dropped PC to 2-3 on the year marking the first time that the Friars have been below .500 in Pete Gillen's four seasons at Providence.
THE LAST TIME...PC started the year with a 2-3 record was the 1991-92 season.
BOARD GAMES...The Friars versus their opponents on the boards through five games.
GAME PC OPP DIFF
VERMONT 41 36 +5.0
BROWN 46 23 +23.0
BC 38 30 +8.0
Utah 24 49 -25.0
Rhode Island 30 45 -15.0
TOTALS 179 183 -4.0
DOUBLE-DOUBLES....Friars with double-doubles this season:
PLAYER GAME
J. Thomas VERMONT 25 pts/11rebs.
B. Perkins VERMONT 1 0 pts/12 rebs.
J. Thomas BROWN 16 pts/10 rebs.
DOUBLE FIGURES...Junior swingman Jamel Thomas is the lone Friar to score in double figures in every game this season. Thomas has scored 102 points in five games for a 20.4 ppg average. He now has 876 career points.
ON THE LINE....Jamel Thomas has shown tremendous improvement at the foul line this season. In his first two seasons, the Brooklyn, New York native was just a .656 free throw shooter (101-154). This season, Thomas has made 45 of 54 (.833) including 28 of his last 32 (.875). Thomas made 13 of 14 free throw in the game against Rhode Island.
FOR STARTERS.....The Friars entered the 1997-98 season with just two players who had ever started a college basketball game. Jamel Thomas had 33 starts last season and Corey Wright had three in 1996-97. Ben Perkins, John Linehan and Llewellyn Cole all made their first starts in PC's win over Vemont. Kendrick Moore and T.J. McKenzie made their first career starts in the Great Eight Tournament against Utah.
FRIAR GAME KEYS:
2-3 in games shooting under 50%
0-0 in games shooting over 50%
1-0 when PC has better FG%
0-0 when committing more turnovers
2-2 when opponent held to 75 or less
1-0 when PC leads at the half
FRIARS BY THE NUMBERS....
CURRENT STREAK: Lost 3
OVERALL RECORD: 2-3
LAST FIVE GAMES: 2-3
LAST TEN GAMES: 5-5
HOME: 2-1
ROAD: 0-1
NEUTRAL: 0-1
OVERTIME GAMES: 0-0
BIG EAST RECORD: 0-1
BIG EAST HOME: 0-1
BIG EAST AWAY: 0-0
LONGEST WIN STREAK: 2
HOME WIN STREAK: 2
BIG EAST HOME
WIN STREAK: 0
WHEN LEADING AT HALFTIME: 1-0
AWAY: 0-0
HOME: 1-0
NEUTRAL: 0-0
WHEN TRAILING AT HALFTIME: 1-3
HOME: 1-1
AWAY: 0-1
NEUTRAL: 0-1
RECORD AFTER 5 GAMES
IN 1996-97: 4-1
1997-98 BIG EAST STANDINGS (as of December 14, 1997)
BIG EAST 7 League Overall
W L PCT W L PCT
Miami 2 0 1.000 7 0 1.000
Syracuse 2 0 1.000 5 0 1.000
Seton Hall 0 1 .000 4 3 .571
Providence 0 1 .000 2 3 .400
Pittsburgh 0 1 .000 2 3 .400
Georgetown 0 2 .000 3 3 .500
Rutgers 0 2 .000 2 4 .333
BIG EAST 6 League Overall
W L PCT W L PCT
Connecticut 2 0 1.000 8 1 .889
Villanova 2 0 1.000 2 3 .400
Notre Dame 1 0 1.000 4 2 .667
Boston College 1 1 .500 6 3 .667
West Virginia 1 1 .500 6 1 .857
St. John's 0 2 .000 5 3 .625
THIS WEEK IN THE BIG EAST
Tuesday, December 16
Temple at Villanova 7:00 pm
Robert Morris at West Virginia 8:00 pm
Wednesday, December 17
Next Level Sports at Miami 7:00 pm
St. John's at Manhattan 7:30 pm
Thursday, December 18
Navy at Pittsburgh 7:30 pm
Buffalo at Syracuse 7:30 pm
Bethune-Cookman at Georgetown 7:30 pm
Friday, December 19
Jimmy V Classic
Seton Hall versus Clemson 9:00 pm
Saturday, December 20
Holy Cross at Boston College 1:00 pm
UNC-Wilmington at Connecticut 1:00 pm
Florida International at Notre Dame 2:00 pm
Providence at Canisius 7:30 pm
DePaul at St. John's 7:30 pm
Rutgerst at Temple TBD
West Virginia vs. Georgia 2:30 pm
Syracuse at UNLV 11:59 pm
