Men's Hoops Prepares for Rutgers Feb. 7Friars ahope to avenge 72-67 loss to Scarlet Knights on Dec. 11th.
February 5, 1999
PROVIDENCE COLLEGE (14-8/7-5) vs. RUTGERS (14-7/6-5)
Sunday, February 7, 1999 - 12:05 p.m.
FRIARS VERSUS SCARLET KNIGHTS...Today's game is the seventh all-time meeting and the second this season between the Friars and the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers won the first meeting on December 11th at Rutgers, 72-67. The two teams have met five times since Rutgers joined the BIG EAST and the Friars have a 3-2 edge in that series. The Friars have a 2-0 edge in the two games played in Providence. PC is 1-2 at the Louis Brown Athletic Center and 1-0 on neutral courts at the BIG EAST Tournament. Rutgers owns a two-game winning streak in this series.
THE LAST TIME...Rutgers handed the Friars a 72-67 defeat on December 11th at the Louis Brown Athletic Center to give the Friars an 0-2 start in BIG EAST play. The Friar led 35-29 at the half only to see the Scarlet Knights get hot in the second half. Dahntay Jones led the way with 19 points and seven rebounds. He also forced Jamel Thomas into a career high ten turnovers. Geoff Billett added 17, Rob Hodgson had 13 points and Rashod Kent chipped in 11 in the win. Jones also held Thomas to a season low 13 points. Sean Connolly led PC with 19 points and Erron Maxey had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
PROBABLE STARTERS Pos. No. Name Pts/Reb. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown F 22 Sean CONNOLLY 12.1/3.5 6-4 180 Fr. Peabody, Mass. F 33 Jamel THOMAS 22.4/7.7 6-6 215 Sr. Brooklyn, N.Y. C 24 Erron MAXEY 9.8/6.1 6-6 195 So. Lake Elsinore, Cal. G 3 Kendrick MOORE 9.6/2.6 6-3 180 Sr. Hartford, Conn. G 12 John LINEHAN 4.3/2.4 5-9 165 So. Chester, Pa.OFF THE BENCH
Pos. No. Name Pts/Reb. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown
G 5 Jamaal CAMAH 4.2/1.6 6-4 195 So. Salem., Mass.
G 10 Corey WRIGHT 4.9/2.2 5-8 160 Sr. New York, N.Y.
F 15 Peter FARRELL-
MARCELLINO 0.0/0.5 6-5 195 So. Hanover, Mass.
G 21 Kareem HAYLETTS 0.0/0.0 6-0 160 Fr. Bergenfield, N.J.
F 25 Ben PERKINS 0.7/0.6 6-7 205 So. Vinton, La.
F 32 Leon BRISPORT 2.8/2.3 6-9 220 Jr. New York, N.Y.
F 40 Justin FARLEY 6.9/3.4 6-6 205 Sr. Indianapolis, Ind.
F 42 Llewellyn COLE 4.8/2.7 6-7 220 Jr. New York, N.Y.
F 50 Ryan McAULIFFE 0.0/0.0 6-5 205 Sr. Essex Jct., Vt.
FRIARS VERSUS TOP TEAMS...PC's back-to-back losses to St. John's and Arkansas dropped PC's record to 4-3 against top 25 teams this season. The Friars had won four in a row against the nation's best.
THOMAS TIME...Jamel Thomas needs just eight more points to become just the fourth player in PC history to score over 500 points in a season three times. He joins Jimmy Walker, Marvin Barnes and Joey Hassett as the only four to have done it. He also needs just eight points to pass Bruce "Soup" Campbell into fifth on PC's all-time scoring list. Thomas starts the day with 1,802 and Campbell had 1,809 in his career. Thomas needs just 27 to pass Joe Hassett (1,828) for fourth on PC's all-time list. Thomas has been nominated for the John R. Wooden Award and All-American team that will be selected in March. The Friars' senior leads the BIG EAST with 22.4 points per game and is currently ranked 13th in the nation. He is just one of three Friars to score 1,800 points and have 600 rebounds as he joins Marvin Barnes (1,839/1,529) and Bruce Campbell (1,809/949). Thomas has 1,802 points and 685 boards
WEEK OFF FOR THE FRIARS...The Friars return to action next Saturday, February 13th when they face the Miami Hurricanes in a 4:00 p.m. game. The Alumni Weekend game will be televised on the New England Sports Network (NESN) and can be heard on WPRO Radio 630 AM.
TODAY IN THE BIG EAST Rutgers at Providence, Noon
PC ON THE AIR
WPRO Radio with John Rooke and Joe Hassett calling the shots. The game will also be televised via Cox Communications in Rhode Island with John Sanders and Mark Plansky handling the broadcasting chores.
PROVIDENCE...All-time record: 1109-689 (.617) - Second in New England...Home record: 658-208 (.760)...Civic Center record: 334-129 (.723).
PROVIDENCE IN BIG EAST...126-190 in regular season and 140-208 overall in 20 seasons ... Eighth all-time in wins and percentage.
BIG EAST FAXBACK ...(201-947-3918) - Allows you to access PC's short notes (1721); PC's full game notes (1722); PC's statistics (1723) or Box scores (1724). Also the BIG EAST is on the Internet at www.bigeast.org
TOUGH SCHEDULE...Friars' head coach, Tim Welsh has a tough schedule in his first season as PC's basketball bench boss. Sixteen of the team's 28 games come against teams that played in postseason tournaments a year ago. 12 games come against NCAA Tournament teams (TCU, URI, North Carolina State, Purdue, Connecticut, Syracuse, Miami and two each against West Virginia and St. John's). The other four are against teams that saw NIT action - Vanderbilt, Seton Hall and two with Georgetown.
HOME COOKING...The Friars are now 9-2 at home this season. Over the last six-plus seasons PC is 81-28 (.743) at the Civic Center. The Friars are 41-5 (.870) in their last 46 non-conference home games in Providence dating back to the start of the 1992-93 season. The back-to-back losses against Vanderbilt and TCU are considered neutral site losses since the Friars were not a home team in the CoSIDA CLASSIC. The last time PC lost back-to-back non-league games at the Civic Center was the 1984-85 season when the Friars dropped home games to Assumption and Dayton on November 29 and December 1.
NAIL BITERS...PC's 75-70 loss to Georgetown on January 9th drops the Friars to 2-4 in "close" games this season "Close" games are games decided by five points or less. The Friars were 5-3 last season in "close" games.
MONTH BY MONTH...The Friars are 1-0 to start the month of February. PC was 5-2 in November, 3-2 in December and 5-4 in January.
DAY BY DAY...The Friars are 1-1 on Monday, 4-2 on Tuesday, 2-1 on Wednesday, 0-1 on Friday, 5-3 on Saturday and 2-0 on Sunday. In PC's three games that have started before 1:00 p.m., the Friars are 1-3. PC defeated Purdue and lost to Georgetown, Arkansas and Notre Dame.
TURNAROUNDS...After losing its first two games this season (worst start since 1932-33), Providence has now won 14 of its last 20 games. The Friars also started the BIG EAST schedule with two losses (Notre Dame and at Rutgers) but have won seven of their last ten league games.
CIVIC CENTER RECORD...PC owns a 334-129 (.723) 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).
FRIARS IN SEASON OPENERS...With the season opening loss to Vanderbilt, the Friars' all-time record in season opening games goes to 63-9. When that season opening game is at home, PC is 49-4. When the first game is on the road, the Friars are 14-5. In home openers, the Friars are 66-6 all-time. The Vanderbilt loss snapped a four-year streak of wins in season openers and a string of 13 straight home openers dating back to November 29, 1984 when the Friars lost a 70-67 decision to Assumption at the Civic Center. PC's last season opening loss came on November 26, 1993 - a 113-102 overtime loss at Oklahoma State.
BIG EAST OPENERS...The Friars' 83-80 loss to Notre Dame on December 8th extended their BIG EAST season opener's losing streak to nine straight. PC's last win to open the BIG EAST schedule came in December of 1989 against Boston College at home. The Friars are now 3-17 in BIG EAST season openers and 8-12 in their first league contest at home.
FRIARS IN THE NBA...Providence College had eight players and one coach in the NBA last season. They are:
Otis Thorpe - Washington Wizards
FAMOUS RELATIVES...Senior standout Jamel Thomas is the cousin of the Minnesota Timberwolves' Stephon Marbury.
NEW HOOP STAFF...Joining Tim Welsh at Providence College are three new assistant coaches. Steve DeMeo joined Welsh on April 2nd after the two worked together at Iona. King Rice, a former standout point guard at North Carolina joins the staff after spending five years at Illinois State as an assistant. Bob Walsh comes to Providence after a year at the University of San Diego. He had served as a graduate assistant to Welsh at Iona for two years prior to taking an assistants job in San Diego. Vince Cautero takes over as the administrative assistant. He has been an assistant coach at Florida State (1988-1992) and Florida International (1992-1998).
KENDRICK MOORE SELECTED...Providence College senior guard Kendrick Moore (Hartford, Conn.) has been selected to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for the 1998-99 school year. The SAAC is made up of dedicated, hard working student-athletes who are the voice of their fellow student-athletes within the NCAA. The committee meets three times a year in January, March and August. Moore's appointment began on September 1st.
TWO YEAR SENIORS...Two key members to the 1998-99 Friars are seniors Kendrick Moore and Justin Farley. Both close out PC careers this season after transferring two years ago from Missouri. Moore, who graduated in the spring and is currently a graduate student working on his MBA is third on the team in scoring with 9.8 points per game this season. Moore is like a coach on the floor and can play either guard spot. Farley joined the Friars before Christmas last season after transferring from Evansville. The 6-6, 205-pound forward is one of the Friars' first players off the bench and is averaging 6.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game this season. He recorded his first double-double of the season with ten points and ten rebounds in the win over Villanova. Farley owns a 3.35 grade point average as a Finance major and has been nominated for GTE/CoSida Academic All-American honors.
JAMEL THOMAS - ALL-AMERICA and ALL-BIG EAST Candidate: Senior forward Jamel Thomas came into his own during the 1997-98 season and will once again be the Friars' team leader on and off the floor. As a junior, Thomas scored over 500 points for the second time in his career to become only the ninth Providence player in school history to reach that plateau. He joins: Jimmy Walker (three times), Marvin Barnes (three times), Joey Hassett (three times), Bruce Campbell, Ernie DiGregorio, John Thompson, John Egan and Kevin Stacom.
The Friars' team MVP in 1997-98, Thomas finished the regular season averaging 18.5 points and 6.9 rebounds to lead the team in both categories. He had career highs in three points attempted (178); free throws (156); free throws attempted (200); free throw percentage (.780); rebounds (200) and steals (44).
This season, Thomas picked up where he left off as a junior. He leads the Friars in scoring (492, 22.4 ppg) and rebounding (169, 7.7 per game). He ranks first in the BIG EAST in overall scoring and is 13th in the nation in the scoring column. Earlier this season, Thomas became PC's all-time leader in three-point field goals (183) and three-point attempts (533). He has moved into sixth on the all-time scoring list with 1,802 points. Thomas is just one of three players in PC history to have over 1,800 points and 600 rebounds joining Marvin Barnes (1,839/1,592) and Bruce Campbell (1,809/949)
1998-99 PRESEASON HONORS FOR JAMEL THOMAS:
1,000 POINT CLUB...Jamel Thomas continues his assault on the Providence College record book. On January 26th, he moved into sixth on PC's all-time scoring list passing Friars great Ernie DiGregorio (1,760). The talented scorer now has 1,802 career points and leads the BIG EAST in scoring with a 22.4 points per game average. Here are the Top 10 scorers in PC history:
DOUBLE-DOUBLES...Thomas has recorded seven double-doubles this season including two in a row against Maine (11/30) and Brown (12/5) and Georgetown (1/9) and Syracuse (1/12). Other double-doubles:
BIG EAST SCORING...Jamel Thomas is second on the Friars' all-time BIG EAST scoring list with 1,010 points in 66 league games. Here's the list and who is ahead of him:
Thomas leads all active BIG EAST players in scoring with 1,010 points. He is followed by Richard Hamilton of UCONN with 934 and Tim James of Miami with 882.
BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK...PART III...Jamel Thomas was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week for the week ending January 17th. This marks the third time this season that the Friars' go-to-guy has recorded this honor and the fifth time in his career. Jamel had 19 pts/14 rebounds in upset win at Syracuse and 27 pts/8rebs against Boston College. He was also chosen for the honor on November 18th and on December 7th.
RECORDS WATCH...Thomas is the Friars' all-time leader in three-point field goals (183) and three-point attempts (533).
THREE, GOING FOR MORE...PC's All-BIG EAST and All-America candidate, Jamel Thomas, recorded his third game with 30 or more points this season at Arkansas. He is the first player at PC to have three or more 30-point games since Eric Murdock had 12 with 30 or more during the 1990-91 season.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES....Friars with double-doubles this season:
PLAYER GAME J. Thomas TCU 21 pts/11 rebs E. Maxey UTPA 20 pts/11 rebs J. Thomas MAINE 25 pts/11 rebs J. Thomas BROWN 30 pts/10 rebs E. Maxey @Rutgers 13 pts/13 rebs J. Thomas @Pitt 25 pts/11 rebs J. Thomas @ GT 17 pts/12 rebs J. Thomas @ Syr. 19 pts/14 rebs E. Maxey @ Syr. 14 pts/12 rebs J. Thomas @ Ark. 30 pts/10 rebs J. Farley VILL. 10 pts/10 rebsHALFTIME LEADS...The Friars have led at halftime in 14 of their first 22 games this season. Arkansas had the biggest lead at the half this season (57-31). In the other seven games, PC trailed by 11 or less. PC is 11-3 when the Friars lead at halftime and 3-5 when they trail. BOARD GAMES...Despite the Friars lack of size (one player over 6-7), PC is now 12-9 in winning the battle of the boards through 22 games. Villanova and Providence each had 43 rebounds in the January 26th game. Arkansas pulled down a season high 52 boards against the Friars and had a 52-45 edge in the game. Through the first 22 games of the season, the Friars have been outrebounded by a 822-794 margin.
MORE WRIGHT...Senior guard Corey Wright has become a scoring threat for the Friars this season. Through 22 games, Wright has scored 107 points, 36 more than all of last year. As a sophomore he scored 117 points in 36 games. He is averaging 4.9 points per game on the year. In the November 24th win over North Carolina State, Wright poured in a career high 14 points going 3-4 from the floor with a career high seven free throws in a career high eight attempts. He also had a career high seven assists in the win with three steals.
MAD MAX...Sophomore center Erron Maxey continues to be a force on the boards for the Friars. He collected his third double-double of the season in the win at Syracuse with 14 points and 12 rebounds. It was the fourth double-double of his career. At Rutgers in December, Maxey pulled down a career high 13 rebounds in his second double-double of the year. 1/12/99 @ Syracuse 14 pts/12 rebs 12/11/98 @ Rutgers 13 pts/13 rebs. 11/21/98 TEXAS-PAN AM 20 pts/11rebs. 1/5/98 IONA 12 pts/11 rebs.FAST STARTS...The Friars' pressure defense and running offense have helped Providence get out to big leads ten times this season. Here's the list of fast starts:
The Friars used a fast second half start against SETON HALL to break that game open. Leading 26-23 at the half, PC opened the second half with an 8-0 run in the first 1:31 on the way to a 21-4 run over the first 6:54 for a 47-27 lead. At Syracuse, the Friars used an 11-2 run over the first 4:45 of the second half to erase a nine-point halftime deficit on the way to a 67-58 win. NEW FRIARS...The Friars have received national letters of intent from three players for the 1999-2000 season:
Also joining the Friars' roster as a transfer from Florida State is Karim Shabazz. He will be eligible in the second semester of the 1999-2000 season. Karim Shabazz, C, 7-2, 230, Jr. Queens, N.Y./Woodmere Acad./Florida State
Shabazz enrolled at Providence for the second semester and is eligible for the second semester of the 1999-2000 season. He has 1-1/2 years of eligibility
ROSTER ADDITION...Junior forward Leon Brisport (6-9, 225 lbs., Brooklyn, N.Y.) has joined the Friars' roster for the second semester. Brisport was signed in the November signing period after playing two seasons at Los Angeles Valley Community College. An All-California JC selection last season, Brisport averaged 22.5 points and eight rebounds per game last year.
STARTERS VS. BENCH...The Friars use ten players in their regular rotation. Here's a breakdown through 21 games:
THE LAST TIME...The last time PC won back-to-back games against ranked teams came late in the 1994-95 season when the Friars beat #4 Connecticut (Feb. 27) and #11 Villanova (3/4) to end the regular season. They went on to defeat #21 Syracuse in the BIG EAST Tournament before falling to #13 Villanova in the semi-finals giving them four games against ranked teams in 13 days.
"FOUL" SHOOTING...The Friars were just 17-34 (.500) from the charity stripe in the win over Syracuse. PC was 9-10 in the first half, but just 8-24 in the second half and still won the game. Syracuse was just 8-22 (.364) from the line for the entire game.
FARLEY TIME....Senior forward Justin Farley has found his role in the Friars offense. In the last nine games, Farley has provided a spark off the bench scoring season highs of 12 points against Georgetown and Syracuse. He added his first double-double of the season (10/10) versus VILLANOVA. Over the last nine games, Farley has scored 84 points (9.3 ppg) and had 36 rebounds (4.0 rpg) in 23 minutes per game. He played a season-high 27 minutes at Boston College and is averaging 6.9 ppg and 3.4 rpg over the first 22 games this season.
HIGH SCORERS....West Virginia guard Jarett Kearse joined Notre Dame freshman Troy Murphy, Cleveland State's James Madison and TCU's Lee Nailon as players that have scored 30 or more points against the Friars this season.
Madison is the first player to score 33 or more points on the Friars since December 21, 1995 when Reggie Freeman lit the PC up for 37 points in a 92-83 loss at Texas.
BIG EAST STARTS...The Friars have started the BIG EAST schedule with an 0-2 mark in three of the last four seasons. PC was 0-3 in the league last year before winning in the fourth league game. The Friars have started the BIG EAST schedule with an 0-2 record or worse in 14 of the BIG EAST's 20 seasons. PC has won seven of its last ten league games after the 0-2 start.
TOUGH PLACES....The Friars win at the Fitzgerald Field House at Pittsburgh was just the Friars third against Pittsburgh on the Panthers home court. PC is now 3-13 at Pitt. The Friars are just 3-15 at Georgetown and 3-15 at Syracuse after winning their last two games at the Carrier Dome. On February 3rd, PC won its first game ever at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown.
OVERTIME BLUES...The Friars overtime win against West Virginia snapped a five-game overtime losing streak for the Friars that dated back to 3/19/95 (PC defeated Syracuse 71-69 at the BIG EAST Tournament). The Friars were 0-2 in 1995-96 and 0-3 in 1996-97 in the extra stanza. The West Virginia win evened the Friars' all-time record in overtime to 42-42.
WILD WEST VIRGINIA...PC and West Virginia set several BIG EAST records in the 90-87 overtime win on January 5th. The 59 free throws taken by the Friars is a BIG EAST and Providence College record. The previous record for the Friars was 55 set against Alaska-Fairbanks in the 1996 Top of the World Classic. West Virginia's 41 fouls was a BIG EAST record as were the 39 overtime points that the two teams combined for. The Mountaineers had six players foul out while the Friars had two. Providence was 16-21 from the free throw line in overtime.
FREE THROWS VERSUS WVU...In PC's two games against West Virginia this season, the Friars have shot 101 free throws making 72 of them for a .713 success rate.
50 OR BETTER...PC shot over 50% (50.8%) in the win over Boston College on January 17. That marked the fourth time this season that PC has shot 50% or better in a game. The Friars are 4-0 when they hit half their shots or more.
HOG HIGHS...Arkansas scored 118 points the most ever by an opponent versus the Friars. The 15-three pointers Arkansas scored were the most ever by an opponent. The 45 field goals equalled the most ever by an opponent versus PC. Arkansas' 29 assists were a season high against Providence and the 26 turnovers by the Friars were a season high. Arkansas' 52 rebounds were the most this season by a PC opponent.
FAST PACE...The Friars have already passed last year's win total of last season with 14 (13-16 in 97-98) and have equalled their BIG EAST total of seven (7-11). PC has six games left this season.
GETTING HIS CHANCE...PC's Leon Brisport who joined the team on December 23rd played a career high 19 minutes at Notre Dame and scored a career best eight points with two rebounds. In ten games this season, the Friars' big man is averaging 3.1 points and 2,5 rebounds in just over eight minutes per game.
THREE POINTS...In his last three games, Sean Connolly is 11 for 22 (.500) from behind the three-point line. His 53 three-pointers for the Friars is the most ever by a PC freshman. He is 11th on the season list for most three pointers with six regular season games left. He also has a shot to be the Friars' highest scoring freshman scorer ever. He is averaging 12.1 per game with the PC record being 12.3. That mark was set in the 1944-45 season by Leo Labossiere. CHANGING TIMES...Please note the following time changes on the Friars' schedule.
February 15 at St. John's - Originally a 7:00 p.m. game, this game will be moved to 7:30 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN2.
FRIARS RECORD WHEN...
GAMES LOST - INJURY/ILLNESS/ACADEMICS (18)
GAMES LED PC IN:
Average Win: (161): 11.5
Average Loss: (106): 13.3
Overall: (+55): +2.5
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