Friars' Recruiting Class Ranked Eighth Best In The Nation

June 7, 1999

Providence, R.I. - The Providence College basketball program's recruiting class for the 1999-2000 season has been ranked 8th best in the nation by Hoop Scoop Magazine. The Friars class of seven received 32 points, the most by any BIG EAST school.

Clark Francis, the editor of Hoop Scoop, ranked the Friars behind Duke (41 points), Virginia (35 points), Mississippi State (34 points) and Michigan (33 points). Cincinnatti with four recruits, Florida and Kentucky with five recruits each were fifth through seventh with 32 points also.

PC's rankings were based on the seven newcomers and does not include 7-2 center Karim Shabazz who transferred to Providence last December and will be eligible following the first semester.

Along with Shabazz, the Friars newcomers include four incoming freshmen and three junior college transfers for the coming year. The list includes:

Romeo Augustine F 6-7 190 Fr. Montreal, Que./Youngstown (OH) Rayen

Mark Jarrell-Wright G/F 6-5 180 Fr. Newark, N.J./St. Benedict's

Marcus Jefferson F 6-5 185 Fr. East Chicago, Ind./Notre Dame (MA) Prep

Abdul Mills G 6-3 190 Fr. Brooklyn, N.Y./Milford (CT) Academy

David Murray F/C 6-9 225 Jr. New York, N.Y./Mesa (AZ) CC

Chris Rogers G 6-4 180 Jr. Shreveport, La./Bossier Parish CC

Karim Shabazz C 7-2 230 Jr. Queens, N.Y./Florida State Donta Wade G 6-2 195 Jr. Huntington, W.Va./SE Illinois CC

Romeo Augustine is a 6-7 swingman from Youngstown Rayen High School who led Rayen to the Ohio State Regional finals. A First Team All-State selection, Augustine averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds as a senior.

Mark Jarrell-Wright signed in the early signing period after an strong junior season at St. Benedict's High School in Newark, New Jersey. He suffered a torn ACL early in his senior season but is expected to be ready to play in the fall at Providence.

Marcus Jefferson checks in at 6-5, 210 pounds and played at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. As a senior, Jefferson averaged 18.0 points with 8.0 rebounds and three assists per game.

Abdul Mills, a Brooklyn, New York native, played last season at Milford Academy in Connecticut. The 6-3 point guard averaged 17 points, 7.5 assists and seven rebounds as the floor general for Milford.

David Murray is a 6-9, 230-pound center who was one of the top junior college players in the country during the 1997-98 season at Mesa Community College in Arizona. A native of the Bronx, Murray played his high school basketball at All Hallows High School. He will add size to the Friars' frontline and is expected to be a contributor to the PC attack.

Chris Rogers is a 6-4 guard who played the last two seasons at Bossier Parish Community College in Louisiana. This season, he helped his team to a 26-5 record while averaging 10 points, five rebounds and five assists while shooting over 40% in the three-point category.

Donta Wade joins the Friars after two years at Southeastern Illinois College where he averaged 18.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals. A tough, 6-2, 205-pound shooting guard, Wade scored over 1,200 points in his two seasons in the junior college ranks.

Karim Shabazz played the 1997-98 season at Florida State and then five games last year before deciding to transfer closer to home. The Queens, New York native played in five games last season for the Seminoles and averaged 9.2 points with eight rebounds and three blocked shots per game. He will have one-and-a-half seasons of eligibility when he begins play at the end of the first semester next season.

The eight new players will be joined by returnees, Llewellyn Cole, Erron Maxey, John Linehan and Jamaal Camah while the Friars lose Jamel Thomas, Justin Farley, Kendrick Moore and Corey Wright to graduation and Sean Connolly, Ben Perkins and Leon Brisport plan on transferring.

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Friars' Recruiting Class Ranked Eighth Best In The Nation

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