Providence College Athletics

Men's Hoops takes on Purdue

6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

December 17, 1998

FRIARS VERSUS BOILERMAKERS...This afternoon's game is the seventh meeting between the Friars and Boilermakers in a series that began on December 26, 1973 at the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu. PC is 0-2 in Providence, 1-2 at West Lafayette and 0-1 on neutral courts against Purdue. The two teams met last year at Purdue with the Boilermakers winning 81-79. The Friars only win against Purdue came in the second meeting at West Lafayette on December 13, 1975 by a 66-59 score. Purdue has won four straight in this series.

PROBABLE STARTERS

Pos. No. Name             Pts/Reb.   Ht.  Wt.  Class   Hometown F   22  Sean CONNOLLY   14.3/3.7   6-4  180     Fr.   Peabody, Mass.  F   33  Jamel THOMAS    23.7/7.0   6-6  215     Sr.   Brooklyn, N.Y.                 C   24  Erron MAXEY     10.7/6.2   6-6  195     So.   Lake Elsinore, Cal. G    5  Jamaal CAMAH     5.7/1.5   6-4  195     So.   Salem., Mass. G   12  John LINEHAN     3.2/1.8   5-9  165     So.   Chester, Pa.
OFF THE BENCH
Pos. No. Name           Pts/Reb.     Ht.  Wt.  Class   Hometown G    3  Kendrick MOORE   9.7/1.3   6-3  180     Sr.   Hartford, Conn. G   10  Corey WRIGHT     6.1/2.0   5-8  160     Sr.   New York, N.Y. F   11  Rahim  JOHNSON   0.0/0.0   6-6  235     Fr.   Queens, N.Y. F   15  Peter FARRELL-   0.0/0.5   6-5  195     So.   Hanover, Mass.               MARCELLINO G   20  Kareem HAYLETTS  0.0/0.0   6-0  160     Fr.   Bergenfield, N.J. F   25  Ben PERKINS      0.9/0.6   6-7  205     So.   Vinton, La. F   40  Justin FARLEY    5.2/2.9   6-6  205     Sr.   Indianapolis, Ind. F   42  Llewellyn COLE   6.5/3.7   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...This afternoon's game is PC's third game this season against a nationally-ranked team. The Friars are 1-1 with a win over Rhode Island and a two-point loss to TCU when both teams were ranked. As of December 17th, PC has 11 games left against teams that are ranked or received votes in last week's Associated Press poll: UConn (1), Purdue (1), St. John's (2), Arkansas (1), Syracuse (1), Pitt (1), Villanova (2), Miami (1), Rutgers (1).

LAST GAME...The Friars have been off 16 days since their last game on December 11th at Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights won that game, 72-67. Sean Connolly led PC with 19 points. Jamel Thomas and Erron Maxey each scored 13 points. Maxey had his second double-double of the season with a career high 13 rebounds in the loss.

NEXT GAME...The Friars return to BIG EAST action on Wednesday, December 30th for a 5:00 p.m. game at Pittsburgh. As of December 17th, Pitt was ranked 22nd by Associated Press and 19th by USA Today/ESPN. That game will be televised on Cox Cablevision in Rhode Island.

TODAY IN THE BIG EAST - PC ON THE AIR
St. Francis (NY) at Notre Dame 2:00 pm WPRO Radio - 630 AM with John Rooke and Joe Lehigh at Rutgers 2:00 pm Hassett calling the shots. The game is televised St. Bonaventure at Syracuse 2:00 pm by ESPN Regional Sports with Mike Gorman and Howard at Villanova 2:00 pm Tim McCormack. The game will be seen in Ohio State vs. Miami - Orange Bowl Classic 4:00 pm Providence on WJAR-TV 10

PROVIDENCE...All-time record: 1101-685 (.616) - Second in New England...Home record: 654-207 (.760)...Civic Center record: 330-128 (.721).

PROVIDENCE IN BIG EAST...119-187 in regular season and 133-205 overall in 19 seasons ... Eighth all-time in wins and percentage.

TOUGH SCHEDULE...Friars' head coach, Tim Welsh has a tough schedule in his first season as PC's basketball bench boss. 16 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 5-1 at home this season. Over the last six-plus seasons PC is 77-27 (.740) at the Civic Center. The Friars are 40-6 (.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...The Friars were 5-3 last season in "close" games - games decided by five or less points. They are 0-3 this season after losing to TCU, 79-77, Notre Dame, 83-80 and Rutgers, 72-67.

MONTH BY MONTH...PC's November 9th opening date marks the earliest any Friar team has ever started the season. The earliiest start was last November 18 against Vermont. The most any PC team has ever played in November is five and that was during the 1996-97 season when PC played in the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks. Last year, the Friars were 2-1 in November...PC was 5-2 in November and is 1-2 in December

CIVIC CENTER RECORD...PC owns a 330-128 (.721) 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. Last night's 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 they 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.

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 the last time that league played games. They are:

  • Otis Thorpe - Washington Wizards
  • Austin Croshere - Indiana Pacers
  • Eric Murdock - Miami Heat
  • God Shammgod - Washington Wizards
  • Dickey Simpkins - Chicago Bulls
  • Michael Smith - Vancouver Grizzlies
  • Eric Williams - Denver Nuggets
  • Marty Conlon - Miami Heat
  • Also, Atlanta Hawks coach Lenny Wilkens, is one of Providence College's all-time greatest players.

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 San Diego State. 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 led the Friars with 3.3 assists per game last year and was third in scoring with 9.2 points per game. 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 worked his way into a starting role in January and was second on the team with 9.5 points per game. In his last eight games of the season he averaged 14.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Both players are excellent students and are candidates for Academic All-America honors this season.

SLOW START...The Friars' 0-2 start marked the first time since 1932-33 that PC had opened the year with two losses. The Friars have never lost three games in a row to start the season.

NEW FRIARS...The Friars have received national letters of intent from three players for the 1999-2000 season:

##Leon Brisport       F   6-9, 220       New York, N.Y./LA Valley CC     Mark Jarrell-Wright G/F 6-5, 180  Fr.  Newark, N.J./St. Benedict's  David Murray        F   6-9, 220  Jr.  New York/AllHallows/Mesa CC  ##Brisport is eligible to play in second semester of 1998-99 season.
1,000 POINT CLUB...Jamel Thomas continues his assault on the Providence College record book. On December 8th, he moved into eighth on PC's all-time scoring list passing John Thompson (1,520) and Austin Croshere (1,523). The talented scorer now has 1,547 career points and leads the BIG EAST in scoring with a 23.7 points per game average. He is tenth in the nation in scoring. Here are the Top 10 scorers in PC history:
 NO   PLAYER             GP    POINTS  1   Jimmy Walker       81    2,045  2   Eric Murdock      117    2,021  3   Marvin Barnes      89    1,839  4   Joe Hassett       124    1,828  5   Bruce Campbell    122    1,809  6   Ernie DiGregorio   86    1,760  7   Otis Thorpe       113    1,625  8   JAMEL THOMAS      104    1,547  9   Austin Croshere   121    1,523 10   John Thompson      79    1,520
DOUBLE FIGURES...Jamel Thomas has now scored in double figures in 43 consecutive games dating back to the final four games of his sophomore year.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES...Thomas has recorded three double-doubles this season including two in a row against Maine and Brown.

REBOUNDER TOO... Thomas led the Friars in rebounding last season with 200 rebounds in 29 games for a 6.9 rebound per game average. He became the first Friar to lead the team in scoring and rebounds since Steve Wright did it in 1987-88. Since 1956-57 only Jim Hadnot (3 times), John Thompson, Marvin Barnes (twice), Rudy Williams, Rich Hunger, Otis Thorpe, Wright and Thomas have led the Friars in both scoring and rebounding in a single season. Thomas currently leads the Friars in scoring (237 pts.) and rebounding (70) through ten games.

BIG EAST SCORING...Jamel Thomas moved into third on the Friars' all-time BIG EAST scoring list with 805 points in 56 league games. Here's the list and who is ahead of him:

NO  PLAYER         GP   POINTS 1  Eric Murdock   63    1,145 2  Otis Thorpe    55      897 3  JAMEL THOMAS   56      805
BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK...PART II...For the second time this season, Jamel Thomas has been named the BIG EAST Player of the Week. Thomas had a pair of double-doubles in PC's wins over Maine (79-72) and Brown (81-60). Versus Maine, the Friars' All-America and All-BIG EAST candidate had 25 points and 11 rebounds. Against Brown, Thomas tied his season high with 30 points and added ten rebounds. He was also named BIG EAST Player of the Week for the opening week of the season. This is the fourth time in his career that he has received this honor.

1998-99 GAME-BY-GAME...

Game        Min  Pts  Reb  Asts  Stealsvs. Vandy    33   22    8    2      0vs. TCU      34   21   11    3      1URI          30   30    6    2      2UTPA         35   29    7    2      0 NCSU         34   18    7    1      0  @ CSU        32   28    3    1      0MAINE        34   25   11    1      2BROWN        30   30   10    4      1ND           35   21    2    3      1@ Rutgers    35   13    5    2      0
BOARD GAMES...Through the first ten games of the season, the Friars have been outrebounded by a 342-333 margin. The Friars are 5-5 in outrebounding opponents through those ten games.
GAME        PC  OPP      DIFFvs. VANDY   28   35   -  7.0vs. TCU     30   36   -  6.0URI         34   42   -  8.0UTPA        36   32   +  4.0NCSU        29   32   -  3.0@CSU        32   30   +  2.0MAINE       42   41   +  1.0BROWN       37   27   + 10.0ND          28   31   -  3.0@Rutgers    37   36   +  1.0TOTALS     333  342   -  9.0
DOUBLE-DOUBLES....Friars with double-doubles this season:
PLAYER  GAME       J. Thomas   TCU       21 pts/11 rebsE. Maxey    UTPA      20 pts/11 rebsJ. Thomas   MAINE     25 pts/11 rebsJ. Thomas   BROWN     30 pts/10 rebsE. Maxey    @Rutgers  13 pts/13 rebs
LINEHAN WATCH...PC's sophomore guard John Linehan has made 17 consecutive free throws going back to February 18th when he made 6 of 6 against Miami. As a freshman, Linehan made 33 consecutive free throws to start last year. For his career, Linehan is 60-for-65 for a .923 success rate. Only Joe Hassett with a .941 success rate for his career has had more success at the line than Linehan thus far in his career.

SUPERPESTS...Keep an eye on Friar guards John Linehan and Corey Wright. Despite their size (5-9 and 5-8 respectively), they have a way of getting under their opponents skin. The duo combined for 105 steals last season with Linehan getting 50 and Wright 55. Linehan set a BIG EAST freshman record with nine steals in a game against Pittsburgh. The duo have already combined for 54 steals this season (5.4 per game). With 23 steals in the first ten games, Corey Wright moved into eighth on the Friar' all-time steals list with 151 in 74 games.

1.  Eric Murdock        117  3762.  Carlton Screen      109  2263.  Harold Starks       117  2074.  Joe Hassett         124  1765.  Michael Brown       123  1746.  Billy Donovan       122  1707.  Bill Eason          116  1598.  Corey Wright         74  151
MORE WRIGHT...Senior guard Corey Wright has become a scoring machine in games against TEXAS-PAN AM and NO. CAROLINA STATE. On November 21 against TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN, Wright had a career best 12 points including a 5-6 (.833) shooting mark from the floor. He also had four assists and four steals in the win. 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. The New York city native added nine points and equalled his career high with seven assists against NOTRE DAME.

MAXEY EFFORT...Sophomore center Erron Maxey picked up his second double-double of the season (13 points and 13 rebounds) in the loss at Rutgers. The 13 rebounds were a career high for the 6-6 high jumper. For Maxey it was the third double-double of his career.

12/11/98    @ Rutgers       13 pts/13 rebs.11/21/98    TEXAS-PAN AM    20 pts/11 rebs.  1/5/98    IONA            12 pts/11 rebs.
HALFTIME LEADS...The Friars have led at halftime of eight of their first ten games this season. Only Maine (35-32) and Notrre Dame (39-31) led against the Friars at the intermission. PC is 5-3 when the Friars lead at halftime.

FAST STARTS...The Friars' pressure defense and running offense have helped Providence get out to big leads in each game this season. The Rutgers game marked the first game this season where the Friars didn't take a big lead early. Here's the list of fast starts:

Game             Score   Time ElapsedVanderbilt        17-2        5:42TCU               21-9        7:36URI              20-10       10:27UTPA              23-7        8:00NC State         26-10       10:08@ Cleveland St.   14-2        3:18MAINE              7-0        2:06BROWN             17-4        5:52ND                11-0        2:42
STINGY DEFENSE...The Friars had one of their best defensive games of the season at Rutgers. PC held the Scarlet Knights to 23-55 from the floor (41.8%) and 5-18 (27.8%) from the free throw line. Rutgers came into the game averaging 49.0% from the floor and 44.4% from the three-point arc.

STARTERS VS. BENCH...The Friars use ten players in their regular rotation. Here's a breakdown through ten games:

GAME         STARTERS       BENCH            Pts./Rebs   Pts./Rebs.Vanderbilt    51/18        15/9TCU           61/22        18/6URI           62/21       25/11UTPA          74/25        14/8NCSU          46/17        34/8@CSU          72/18       15/11MAINE         55/23       24/14BROWN         56/18       25/15ND            59/16        21/9@ Rutgers     50/24        17/8 
HOT SHOTS...Notre Dame shot an incredible .592 (29-49) for the game against the Friars including .682 (15-22) in the second half. A year ago, the Friars almost set a BIG EAST record when West Virginia shot .611 (35-54) for the game at Morgantown.

HIGH SCORERS....Notre Dame freshman Troy Murphy joined Cleveland State's James Madison and TCU's Lee Nailon as players that have scored 30 or more points against the Friars this season. Murphy had 30 pts and 11 rebounds in Notre Dame's 83-80 win over PC. Cleveland State sharpshooter James Madison scored 33 versus the Friars on November 28th while TCU's All-American candidate, Lee Nailon scored 30 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in the 79-77 win on November 10th in the CoSIDA Classic. Madison is the first player to score 33 or more points on the Friars since December 21, 1995 when Reggie Freeman lit the Friars up for 37 points in a 92-83 loss at Texas.

GOING TO THE LINE...PC shot just eight free throws in the loss to Rutgers while the Scarlet Knights were taking 32 shots in the game. PC was outshot at the free throw line by a 27-2 margin in the second half.

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.

PRESEASON PICKS...The Friars were picked to finish 10th in the BIG EAST this season in voting done by the league's coaches. Senior Jamel Thomas was selected to the Preseason First All-BIG EAST team by the coaches. Here's a look at both polls:

BIG EAST COACHES' POLL

 1. Connecticut  (12)   144 2. Syracuse (1)        130 3. Miami               116 4. St. John's          102 5. Georgetown           98 6. Villanova            79 7. Pittsburgh           78 8. Rutgers              72    9. Seton Hall           6010. PROVIDENCE           5411. West Virginia        4212. Notre Dame           2613. Boston College       14
FIRST TEAM ALL-BIG EAST...
  • Richard Hamilton - Connecticut
  • Tim James - Miami
  • Vonteego Cummings - Pittsburgh
  • Khalid El-Amin - Connecticut
  • JAMEL THOMAS - Providence

SECOND TEAM

  • Shernard Long - Georgetown

1998-99 PROVIDENCE COLLEGE WINS AND LOSSES

FRIARS RECORD WHEN....50% or better from the floor.................  3 - 0Less than 50% from the floor.................  3 - 4 Holds opponent to 50% or less from the floor.. 5 - 3Opponent shoots 50% or better from the floor.. 1 - 1Outrebounds opponent.......................... 4 - 1Outrebounds Providence........................ 2 - 3Makes 40% of three point tries................ 3 - 1Makes less than 40% of three point tries...... 3 - 3Scores less than 60 points.................... 0 - 0Scores 60 or more points...................... 6 - 4Scores 70  or more points..................... 6 - 2Scores 80  or more points..................... 5 - 1Opp. held to less than  60 points............. 0 - 0Opp. scores 60 or more points................. 6 - 4Opp. scores 70 or more points................. 3 - 4Opp. scores 80 or more points................. 0 - 2
FRIARS WHEN AHEAD, TIED AND TRAILING....
                   WHEN AHEAD   WHEN TIED   WHEN TRAILINGHalftime             5 - 3        -----         1 - 1 10 Minutes Left      4 - 0        0 - 0         2 - 4 5 Minutes Left       5 - 1        0 - 0         1 - 3
STARTING LINEUPS RECORDS:
1  -   2:  Linehan-Moore-Maxey- Thomas- Connolly5  -   2:  Linehan-Camah-Maxey-Thomas-Connolly
RECORDS AS STARTERS
6  -  1:  Jamaal Camah0  -  0:  Llewellyn Cole6  -  4:  Sean Connolly0  -  0:  Justin Farley6  -  4:  John Linehan6  -  4:  Erron Maxey1  -  2   Kendrick Moore0  -  0:  Ben Perkins 6 -   4:  Jamel Thomas0  -  0:  Corey Wright  
GAMES LOST - INJURY/ILLNESS/ACADEMICS (16)
  • Kareem Hayletts - Arthroscopic surgery - cartilage right knee
    (VU, TCU, URI, UTPA, NCST, CSU, ME, BR, ND)
  • Kendrick Moore - Stress fracture - left foot
    (UTPA, NCST, CSU, ME, BR, ND, Rut)

GAMES LED PC IN:
Scoring: Thomas (8.5), Connolly (1.5)
Rebounding: Thomas (5.0), Maxey (5.0)
Scoring and Rebounding: Thomas (5.0)
DOUBLE/DOUBLES: Thomas (3), Maxey (2)
20-POINT GAMES: Thomas (8), Maxey (1), Connolly (1)
30-POINT GAMES: Thomas (2)

FRIARS' MARGIN DIFFERENTIAL

      1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11  12  Won                       1   1            1        1                                                           2Lost  1   1       1   1
Average Win: (79): 13.1
Average Loss: (16): 4.00
Overall: (+63.0): +6.3

PROVIDENCE-PURDUE: SERIES FACTS
Series Record: 7th meeting - PC trails in all-time series, 1-5
BIG EAST Series: N/A
At Purdue: Series even, 2-2
At Providence: Purdue leads, 2-1
Neutral Courts: Purdue leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: 12/29/97 - @ PU 81 PC 79
Last PC win: 12/13/75 PC 66 PU 59
Last Purdue Win at PC: 12/13/80 PU 64 PC 59

STATISTICAL COMPARISON

  PC                          Purdue 6-4    Overall Record          10-1 0-2    League Record            0-0.461    Field Goal Pct.         .440.331    3-Pt. Field Goal Pct.   .308.732    Free Throw Pct..        .662.478    Opp. FG Pct.            .414.327    Opp. 3-Pt. FG Pct.      .304.667    Opp. FT Pct.            .69333.3    Rebound Average         38.6-0.9    Rebound Margin          +5.217.1    Assists/Game            16.615.6    Turnovers/Game          15.5 2.6    Blocks/Game              4.210.6    Steals/Game              9.079.2    Points/Game             73.672.9    Pts Allowed/Game        61.2
SERIES NOTES
Streaks: Purdue has won four straight in the series that began at the Rainbow Classic in 1973...The Boilermakers won at West Lafayette last December, 81-79.

Notes: Purdue is the third nationally-ranked team (#8/#8) the Friars have faced this season. PC is 1-1 in games against Top 25 teams. As of December 17, the Boilermakers were on a six-game winning streak with games to play on 12/19 at Butler and 12/22 vs. South Carolina in the Jimmy V Tournament. PC has lost two in a row and has been off since December 11th.

FRIARS CAREER STATS VS. PURDUE

No. Player      GP    PPG   RPG    APG 3  Moore        1   15.0   3.0    7.0 5  Camah            First Meeting10  Wright       1    3.0   4.0    6.012  Linehan      1    5.0   0.0    3.015  F-Marcellino      Did Not Play20  Hayletts         First Meeting22  Connolly         First Meeting24  Maxey        1    2.0   0.0    0.025  Perkins      1   23.0   4.0    1.033  Thomas       1   19.0   4.0    4.040  Farley       1    2.0   0.0    0.042  Cole         1    0.0   1.0    0.050  McAuliffe        First Meeting
Men's Basketball Exhibition vs. Harvard
Saturday, October 25
2018-2019 Men's Basketball Highlight Video
Saturday, April 13