Providence College Athletics

Men's Basketball Game Notes Vs. UTEP

11/21/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Nov. 21, 2001

FRIARS IN THE LAS VEGAS TOURNEY... Providence College has posted a 2-1 mark in the Las Vegas Tourney entering the final day of competition on Wednesday, November 21. The Friars defeated Siena, 79-54, in the team's first game of the Las Vegas Tourney at the Dunkin' Donuts Center on Friday, November 16. In PC's second game of the Tourney, 16th-ranked Oklahoma State earned a 83-65 win against the Friars on Monday, November 19 at Valley High School in Las Vegas, Nev. In PC's third game, the Friars defeated Austin Peay, 93-84, on Tuesday, November 20.

FRIARS VERSUS UTEP... On Wednesday, November 21, the Friars will play UTEP at Valley High School in Las Vegas, Nev. at 5:00 p.m. PST. The game will be the first meeting ever between the two teams.

FRIARS VERSUS THE WAC... The Providence-UTEP game on Wednesday, November 21 will be just 11th contest all-time for the Friars against a team from the Western Athletic Conference. Providence has posted a 2-8 mark against WAC teams with wins against Hawaii and Utah.

PC ALL-TIME IN IN-SEASON TOURNAMENTS... The Friars are appearing in their 48th in-season tournament and have posted a 60-47 mark (.561) all-time. PC has a 2-1 mark through the first three games of the Las Vegas Tourney. Last season, the Friars posted a 1-2 record in the Energia Systems Thanksgiving Tournament in Kansas City, Mo. on November 24-26.

PROVIDENCE ALL-TIME... In 75 seasons of PC basketball, the team has posted a 1,145-725 (.612) mark. The team's all-time record at the Dunkin' Donuts Center is 358-141 (.717).

PROVIDENCE DEFEATS AUSTIN PEAY... On Tuesday, November 20, Providence defeated Austin Peay, 93-84, in the Las Vegas Tourney at Valley High School in Las Vegas, Nev. PC shot 52.4 percent from behind the three-point arc (11-21) and 52.7 percent overall from the floor. The Friars were led by the strong play of senior guard John Linehan (Chester, Pa.), who recorded a career-high 26 points in the win. Junior Abdul Mills (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added 20 points and recorded three steals. Sophomore Maris Laksa (Ventspils, Latvia) returned from a two-game suspension for violating NCAA amateurism rules and tied his career high with 24 points.

FRIARS DEFEATED BY NO. 16 OKLAHOMA STATE... On Monday, November 19, the 16th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys defeated Providence, 83-65, in the Las Vegas Tourney at Valley High School in Las Vegas, Nev. Junior Abdul Mills (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had a team-high 16 points for PC. Providence struggled shooting the ball as the team shot 29.5 percent from the floor and 14.3 percent from behind the three-point line. Junior Garnett Thompson (Islip, N.Y.) recorded his first double-double with the Friars with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

LINEHAN RECORDS CAREER HIGH... Senior John Linehan (Chester, Pa.), a Wooden All-America Candidate, scored a career high 26 points in the Friars' 93-84 win against Austin Peay on November 20. Linehan shot 7-9 from the field, including 4-6 from behind the three-point arc. He also was 8-9 from the free-throw line. His previous career high was 22 points, which he established against Boston College on February 17, 2001. Linehan is averaging 14 points and four rebounds per game this season.

LAKSA RETURNS... Sophomore Maris Laksa (Ventspils, Latvia) returned from a two-game suspension on November 20 and equalled his career high with 24 points in a 93-84 win against Austin Peay. Laksa was forced to sit out the first two games of the season as a result of his violation of NCAA rules concerning his amateurism status.

THREE WITH 20... Three Friars scored 20 or more points in the team's 93-84 win over Austin Peay on November 20 at the Las Vegas Tourney. Senior John Linehan (Chester, Pa.) led all PC players with 26 points. Sophomore Maris Laksa (Ventspils, Latvia) scored 24 points and junior Abdul Mills (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added 20 points.

THOMPSON SEEING DOUBLE... Junior Garnett Thompson (Islip, N.Y.) recorded his first double-double as a Friar in PC's 83-65 loss to 16th-ranked Oklahoma State on November 19. Thompson scored 11 points and registered 10 rebounds. It marked the first double-double for the Friars since February 10, 2001 when Karim Shabazz scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against Georgetown. Thompson is in his first season with the Friars after a successful career at Suffolk Community College. He earned First Team Division III Junior College All-America accolades last season after averaging 24 points and 16 rebounds per game at Suffolk.

MILLS LEADS FRIARS IN SCORING... Junior guard Abdul Mills (Brooklyn, N.Y.) leads the Friars in scoring this season, averaging 18 points per game. Mills has been the high scorer for PC in two of the team's three games. On November 16, he led the team with a game-high 18 points and eight rebounds in PC's 79-54 win over Siena on November 16. On November 19, Mills scored 16 points in the Friars' 83-65 loss to 16th-ranked Oklahoma State. He added 20 points in the team's 93-84 win against Austin Peay on November 20. Last season, Mills finished second on the team in scoring with a 10.9 points per game average.

AGUSTIN MISSES SECOND GAME... Junior forward Romuald Augustin (Montreal, Quebec) missed his second game of the season on November 20 against Austin Peay due to a sore hip. Augustin played in the team's 83-65 loss to Oklahoma State and scored six points. His status is listed as day-to-day. He entered the preseason as one of the Friars' top returnees. Over the summer, Augustin toured Mexico with a Canadian student men's team on July 25-August 1. From August 22-September 1, he played for the Canadian Team at the World University Games in Beijing, China. Augustin completed his summer with the Canadian Team at the Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia. He is the only Friar basketball player to ever compete at the Goodwill Games.

McGRATH SIGNS A NLI... Providence College men's basketball Head Coach Tim Welsh announced on November 20 that student-athlete Donnie McGrath (West Chester, N.Y.) has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Providence College beginning in the September 2002. McGrath, a 6-foot-3-inch, 180-pound point guard was named one of the top-100 seniors in the country by PrepStars.com. Currently, McGrath is in his senior year at Kennedy High School where he plays for Head Coach Tom Nelligan. In three seasons at Kennedy High School, McGrath has scored more than 1,000 points and helped lead his team to a 62-9 mark, which included a trip to the New York State High School semifinals in 2000. In 2000-01, McGrath averaged 19.6 points and 7.0 assists per game. For his efforts, he earned First Team All-State honors. Last summer, McGrath played for the New York Ravens AAU Team. He also attended the ABCD Camp during the summer of 2001 and earned all-star honors.

FIVE GAMES IN NINE DAYS... The Friars are currently in the middle of a span where they play five games in nine days. On November 16, PC opened the season against Siena in Providence. The squad will play its fifth game on Saturday, November 24 at home against Columbia.

FRIARS IN SEASON OPENERS... Providence improved to 65-10 all-time in season openers with its 79-54 win against Siena on November 16. In season openers at home, PC is now 51-5. The Friars' last loss in a season opener was a 54-43 defeat against Holy Cross on November 20, 1999. When the season opener is on the road, the Friars have posted a 14-5 record.

FRIARS OPEN SEASON IN TOURNEY... On November 16, PC defeated Siena, 79-54, team's first game of the Las Vegas Tourney. The last time the Friars opened the season in a in-season tournament, PC was defeated, 72-66, by Vanderbilt on November 9, 1998 in the CoSida Classic at the Providence Civic Center. The Friars finished the Classic, 0-2, after being defeated in the second game by Texas Christian, 79-77.

SPORTING NEWS HONORS LINEHAN... It was announced on November 15 that Providence College senior John Linehan (Chester, Pa.) was named the "Best Defender" of all point guards in college basketball, according to the Sporting News' November 19th issue. The Sporting News, a national sports weekly, has featured a college basketball preview in its November 19th issue, which includes a section on five Division I point guards. Linehan, the 2001 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, also has been named Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team and one of the Top-50 Preseason Candidates for the 2001-02 Wooden Award All-America Team.

Sporting News Div. I Points Guard Honors:Jason Williams, Duke, Best Scoring GuardBrett Nelson, Florida, Best BallhandlerJohn Linehan, Providence, Best DefenderJameer Nelson, St. Jospeh's, Best PasserDan Dickau, Gonzaga, Best Shooter

FRIARS ON THE RADIO... All the Friar action this season can be heard on 630 WPRO with John Rooke and former Friar Joe Hassett calling all the action. It marks the 13th season the two have teamed up to broadcast Friar basketball. LINEHAN EARNS PRESEASON HONORS... Senior guard John Linehan (Chester, Pa.) was one of six players named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team. Linehan, the 2001 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, became the first Friar to earn the honor since Jamel Thomas was named to the Team in 1998-99.

FRIARS PICKED FOURTH IN EAST DIVISION... The Providence College men's basketball team was picked to finish fourth of seven schools in the East Division in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll released on Wednesday, October 24 at the BIG EAST Media Day at Madison Square Garden in New York. Boston College was picked first in the East Division and Georgetown was picked first in the West Division. The Friars received two first-place votes. Providence returns three starters from last year's team, which finished the 2001-02 season with a 21-10 mark and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Friars registered an 11-5 record in BIG EAST action last season and finished in second place in the East Division.

LINEHAN RETURNS FOR THE FRIARS... Senior John Linehan (Chester, Pa.) returns for his final season with the Friars. On October 24, he was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team. Linehan, who is a National Defensive Player of the Year Candidate, also has been named one of the Top-50 Preseason Candidates for the 2001-02 Wooden Award All-America Team. Linehan, a two-time captain for the Friars, had a strong season in 2000-01. The 5-9 guard led the BIG EAST in steals with 53 in 16 conference games (3.31). He also led the league in steals in overall action, averaging 3.12 thefts per game (81 steals in 26 games). He was third on the team in scoring last season, averaging 10.7 points per game. In addition to earning BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors last season, Linehan also was named All-BIG EAST Second Team, Basketball Times Third Team All-America, College Insider.Com National Defensive Player of the Year, USBWA All-District 1 and NABC All-District 1 Second Team. At Providence College, Linehan earned the 2001 Male Athlete of the Year Award, as well as, the team's Jimmy Walker Most Valuable Player Award and he also received the squad's Marvin Barnes Defensive Player Award.

LAST SEASON... In 2000-01, PC posted a 21-10 record overall. In 16 BIG EAST games in 2000-01, the Friars established a school record for BIG EAST wins with an 11-5 mark. In 2000-01, PC was picked to finish sixth of seven teams in the BIG EAST East Division in the Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Friars made their 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2001 and first since 1997. The 10th seeded Friars were defeated by the seventh seeded Penn State Nittany Lions, 69-59, on March 16 in the South Region in New Orleans, La.

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