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Providence College Athletics
Friar Freshman Making Their Mark
12/13/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Michael Coyne
Providence College Athletics
With five freshmen making their mark on the Providence College men's basketball team this fall, Head Coach Tim Welsh has made sure that this latest group of Friars is not only willing to step in and contribute, but more importantly, is able to step in and contribute... immediately.
Freshman forwards DeSean White (Philadelphia, Pa.), Jeff Parmer (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) and Charlie Burch (Dorchester, Mass.) are joined in the front court by freshman guard Rob McKiver (New Haven, Conn.). Additionally, first-year center Randall Hanke (New York, N.Y.) has worked his way into the starting line up. On Nov. 20, Hanke became just the 12th freshman since 1972-73 to start a season-opener. With each of his classmates having seen playing time by the season's third contest, the early returns on this group look nothing short of promising. And they are doing just as expected, after having been recruited to Providence College with some very impressive accolades.
White attended Cardinal Dougherty High School in Philadelphia, Pa., where he averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds a game his senior season. He was named a first team All-City and All-State selection. White also helped lead his team to back-to-back Catholic League titles in 2002-03 and 2003-04, and was ranked a top-100 recruit by Prep Stars.
Parmer, who practiced with the Friars last season, but did not play in any games, averaged 15.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists at Niagara High School his senior season. He earned first-team All-Western New York honors both his junior and senior years, and was a first-team All-League selection his last three seasons of high school play.
Burch was a stand out at Tabor Academy in Marion, Massachusetts. In his final year of high school, He averaged a double-double every game, with 19 points and 11 rebounds. A two-time captain, he earned league MVP honors and helped Tabor win the New England Class B title his during his junior campaign.
McKiver missed almost all of his senior season with an injury. Attending Winchendon Prep School located in north-central Massachusetts; he suffered a severe ankle sprain. College teams were left to base their judgments on his high school performance at Hill House High School in New Haven, Conn. There, he averaged 21 points and seven assists per game, enroute to first-team All-State honors. His play thus far has shown no effects of the injury.
Hanke has seen the most time so far this year, having started each of PC's first six games. He's currently tied for the team-lead with 10 blocks, and is shooting a robust .688 from the field after converting 11 of his 16 shot attempts. Prior to becoming a Friar, Hanke attended Trinity-Pawling (Prep) School in Pawling, N.Y., located in Duchess County. But it was in this sleepy village of 2,000, that Hanke averaged 25 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks per contest. Earning Tri-State League Player of the Year honors, Hanke also won team MVP honors and All-New England accolades at the Eastern Invitational Basketball Camp. He went to high school at The Hill School (Pottstown, Pa.) where he averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks his senior season. He also set a school record with 108 blocks throughout his high school career.
With all these previous accomplishments, it was very appropriate that Sports Illustrated came to Providence College with the idea of featuring this highly-touted class of 2008. Noted writer George Dohrmann chronicled their recruiting process in the November 1st issue of the national publication. "A process filled with red herrings, blind alleys, rejection, despair and in the end, high hopes."
Coupled with the chance to play with All-American and national player of the year candidate Ryan Gomes (Waterbury, Conn.), there's never been a better time to be a Friar Freshman.
This story was originally published in the Wichita State-Maine-Brown men's basketball game program. To purchase a copy please call Athletic Media Relations at (401) 865-2272.
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