Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Late Night Madness on October 4, 2025 at TBA
Men's Basketball
vs Late Night Madness
TBA
Providence College Athletics
Tuesday, November 19
Providence, R.I.
7:00 P.M.
Providence College
vs
Merrimack
Photo by: Ryan Feeney
Men's Basketball Game Notes vs. Merrimack
11/18/2019 1:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Friars will host Merrimack on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 7:00 p.m.
Friars Versus Merrimack: The Friars are 1-0 all-time versus Merrimack. In the only meeting between the two teams, the Friars earned a 79-56 win on February 9, 1955 in Providence, R.I.
Friars All-Time Versus NEC Teams: The Friars have posted a 57-12 mark all-time versus NEC Teams. In the Friars' most recent game versus a NEC team, Providence defeated Sacred Heart, 106-60, on November 5, 2019.
Diallo Leads Team In Scoring And Rebounding: Senior forward/guard Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) is averaging 16.0 points and 11.8 rebounds through four games this season. Diallo has posted a double-double in three of the Friars' four games. He had 19 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks, three steals and three assists in a 106-60 win over Sacred Heart on November 5. On November 9, he recorded 15 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and three steals in a 76-47 victory over NJIT. Diallo recorded his third consecutive double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds in a loss at Northwestern on November 13. He has registered 19 double-doubles in his four seasons at Providence.
Breed Signs NLI To Attend Providence: Ed Cooley announced on November 13 that student-athlete Alyn Breed (Powder Springs, Ga.) has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Providence College beginning in September 2020. Breed attends IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Breed, a 6-foot-3-inch, 185-pound shooting guard, enters his first season at IMG. In 2018-19, he attended McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Ga. Breed, who averaged 14.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists last season, helped lead McEachern to a 32-0 mark with wins over eight nationally ranked high schools. The squad captured the Georgia Class 7A State Championship. The team also won tournament titles at the City of Palms Classic, the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions and the Hoophall Classic. In the summer of 2019, Breed played for the AOT Running Rebels.
Duke Registers Career High 21 Points Versus NJIT: Sophomore guard David Duke (Providence, R.I.) posted a career-high 21 points on 8-13 shooting versus NJIT on November 9. It was Duke's second career 20-point performance. Duke is averaging 15.8 points, 5.3 assists and 5.0 rebounds through four games this season.
Friar Milestones In The 106-60 Win Over Sacred Heart:
*Friars scored 100 points for just the second time under Ed Cooley
*Friars scored 106 or more points for the first time since 3/9/10
*Friars made 16 threes in a game for first time since 12/28/17
*Friars had 31 assists for the most by the team since 2/22/01
*Friars blocked 10 shots for first time since 1/6/15
*Seven Friars scored 10 or more points for first time since 11/18/08
Diallo Named To Naismith And Wooden Watch List: It was announced November 5 that Providence College senior forward Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) was named one of 50 players to the 2020 Naismith Trophy Watch List. He also has been named one of 50 players for the 2020 Wooden Award Watch List. The Naismith Trophy will be awarded in the hometown of the Atlanta Tipoff Club during the Final Four at the Naismith Awards Brunch on April 5, 2020. The winner of the 2020 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy's during the ESPN College Basketball Awards on Friday, April 10, 2020.
Diallo Named Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team: It was announced on October 10 that senior forward Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team. Diallo was a unanimous First Team selection as voted on by the coaches. The senior forward was named Second Team All-BIG EAST in 2018-19.
Friars Picked Fourth In Preseason BIG EAST Poll: It was announced on October 10 that the Friars were picked tied for fourth in the Preseason BIG EAST Coaches Poll. The Friars, who return all five starters, finished 2018-19 with an 18-16 mark and a 7-11 record in league play. PC finished last season in eighth place and the squad also advanced to the NIT where it was defeated by Arkansas in the First Round.
Diallo And Watson On Watch Lists: Senior Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) and junior Nate Watson (Portsmouth, Va.) have been named to Watch Lists. Diallo was named to the 2020 Julius Erving Award Watch List. The annual award recognizes the top small forward in Division I men's basketball. Watson was named to the 2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List. The annual award recognizes the top center in Division I men's basketball. Both awards are organized by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be presented on April 10.
Diallo Registers Third Double-Double Of The Season: Senior forward Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) scored 15 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the Friars' loss at Northwestern on November 13. It was his third double-double of the season and the 19th of his career. Last season, his 10 double-doubles ranked tied for first in the BIG EAST.
Friars Made Their 20th Appearance In The NIT: The Providence College men's basketball team made its first appearance in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) since 2013 (20th appearance overall) when the Friars played Arkansas on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence. The Friars were defeated by Arkansas, 84-72. The Friars, who finished the regular season in eighth place in the BIG EAST with a 7-11 record, recorded an 18-16 record overall. Providence posted a 1-1 mark in the BIG EAST Tournament. The Friars defeated Butler (80-57) and were defeated by No. 25 Villanova (73-62) in the Quarterfinals at the BIG EAST Tournament in New York. The Friars, who won the NIT in 1961 and 1963, have registered a 32-21 mark all-time in NIT games.
Cooley And Friars Earned Seventh Consecutive Post-Season Bid: The Friars played in their seventh consecutive post-season tournament in 2019 in Ed Cooley's eighth year as a head coach of the Friars. It marked the first time the Friars reached the post season seven straight times since Dave Gavitt's Friars accomplished the feat from 1970-71 to 1977-78 (eight consecutive seasons). When Cooley was hired in 2011, the Friars had finished under .500 in six of the 10 previous seasons and had been to just one NCAA Tournament (2004) in that 10-year span. In 2019, the Friars made their seventh consecutive post-season appearance, including their second NIT berth in those seven years. In Cooley's second season as the Friars' coach, he led the Friars to the 2013 NIT Quarterfinals. In 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, Cooley guided the team to the NCAA Tournament.
Ed Cooley Was Inducted Into The Stonehill Hall of Fame On Nov. 1: Providence College men's basketball Head Coach Ed Cooley was inducted into the Stonehill College Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, November 1. Cooley, a product of Central High School in Providence, was a member of the men's basketball program at Stonehill between 1989 and 1994, serving as team captain for three seasons. He finished his career with 795 points, 594 rebounds and over 100 assists in 107 career games. Cooley helped Stonehill to four Northeast-10 Tournament appearances, reaching the semifinals his senior year, when he finished seventh among Northeast-10 Conference leaders with 7.0 rebounds per game.
Friars Post Seventh Consecutive Season At .500 Or Better: The Friars concluded the 2018-19 season with an 18-16 record and finished above .500 for the seventh consecutive season. This marked the fourth longest streak of consecutive .500 or better seasons in the 93-year history of Friar basketball. The other streaks are: 12 seasons (1956-67); 10 seasons (1969-78) and nine seasons (1929-37).
Friars All-Time In In-Season Tournaments: The Friars' have posted a 97-66 (.599) mark all-time in in-season tournaments. The Wooden Legacy marks the Friars' 72nd in-season tournament appearance, they have captured 16 championships and have been runner-up 14 times.
Friars All-Time In The Wooden Legacy: The Friars are making their third appearance in the Wooden Legacy. The team has posted a 3-3 mark all-time. In the team's first appearance in 2008, the Friars posted a 1-2 mark in games versus Baylor (76--56, loss), Charlotte (67-62, win) and St. Mary's (81-75, loss). In the team's most recent appearance in the Wooden Legacy in 2015, the Friars reached the championship game with wins over Evansville (74-64) and Arizona (69-65) before being defeated in the title game by Michigan State (77-64).
Alpha Diallo Named Second Team All-BIG EAST: Guard Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) was named Second Team All-BIG EAST on March 10, 2019. Diallo averaged 16.0 points and 8.1 rebounds. His 8.1 rebounds was second in the BIG EAST in overall action. He also ranked ninth in scoring and he was tied for first in the league in double-doubles with 10. Diallo was the first Friar to earn All-BIG EAST honors since Rodney Bullock and Kyron Cartwright were named to the Second Team in 2017.
Ed Cooley And Four Friars Help USA Pan Am Games Team To A Bronze Medal In August: A select team of men's basketball standouts from the BIG EAST Conference represented the United States at the 2019 Pan American Games. Head Coach Ed Cooley served as the head coach of the team and led the squad to a Bronze Medal. Four Friars were members of the team -- Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.), David Duke (Providence, R.I.), A.J. Reeves (Roxbury, Ma.) and Nate Watson (Portsmouth, Va.). It represented the first time a team from a single Division l conference represented the U.S. in the sport of men's basketball in Pan American Games competition. Diallo led the team in scoring (15.0 ppg) and rebounding 5.6 (rpg).
Ed Cooley Ranks Third On The PC All-Time Win List: With the Friars' win versus Butler on March 9, 2019, Ed Cooley recorded his 161st victory as the Friar Head Coach and moved into third place on the all-time win list for PC Head Coaches. The two all-time winningest Friar head coaches are: Joe Mullaney (319-164), and Dave Gavitt (209-84). Cooley has a 165-111 mark in nine seasons as the Friars head coach.
Friars All-Time Versus Top-25 Teams: The Friars have posted a 116-265 (.304) mark all-time versus top-25 teams, including a 0-5 mark in 2018-19.
Diallo Surpassed 1,000 Career Points: Senior Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) has recorded 1,219 career points in 103 games (11.8 ppg). He became the 50th player in Friar history to score 1,000 or more career points. Diallo ranks 29th all-time in scoring at Providence.
Diallo Finished Second In The BIG EAST In Rebounding: Senior forward Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) finished second in the BIG EAST in rebounding in overall play (8.1 rpg) in 2018-19. He recorded 10 or more rebounds in 10 games in 2018-19, including a career-high 15 boards at St. John's on February 9. Diallo leads all active BIG EAST players in rebounding with 346 boards in league regular-season games.
Watson Finished Second On The Team In Scoring: Junior Nate Watson (Arlington, Va.) ranked first on the team in field goal percentage (59 percent), second in scoring (11.7 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.2 rpg) last season. The center recorded his first career double-double when he scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds at Boston College on December 4. He tied his career high in points with 21 at Butler on February 23. He was 8-10 from the field and grabbed five rebounds in the win. It was the fourth time he scored 21 points in a game in 2018-19.
Friars 63-4 In Non-Conference Action At The Dunk Under Ed Cooley: The Friars have posted a 63-4 mark in nine seasons under Ed Cooley in non-conference home games at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.
"DG" Patch On Friar Uniforms: In memory of former Friar Head Coach Dave Gavitt the Friars have worn a "DG" patch on their uniforms since the 2011-12 season. Gavitt led PC and Eastern basketball into the modern age. In 10 seasons as the head coach of the Friars, Gavitt led PC to 209 wins, including eight consecutive 20-win seasons, five NCAA appearances, three NIT appearances and five New England Coach of the Year honors. He led the Friars to 23 wins over Top-20 teams. His 1973 team made it to Final Four. In 1971, Gavitt was named Director of Athletics at PC, a position he held until 1982 when he resigned to be the director of the BIG EAST Conference. He also was named Head Coach of the 1980 USA Olympic basketball team. He was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Ruane Friar Development Center: Thanks to a generous gift from former Providence College Board of Trustees Chair Michael A. Ruane '71 & '13 Hon. and his wife, Elizabeth Ruane, Providence College began construction of the Ruane Friar Development Center in 2017, the multi-purpose facility has enhanced Friar athletics, student services, and College community life. The project included a two-story structure attached to Alumni Hall. In September 2018, the doors opened to the new facility, which included a basketball practice facility (with two courts), men's basketball offices, a strength and conditioning complex, a locker room, a state-of-the-art sports medicine center, a Hall of Fame and a dining room.
Friars In Overtime: The Friars recorded a 2-2 mark in 2018-19 in overtime games. They have registered a 64-67 mark all-time in overtime games.
Providence College Basketball: The 2019-20 campaign marks the 93rd season of basketball at Providence College. Since the program started in 1926-27, Providence has posted a 1,466-985 mark, good for a .598 winning percentage. The Friars have made the NCAA Tournament 20 times and the National Invitation Tournament on 20 occasions.
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