Men's Basketball Game Notes vs. Georgetown

Friars To Play Georgetown On January 30: The Friars will play at Georgetown on Saturday, January 30 at 1:00 p.m. on CBS. Providence and Georgetown have met 76 times in school history, with all but two meetings coming since the formation of the BIG EAST Conference in 1979. The Hoyas lead the all-time series, 46-30. Georgetown won the first meeting, 77-51, in Providence in 1956, before the Friars took a rematch in Providence, 83-56, in 1959. The Hoyas hold a 24-9 advantage in Washington, D.C. In Providence, the Friars lead, 19-15. The teams have met nine times on a neutral court, with Georgetown holding a 7-2 advantage. One of those two Friar wins was in the 1987 NCAA Tournament. PC earned an 88-73 victory that sent the team to its second Final Four appearance. In the first game between the two teams last season, the Friars defeated Georgetown, 76-60, on December 31, 2019 in Providence. In the second meeting last season in Washington, D.C., the Friars defeated the Hoyas, 73-63, on February 19, 2020.

Friar Tid Bits Entering Saturday's Game:
*The Friars enter Saturday's game having played four of their last five and 10 of their last 16 games on the road (3-4 away, 1-2 neutral). *Friars are 3-2 in their last five games versus Georgetown.
*Friars are 4-1 in their last five games at Georgetown.
*Ed Cooley has posted an 11-8 mark all-time versus Georgetown as the Friars' Head Coach.
*Ed Cooley and his staff will wear sneakers during the game as part of the NABC Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Week to raise awareness for saving lives from cancer.
*The Friars have had four games postponed due to opponents having COVID issues (Xavier on Dec. 12, UConn on Dec. 17, DePaul on Dec. 17 and Georgetown Jan. 16).
*The Friars are 1-2 this season vs. Power 5 teams with a win versus TCU (Big 12) and losses to Indiana (Big 10) and Alabama (SEC). *The Friars are 5-1 this season at Alumni Hall, 3-4 on the road and 1-2 in neutral site games.
*The Friars were picked third of 11 teams in the Preseason BIG EAST Coaches' Poll.
*Sophomore guard Jared Bynum suffered a lower body injury on Jan. 2 vs. Creighton. He has missed the last five games since the injury. His status is day-to-day. The Friars have posted a 2-3 mark in the five games he has missed.
*David Duke was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll on Jan. 11 - he has been named to the league honor roll three times this season and he has earned one player of the week honor
*David Duke needs 75 points to reach 1,000 for his career..
*Nate Watson (288 pts) and David Duke (312 pts) have scored 51 percent (600 pts) of the team's 1,166 points this season. Nine other players have combined to score 566 points.
*David Duke had a season high of 31 points vs. Marquette on Jan. 27. It was his second 30-point game this season.
*Nate Watson registered a career-high 29 points in the Friars' win at No. 11 Creighton on Jan. 20.
*Nate Watson was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll on Jan. 25. He has earned that honor four times this season.
*Ed Cooley earned his 275th win as a head coach (282-198) in a win over Davidson on Dec. 1.
*Nate Watson scored his 1,000th career point on Dec. 20 versus Seton Hall. He now has 1,166 career points.
*Ed Cooley is wearing a towel on his shoulder this season to honor his mentor, longtime Georgetown Head Coach and former Friar, John Thompson '64.

Friars Defeat Marquette In OT: The Friars improved to 3-0 on the season in over- time games with a 72-63 victory over Marquette in Providence on January 27. Junior David Duke (Providence, R.I.) recorded a season-high 31 points after shooting 10-22 from the field, including 4-8 from three. Duke also added six rebounds, six assists and three steals. Junior A.J. Reeves (Roxbury, Mass.) scored 13 points and grabbed four rebounds in the win.

Breed Has A Strong Two Games On The Road Vs. Two Ranked Teams: Freshman Alyn Breed (Powder Springs, Ga.) averaged 16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in two games on the road last week versus then No. 11 Creighton and No. 3 Villanova. He was 9-14 (.642) from the field, including 4-5 (.800) from three-point territory. He also was 11-15 (.733) from the free-throw line. In the Friars' win over Creighton on January 20, Breed had 15 points, six rebounds and three assists. In the Friars' loss at Villanova on January 23, he had game and career highs in points (18) and rebounds (11). It was Breed's first career double-double.

Watson Leading The Friars In Rebounding: Senior Nate Watson (Portsmouth, Va.) is leading the Friars in rebounding (6.8 rpg). He also ranks second on the team in scoring (18.0 ppg). In 16 games this season, he has recorded four double-doubles and five games with 20 or more points. Watson is shooting 62 percent (116-187) from the field.

Duke First On The Team In Scoring And Assists, Second In Rebounding: Junior David Duke (Providence, R.I.) leads the Friars and he ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring (19.5 ppg). He also leads the team in assists (4.8 apg). He also is second on the team in rebounding (6.1 rpg). Duke is shooting 42 percent (103-247) from the field, including 44 percent (37-85) from behind the arc.

Duke Registers His Second 30-Point Game Of The Season: Junior David Duke (Providence, R.I.) scored a season-high 31 points in the Friars' win over Marquette on January 27. He was 10-22 from the field, including 4-8 from three. He also scored 30 points while shooting 11-18 from the field, including 7-9 from three-point territory in the Friars' loss at Xavier on January 10. Duke has posted three 30-point efforts in his career.

Duke Played 48 Minutes Vs. DePaul: Junior David Duke (Providence, R.I.) played 48 of the 50 minutes in the Friars' double overtime win over DePaul on December 27. It was the most minutes played by a Friar in a single game since Bryce Cotton played 50 minutes in a double overtime win over Marquette on March 4, 2014. Duke is first in the conference in minutes played at 37.7 mpg.

Nate Watson Registers His 1,000th Career Points: Senior Nate Watson (Portsmouth, Va.) scored his 1,000th career point on December 20 in the Friars' win at Seton Hall. He became the 51st Friar all-time to register 1,000 career points. In 108 career games, Watson has registered 1,166 points (10.4 ppg).

Duke Named BIG EAST Player of the Week On Dec. 14: It was announced on December 14 that junior guard David Duke (Providence, R.I.) was named BIG EAST Player of the Week. Duke, who was named Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team, earned the league Player of the Week accolades for the first time in his career. In the Friars' only game of week, Duke led the Friars with 28 points and seven assists in the team's 79-70 win at TCU on December 9. It marked Duke's second consecutive game with 28 points. Duke was 11-19 from the field, including 5-8 from three-point territory in the win.

Duke Named To Maui Invitational All-Tournament Team: Junior David Duke (Providence, R.I.) averaged 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in three games in the Maui Invitational and was named to the Maui Invitational All-Tournament Team on December 2 .

Ed Cooley Wearing A Towel In-Game To Honor John Thompson: Friar Head Coach Ed Cooley will wear a towel on his shoulder each game to honor the late John Thompson. Thompson was a 1964 graduate of Providence College. "Coach Thompson was a friend and a mentor to me. The things he did for a coach like me were tremendous. I owe him this appreciation." - Ed Cooley.

Friars At Alumni Hall: The Friars opened the season on Wednesday, November 25 at Alumni Hall versus Fairfield. The game marked the Friars' first regular-season contest at Alumni Hall since the squad opened the season on November 10, 2017 with an 84-55 win over Houston Baptist. Prior to that, the team's last game at Alumni Hall was on March 1, 1972 when Providence defeated St John's 73-65. The Friars played their home games at Alumni Hall from 1955-72. The Friars have compiled a 184-30 mark (.859) in the arena over 19 seasons. Over the last 48 seasons, the squad has posted a 587-235 record (.714) at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Downtown Providence.

Friars Picked Third Of 11 Teams In Preseason BIG EAST Coaches' Poll: It was announced on October 28 during the BIG EAST Virtual Media Day that the Friars were selected to finish third of 11 in teams in the Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Friars, who return three starters from last season, finished 2019-20 with a 19-12 overall mark and a team record 12 wins in BIG EAST play. The Friars entered the 2020 BIG EAST Tournament as hot as any team in the country. The team had won six straight and eight of 10 games to close the regular season with a NET ranking of 37. The squad finished fourth in league standings and was set to play fifth-seeded Butler on March 12 in the BIG EAST Tournament. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the BIG EAST and NCAA Tournaments were cancelled. The Friars were projected to be a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Duke And Watson Earn BIG EAST Preseason Honors: It was announced on October 28 that junior guard David Duke (Providence, R.I.) and senior center Nate Watson (Portsmouth, Va.) were named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Teams. Duke was named to the First Team and Watson earned Second Team honors. Duke had a strong sophomore season as he improved in each significant statistical category from his freshman season. His points per game improved from 7.1 in 2019 to 12.0 in 2020. His rebounding also improved from 2.6 rpg to 4.0 rpg. His shooting took a dramatic rise with his field goal percentage (.387 to .409), three-point field goal percentage (.297 to .420) and free-throw percentage (.689 to .793) all making improvements from freshman through sophomore seasons. In 2019-20, he finished fourth in the league in three-point shooting (42.0 percent) and steals per game (1.5). He also finished first on the team in three-point shooting (42-100, .420) and assists (97, 3.1 apg). Duke also was second on the team in scoring (12.0 ppg). He recorded a career-best game at Creighton on January 18, 2020 when he scored 36 points and was 6-8 from three-point territory. In 2019-20, Watson finished fourth on the team in scoring (9.0 ppg). He led the squad and ranked ninth in the league in field goal percentage at 51.1 percent. He reached double figures in scoring in 11 of the 27 games he played. Watson also was third on the team in rebounding at 4.6 boards per game.

Geeter And Castro Each Sign A NLI To Attend Providence In 2021-22: Providence College men's basketball coach Ed Cooley announced today (Nov. 13) that student-athletes Legend Geeter (River Rouge, Mich.) and Rafael Castro (Dover, N.J.) each have signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Providence College beginning in September 2021. Geeter, a 6-foot-8-inch, 220-pound forward, is in his senior year at River Rouge High School. He is coached by LaMonta Stone at River Rouge. Last season, Geeter averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two blocks per game while helping lead River Rouge to a 20-1 mark. For his efforts, he earned The Detroit News Division 1 First Team All-State honors. River Rouge, which has won more state titles (14) than any other pro- gram in Michigan, was ranked No. 1 in the state and looking to capture the state title in 2020 when the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Geeter is a 2021 candidate for Mr. Basketball, which is an annual award given out each year to the top player in the state. Former Friar LaDontae Henton of Lansing was a runner up for Mr. Basketball honors in 2011. Geeter played AAU basketball for The Family, which is where former Friars Henton and Junior Lomomba also played. He is ranked as the 48th best power forward in the county and the fifth best in Michigan by 247Sports.com. Rivals.com has Geeter ranked as the 37th power best forward in the nation. Castro, a 6-foot-10-inch, 200-pound forward attends Dover High School. As a junior at Dover, he averaged 20.3 points, 16.3 rebounds, 4.7 blocks, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals. He is coached by Billy Connors. Castro played for the Dominican Republic at the 2019 CentroBasket U17 Championship. He averaged 4.2 points and 3.8 rebounds while helping the team to a fourth-place finish. Castro played AAU ball for Team Rio University. He is ranked as the 30th best power forward in the coun- try and the third best player in New Jersey, according to 247Sports.com. Rivals.com ranked Castro as the 136th best player in the country and the No. 23 power forward.

Friars All-Time Versus Top-25 Teams: The Friars have posted a 122-271 (.310) mark all-time versus top-25 teams, including a 1-2 mark this season.

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 190-129 mark in 10 seasons as the Friars head coach.

Friars Are 68-5 In Non-Conference Home Games Under Ed Cooley: The Friars have posted a 68-5 mark in 10 seasons under Ed Cooley in non-conference home games.

Friars In Overtime: The Friars recorded a 3-0 mark in overtime games this season. They have registered a 68-67 mark all-time in overtime games.

"DG" Patch On Friar Uniforms: In memory of former Friar Head Coach Dave Gavitt the Friars have worn a "DG" patch on their uni- forms 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.

Providence College Basketball: The 2020-21 campaign marks the 94th season of basketball at Providence College. Since the program started in 1926-27, Providence has posted a 1,491-1,003 mark, good for a .598 winning percentage. The Friars have made the NCAA Tournament 20 times and the National Invitation Tournament on 20 occasions.

-GO FRIARS!-

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Alyn Breed

Jared Bynum

David Duke

A.J. Reeves

Nate Watson

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Late Night Madness on October 4, 2025 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Pitt on October 19, 2025 at 2:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Harvard on October 25, 2025 at 4:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Holy Cross on November 3, 2025 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Virginia Tech on November 8, 2025 at 4:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Penn on November 11, 2025 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Colorado on November 14, 2025 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus New Hampshire on November 18, 2025 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Penn State on November 22, 2025 at 4:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus University of Wisconsin on November 27, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. ET

Providence College Athletics