Providence College Athletics

Saturday, February 11
New York, N.Y.
12:00 PM

Providence College

at

St. John's University

Noah Locke - Men's Basketball vs. Merrimack
Photo by: Ryan Feeney

No. 20/17 Men's Basketball Game Notes at St. John 's

2/10/2023 11:13:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Friars will play St. John's at MSG on Saturday at Noon on Fox.

Friars To Play At St. John's On Saturday: The No. 20/17 Friars will play St. John's on Saturday, February 11 at 12 p.m. at MSG on  FOX.  St. John's holds a 64-57 edge in the series with Providence. The teams have met every year since the 1969-70 season. The Friars lead the series, 30-24, at home, while St. John's has a 34-21 edge in New York.  PC has posted a 6-6 mark versus the Red Storm on neutral courts.  In the first meeting between the two teams this season, the Friars earned an 83-80 win in Providence on January 7, 2023.  The last time the two teams met in New York, the Friars registered an 86-82 win at St. John's on February 1, 2022.

Friar Tid Bits:

*The Friars are 5-4 in road games this season, including 4-3 in BIG EAST action.

*PC is 6-0 in BIG EAST home games this season with wins over MU, UConn, SJU, DePaul, Butler and GU.

*PC is ranked No. 20 in the AP Poll and No. 17 in the Coaches Poll.  It's the team's fifth week in the polls.

* The Friars have now recorded 10 or more BIG EAST wins in eight of Ed Cooley's 12 seasons at Providence.

*Bryce Hopkins is a candidate for the Naismith POY, the Oscar Robertson Award and the Karl Malone Award.

*Friar point guard Jared Bynum returned versus Butler on 1/25 after missing four games with a torso injury.

*Friar point guard Jared Bynum has eclipsed 1,000 points for his career (1,015 points).

*The Friars are 13-0 at home this season, 34-1 in their last 35 games at the AMP and 617-236 (.722) all-time.

*PC's 73-61 win over UConn on 1/4 was the team's first victory over a top-5 team since March 9, 2018.

*PC is first in the BIG EAST in rebounding margin (+8.7).

*Bryce Hopkins leads the team in scoring (16.1) and rebounding (9.2).

*Bryce Hopkins has posted double-doubles in four of the the last seven games - he has nine on the season.

*Bryce Hopkins scored 24 points at Seton Hall on 12/17- the most ever by a Friar in his BIG EAST debut.

*PC has posted a 129-276 (.319) mark all-time versus top-25 teams, including a 2-2 mark this season.

*PC has registered two games with 100 + points this season for the first time since the 2009-10 season.

*PC was 20-20 from the free-throw line vs. St. Louis (2/20/22), which was second best all-time for PC.

*PC is 73-30 (.709) under Ed Cooley in games decided by FIVE points or less since the 2013-14 season.

*The Friars are 705-307 all-time versus New England opponents.

*The Friars were picked fifth of 11 teams in the Preseason BIG EAST Coaches Poll.

*Jared Bynum was selected Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST by the league's coaches.

*The Friars have eight newcomers to the roster this season.

*The Friars have three graduate students on the roster - Jared Bynum, Noah Locke and Clifton Moore.

*The Friars have 14 players on the roster and seven of those players came via a transfer.

*The Friars won the BIG EAST regular season title for the FIRST time ever in 2022.

*The Friars advanced to their sixth NCAA Sweet 16 in 2022.

*Ed Cooley has led the Friars to SIX NCAA Tourneys in 11 years, which is more than any other coach at PC.

*On April 3, Ed Cooley was named Naismith Coach of the Year - FIRST Friar coach to earn the honor.

*Ed Cooley earned 2022 BIG EAST Coach of the Year and became the FIRST Friar coach to earn the honor.

*Ed Cooley (239-147) trails Joe Mullaney (319-164) for all-time wins as a head coach at Providence.

Friars Defeat Georgetown: The No. 20/17 Providence College men's basketball team defeated the Georgetown Hoyas, 74-62, on Feb. 8 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I. With the win, the Friars earned their 13th win of the season at home as well as their 10th league win. The Friars have now recorded 10 or more BIG EAST wins in eight of Ed Cooley's 12 seasons at Providence.  Sophomore Bryce Hopkins (Oak Park, Ill.) led the way for the Friars with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. Sophomore Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) chipped in with 12 points, nine boards and seven assists. Four players finished in double figures for the Friars.

Bryce Hopkins Named To Naismith Men's POY Midseason Team:  It was announced on February 9 that sophomore Bryce Hopkins (Oak Park, Ill.) was named to the 2023 Naismith Men's Player of the Year Midseason Team. The list consists of 30 male basketball players who have shown success on the court this season. The award is presented annually to the most outstanding men's and women's basketball player who achieves tremendous on-court success.

Bryce Hopkins Named A Top-10 Candidate For Karl Malone Award: It was announced on February 9 that sophomore Bryce Hopkins (Oak Park, Ill.) has been named a Top-10 Candidate for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award. The winner of the award earns a spot on the "Naismith Starting Five".

Bryce Hopkins Named To The Watch List For Oscar Robertson Award: It was announced on January 19 that sophomore Bryce Hopkins (Oak Park, Ill.) has been named one of 50 players for the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Year Award Midseason Watch List.

Jared Bynum Has A Big Game At Nova:  In his second game back from an injury, graduate student Jared Bynum (Largo, Md.) led the Friars to a 70-65 win at Villanova on January 29.  He recorded 19 points, five assists and shot 7-8 from the field.  With the Friars trailing by seven points (49-42) with 10:42 left, Bynum got hot.  In the final 10:42, he scored 17 points (three 3pt fg, three 2pt fg and two free throws) as he was 6-6 from the field during that span.  He also had two assists, one rebound and one steal in the final 10:42 to help propel the Friars to a five-point win.

Friar Men's Basketball Ranked No. 20 In AP Poll And No. 17 Coaches Polls: It was announced on Feb. 6 that the Providence College men's basketball team is ranked No. 20 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 17 in the most recent Coaches Poll.  The Friars entered the national polls on January 9 with a No. 19 ranking in both polls.  Last week, the Friars posted a 0-1 mark with an 85-83 overtime loss at then No. 16/15 Xavier.  The Friars (18-6, 10-3) are in third place in the BIG EAST.  Providence has posted Quad 1 wins at home versus UConn and Marquette and on the road at Seton Hall.  The Friars have a NCAA NET ranking of 39.

Friars All-Time Versus Top-25 Teams:  The Friars have posted a 129-276 (.319) mark all-time versus top-25 teams, including a 2-2 mark this season.

Kyron Cartwright Named Special Assistant To The Head Coach: Head Coach Ed Cooley announced on Dec. 5 that former Friar Kyron Cartwright '18 has been named the Special Assistant to the Head Coach.  As the Special Assistant to the Head Coach, Cartwright will be responsible for assisting Ed Cooley in a number of different areas. Cartwright will mentor current student-athletes off the court in areas such as academics, social media, and community engagement. He also will act as a resource for the student-athletes and the athletic department in the areas of student-athlete development and DEI.  Cartwright helped lead the Friars to four NCAA Tournament appearances during his career at Providence.  The team won 20 or more games in each of his four seasons of action and he helped the team compile an 87-50 mark (.635). He scored 1,100 points, which ranks 40th all-time.  Cartwright recorded 646 assists (4.8 apg) in 136 career games.  He ranks third all-time in assists and ninth in assists per game at Providence.  As a junior in 2017, Cartwright earned the BIG EAST Most Improved Player Award, Second Team All-BIG EAST honors, USBWA All-District 1 accolades and USBWA District 1 Player of the Year.  In his final season with the Friars, he was named All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention, BIG EAST All-Tournament Team member and PC Male Athlete of the Year.  After graduating from Providence, Cartwright spent three years playing professional basketball.  He began his pro career in Székesferhérvár, Hungary for Albá Ferhévár where he competed in the top domestic league and Fiba Eurocup.  He spent his second professional season with the Leicester Riders, in Leicester, England in the British Basketball League.  His final season of pro ball was in Hagen, Germany with the Phoenix Hagen in the Pro A league.  Cartwright, who grew up in Compton, Calif., began his coaching career in 2021-22 at St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights, Minn.  He served as an assistant under former UConn guard Khalid El-Amin.  Most recently, Cartwright was an assistant coach at University of Minnesota-Crookston (NCAA Div. 2) for Head Coach Bryan Beamish.

Friars Finish 20-20 From Free-Throw Line: The Friars were 20-20 from the free-throw line in a 76-73 loss versus St. Louis on Nov. 20.  It marked the second-best performance all-time for the team from the charity stripe.  The top performance all time was when the team was 28-28  from the line versus Villanova on January 10, 1987.

Fielder And Santoro Each Sign A NLI: Providence College men's basketball Head Coach Ed Cooley announced on Nov. 16 that student-athletes Drew Fielder (Meridian, Idaho) and Donovan Santoro (Austin, Texas) each have signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Providence College beginning in September of 2023.  Both players attend Southern California Academy in Castaic, Calif., where they play for head coaches Julius Von Hanzlik and Chris Chaney.  Fielder, a 6-foot-10-inch, 215-pound center is rated as a four-star recruit.  He transferred to Southern California Academy after beginning his high school career in Idaho.  Over the summer, Fielder had a strong showing at the Under Armour Association showcase in July.  He averaged 10.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals in six games at the UAA.  He also shot 47.6 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from three and 71.4 percent from the free-throw line.  Fielder is rated as the No. 23 center in the nation in the class of 2023, according to 247Sports.com.  Santoro, a 6-foot-8-inch, 185-pound forward transferred to Southern California Academy after playing at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas.  Last season, he helped Westlake post a 38-2 mark and advance to the Texas High School Semifinals.  His squad recorded a 14-0 record in its district.  For his efforts, Santoro earned second team All-District honors.

  

Bynum Named Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team:  It was announced on October 18 that Providence College graduate guard Jared Bynum (Largo, Md.) was named to the 2022-23 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team. Bynum, who earned 2022 All-BIG EAST Second Team accolades, was named recipient of the BIG EAST Sixth Man Award and received USBWA All-District 1 accolades, had a break out season for the Friars in 2021-22.  He led the team in scoring in BIG EAST games, averaging 15.6 ppg in 17 games.  His 15.6 points per game ranked fifth in the league.  He shot a team-best 46.5 percent (33-71) from behind the three-point arc in league play.  Bynum also ranked third in the league in assists per game (4.9) in BIG EAST action.  In overall action, he averaged 12.2 ppg and 4.0 assists per game.  He came off the bench in 14 of the team's 17 league games and became the first BIG EAST player in 25 years with three games of 25 or more points off the bench in the same season.

Friars Have Eight Newcomers Join The Roster: After the Friars posted a 27-6 mark, captured the BIG EAST Regular Season title and advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2022, the team had all five starters graduate.  The team returns three players, graduate student Jared Bynum (Largo, Md.), senior Ed Croswell (Philadelphia, Pa.) and junior Alyn Breed (Powder Springs, Ga.), who saw action last season. The squad welcomes eight new players to the lineup - freshman Jayden Pierre (Elizabeth, N.J.), freshman Quante Berry (Cleveland, Tenn.), graduate Noah Locke (Baltimore, Md.), freshman Scott Morozov (Toronto, Ontario), redshirt freshman Corey Floyd, Jr. (Franklin, N.J.), graduate Clifton Moore (Ambler, Pa.), sophomore Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) and sophomore Bryce Hopkins (Oak Park, Ill.).

How The Friars Got To The NCAA Tournament In 2022: The Friars earned an at-large bid as a four seed to their 21st NCAA Tournament overall and sixth in 11 years under Head Coach Ed Cooley.  Providence posted a 27-6 mark and a 14-3 record in BIG EAST play.  The Friars  won the BIG EAST Regular-Season Title for the first time in the 43-year history of the league.  Providence entered the NCAA Tournament with a NET Ranking of 32.  The Friars defeated South Dakota State (66-57) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on March 17 and Richmond (79-51) in the Second Round to advance to the Sweet 16.  The Friars held Richmond to 51 points.  It marked the fewest points allowed by the Friars in the NCAA Tournament all-time.  The Friars made their first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 1997 and their sixth appearance overall.   The team was defeated by No. 3/3 Kansas (1 seed), 66-61,  on March 25 in the Midwest Regional.

Ed Cooley Captures 2022 Naismith Coach Of The Year Award:  It was announced on April 3 that Providence's Ed Cooley was named the recipient of the Werner Ladder Naismith Coach Of The Year Award.   Cooley is the first Friar coach to earn the prestigious honor.  He also is the first Friar coach to earn national coach of the year accolades since Rick Pitino earned NABC Coach of the Year in 1987.

Bynum Earns 2022 BIG EAST Sixth Man Award:  It was announced on March 7 that Providence guard Jared Bynum (Largo, Md.) earned the 2022 BIG EAST Sixth Man Award.  Bynum became the first Friar to earn the honor.

Cooley Named 2022 BIG EAST Coach Of The Year: It was announced on March 9 at Madison Square Garden in New York that Providence's Ed Cooley was named BIG EAST Coach Of The Year.  Cooley, who became the first Friar coach in the 43-year history of the league to earn the honor, guided the Friars to a 27-6 mark.  In BIG EAST league play, the Friars set a team record for wins after registering a 14-3 mark and capturing the program's first BIG EAST Regular Season title.  The Friars, who finished in first place, were picked to finish seventh in the annual BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll which was released in October.

Ed Cooley Gets The Key To The City: Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza joined Former Rhode Island State Senator Harold Metts, Providence Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Javier Montañez and Providence Public School District students to present a Key to the City to Providence College Men's Basketball Coach Ed Cooley on May 17. Cooley led Providence College to the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament as a No. 4 seed.  The Friars reached the Sweet 16 before losing to eventual national champion Kansas.  Cooley was named Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year and BIG EAST Coach of the Year.  He is the first Friar coach to win either award.  His Friars also won the BIG EAST Regular Season title - the first time ever for a Providence men's basketball team.  Cooley, who grew up in Providence, attended Central High School in the City.  He played basketball at Central High School and he was a two-time Rhode Island High School Player of the Year honoree.

Friars In Overtime: The Friars have recorded a 1-1 record in overtime games in 2022-23.  On December 20, the Friars defeated Marquette, 103-98, in double overtime.  On February 1, Providence was defeated at Xavier, 85-83, in overtime.  They have registered a 72-68 mark all-time in overtime games, including 8-1 in their last nine games.

Providence College Basketball: The 2022-23 campaign marks the 96th  season of basketball at Providence College. Since the program started in 1926-27, Providence has posted a 1,539-1,021  mark, good for a .600 winning percentage. The Friars have made the NCAA Tournament 21 times and the National Invitation Tournament on 20 occasions.

Steve Napolillo Named Athletic Director:  It was announced on January 26, 2022 that Steve Napolillo would be the 11th athletic director in the history of Providence College.  On July 1, Napolillo replaced Bob Driscoll, who announced his retirement on January 21.  Napolillo, who was the senior associate athletic director/assistant vice president for external relations, has worked at the College since 2004.

Ed Cooley Ranks Second On The PC All-Time Win List: With the Friars' win versus Butler on January 23, 2022, Ed Cooley recorded his 210th victory as the Friar Head Coach and moved into second place on the all-time win list for PC Head Coaches.  The the top three all-time winningest Friar head coaches are: Joe Mullaney (319-164), Ed Cooley (239-146, 12 seasons) and Dave Gavitt (209-84).

Friars At The Amica Mutual Pavilion: All-time, the Friars have recorded a 617-236 (.721) mark in 50 seasons of games at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.  The AMP, formerly the Providence Civic Center and the Dunkin' Donuts Center, opened on November 3, 1972. The Friars had played their home games there for 48 consecutive seasons, prior to the 2020-21 season when the team played on campus at Alumni Hall with no fans in attendance due to the pandemic.  PC posted a 16-1 mark at the AMP in 2021-22, the team's best record at home since 1973-74.

Friars Are 86-5 In Non-Conference Home Games Under Ed Cooley: The Friars have posted an 86-5 mark (.944) in 12 seasons under Ed Cooley in non-conference home games.

Players Mentioned

G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F/G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
2018-2019 Men's Basketball Highlight Video
Saturday, April 13