Kim English, the basketball coach at Providence, claims the Friars are “competitive” when it comes to player recruitment.
Over the past few weeks, Providence has been connected to a number of players through the transfer portal; on Thursday night, Kim English provided some additional details about those efforts.
During the Final Four in Arizona, the Friars men’s basketball coach made an appearance on a live podcast with “The Field of 68.” He talked extensively about his first year on the sidelines at Providence, the state of recruiting currently, and his program’s objectives for the upcoming 2024–25 campaign.
“It never stops,” English remarked. It never truly ends. Outstanding players are still joining. The time of year is bustling.
Providence has a lot of skill to replace. Earlier this week, Devin Carter declared on social media that he was going to forgo his senior season and instead join the NBA Draft. After seeing significant gains in both his total production and perimeter shooting during his junior year, he was named the Big East Player of the Year. Donovan Santoro, Garwey Dual, and Rafael Castro have all accessed the transfer portal, but Josh Oduro and Ticket Gaines have reached the end of their eligibility.
English stated, “You still need to watch the tape.” “You must locate the child’s decision-makers and initiate contact with them. These days, hiring is similar to microwave recruiting—it’s like popcorn recruiting.”
Guard PJ Haggerty of Tulsa, who declared his commitment to Memphis early on Thursday, was reportedly in the running for a scholarship to the Friars. They are also vying for Chattanooga forward Sam Alexis and Temple guard Hysier Miller. Rutgers wing Gavin Griffiths and Miami guard Bensley Joseph, who committed to the Friars on Friday, both made unofficial trips to the campus last week.
English declared, “Our collective (name, image, and likeness) — our pool of money — is competitive.” “We believe we can acquire any player we desire. We’re not just giving players inflated money. We’re probably out on a player if that’s the first topic of discourse.
“The team is the focus. It’s all about the group and how well they get along and play together. There is no problem with money.
Out of a squad that qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2022–2023—Carter, Bryce Hopkins, Jayden Pierre, and Corey Floyd Jr. were all kept by Providence. The Friars are anticipated to hold onto Justyn Fernandez, Anton Bonke, and Eli DeLaurier in addition to rotation members Hopkins, Pierre, Floyd, and Rich Barron. The conditions of any agreements reached between athletes, school NIL collectives, and any agents they may be working with are kept confidential.
English stated, “Our biggest donors have really stepped up and made it clear we’re not going to let money be the issue if we need a player.” But occasionally, since we’re unwilling to play that game, money becomes a problem. A lot of lying is occurring at the moment.
English stated that Fernandez, Bonke, and DeLaurier would benefit greatly from their next two weeks of training following an NIT loss to Boston College. As he recovered from a knee injury, Fernandez missed the season, and Bonke enrolled at a junior college in Arizona for his second semester. Due to an early ankle injury, DeLaurier may be able to make up missed season time by taking a redshirt.
“We’re doubling and tripling down on their development,” English said. “You don’t want to have to build a team in the portal every year. It would be exhausting.”
The Friars finished 21-14 overall despite Hopkins suffering a season-ending left knee injury in early January. English said he’ll be cleared to start jogging next week and is progressing well with his rehab. Providence reached the Big East Tournament semifinals before a loss against Marquette, despite a sizeable Friars fan contingent that made the short trip to Madison Square Garden.
“They’re the absolute best,” English said. “I was (a player) at Missouri — Kansas fans are great. I was (an assistant coach) at Tennessee — Kentucky fans are great. You talk about supporting your team no matter what — I don’t care what the dispute is. I’m riding with Friar fans 11 times out of 10.”
English will likely be among those watching the national semifinals when they tip off on Saturday night. Purdue-North Carolina State is the early matchup and Connecticut-Alabama serves as the nightcap. The Huskies are looking to add a second straight national championship to their conference regular-season and tournament titles.
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