Providence basketball brings another George Mason transfer. Who is it this time?

The line of players and coaching staff members departing George Mason for Providence continued to grow on Saturday.

Davonte Gaines will spend his final college season with the Friars after leaving the Patriots as a graduate transfer. The athletic 6-foot-7-inch wing made the announcement on his personal social media accounts. He’ll be immediately eligible.

Gaines is the latest addition by new coach Kim English, and the left-hander will have plenty of familiar company. English will bring assistants Dennis Felton and Nate Tomlinson with him from suburban Virginia — both of their hires were announced last week. Big man Josh Oduro, shooting guard Justyn Fernandez and backcourt recruit Richard Barron will call Providence home in 2023-24 after previous connections to George Mason.

Gaines shares an extended bond with English dating to his first college stop. He spent two seasons at Tennessee before leaving for the Patriots in 2021-22 — English was on staff with the Volunteers as an assistant under Rick Barnes and brought Gaines with him when he accepted the top job with the Patriots. Gaines earned double-digit minutes only once during the 2020-21 season with Tennessee.

Gaines has played in 101 career games and enjoyed his best campaign to date in that George Mason debut, averaging 10.1 points and 8.2 rebounds. He was a top-200 defensive rebounder nationally, shot 39.4% from 3-point range and closed with a top-55 offensive efficiency rating. Gaines was the leading Atlantic 10 player in free-throw rate during league play — he finished top-45 nationally overall.

Gaines missed 10 games in 2022-23 because of a midseason wrist injury and didn’t return until early February. He posted 15 points and nine rebounds in a home victory over Rhode Island and totaled a season-high 23 points and eight rebounds in a road win at Richmond. Gaines started in all but one of his 53 appearances with the Patriots.

More: Another big name returning to Providence College basketball — how the team is shaping up

Gaines is a Buffalo native who spent a prep year at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia. He played on the Under Armour grassroots circuit with Corey Graham Elite, a program sponsored by the former Bills safety and two-time Super Bowl champion. One of his early offers was gained from the Rams after he attended a Ryan Center prospect camp in June 2017 — Gaines was a consensus three-star recruit when he pledged to Tennessee.

Gaines initially made his mark at Health Sciences Charter in his native city. He holds the school record for points in a game with 52 and recorded three quadruple-doubles as a senior. Gaines was dubbed ‘The Big Ticket’ thanks to his tendency to stuff the stat sheet, and he’s used that nickname as a personal brand throughout his college tenure.

Gaines could wind up filling a scholarship previously held by shooting guard Quante Berry, who announced his entry into the transfer portal late this week. Devin Carter, Corey Floyd Jr., Fernandez and Barron all promised to offer stiff competition for the redshirt freshman. Berry will have four years of eligibility elsewhere should he decide to leave — no members of that group would be expected to graduate prior to the 2024-25 season.

Providence is in contention to receive more good news on the recruiting front in the near future. Cal Baptist transfer Taran Armstrong named the Friars, Xavier, Creighton and Gonzaga among his last four in a Friday post on social media. A point guard with good size at 6 feet 6 inches, Armstrong posted a top-20 assist rate nationally last season and shares a connection with Tomlinson — both are natives of Australia.

Wyoming transfer Graham Ike also is scheduled to visit Providence later this month. He missed all of the 2022-23 season because of a foot injury but was one of the nation’s top paint players the previous year, averaging 19.5 points and 9.6 rebounds. Ike and Carter are former grassroots teammates with the Colorado Hawks, an entry on the Adidas circuit.

bkoch@providencejournal.com  

On Twitter: @BillKoch25 

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: George Mason's Davonte Gaines transfers to Providence basketball