The Providence College men's basketball team convenes for the start of a new season
PROVIDENCE — Ed Cooley is already in holiday mode.
Santa doesn’t show up for another three months or so, but the Providence College men's basketball coach is ready to unwrap some gifts of a different kind.
Friday marked the second official practice for the Friars in the 2022-23 season. Eight scholarship newcomers to the rotation took the floor at the Ruane Development Center — five transfers, two freshmen and a redshirt freshman. Cooley is hoping to meld that group into something resembling the team that captured its first Big East regular-season title in school history last year.
“This time of the year is like Christmas for us coaches,” Cooley said. “Especially with eight new players, you get to see what type of ornaments are going to go on your tree. You get to see which ones stand out, which one has some pop to it, which one everybody says, ‘Oh, I want that on my tree next year.’
“As I look at our ornaments, we’ve got a lot of work to do to put some shine on it. I like our talent. Our continuity and our chemistry, we have to develop that.”
'An opportunity to make an impact'
Al Durham and Justin Minaya proved to be perfect fits during their lone season with the Friars last year. The two veteran additions, from Indiana and South Carolina, respectively, helped fuel a 27-6 record and a first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1997.
Providence will build toward a Nov. 8 season opener against Rider by looking to foster the same sort of cohesiveness.
“Kind of just emphasizing to the guys coming in that they have an opportunity to make an impact on our program,” Providence guard Jared Bynum said. “You saw it with two guys last year — we also had some transfers before that, too.”
Bynum was one of them — he moved from Saint Joseph’s ahead of the 2019-20 season. The backup point guard developed into the league’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2021-22 and gave the Friars some real explosiveness in their backcourt. Ed Croswell will be looking to make a similar jump, from Nate Watson’s understudy to leading man in the paint.
“(Cooley) allows guys to be themselves when they come here,” Croswell said. “He lets you ease into his culture. I think Coach does a great job of including everybody.”
A wealth of talent
Noah Locke (Louisville) and Clifton Moore (Indiana, La Salle) have just one season left in their respective careers. Devin Carter (South Carolina) enjoyed a considerably larger role at his last stop than Bryce Hopkins (Kentucky) and Corey Floyd Jr. (Connecticut). Rafael Castro has a leg up on Jayden Pierre and Quante Berry — he battled Watson and Croswell on the glass at every practice last season.
That’s certainly a fair amount of talent if you take a quick scan of internet recruiting services. Providence had all of those players on campus this summer — several took part in The Breakfast Club, a series of sunrise workouts with assistant coach Ivan Thomas. Bynum was among the regular attendees who feasted on pancakes and eggs after putting in his work at the gym.
“You’ve got something to share at that point — looking forward to getting up and working out with somebody,” Bynum said. “Just being in here and knowing what they can do and working on each other’s games.”
Players from Bryant and Brown were invited to campus for some 5-on-5 pickup games, and the Friars used those as a way to sharpen their competitiveness. The risk of going stale against familiar faces was replaced with some real juice. Providence finished 16-3 in games decided by single digits last season — it's not a group used to yielding in the clutch.
“It’s our hope that our culture stays intact — our identity, who we want to be, who we really are,” Cooley said. “That’s the biggest challenge.”
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence College men's basketball team practices for new season
