'There's something special': Surging Providence ready for FHSAA basketball final four

Jim Martin knows winning basketball.

In 2010, the Providence boys basketball coach and his team marched home from the Florida High School Athletic Association tournament as champions of Florida. Again in 2013. Again in 2015.

And ahead of Wednesday morning, when the Stallions travel to the RP Funding Center in Lakeland for the Class 3A boys basketball semifinal against Windermere Prep, Martin sees the winning recipe taking shape again.

"[The key is] how well they play together," Martin said. "We play seven or eight guys and they really like each other a lot. This is probably the closest-knit group I've ever had."

By now, hoops fans across the First Coast know Chris Arias, Mason Lee and Jaylen Robinson, the high-flying, high-scoring trio that has led Providence's charge for the past two years. But they're just part of the Stallion story.

"There's a lot of teamwork and unselfishness that was out there," Lee said after Friday's regional championship, "and we all came through."

A Tiger returns: NFL veteran Brian Allen back for second stint as Columbia coach

Boys basketball: Ribault, Providence, Ponte Vedra, NFEI to FHSAA final four

First Coast Varsity Weekly: Doug Pederson welcomes flag football squads to Jaguars' home

PROVIDENCE'S TERRIFIC TRIO

When Providence launches its patented back-breaking runs, like the 11-0 spurt that started the regional final, Robinson is usually at the center of the action. The team's top scorer with 13.1 points per game, the forward is also among the premier dunk kings on the First Coast, and when he rises around the rim for a moment like his reverse slam in the first half last week,

"We already know we're ready," Robinson said. "We've got to play hard during states, and that's it."

Leading the march up the court is junior Arias, the multi-talented guard who committed to Jacksonville University in November and combines outside shooting (11.3 points per game) with backcourt quickness and deceptive anticipation on the boards.

Tying it all together is Lee, a University of North Florida signee whose clutch shooting gives opponents fits. In his final home game last Friday, the three-year starter helped carry the Stallions with 26 points.

"Just senior leadership off the charts," Martin said.

THREES BEYOND THE BIG THREE

For Providence, the three is key, and outscoring opponents from beyond the 3-point arc isn't just a job for the top scorers.

"I think people know about the big three," Martin said, "but the next five guys are pretty good, too."

They've got prime shooters in David Fonville, Caleb McAbee and Brady Patterson, all averaging better than 35 percent from behind the arc; a defensive ace in B.J. Boykin, who helped limit the damage last week from Florida High's Missouri-bound guard Anthony Robinson II; and they've got an all-around athlete in Abdul Mansaray, a junior forward with the athletic gifts to make an impact on both ends of the floor.

As a team, they're nailing 8.6 3-pointers per game, at a 34.4 percent rate. Boykin, Fonville and Arias all shoot free throws above 80 percent. Lee, the do-it-all senior, dishes out almost five assists a night.

"We've definitely grown with our chemistry," Lee said. "Everyone's passing the ball, everyone's giving up open shots to get better shots, and at the end of the day, that's what's helped us win."

READY FOR THE TEST

Martin likes to sum up the Stallions in two words: battle-tested. The numbers back him up.

Only two teams have topped Providence all year: Winter Haven (53-36) on Dec. 29 and Barron Collier (79-72) in a largely meaningless regular season finale. Others have crumbled before the Stallions' assault. Among Class 3A schools, MaxPreps ranks the Stallions with Florida's fourth-toughest strength of schedule, including wins over final-four qualifiers NFEI, Ponte Vedra, St. Petersburg and The Villages.

The challenge didn't let up last Friday against Florida High, a 58-55 overtime epic that tested the Stallions to the limit. Once more, through their teamwork, they passed the test, even facing a future SEC guard.

"He [Anthony Robinson] was very crafty," Jaylen Robinson said. "We had to bring help whenever he drives, and that was our biggest priority."

Is trophy number four on its way to the Don Barfield Gymnasium after this weekend? Martin isn't looking too far ahead — but after 23 years on the Providence sidelines, he likes what he's seeing in 2023.

"There's something special about these guys," he said.

CLASS 3A BOYS BASKETBALL STATE SEMIFINAL

Providence (28-2) vs. Windermere Prep (23-7)

10 a.m. Wednesday

RP Funding Center, Lakeland

The story starts with a familiar face on the opposite sideline: Windermere Prep head coach Brian Hoff is a Jacksonville native and an Arlington Country Day graduate who assisted Providence's Jim Martin on two of the Stallions' state title teams. Windermere Prep freshman Brandon Bass Jr., a second-generation hoops standout at 6-5, is powering the Lakers' offense at 17.9 points per game, followed by junior Chandler Watts at a 13.1-point average. They already have one win over Jacksonville opposition, edging Episcopal 52-49 in December. The winner advances to a 10 a.m. Saturday title game against Miami Riviera Prep or Tampa Catholic.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High school boys basketball 2023: Providence Stallions chase FHSAA title