It’s only been a little more than five weeks since the transfer window opened, and it’s already packed with hungry basketball players looking for new places to pursue their dreams. The same time period elicited shouts of anger and pain from college coaches across the country.
Who knows how enjoyable this exercise has been for Providence College’s Kim English and his team, but the portal hasn’t even closed, and it appears the Friars have finished overhauling their roster. Six players have left the 2023-24 rosters due to graduation, transfers, and Devin Carter’s move to the National Basketball Association. Six players are now scheduled to take their places.
The recent measures are expected to cement things, with one barrier to overcome. First, the Friars selected 6-8 shooter Jabri Abdur-Rahim from the portal following several excellent seasons as a consistent player for the Georgia Bulldogs. Following a weekend visit with Abdur-Rahim, high-scoring guard Wesley Cardet, Jr. committed to PC and English on April 21.
Cardet is a 6-foot-6 guard who has starred at Chicago State for the past two seasons under his uncle, coach Gerald Gillion. While committed to Providence, Cardet also says he is considering his NBA Draft options after averaging 18.7 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 34 percent from three.
“I’m definitely still fully committed to the NBA Draft. Right now that’s what I’m working towards and that’s what I’m focused on,” Cardet said.
Cardet, like many college players, will look to work out for NBA scouts and receive feedback on his pro stock but right now he is not seen as a likely draftee. He is not included on The Athletic’s Big Board, for example.
That is why his move to Providence should be seen as basically a sure thing. Playing for a Chicago State team that was the country’s only Independent, the 205-pound guard was bottled up by many defenses but also sprung free for some big nights against elite competition over the last two seasons. In January of 2023, the Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., native torched Stanford for 31 points on 9-of-12 shooting, three 3-pointers and 10-of-10 free throws. This past season he led CSU to its first-ever Top 25 win after scoring30 points on 13-of-21 shooting against Northwestern.
“I feel like I’m one of the best two-way guards in the country,” Cardet told the Field of 68 after selecting Providence. “I believe that people focus primarily on my offense, but I am also proud of my defense. I believe I’m a tremendous two-way guard, one of the greatest in the country.
Cardet says he heard from a lot of colleges in the last week, but English stood out, and after visiting Providence and meeting his new teammates, he decided to commit.
“As I built a relationship with Coach English, he showed me how he planned to develop me and help me learn to win on a higher level,” Cardet told ESPN. “I feel like we shared a vision for how he sees me in the future.” So I am going to rock with Coach English. He shown that he will push me to be the best player I can be, and that is all I need.
Cardet stated that he did face English in a friendly one-on-one battle. He also took delight in defeating his future coach, “he learned very fast, I think the first game was 3-0 and the next was 3-1.”
Here’s some footage of Cardet in action:
Cardet graduated from Orlando’s West Oaks Academy as a consensus Top 100 player. He finished 78th in 247Sports’ 2021 rankings, a few positions ahead of Devin Carter. Cardet joined Samford to play under his uncle, then-head coach Gerald Gillion. When Gillion transferred to Chicago State in 2022-23, his nephew joined him.
With Cardet and Georgia transfer Abdur-Rahim, English adds some much-needed veteran scoring to his club. These two join Miami point guard Bensley Joseph and Saint Joseph’s 7-footer Christ Essandoko in Providence’s transfer portal haul. They’ll supplement the arrival of 7’2 Anton Bonke and two freshmen, Ryan Mela and Oswin Erhunmwunse. The 6-9 Oswin is currently still pegged as a Class of 2025 recruit but after wrapping up his commitment to play for the Boston Amateur Basketball Club on the Adidas circuit.
Be the first to comment