Providence basketball coach Kim English claims the Friars are ‘competitive’ in recruiting players.
Providence has been associated with a number of players in the transfer window in recent weeks, and Kim English provided some insight into their chases on Thursday night.
The Friars men’s basketball coach is in Arizona for the Final Four and appeared on a live podcast with “The Field of 68.” He spoke extensively about the current recruiting scene, his first year on the sidelines at Providence, and how his club intends to move ahead in the 2024-25 season.
“It doesn’t stop,” English explained. “It just doesn’t stop. Really excellent players are still entering. It’s a hectic time of year.
Providence has plenty of talent to replace. Devin Carter will forego his senior season and join the NBA Draft, as he announced on social media earlier this week. He was named Big East Player of the Year after making significant strides in perimeter shooting and overall productivity during his junior season. Josh Oduro and Ticket Gaines have used up their eligibility, while Donovan Santoro, Garwey Dual, and Rafael Castro have all joined the transfer portal.
“You still need to watch the tape,” English replied. “You must locate the decision-makers around the child and initiate conversation with the child. “Recruiting is like popcorn recruiting now—microwave recruiting now.”
The Friars were reported finalists for Tulsa guard PJ Haggerty, who announced his commitment to Memphis early Thursday. They’re also in contention for Temple guard Hysier Miller and Chattanooga forward Sam Alexis. Miami guard Bensley Joseph, who committed to the Friars on Friday, and Rutgers wing Gavin Griffiths were both on campus for unofficial visits last week.
Our (name, image and likeness) collective — our pool of money — is competitive,” English said. “We think we can get any player we want. We’re not just throwing unrealistic dollars at players. If it’s the first thing that comes up in conversation, we’re probably out on a player.
“It’s about the team. It’s about the group — how they mesh together, how well they play together. Money is not an issue.”
Providence was able to retain Carter, Bryce Hopkins, Jayden Pierre and Corey Floyd Jr. off a team that reached the NCAA Tournament in 2022-23. The Friars look set to keep rotation members Hopkins, Pierre, Floyd and Rich Barron and are also expected to retain Justyn Fernandez, Anton Bonke and Eli DeLaurier. Terms of the deals struck between players, any agents they might be working with and school NIL collectives aren’t made public.
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