“so sad to let him leave” Providence Friars player sign two years contract with Boston college.

Jayden Epps transfer portal: Top 5 destination spots for the Georgetown guard, including Providence Friars

Providence basketball has added another transfer prospect; who is he?

On Monday afternoon, the Providence College men’s basketball team added a third commitment through the transfer portal, and this one has some serious NBA pedigree.

Jabri Abdur-Rahim pledged to the Friars through his social media accounts. He is the son of Shareef Abdur-Rahim, a former California collegiate star and 12-year professional veteran who now serves as the G League’s president.

Abdur-Rahim began his career at Virginia in 2020-21 before transferring to Georgia for his final three seasons. In 2023-24, he started 27 of 29 games for the Bulldogs, averaging 12.2 points and shooting 88.7% from the foul line, ranking in the top 35 nationally. Abdur-Rahim scored nine points on 3-for-6 3-point shooting in a 71-64 loss to the Friars in November, the consolation game in a neutral-court event at Baha Mar.

Abdur-Rahim is a career 35.4% perimeter shooter who provides Providence with considerable length at 6-foot-8. He appears to be a more experienced replacement for Ticket Gaines, who spent a graduate year with the Friars after leaving George Mason last season. Providence expected to need some seasoned depth on the wing as Rich Barron enters his sophomore season and signee Ryan Mela prepares to make his freshman debut.

Abdur-Rahim has dressed for an NCAA Tournament game in his career, a 62-58 loss to Ohio while with the Cavaliers. He missed Georgia’s matchup with eventual NIT champion Seton Hall last month after suffering an ankle injury in early March. Abdur-Rahim didn’t appear in any of his last eight games with the Bulldogs after posting double figures in three of the previous five.

Abdur-Rahim has threads in common with multiple members of the Friars staff. Providence assistant coach Dennis Felton was Georgia’s head coach from 2003-09 and led the Bulldogs to an SEC Tournament title in 2008. Friars assistant coach Tim Fuller was the previous director of recruiting for Overtime Elite, an Atlanta-based feeder system that sends prospects to the NBA, G League and overseas professional and college ranks.

Abdur-Rahim was a consensus top-50 national talent and New Jersey’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2018–19. He received offers from UCLA, Michigan, Texas, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Villanova, Marquette, Illinois, Maryland, Arizona, Kansas, Michigan State, Connecticut, and other schools before deciding on Virginia. Abdur-Rahim appeared in just eight games for the Cavaliers, still recovering from a foot ailment sustained late in his prep career at Blair Academy.

Abdur-Rahim, Joseph, and Essandoko will replace three probable exits on the transfer portal. Garwey Dual has entered the NBA Draft and declared his declaration. Donovan Santoro and Rafael Castro have also passed through the portal and appear to be departing.

The Friars missed out on Tulsa guard PJ Haggerty (Memphis) and Chattanooga forward Sam Alexis (Florida), but have been linked to Temple guard Hysier Miller and Rutgers wing Gavin Griffiths. They are also heavily interested in several 2025 targets, like big man commit Oswin Erhunmwunse. He’s a five-star prospect who is presently playing on the Adidas grassroots circuit with BABC after preparing at Putnam Science in Connecticut.