2008–09 Providence Friars men's basketball team

2008–09 Providence Friars men's basketball
NIT, #5, 1st Round
ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)
Record19–14 (10–8 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Chris Davis
  • Rodell Davis
  • Pat Skerry
MVPWeyinmi Efejuku
Home arenaDunkin' Donuts Center
Seasons
2008–09 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 Louisville† 16 – 2   .889 31 – 6   .838
No. 4 Pittsburgh 15 – 3   .833 31 – 5   .861
No. 5 Connecticut 15 – 3   .833 31 – 5   .861
No. 11 Villanova 13 – 5   .722 30 – 8   .789
No. 23 Marquette 12 – 6   .667 25 – 10   .714
No. 13 Syracuse 11 – 7   .611 28 – 10   .737
West Virginia 10 – 8   .556 23 – 12   .657
Providence 10 – 8   .556 19 – 14   .576
Notre Dame 8 – 10   .444 21 – 15   .583
Cincinnati 8 – 10   .444 18 – 14   .563
Seton Hall 7 – 11   .389 17 – 15   .531
Georgetown 7 – 11   .389 16 – 15   .516
St. John's 6 – 12   .333 16 – 18   .471
South Florida 4 – 14   .222 9 – 22   .290
Rutgers 2 – 16   .111 11 – 21   .344
DePaul 0 – 18   .000 9 – 24   .273
† 2009 Big East tournament winner
As of April 4, 2009[1]
Rankings from AP Poll


The 2008–09 Providence Friars men's basketball team represented Providence College in the Big East Conference. The team finished with a 10–8 conference record and a 19–14 record overall.

In March 2008, head coach Tim Welsh was fired by the school after finishing with a losing record for the third time in four seasons. In April, Drake University head coach Keno Davis replaced him; Davis was named the 2008 Associated Press National Coach of the Year in his first and only season as a head coach at Drake.[2] The Friars had previously been turned down by Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, who coached Providence to the 1987 Final Four, George Mason University head coach Jim Larranaga, a Providence alumnus, and University of Massachusetts head coach Travis Ford.[2][3]

Davis inherited all five starters from Welsh's final season with the Friars. However, prior to the season junior guard Dwain Williams transferred to Oregon State,[4] while reserve forward Charles Burch was the team's lone departing senior.

At home, the Friars twice defeated ranked opponents; on January 28 they defeated #15 Syracuse, and on February 24, the Friars knocked off #1 Pittsburgh, the first time the school had accomplished the feat since 1976. The Friars received votes in the AP Poll after each win, but were not ranked at any point in the season.

Finishing with a 10-8 record in the Big East, the Friars began the 2009 Big East men's basketball tournament as an eighth seed, defeating DePaul in the first round before falling to top-seeded Louisville in the quarterfinals. They missed the NCAA tournament for a fifth straight season and lost in the first round of the NIT to Miami.

Roster

2008–09 Providence Friars men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Alex Kellogg 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So St. Francis DeSales High School Columbus, Ohio
G 1 Jeff Xavier 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr St. Raphael Academy Pawtucket, Rhode Island
G/F 2 Marshon Brooks 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Tucker High School Stone Mountain, Georgia
G 4 Sharaud Curry 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Jr Joseph Wheeler High School Gainesville, Georgia
F 11 Geoff McDermott 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr New Rochelle High School New Rochelle, New York
G 12 Luke Burchett (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Fenwick High School Western Springs, Illinois
G/F 13 Weyinmi Efejuku 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Brewster Academy Fresh Meadows, New York
F 15 Jamine Peterson Current redshirt 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Notre Dame Prep Brooklyn, New York
F 21 Chris Baudinet (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Taft School Watertown, Connecticut
G 23 Brian McKenzie 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Xaverian High School Brooklyn, New York
F 25 Brian Beloin (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Avon High School Avon, Connecticut
F 31 Connor Heine (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Fairfield Prep Fairfield, Connecticut
F/C 32 Randall Hanke 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Sr Trinity-Pawling School New York, New York
F/C 34 Jonathan Kale 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr St. Andrew's School Mattapan, Massachusetts
F/C 42 Bilal Dixon Current redshirt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 228 lb (103 kg) Fr Queen of Peace High School Jersey City, New Jersey
C 55 Ray Hall Injured 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Jr J. K. Mullen High School Denver, Colorado
Head coach

Keno Davis

Assistant coach(es)

Chris Davis
Rodell Davis
Pat Skerry

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: 2010-02-06

Depth chart

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2 Bench 3
C Jonathan Kale Randall Hanke Bilal Dixon Redshirt Ray Hall Injured
PF Geoff McDermott Alex Kellogg Chris Baudinet (W) Jamine Peterson Redshirt
SF Weyinmi Efejuku Marshon Brooks Brian Beloin (W) Connor Heine (W)
SG Jeff Xavier Brian McKenzie
PG Sharaud Curry Luke Burchett (W)

Incoming recruits

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Bilal Dixon
PF 		Jersey City, NJ Queen of Peace HS 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 229 lb (104 kg) Sep 25, 2007 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2008 Providence Signees". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
  • "2008 Providence Signees". Scout.com. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
  • "2008 Providence Signees". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
  • "2008 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 30, 2009.

Schedule

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition games
November 1*
7:00 pm 		University of Ottawa (CIS) W 85–57 
Dunkin' Donuts Center 
Providence, RI
November 8*
7:00 pm 		Slippery Rock (D-II) W 105–84 
Dunkin' Donuts Center 
Providence, RI
Non-conference games
November 15*
7:00 pm 		Northeastern L 66–70  0–1
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (8,086)
Providence, RI
November 18*
7:00 pm 		Dartmouth W 100–82  1–1
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (4,762)
Providence, RI
November 20*
7:00 pm 		Sacred Heart W 111-87  2–1
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (5,108)
Providence, RI
November 22*
2:00 pm 		Maine W 83–62  3–1
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (7,060)
Providence, RI
November 27*
11:30 pm, ESPN2 		vs. Baylor
76 Classic 		L 56–72  3–2
 Anaheim Convention Center (1,157)
Anaheim, CA
November 28*
10:00 pm, ESPNU 		vs. Charlotte
76 Classic 		W 67–62  4–2
 Anaheim Convention Center (1,417)
Anaheim, CA
November 30*
5:30 pm, ESPNU 		vs. St. Mary's (CA)
76 Classic 		L 75–81  4–3
 Anaheim Convention Center (1,077)
Anaheim, CA
December 3*
7:00 pm 		Brown W 86–62  5–3
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (6,155)
Providence, RI
December 6*
2:00 pm, Cox Sports 		Rhode Island W 66–65  6–3
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,600)
Providence, RI
December 17*
7:00 pm 		Jackson State W 85–71  7–3
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (7,158)
Providence, RI
December 20*
4:00 pm, NESN 		at Boston College L 76–81  7–4
 Conte Forum (6,880)
Chestnut Hill, MA
December 22*
7:00 pm 		Bryant W 91–64  8–4
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (6,103)
Providence, RI
Big East regular season
December 31
4:00 pm, Cox Sports 		St. John's W 75–54  9–4 (1–0)
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (3,037)
Providence, RI
January 3
7:00 pm, Cox Sports 		DePaul W 62–54  10–4 (2–0)
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (8,547)
Providence, RI
January 7
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		at Cincinnati W 87–79  11–4 (3–0)
 Fifth Third Arena (6,612)
Cincinnati, OH
January 10
1:00 pm, ESPNU 		at No. 9 Georgetown L 75–82  11–5 (3–1)
 Verizon Center (12,764)
Washington, D.C.
January 17
9:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 14 Marquette L 82–91  11–6 (3–2)
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (10,221)
Providence, RI
January 19
8:00 pm, Cox Sports 		Cincinnati W 72–63  12–6 (4–2)
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (7,285)
Providence, RI
January 22
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		at Seton Hall W 98–93 OT 13–6 (5–2)
 Prudential Center (7,165)
Newark, NJ
January 28
7:00 pm, Cox Sports 		No. 15 Syracuse W 100–94  14–6 (6–2)
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (10,873)
Providence, RI
January 31
4:00 pm, Cox Sports 		at No. 2 Connecticut L 61–94  14–7 (6–3)
 Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,167)
Storrs, CT
February 4
8:00 pm, Cox Sports 		No. 17 Villanova L 91–94  14–8 (6–4)
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (11,212)
Providence, RI
February 7
4:00 pm, Cox Sports 		at West Virginia L 59–86  14–9 (6–5)
 WVU Coliseum (11,091)
Morgantown, WV
February 10
7:00 pm, ESPN360 		at South Florida W 77–62  15–9 (7–5)
 USF Sun Dome (3,340)
Tampa, FL
February 14
7:00 pm, Cox Sports 		Rutgers W 78–68  16–9 (8–5)
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (11,246)
Providence, RI
February 18
7:30 pm, ESPN2 		at No. 7 Louisville L 76–94  16–10 (8–6)
 Freedom Hall (19,484)
Louisville, KY
February 21
12:00 pm, Cox Sports 		Notre Dame L 84–103  16–11 (8–7)
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,600)
Providence, RI
February 24
7:00 pm, Cox Sports 		No. 1 Pittsburgh W 81–73  17–11 (9–7)
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (11,887)
Providence, RI
March 1
2:00 pm, ESPNU 		at Rutgers W 73–66  18–11 (10–7)
 Louis Brown Athletic Center (5,122)
Piscataway, NJ
March 5
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		at No. 11 Villanova L 80–97  18–12 (10–8)
 The Pavilion (6,500)
Villanova, PA
Big East tournament
March 11
12:00 pm, ESPN 		vs. DePaul
First Round 		W 83–74  19–12 (10–8)
 Madison Square Garden (19,375)
New York, NY
March 12
12:00 pm, ESPN 		vs. No. 5 Louisville
Quarterfinals 		L 55–73  19–13 (10–8)
 Madison Square Garden (19,375)
New York, NY
NIT
March 18*
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 5 No. 4 Miami
First Round 		L 66–78  19–14 (10–8)
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (5,645)
Providence, RI
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time[5].

Rankings

Main article: 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking Movement
Legend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
Poll Pre Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Wk 15 Wk 16 WK 17 Wk 18 Final
AP RV RV n/a
Coaches RV

Awards and honors

Recipient Award(s)
Marshon Brooks 2009 Co-Coca-Cola Most Promising Prospect Award[6]
Sharaud Curry 2009 Ernie D Team Leader Award[6]
Weyinmi Efejuku 2009 All-Big East Honorable Mention[7]
2009 USBWA All-District 1[8]
2009 Jimmy Walker Most Valuable Player Award[6]
March 2: Big East Player of the Week[9]
Ray Hall 2009 Thomas Ramos Academic Award[6]
Randall Hanke 2009 John Zannini Coaches' Award[6]
Jonathan Kale 2009 Ryan Gomes Most Improved Player Award[6]
Geoff McDermott 2009 Marvin Barnes Defensive Player Award[6]
Brian McKenzie 2009 Co-Coca-Cola Most Promising Prospect Award[6]
Jeff Xavier 2009 Lenny Wilkens Hustle Award[6]

References

  1. ^ "Big East Conference Standings - 2008-09." ESPN.com. Retrieved 03-23-10.
  2. ^ a b Tucker, Eric (April 15, 2008). "Providence picks Drake's Keno Davis to replace Tim Welsh". Associated Press. The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
  3. ^ McNamara, Kevin (October 26, 2008). "Courting Pitino -- Friar coaching legend considered a return to PC". The Providence Journal. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
  4. ^ "Dwain Williams to Transfer to Oregon State". Oregon State University. August 11, 2008. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
  5. ^ Schedule Friars.com. Retrieved on October 30, 2009.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Men's Basketball Team Awards Announced". Friars.com. April 25, 2009. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
  7. ^ "Weyinmi Efejuku Named All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention". Friars.com. March 8, 2009. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
  8. ^ "Weyinmi Efejuku Named USBWA All-District 1". Friars.com. March 13, 2009. Archived from the original on April 29, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
  9. ^ "Weyinmi Efejuku Named BIG EAST Player Of The Week". Friars.com. March 2, 2009. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2009.