We continue our recruit and return series with the Providence Friars, whose season ended Saturday with an 85-66 loss to No. 1 seed North Carolina in the round of 32. A look at what the 2016-17 season could hold:
Possible 2016-17 starting five (statistics reflect regular season average)
G: Kyron Cartwright (5.5 PPG, 4.0 APG)
G: Jalen Lindsey (7.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG)
G: Junior Lomomba (5.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG)
F: Rodney Bullock (11.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG)
F: Ben Bentil (21.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG)
Who is lost: Though he has a year of eligibility remaining, the Kris Dunn era is now likely over in Providence, and even if the remaining four starters return next season, this will still be a completely different team for Ed Cooley. Dunn was the engine that made Providence go throughout the last two seasons. Beyond his unique ability to stuff all columns of the stat sheet, his sheer presence simplified the game for his teammates, especially Ben Bentil, who is now coming off a breakout sophomore season. Providence’s short-term future depends on Bentil making a good decision and returning to Providence, where he can take over as the undisputed focal point of the team.
Who is added: Providence signed Maliek White, a hard-nosed and tough point guard, in the early signing period. It wouldn’t be fair to expect White to be able to step in and replace Dunn, but he should be capable of playing heavy minutes as a freshman and impacting the game on both ends. Long-term, don’t be surprised if he’s the latest Friar recruit to exceed his high school rankings. The Friars’ work likely isn’t done in the 2016 recruiting class either, as they’ll be open to adding another piece of two, whether that be from the high school, junior college or transfer routes.
What it means for next season: Bentil is expected to explore the NBA route, and given his breakout season that is probably prudent, but if current projections are any indication he won’t yet stand much of a chance to be picked in the first round. The wise decision would be to return to Providence. Bentil’s return gives the Friars an interior anchor to build next year’s team around on both ends of the floor. Rodney Bullock, Jalen Lindsey and Kyron Cartwright also return to the starting lineup, and because they’re all multi-positional players, Ed Cooley will have plenty of flexibility in constructing his lineups. Junior Lomomba gives him a defensive wing who would push Lindsey to the 2 and give the Friars great perimeter size, while Ryan Fazekas could give them more 3-point shooting. Drew Edwards gives them more of a traditional guard to pair with Cartwright in the backcourt. Regardless of who starts, look for that returning seven-man core and White to form the basis of the team’s rotation.
Trending: Down. It’s just not realistic to think this team won’t feel the ramifications of losing a dynamic two-way player like Dunn. However, it might not be quite as dramatic a dip as some expect. Bentil gives them arguably the best big man in the Big East, especially on the offensive end. Defensively, the Friars' interchangeable parts and positional size on the perimeter is going to afford lots of options, both within their zone concepts as well as with potentially more switching man-to-man schemes. Overall, they might not be a team that spends as much time in the national top 25 next year, but they’re still likely to have a chance to be in the top half of the Big East and make their fourth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.