Providence has been linked with a host of players in the transfer portal over the last couple weeks, and Kim English peeled back the curtain a bit on those pursuits Thursday night.
The Friars men’s basketball coach is in Arizona at the Final Four and appeared on a live podcast with The Field of 68. He spoke at length on the current recruiting landscape, his experience during his first year on the sidelines at Amica Mutual Pavilion and how his program plans to move forward into the 2024-25 season.
“It doesn’t stop,” English said. “It really doesn’t stop. Really great players are continuing to enter. It’s a busy time of the year.”
Providence has considerable talent to replace. Devin Carter will forego his senior season and enter the NBA Draft, a decision he announced on social media earlier in the week. He was the Big East Player of the Year after making major improvements in perimeter shooting and overall production during his junior campaign. Josh Oduro and Ticket Gaines have exhausted their eligibility while Donovan Santoro, Garwey Dual and Rafael Castro have all entered the transfer portal.
“You’ve still got to watch the tape,” English said. “You’ve got to find the decision makers around the kid and start communication with the kid. The 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 and Rutgers wing Gavin Griffiths were both on campus for unofficial visits this 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.
More: ‘He’s building something great’: Bryce Hopkins confirms return to Providence College
“Our biggest donors have really stepped up and made it clear if we need a player we’re not going to let money be the issue,” English said. “But sometimes money is the issue, because we’re not willing to play that game. There’s a lot of lying going on right now.”
English said after an NIT loss to Boston College the next few weeks of workouts would be important steps for Fernandez, Bonke and DeLaurier. Fernandez missed the season while recovering from a knee injury and Bonke enrolled for second semester out of an Arizona junior college. DeLaurier suffered an early ankle injury and could pursue a redshirt to recover his lost season.
“We’re doubling and tripling down on their development,” English said. “You don’t want to have to build a team in the portal every year. It would be exhausting.”
The Friars closed 21-14 overall despite Hopkins suffering a season-ending left knee injury in early January. English said he’ll be cleared to start jogging next week and is progressing well with his rehab. Providence reached the Big East Tournament semifinals before a loss against Marquette, and a sizeable Friars fan contingent made the short trip to Madison Square Garden.
“They’re the absolute best,” English said. “I was (a player) at Missouri – Kansas fans are great. I was (an assistant coach) at Tennessee – Kentucky fans are great. You talk about supporting your team no matter what – I don’t care what the dispute is. I’m riding with Friar fans 11 times out of 10.”
English will likely be among those watching the national semifinals when they tip Saturday night. Purdue-North Carolina State is the early matchup and Connecticut-Alabama serves as the nightcap. The Huskies are looking to add a second straight national championship to their conference regular season and tournament titles.
“They don’t beat themselves,” English said. “They’re connected. This semifinal as far as style of play, shot quality – it might be two of the smartest teams in the country.”
bkoch@providencejournal.com
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence basketball coach Kim English talks about recruiting players
