IN THIS SECTION. Alphabetical/ Numerical Rosters. Team Photo. Geographic Roster. The Outlook

Transcription

1 IN THIS SECTION Alphabetical/ Numerical Rosters Team Photo Geographic Roster The Outlook 17

2 ROSTER Alphabetical Roster NO. NAME YEAR POS HGT WGT HOMETOWN/LAST TEAM 24 Dwight Brewington So. G Lynn, Mass./Worcester Academy 5 Gerald Brown So. G Baltimore, Md./Hargrave Military Academy 33 Charlie Burch Fr. F Dorchester, Mass./Tabor Academy 31 Timothy Englert Jr. G Ramsey, N.J./Bergen Catholic 3 Ryan Gomes Sr. F Waterbury, Conn./Wilby High School 32 Randall Hanke Fr. C New York, N.Y./Trinity-Pawling School 15 Herbert Hill So. F/C Kinston, N.C./Kinston High School 11 Tuukka Kotti Sr. F Forssa, Finland/Salon Vilpas Salo 1 Donnie McGrath Jr. G Katonah, N.Y./John F. Kennedy Catholic 4 Rob McKiver Fr. G New Haven, Conn./Winchendon School 21 Jeff Parmer Fr. F Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls High School 25 Sean Van De Walle So. F Elmhurst, Ill./Fenwick High School 2 DeSean White Fr. F Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal Dougherty High School PROVIDENCE COLLEGE BASKETBALL MEDIA GUIDE Numerical Roster NO. NAME YEAR POS HGT WGT HOMETOWN/LAST TEAM 1 Donnie McGrath Jr. G Katonah, N.Y./John F. Kennedy Catholic 2 DeSean White Fr. F Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal Dougherty High School 3 Ryan Gomes Sr. F Waterbury, Conn./Wilby High School 4 Rob McKiver Fr. G New Haven, Conn./Winchendon School 5 Gerald Brown So. G Baltimore, Md./Hargrave Military Academy 11 Tuukka Kotti Sr. F Forssa, Finland/Salon Vilpas Salo 15 Herbert Hill So. F/C Kinston, N.C./Kinston High School 21 Jeff Parmer Fr. F Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls High School 24 Dwight Brewington So. G Lynn, Mass./Worcester Academy 25 Sean Van De Walle So. F Elmhurst, Ill./Fenwick High School 31 Timothy Englert Jr. G Ramsey, N.J./Bergen Catholic 32 Randall Hanke Fr. C New York, N.Y./Trinity-Pawling School 33 Charlie Burch Fr. F Dorchester, Mass./Tabor Academy Head Coach: Tim Welsh (Potsdam State 84) Associate Head Coach: Steve DeMeo (SUNY-Buffalo 87) Assistant Coaches: Phil Seymore (Canisius 89) Bob Walsh (Hamilton 94) Director of Basketball Operations: Vince Cautero (Florida State 88) Strength Coach: Kenny White Trainer: Kevin Mahoney Graduate Assistant: Kevin Kurbec Friars By Class: (Sr.-2/Jr.-2/So.-4/Fr.-5) Seniors (2)- Ryan Gomes, Tuukka Kotti Juniors (2)- Timothy Englert, Donnie McGrath Sophomores (4)- Dwight Brewington, Gerald Brown, Herbert Hill, Sean Van De Walle Freshmen (5)- Charlie Burch, Randall Hanke, Rob McKiver, Jeff Parmer, DeSean White 18

3 TEAM PHOTO, GEOGRAPHIC ROSTER Friars Back Row (l r) Rob McKiver, Sean Van De Walle, Charlie Burch, Herbert Hill, Randall Hanke, Jeff Parmer, DeSean White, Gerald Brown, Tim Englert Front Row (l r) Tuukka Kotti, Ryan Gomes, Donnie McGrath, Dwight Brewington Geographic Roster Illinois (1) Sean Van De Walle Pennsylvania (1) DeSean White Finland (1) Tuukka Kotti Mass. (2) Dwight Brewington Charlie Burch Conn. (2) Ryan Gomes Rob McKiver New York (3) Randall Hanke Donnie McGrath Jeff Parmer New Jersey (1) Timothy Englert Maryland (1) Gerald Brown North Carolina (1) Herbert Hill 19

4 PROVIDENCE COLLEGE BASKETBALL MEDIA GUIDE Senior Tuukka Kotti L Friars Looking to Reach New Heights In ast season, the Friars registered a 20-9 mark overall and an 11-5 record in BIG EAST play. In addition to posting the 23rd 20-win season in the history of the program, the Friars also earned their 15th appearance all-time in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed. In recognition of all their success, the Friars were nationally ranked for nine weeks and reached as high as No. 12 in the Associated Press Poll. Head Coach Tim Welsh and his Friars will be looking to build upon all the success they achieved during the 2004 season. Welsh, who is entering his seventh season as the Friar head coach, will again try to bring the Friars to new heights this season. He has steadily built the Friar basketball program into a force in the BIG EAST and expectations will be high this season as the Friars return their star RYAN GOMES (Waterbury, Conn.). Gomes tested the waters of the NBA Draft, but withdrew his name from the Draft. This generated a buzz of excitement with Friar fans throughout Rhode Island as they anticipate a productive season for their team. Gomes returns for his senior season with aspirations of leading the Friars back to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. He should be an early candidate for league and national player of the year honors. In 2004, Gomes earned nine All-America honors, including First Team Associated Press accolades. Gomes became just the fourth Friar ever, and the first since Marvin Barnes in 1974, to earn AP First Team Honors. In addition to having their First Team All-American back in , the Friars also have five experienced veterans ready to take the court. These veterans will be joined by one of the top recruiting classes in the BIG EAST. Four highly touted newcomers will bring energy and excitement to the Friar lineup. With the return of All-American Ryan Gomes and the other veteran Friars, as well as the addition of a strong recruiting class, the Friars will enter the season in the national spotlight. Aspirations are high in the Ocean State as Friar fans hope to see PC make its first backto-back trips to the NCAA Tournament since

5 F I R S T T E A M A L L - A M E R I C A TEAM NOTES FRIARS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT... The Providence College Friars made their 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in Providence has posted a mark all-time in the NCAA Tournament. PROVIDENCE ALL-TIME... In 77 seasons of PC basketball, the team has posted a 1, (.611) mark. The team's all-time record at the Dunkin' Donuts Center is (.717). In 2004, Providence registered an 11-4 mark at the Dunkin' Donuts Center, an 8-3 record on the road and a 1-2 mark in neutral arenas. FRIARS NATIONALLY RANKED... The Providence College men's basketball team was ranked 21st in the nation, according to the final Associated Press Poll released on March 12. On March 1, Providence was 12th in the AP Poll and 13th in the ESPN/USA Today Poll. It marked the highest the team had been ranked during the regular-season since it was 11th in the AP Poll and the UPI Poll on February 21, Providence was ranked for eight consecutive weeks and nine weeks overall in Nine weeks is the most the Friars have been ranked during a season since , when Providence College was ranked for 13 weeks. FRIARS FINISH 11-5; TIE FRIAR ALL-TIME BIG EAST WIN MARK... The Friars finished with an 11-5 mark in BIG EAST action in The team tied its record for regular-season BIG EAST victories. The team record for BIG EAST regular-season wins was established in when the squad registered an 11-5 mark. FRIARS AVERAGE OVER 10,000 FANS PER HOME GAME IN In 15 home games in , the Friars averaged 10,097 fans per game. It marked the first time Providence averaged more than 10,000 fans per game since the season when PC drew 10,001 per game. Providence, which had five sold out games in in the 12,993 seat Dunkin' Donuts Center, had the fifth highest average home attendance of the 14 BIG EAST teams. RYAN GOMES #3 21 FRIAR DEFENSE... The Friars' defense finished the season second in BIG EAST play. The team finished the league schedule allowing an average of just 63.1 points per game. In 16 league games, the Friars held seven BIG EAST teams under 60 points, including No. 4 Connecticut on January 24 (a win). In overall action, the Friars allowed opponents to score an average of just 64.4 points per game (fourth in the BIG EAST). The Friars posted a 10-1 record when opponents scored less than 60 points in a game. GOMES LEADS THE FRIARS... Forward Ryan Gomes (Waterbury, Conn.), who led the Friars in scoring (18.9 ppg) and rebounding (9.4 rpg), paced the Friars to a 20-9 mark in and a third-place finish in the BIG EAST with an continued...

6 PROVIDENCE COLLEGE BASKETBALL MEDIA GUIDE THE BACKCOURT This season, Head Coach Tim Welsh will have a variety of options and plenty of height in his backcourt. It is a welcome sight for the Friar coaching staff as the team opened last season with just three healthy backcourt players. This year, the Friars have three returning scholarship players, all 6-4 or taller, at the guard spot and two talented newcomers. DONNIE McGRATH (Katonah, N.Y.) enters his third season with a wealth of experience in the Friar backcourt. The 6-foot-4-inch junior has started all 61 games in his first two seasons at Providence. The 2004 campaign was the second consecutive season that McGrath led the Friars in assists (3.45 apg). He also finished third in the BIG EAST in assists-to-turnover ratio (2.33:1). McGrath was one of the team's top three-point threats as he led the squad in three pointers (67) and three-point baskets attempted (182). His contributions were vital to the team's success in as he increased his scoring (10.0 ppg) and was named the team's most improved player. He has the ability to get hot with his outside shooting. McGrath tied his career high last season with 23 points at Villanova on February 7 with a 7-9 performance from the field, including making six of his eight attempts from beyond the three-point line. His strong sophomore campaign followed an impressive rookie season in which he averaged 9.1 points and 4.32 assists per game and was named to the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team. The Friars will need McGrath to produce this season and a third consecutive strong season in a Providence uniform would help PC's outlook in Joining McGrath in the backcourt will be two talented sophomores. DWIGHT BREWINGTON (Lynn, Mass.) and GERALD BROWN (Baltimore, Md.) both came to Providence as top-100 recruits. Both players are very athletic and play aggressive defense. After getting a year of experience in the BIG EAST, they should be ready for productive sophomore seasons. Brewington earned the team's Promising Prospect Award after he averaged 5.7 points and 2.5 rebounds in his first season as a Friar. Brewington started six games last season and also played a key role coming in off the bench. At 6-feet-5-inches, he is the tallest member of the backcourt. His height and athleticism allows him to work down low or shoot over opposing guards. Brown enrolled at PC after the first semester and joined the team in December. He missed the first five games of the season, but went on to see action in 11 games. Brown scored a season-high nine points and dished out four assists at St. John's on February 29. He is a very explosive athlete, who can slash to the basket and can shoot from behind the three-point arc. The rookie in the Friar backcourt this season is freshman ROB McKIVER (New Haven, Conn.). At 6-feet-3-inches, 195-pounds, McKiver is another big guard on the Friar roster. He attended the Winchendon School in McKiver missed almost all of the 2004 season due to an injury. However in 2003, he averaged 21 points, 7.0 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game at Hill House High School in New Haven, Conn. In recognition of his efforts at Hill House, McKiver earned First Team All-State honors in He can create his own shot and he can score off the dribble. Junior TIM ENGLERT (Ramsey, N.J.) is a walk-on who provides added depth to the backcourt and as a practice player. Englert, who is entering his second season with the Friars, is a hard working player. THE FRONTCOURT When Emeka Okafor was asked to name the toughest BIG EAST opponent he ever faced, he stated "Ryan Gomes." Not heavily recruited out of high Donnie McGrath school, Gomes came to Providence with the will and desire to prove that he could compete with some of the top talent in the nation. He has exceeded that goal. In 2004, he earned nine All-America honors, including First Team Associated Press accolades. Gomes also earned unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team honors after averaging 18.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-7-inch, 240-pound force has steadily improved each of his three seasons at Providence. For his career he has scored 1,468 points and he ranks 11th all-time at Providence. Gomes could join Jimmy Walker (2,045 points) and Eric Murdock (2,021) as the only Friars with more than 2,000 points in their Providence careers. The 2004 campaign marked the second consecutive season that Gomes led the team in scoring. He scored 20 or more points 14 times, scored 25 or more points nine times, registered 10 or more rebounds 15 times and registered 13 double-doubles in As for the BIG EAST, Gomes ranked fourth in scoring (18.9 ppg), second in rebounding (9.3 rpg), fifth in field goal percentage (.507) and second in free throw shooting (.870). With 84 consecutive starts under his belt, Gomes has the experience necessary to serve as the leader this season for the Friars. He is one of the top players ever to play at Providence. While spending the spring of 2004 preparing for the NBA Draft, Gomes honed his skills with some of the best players in college Dwight Brewington basketball. He is ready for the challenge of 22

7 bringing the Friars to the top of the BIG EAST and back to the NCAA Tournament. While the Friars' frontcourt will be highlighted by the return of Gomes, one player not returning in will be 6-foot-10-inch MARCUS DOUTHIT (Syracuse, N.Y.). The team will have to fill the void created by the loss of Douthit, who graduated in May, and became the first Friar taken in the NBA Draft since He was selected in the second round by the Los Angeles Lakers. Douthit was a defensive force for the Friars, finishing his career second all-time at Providence in blocked shots with 295. His presence in the back of the Friar zone defense was a key factor last season. Although losing Douthit created a hole in the frontcourt, TUUKKA KOTTI (Forssa, Finland) should be ready to increase his production and help fill the spot. The 6-foot-9-inch, 220-pound senior has been a consistent contributor for the Friars over the last two seasons. In three years at Providence, he has played 85 games and has started 27 of those contests. (Philadelphia, Pa.), RANDALL HANKE (New York, N.Y.) and CHARLIE BURCH (Dorchester, Mass.), join the roster. White, a 6-foot-7-inch, 230-pound forward, comes to Providence as one of the top recruits in the East. He was ranked No. 56 by Hoop Scoop and No. 76 by Prep Stars. White attended Cardinal Dougherty High School from In his senior season, he averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals per game at Cardinal Dougherty. Last season, he received First Team All-City and First Team All-State honors. He also helped Cardinal Dougherty capture two consecutive Catholic League titles (2003 and 2004) and led the team to a top-25 national ranking in Hanke is another player who could help fill some of the void left by the loss of Douthit. He is an excellent shot blocker. At 6-feet-10-inches, he is the tallest player on the Friar roster. Last season, he attended the Trinity-Pawling School for his post-graduate studies. Hanke averaged 25 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks per game at Trinity-Pawling. In recognition of his efforts, he was named Player of Kotti can help the Friars in the post or behind the the Year for the Tri-State League, team MVP and All- Ryan Gomes three-point arc. For his career, he has made 30 of 82 New England. Hanke graduated from the Hill School in (.366) three-point attempts, including a performance last season. Kotti averaged 6.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in Sophomore HERBERT HILL (Kinston, N.C.) enters his third year with the Friars. Hill, who did not see any action his first year at Providence, played in 11 games last year. The 6-foot-9-inch forward has the ability to block shots and rebound. He had a career best performance against St. John's on February 29 when he scored six points and grabbed four rebounds. As with Hill, freshman JEFF PARMER (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) did not see any action his first year at Providence. Now entering his second season, he is familiar with the collegiate game and could contribute this season. He is a 6-foot-7-inch, 230-pound multi-talented, combo forward, who played at Niagara Falls High School in Niagara Falls, N.Y. prior to coming to Providence. He is a strong rebounder, who also has good post moves. In three seasons as a starter at Niagara Falls 2003 and averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks per game in his senior season. He recorded 108 blocks in 2003 to establish a Hill School record. Burch spent the last three years at Tabor Academy. In addition to playing at one of the top prep schools in New England, he also played for one of the top AAU teams, the BABC. In 2004, he averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds per game at Tabor. Burch served as team captain his junior and senior seasons. He earned league MVP honors in 2003 and helped Tabor win the New England Class B title, while averaging 17 points and eight rebounds per game. Rounding out the frontcourt will be sophomore SEAN VAN DE WALLE (Elmhurst, Ill.). Van De Walle joined the squad last season as a walk-on. He played in three games for the Friars. Van De Walle hit a memorable shot when he buried his first collegiate three-point basket in a win over Loyola on January 19. The three pointer also was the Friars' 17th of the game, which established a PC team record for three pointers in a game. High School, Parmer helped his team post an 82-3 mark. In 2003, he averaged 15.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.0 blocks for Niagara Falls. The Friars will have plenty of depth in the frontcourt this season as three newcomers, freshmen DeSEAN WHITE Herbert Hill OVERVIEW Head Coach Tim Welsh's Friars have lofty goals for the upcoming season. The return of senior All-American Ryan Gomes gives the team a strong frontcourt presence and the ability to compete with some of the top teams in the nation. Gomes has added an outside 23

8 PROVIDENCE COLLEGE BASKETBALL MEDIA GUIDE shot to his offense and can hurt opponents down low or on the perimeter. He will be looking to once again consistently lead the team in scoring and rebounding. Tuukka Kotti joins Gomes as the other three-year veteran on the team. As with Gomes, Kotti can score from the outside or in the paint. He will need to increase his production this season for the Friars. Herbert Hill and Jeff Parmer will push for playing time. Both players have adjusted to Division I basketball and should be able to help the team on offense and defense. Freshmen DeSean White, Randall Hanke and Charlie Burch will be key additions to this season s squad. They are three talented members of a very strong recruiting class. They will have the luxury of learning the collegiate game while playing with their All-American teammate Ryan Gomes. The Friars also will have an excellent mix of size and talent in the backcourt this season. McGrath, Brewington and Brown all have experience and will provide leadership for the talented newcomer, McKiver. McGrath has been through two seasons of BIG EAST battles and has the composure and maturity to guide the backcourt. Brewington and Brown have the size and athletic ability to become impact players in the league. The Friars have their sights set on the BIG EAST title and a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. With the excellent group of veterans returning and a highly regarded freshman class, the Friars have the personnel to reach their goals. Friar fans should have a lot to cheer about this season in Providence. PLAYERS LOST (# Starts): Chris Anrin (0), Marcus Douthit (29), Sheiku Kabba (29), Rob Sanders (20) PLAYERS RETURNING (# Starts): Dwight Brewington (6), Gerald Brown (0), Tim Englert (0), Ryan Gomes (29), Hebert Hill (0), Tuukka Kotti (3), Donnie McGrath (29), Sean Van De Walle (0) RETURNING PLAYERS (9) NO NAME PT/REB POS HT WT CL HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL 24 Dwight BREWINGTON 5.7/2.5 G So. Lynn, Mass./Worcester Academy 5 Gerald BROWN 2.0/0.6 G So. Baltimore, Md./Hargrave Military Acad. 31 Timothy ENGLERT 0.8/0.0 G Jr. Ramsey, N.J./Bergen Catholic 3 Ryan GOMES 18.9/9.4 F Sr. Waterbury, Conn./Wilby High School 15 Herbert HILL 1.0/0.7 F So. Kinston, N.C./Kinston High School 11 Tuukka KOTTI 6.1/3.6 F Sr. Forssa, Finland/Salon Vilpas Salo 1 Donnie McGRATH 10.0/1.8 G Jr. Katonah, N.Y./John F. Kennedy Catholic 21 Jeff PARMER DNP F Fr. Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls High 25 Sean VAN DE WALLE 1.0/0.3 F So. Elmhurst, Ill./Fenwick High School NEWCOMERS (4) NO NAME POS HT WT CL PT/REB*** HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL 33 Charlie BURCH F Fr. 19.0/11.0 Dorchester, Mass./Tabor Academy 32 Randall HANKE C Fr. 25.0/12.0 New York, N.Y./Trinity-Pawling School 4 Rob McKIVER G Fr. Injured New Haven, Conn./Winchendon School 2 DeSean WHITE F Fr. 20.0/10.0 Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal Dougherty *** High School statistics DEPARTED PLAYERS (4) NO NAME PT/REB POS HT WT HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL 20 Chris ANRIN 3.0/0.7 F Varmdo, Sweden/Alvik 4 Marcus DOUTHIT 7.8/5.9 C Syracuse, N.Y./Notre Dame Prep 13 Sheiku KABBA 10.4/3.2 G Bronx, N.Y./Bronx Regional 33 Rob SANDERS 10.8/4.4 F New London, Conn./St. Thomas More 11-5 record. The team also earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since In 29 games, Gomes registered 13 double-doubles. He also scored 20 or more points 14 times, including a season-high 28 points versus Texas on January 5 and Seton Hall on February 1. He also registered 10 or more rebounds in 15 of the team's 29 contests. In just three seasons of action, Gomes ranks 11th all-time in scoring at Providence with 1,468 points. GOMES NAMED FIRST TEAM ASSOCIATED PRESS ALL-AMERICAN... Providence College forward Ryan Gomes (Waterbury, Conn.) was named to the Associated Press First Team All-America squad on Tuesday, March 23, Gomes joined Saint Joseph's Jameer Nelson, Connecticut's Emeka Okafor, Mississippi State's Lawrence Roberts and Stanford's Josh Childress on the First Team. Gomes became just the fourth Friar ever to earn AP First Team honors and the first PC player in 30 years to be named to the First Team. Gomes joined former Friar greats Jimmy Walker (1967), Ernie DiGregorio (1973) and Marvin Barnes (1974) as the only Providence players to earn AP First Team All-America accolades. DOUTHIT SELECTED IN THE NBA DRAFT... Former Friar Marcus Douthit (Syracuse, N.Y.) was the 56th selection (second round) in the NBA Draft on Thursday, June 24, Douthit, who graduated in May after four seasons with the Friars, was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers. It marked the first time a Friar had been selected in the NBA Draft since Austin Croshere (first round, 12th pick) and God Shammgod (second round, 46th pick) were taken in Providence, which has a rich history in the draft, including the distinct honor of having the only No. 1 pick ever from a New England school (Jimmy Walker, 1967), now has had 37 players selected in the NBA Draft. Douthit was one of only three players from the BIG EAST selected in the draft. UConn's Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon were taken second and third, respectively. MCGRATH HAS NEVER MISSED A START... Donnie McGrath (Katonah, N.Y.) started all 29 games for the Friars in He has started every game of his collegiate career, including all 32 games his freshman season. McGrath has made 61 consecutive starts for Providence. HEAD COACH TIM WELSH... Friar Head Coach Tim Welsh has coached for six seasons at Providence. Welsh has posted a mark at Providence. Prior to coming to Providence, Welsh was the head coach at Iona College where he recorded a mark. In his nine seasons as a head coach, Welsh has compiled a (.626) record. He has brought three teams to the NCAA Tournament. His 1998 Iona team and his 2001 Providence squad qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Both teams were defeated in the first round. 24