Vincent Council Sets Providence Assists Record

Not all is lost for Vincent Council in a season beset by injury, compounded

by shooting woes and overshadowed by the emergence of Bryce Cotton.

The fourth-year Providence guard is now an official  school record-holder.

Feb 16, 2013; Providence, RI, USA; Providence Friars guard Vincent Council (32) gets an assist against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at Dunkin

Council dished out 11 dimes in Saturday’s blowout win over Notre Dame to become the Friars’ all-time leader in assists. On his third set-up of the game, the Brooklyn native passed Ernie DiGregorio, whose record (662) stood for 40 years.

In addition to setting the program mark, Council stands just two assists shy of  tying Sherman Douglas’ Big East record for most career assists in conference play (426). Council has compiled 424 assists at PC over 66 career Big East tilts.

Accolades aside, this hasn’t been the senior sendoff Council had in mind. The dynamic playmaker missed most of the non-conference after suffering a hamstring injury in the season opener against NJIT. Council’s scoring average this season (9.7 points per game) is in single digits for the first time in his college career while his shooting percentage (35.5-percent) is at a similar four-year low. Though the team’s quintessential senior leader, Council has mostly different  to breakout junior scoring ace Bryce Cotton, who leads the Big East in scoring by a full  two points per game.

To account for Cotton’s ascension, Council has improved his decision making and facilitating skills, setting career-best marks in both assist and turnover rate. If he qualified, Council would rank second in the Big East and seventh in the nation in assists per game (7.1).