NCAA Basketball: Top 25 early winners from 2023 offseason moves
By Joey Loose
24. Providence
There will be big changes in Providence, with Ed Cooley leaving the Friars for Georgetown after twelve seasons as head coach. Cooley is not the only prominent name leaving campus this offseason, but the Friars aren’t about to fall apart either. They’re coming off another fantastic season, appearing in their 7th NCAA Tournament in the last decade with another great performance against a strong Big East. While Cooley is gone, Providence made a sneaky good hire to maintain this program’s recent momentum.
Having spent the last two years leading George Mason, Kim English is one of the up-and-coming head coaches in the game and he’s been a great recruiter at several schools in recent years. While he’s still in the process of finalizing this roster, he’s already brought three players from George Mason to Providence. Forwards Justyn Fernandez, Davonte Gaines, and Josh Oduro are all decent recruits who’ll look to contribute next season; Oduro has been the Patriots’ leading scorer at 15.6 points per game last year.
One of the most important things that English has done since taking over has been retaining talent from last year. Talented sophomore starters Bryce Hopkins and Devin Carter will both be back next season; both having averaged at least 13 points a game and making major contributions for the Friars. These are two transfers from last season who really shined and will look to continue that trajectory under English’s leadership. Don’t be shocked if Providence doesn’t miss a beat going forward.