Providence Basketball: Friars land Miami transfer Bensley Joseph
By Joey Loose
The season has not concluded for every college basketball program, as the Final Four is yet to come, but there’s still been plenty of action in the Transfer Portal already. One of the latest moves in the Portal came Friday as former Miami guard Bensley Joseph announced that he was heading to Providence.
A 6’1 guard originally from Massachusetts, Joseph was a fringe Top 100 prospect from three seasons ago who opted to head down south, committing to Jim Larranaga and Miami. Joseph was a bench piece with decent contributions as an underclassman, playing a role for runs to the Elite Eight as a freshman and Final Four last season.
After several changes to the Hurricanes lineup, Joseph assumed a larger role as a junior this past season. His first season as a starter, Joseph averaged 9.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Unfortunately, Miami took a major step back with those lineup changes, finishing just 15-17 and not close to a return to the Big Dance.
That being said, Joseph certainly showed signs of promise this season. He scored 18 against FIU early in the season before hitting something of a lull early in ACC play. Joseph really came on strong in the final weeks of the regular season, scoring in double figures in six straight games, including a 21-point, 6-rebound, 5-assists outing in a close loss to North Carolina.
Targeted by multiple Big East schools, Joseph opted to transfer to Providence, joining Kim English’s program for his senior season. Given a bigger role, he showed plenty of potential this past season but will hope to take another step forward. He’ll be much closer to home and hopes to be part of a more competitive team after Miami’s struggles last season.
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It’s too early to know exactly what this Friars’ rotation will look like next season, but Joseph is a very solid backcourt weapon that’ll certainly find purpose at Providence. If he can maintain that late-season momentum then he has the potential to be a sneaky good guard in the Big East.