No matter how you slice it, last season did not meet any expectations for Providence and Kim English certainly felt that pain. The Friars stumbled to a 12-20 record, their worst winning percentage in 25 years, and were inconsequential at 8th place in the Big East. This program was Big East champions and in the Sweet Sixteen just three seasons ago but English’s second season was certainly a step backwards.
What didn’t help was the injury to star Bryce Hopkins and it certainly makes matters worse that he’s off to Kentucky. He’s far from the only notable departure, as the Friars must replace their top two leading scorers in Bensley Joseph and Jayden Pierre as well. Significant raw talent was lost from the frontcourt, though 6-10 freshman Oswin Erhunmwunse will be back alongside rising senior guard Corey Floyd.
Fortunately, a crop of impressive new talent from the transfer portal fills out this new-look rotation. Building around Erhunmwunse, the Friars added Duncan Powell from Georgia Tech and Cole Hargrove out of Drexel. After work at Florida State, Daquan Davis should see run at the point while another major addition comes in the form of Jaylin Sellers, who averaged nearly 16 points per game at UCF two seasons ago before missing major time with a back injury.
The argument could certainly be made that Sellers is the top addition to this team but we’re not sleeping on Jason Edwards. A 6-1 combo guard originally from Atlanta, he’s put up significant numbers everywhere he’s been in his career, starting off at Dodge City CC before success with North Texas and Vanderbilt. As a sophomore with the Mean Green he averaged more than 19 points per game before smoothly transitioning to the SEC. Edwards led the Commodores back to the NCAA Tournament, becoming their leading scorer with 17.0 points per night.
Coming off Third Team All-SEC honors, Edwards won’t be overwhelmed by the bright lights in the SEC and is the explosive scoring weapon that Providence sorely needed this offseason. He’ll put up points in bunches for the Friars and provide leadership and veteran experience desperately needed after those offseason departures. When their best lineup is on the floor, Providence could have quite the powerful backcourt duo in Edwards and Sellers.
The bottom line here is that Providence cannot repeat last season. Barring more bad luck with injuries, this roster looks capable of winning games in the Big East. It’s clear that the frontcourt will be a bit of a weak spot but that’s what makes Edwards even more important for the Friars. If he can establish himself as one of the Big East’s best scorers than that goes a long way towards Providence competing for success in this league again.