It’s a new era of basketball in Providence with the hiring of Bryan Hodgson as the program’s next head coach. The Friars really struggled the last few seasons and struggled to become a contender in the Big East under Kim English’s leadership. Fresh off a 15-win campaign, you won’t be surprised to see a lot of new faces on this roster.
All the movement
Owin Erhunmwunse is at Creighton, Stefan Vaaks landed at Illinois, and Jamier Jones made his way to Missouri. The Friars also lost a ton of recent talent who were seniors, including Jason Edwards and Jaylin Sellers, the top scorers from last season. The notable returner is Ryan Mela, a rising junior forward who averaged 9.9 points per game and will have an important spot in this new rotation.
Building a lineup virtually from scratch forced Hodgson and his new staff into some busy weeks with the transfer portal. They grabbed some frontcourt size in Arrinten Page from Northwestern and Samson Aletan out of Yale and got a slew of notable guards. Big scoring boosts should come from Devin Vanterpool from Florida Atlantic and Malik Mack, who has plenty of Big East familiarity for his work at Georgetown.
Can't teach size
Everyone’s looking to add size and scoring each year but we’re really looking into the defensive menace that the Friars plucked from the west coast. Miles Byrd is a 6-7 wing from Stockton, California who spent the last four years out at San Diego State. He only saw action in four games during the Aztecs’ run to the title game in 2023 before developing into a key part of the equation. Byrd averaged a career-best 12.3 points per game as a redshirt sophomore before becoming MWC Defensive Player of the Year last season.
Things could go many different ways for a new-look lineup with a lot of moving pieces but there’s a reason we’re thinking about Byrd here. He’s the kind of elite defensive talent that can really change the equation for the Friars next season. Coming off what was a disappointing season, Byrd is also looking to reassert himself on both sides of the ball and prove he can be a high-level contributor at the professional level too.
You likely won’t see Byrd become the leading scorer for Providence next season but among these new pieces he’s certainly got a high ceiling. He’s the best defender, a solid shooter, and a reliable veteran presence on a team hoping to piece together a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. Given Hodgson’s recent work at Arkansas State and South Florida, we could see something special with these Friars if it all works out.
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