PC prospects
Late Night Madness brings 2018 prospects together
Providence College basketball commits had an introduction of sorts at Friday’s Late Night Madness.
PROVIDENCE — The door that separates the Joe Calabria Hallway of Legends and the Alumni Hall practice court swung open. In came three high school seniors dressed in Friar basketball gear who represent the program’s future as well as the yeoman’s work done by Ed Cooley’s staff on the recruiting trail over the past few years.
The teenagers stood briefly near the stands, their heads twisting and turning in every conceivable direction. The occasion was Late Night Madness, and David Duke, A.J. Reeves, and Kris Monroe didn’t want to miss a single thing as the crowd on Saturday night was building towards a high-pitched crescendo.
Once the lights dimmed, the Class of 2018 trio walked over to their front row seats located to the right of the scorer’s table. They had to carefully navigate around several sections packed with students, all of them screaming at the top of their lungs. No one appeared to bother them, as the festivities took precedence over what’s on the horizon – a recruiting haul that holds the potential to be rated by scouting services as one of the 10 best in the country.
“It’s tremendous,” said Reeves, the Roxbury, Mass. native. “We got to see the Providence fans in full effect. It’s clear they support all the players.”
The sight of Duke, Reeves and Monroe together and clearly having a good time in a setting where for one evening the business of actual basketball took a backseat should be interpreted as a helpful and timely teambuilding exercise.
As teammates on the same Mass Rivals AAU squad, Duke and Reeves are well acquainted with one another. Neither future Friar prior to this past weekend had been in the same company as Monroe, the 6-7 forward from North Carolina who like Reeves was on his official visit to Providence.
“We can tell the relationship we’ve already built is good and it’s only going to get even stronger the more we talk to each other before we come to Providence. These guys are great,” said Monroe after the Friar men’s and women’s basketball teams were introduced. “I walked in and automatically felt like I was at home. I’m glad I made this decision. Everything about Providence is great.”
Standing next to Monroe in Alumni Hall as he was being interviewed were Reeves and Duke, the Providence native and former Classical High standout who made it an 18th birthday to forever cherish when he officially committed to the Friars this past Friday. Duke became the latest to hitch his wagon to PC’s 2018 recruiting efforts, a class that Cooley on more than one occasion has mentioned as vitally important – a bridge that connects four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and one Big East Tournament championship to lofty aspirations where the bar stands to be raised considerably.
“A.J. is like my brother. I’ve been playing with him for the past two years. There’s nothing new, but now I’m getting to know Kris and developing chemistry with him before we come here,” said Duke. “Next year, we’re going to come in and show that we can compete on the national level and hopefully lead the Friars to the Final Four.”
Added Reeves, a 6-5 shooting guard who in June became the first 2018 prospect to make a pledge to the Friars, “Myself and David, we know each other’s strengths and know what we can bring to the table. We want to win in the future and try to get a national championship. It starts with the Big East which we want to win first.”
Reeves and Monroe spent time at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on Friday, taking photographs in the Friar uniforms they’ll be sporting by this time next year. On Saturday, their inner circle grew by one with the inclusion of Duke. It shouldn’t be forgotten that PC next month will also receive a National Letter of Intent from 6-7 South Carolina schoolboy Jimmy Nichols, who didn’t attend Late Night Madness.
“It was a long process, but I feel like I made the right decision,” said Duke, the 6-4 point guard who ultimately picked the Friars over Virginia Tech. “It came down to my hometown and just doing it for the people who love me the most. I’m very excited.”
As much as they’re chomping at the bit to fast forward to the next phase of their basketball odyssey, Duke, Reeves, and Monroe first must get through their respective senior years.
“The main goal is just to get better,” said Duke, the Cushing (Mass.) Academy product. “I’m not focused too much on how much I score anymore. We have a brandnew team with a lot of young guys and need someone to lead and show them the way. I took that role upon myself and it’s going well right now.”
“I’ve been working really hard on my ball-handling and looking for my teammates in open spots,” said Reeves, a senior at Massachusetts’ Brimmer & May.
Monroe’s story is unique in that he committed to Cooley and the Friars in early August without ever seeing the campus.
“I just knew where I wanted to be. You also know good people when you see them,” said Monroe. “Talking to coach Cooley and (assistant coach Jeff) Battle, who was the main guy I dealt with, it was clear that Providence was the place I needed to be. There was no need to wait before coming up here.”
As the 3-point competition between the men’s and women’s teams wrapped up Saturday night, Cooley walked over to where Duke, Reeves, and Monroe were sitting. The coach said leaned in to say something to his future charges, no doubt something along the lines of Late Night Madness representing only a small part of what’s in store.
Until the day comes when they’re officially enrolled, let the off-court synergy between the next wave of Friar talent grow and grow some more.
“It’s going to be a great friendship between all of us,” Reeves said. “To establish a special brotherhood is going to be a lot of fun.”