Friars seek to serve up some ‘Dunk’ cooking
PC’s first two Big East games set for friendly home confines
PROVIDENCE — For Ed Cooley’s Friars, the curtain will be raised on Big East play on the last night of 2018.
There’s only one Big East game on the New Year’s Eve docket and it involves Providence hosting Creighton in a Monday 4 p.m. contest at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The conference is celebrating its 40th season of existence and PC has moved in lockstep with the Big East every single bounce along the way. From the dismantling to the rebranding, the Friars have been glued to the Big East’s hip.
Perhaps the decades-spanning relationship with the Big East helps to explain the post-Christmas gift that was stuffed inside Providence’s stocking. The Friars will play two Big East games before their home fans before the road beckons. Stretching to include the Jan. 15 game against Seton Hall, PC gets to hoop it up inside the friendly home confines for three of its first four Big East tilts.
Not much heavy lifting is needed to understand the golden opportunity that awaits.
Over the past two seasons, the marching orders from Big East headquarters consisted of opening league play with back-to-back road games. Two years ago, PC was royally thumped by Xavier (8256) and Butler (78-61) but rebounded to win 10 of its final 16 league contests. Last year, the Friars won going away at St. John’s (94-72) but found the sledding tough at Creighton (83-64). That group also went on to post 10 Big East wins.
Nothing in life is guaranteed, but there are instances when a silver platter is accompanied by a note that reads, “strike while the iron is hot.” In the case of Providence, the Big East schedule makers have paved the way for a prime chance to start off on the right foot.
Cooley never sugarcoats it whenever the head coach is given the chance to state his declaration regarding the importance of protecting one’s homecourt. Trying to win games on the road has and always will be a tricky proposition. That’s why taking care of business at home is so imperative, hence the Friars can do themselves a world of good by capitalizing on a Big East slate that’s frontloaded with home games.
“I think it’s really vital for us to get off to a great start. I’m really glad we’re starting at home. It’s a big bonus for us and I hope the Dunk is ready to go,” said Cooley. “You’ve got to win your home games if you’re going to be a (NCAA) tournament team.”
“We feel we’re really good at home. Having those three games will definitely help,” said junior Alpha Diallo.
The upcoming task includes visits from Creighton and defending national champion Villanova (Saturday, 2 p.m.) before the Friars take a knee for a week before heading to Georgetown. Arguably, the Bluejays and Wildcats are the two Big East teams that tested themselves the most during non-conference play. Creighton ran up against Gonzaga, Clemson, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Ohio State. Villanova challenged itself with a gauntlet that like PC included a date with Michigan along with Oklahoma State, Kansas, UConn and the annual tussles with the Philadelphia-based association commonly referred to as the Big Five.
Unlike Creighton and Villanova, PC heads into the Big East with double-digits wins. Winning at Texas helped to ease the sting of collapsing at home to UMass. If there’s a lesson to be learned from falling to the Minutemen, it’s to understand that guarding the home base is paramount. Otherwise, the unsavory proposition of trying to nab road wins takes on even greater emphasis. For the Friars, that would become known as the road that can’t be avoided should the Big East home cooking that awaits proves to lack a winning recipe.
“There’s a big emphasis on taking care of your home court,” said Cooley.
Judging by Cooley’s response, don’t expect to see redshirt senior Emmitt Holt out there for the Friars any time soon. While he continues to practice, Holt has sat out seven straight games.
“Is he healthy enough? Can he help? How can he help? He’s an everyday process,” said Cooley. “His (abdominal) surgery was major and we’re always going to protect the student-athlete and make sure we take care of him health-wise. If he can help us, he can. If not, he can’t.”
What makes David Duke’s introduction to Friar basketball so unique is that for the first time in the Cooley era, a true freshman point guard is running the attack. In the past, PC’s point guard factory had a clear-cut choice with someone else waiting in the wings. Dynamic tandems like Vincent Council/Bryce Cotton and Kris Dunn/Kyron Cartwright immediately spring to mind.
With Makai-Ashton Langford recently taking huge steps, Cooley appears comfortable with letting the sophomore stir the attack when Duke is sitting. Maliek White dabbled as a combo guard during his first two years, but now the junior is being asked to hold down the scoring fort in A.J. Reeves’ absence. White can serve as a secondary ball-handler when he’s out there with Duke or Ashton-Langford, though it’s a realm that shouldn’t be overly saturated.
White’s assist-to-turnover numbers have been fine in the three games he’s started in the place of Reeves – 15 helpers compared to four giveaways. He’s been a winning playmaker, but it’s best to keep him away from the point-guard duties as much as possible. One way to ensure that White’s load doesn’t expand is for Duke to stay out of harm’s way when it comes to fouling. He’s already fouled out of two games and ended three other games with four fouls.
“Makai has definitely improved and having him play off David during practice has definitely helped David, but he’s going to have inconsistent moments. That said, I like what he’s doing right now,” said Cooley. “We need to have him cut down on the mistakes, especially the fouling and getting us into our offense quicker. Overall, I’m happy with his development and think he’s going to be a great player in our league.”
If Reeves can return from a sore foot sooner rather than later, that would prove to be a feather in the cap of the rehab wing located inside the Friar Ruane Development Center. The injury to the star freshman represents the first true test of the building’s capabilities.
“With the technology that’s upstairs in the recovery center, I think it’s been helpful for all the players, not just the injured ones,” said Cooley.