2025-26 Season Recap:
-
15-18 record, 7-13 in conference play
-
Finished in 9th place in the Big East, tied with Marquette and Butler
-
Lost to St. John’s in the Big East Tournament (Quarterfinals)
Head Coach: Bryan Hodgson, who takes over for the fired Kim English. Hodgson came from South Florida, where he successfully led the Bulls to both an American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament title. South Florida got an 11 seed in the NCAA tournament, losing to Louisville in the round of 64. Prior to South Florida, Hodgson lead two successful seasons at Arkansas State. He is also a former assistant under Alabama’s Nate Oats.
Advertisement
Departing players:
The whole roster besides Mela basically, but here are some highlights:
Jaylin Sellers – Graduation (18.3 PPG)
Jason Edwards – Transfer Portal/Graduation (16.5 PPG)
Stefan Vaaks – Illinois (15.8 PPG)
Jamier Jones – Mizzouri (11.9 PPG)
Corey Floyd Jr. – Graduation (7.6 PPG)
Oswin Erhunmwunse – Creighton (6.9 PPG)
Duncan Powell – Graduation (4.6 PPG)
Jaylen Harrell – Transfer Portal (3.7 PPG)
Returning Players:
Ryan Mela – 6’7” junior who averaged 9.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2 assists in 25.8 minutes per game. Mela started 22 of 33 games for the Friars a year ago.
John Jackson – 6’ freshman who redshirted last season.
Advertisement
New Players:
Miles Byrd – 6’6” graduate transfer from San Diego State who averaged 10.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.2 blocks. Byrd was regarded as one of the best transfers available in the portal.
Dink Pate – 6’8” freshman who last played for the Westchester Knicks in the NBA G League. The 20-year-old averaged 16 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per contest.
Devin Vanterpool – 6’4” redshirt junior transfer from Florida Atlantic who averaged 15.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. The guard shot 35.1% from three on 6.2 attempts per contest.
Malik Mack – 6’2” senior transfer from Georgetown who averaged 13.6 points, 3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
Advertisement
Arrinten Page – 6’11” senior transfer from Northwestern who averaged 10.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
Samson Aletan – 6’10” senior transfer from Yale who averaged 7.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.
Ryan Sabol – 6’3” senior guard from Buffalo who averaged 18.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
Gavin Hightower – 6’1” sophomore transfer from South Florida who averaged 4.1 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Hightower played 10.1 minutes per game for Hodgson off of the bench.
Clyde Walters – 6’7” freshman who is ranked as a four-star recruit on ESPN (96th overall). Walters was originally in the class of 2027, but he has since reclassified.
Advertisement
Jacob Bannarbie – 6’9” redshirt junior transfer from UNLV who averaged 5.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
Leonardo Marangon – 6’7” freshman from Vigodarzere, Italy who averaged 9.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Projects as a developmental piece.
Overall thoughts:
Providence looks to end its four-year tournament drought this upcoming season, and with the coach and players that were brought in, that should be a minimum expectation. Between Pate, Byrd, Vanterpool and Mela, coach Hodgson has an extremely switchable and defensive-minded perimeter. Aletan and Page should provide serviceably interior play, and the combination of Mack, Sabol and Hightower should be good enough to man the point. But make no mistake about it, this team will be driven by its wings. My expected starting lineup for the Friars is Mack, Vanterpool, Byrd, Pate and Page.
Advertisement
The one concern I see with this roster is the shooting. Pate, Mack and Byrd all shoot around 30% from three, leaving Vanterpool as the only one who shoots at an above-average clip of the expected primary contributors. Sabol can shoot it, but it’s hard to see him playing a ton with those other players on the perimeter. Bigger teams, like Villanova, could also punish them inside, but the length and athleticism on the wings is impressive.
Providence should be dancing come March, as Hodgson has proven he has the requisite coaching chops and the roster is talented. Though it’s hard to predict anything more than a mid-place finish in the Big East. Anywhere from fourth to sixth in the conference is likely where the Friars will be projected, but still, given what they’ve been through of late, that’s a great first season for Hodgson in Rhode Island.
