4 takeaways from Providence basketball's Mal Brown Scrimmage
PROVIDENCE — Kim English took time away from the action on the floor to catch up with program legend Ernie DiGregorio and prominent booster Domenic Coletta.
There was good reason for the Providence men’s basketball coach to be relaxed Saturday afternoon. As he said later, the Friars were bound for victory one way or the other.
This annual Mal Brown Scrimmage stretched over two 10-minute halves at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. White slipped past Black, 46-43, behind Bryce Hopkins and his balanced teammates.
“This is as low stress a press conference as I’ve ever had to do,” English said. “Didn’t lose. The Friars won.
“It was a good opportunity for us to get in front of our fans. Fortunate that it was for a good cause.”
Ticket proceeds went to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, and the benefit was a first look at the Friars in a competitive setting. Hopkins shared game-high honors with 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting and each of his four teammates netted at least seven. That was enough to overcome 15 points by Rafael Castro and 11 points from Ticket Gaines on the Black team.
“When guys play well, we expect it,” English said. “I think everyone has good moments — positive moments. I wouldn’t say there are any surprises.”
Here are four observations from this dress rehearsal in front of an announced 1,652 fans:
Josh Oduro (right ankle) was unavailable
The transfer big man from George Mason missed the chance to play on his 23rd birthday. He sat on the home bench in a walking boot, the result of an injury he suffered in Thursday’s practice.
“He landed on Ticket’s foot two days ago and just twisted his ankle,” English said. “He could have played today. No need to push it.
“He's going through his rehab process. Hopefully, he’s back for our secret scrimmage on Saturday.”
Castro stood out in Oduro’s place, closing 6-for-7 from the field and 3-for-3 at the foul line. He added five rebounds and an assist, extending the momentum he built during a three-game tour of Spain in August.
Justyn Fernandez (knee) is expected to redshirt for the 2023-24 season
The transfer guard from George Mason didn’t play Saturday. He’s working his way back from an offseason injury and won’t be in Providence’s game-day plans over the next six months.
“I think Justyn will be ready to go in the middle of the season, but we’re in no rush,” English said. “We’re in no rush. He’s not going to play this season.”
Fernandez is a former top-100 recruit who started 13 of 33 games with the Patriots in 2022-23. He averaged 4.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 13.9 minutes per contest. The Friars should be deep at the shooting guard and wing spots entering the season — Gaines, Corey Floyd Jr., Devin Carter and Hopkins figure to take up the majority of minutes.
The White team decided game on foul line
The victors closed 15-for-17 at the stripe while Black was just 6-for-8. Hopkins drew a game-high five fouls while Donovan Santoro was a perfect 5-for-5.
That’s an area Providence will look to carry over from the last two seasons. The Friars have notched consecutive top-55 finishes nationally in free throw rate, which measures free throws attempted versus field goals attempted.
“There’s nothing glaring but we have to get better at everything,” English said. “We have to get closer. We have to lock in more to our foundational principles of what we do offensively and what we do defensively.”
Busy week for Friars and Kim English
Providence was fresh off a busy week that included English’s radio show debut and the school’s first pro day on Thursday.
All 30 NBA teams were expected to send representatives to the event, which was held on campus at the Ruane Development Center. Dickey Simpkins was one of the evaluators in attendance — the former Friars great is currently a scout with the Washington Wizards.
“It was good,” English said. “A lot of good stuff on individual guys. Echoed a lot of thoughts we had. I thought the guys showed well.”
Simpkins stayed in the city for Saturday’s scrimmage and caught up with assistant coach Dennis Felton at midcourt before the tip. They were player and assistant coach for the program’s first Big East Tournament title 30 years ago, as Providence took down No. 2 Connecticut and Georgetown at Madison Square Garden.
BLACK (43): Ticket Gaines 4-8 0-0 11, Jayden Pierre 3-6 0-0 6, Rich Barron 2-4 2-3 6, Corey Floyd Jr. 2-7 1-2 5, Rafael Castro 6-7 3-3 15l; totals 17-32 6-8 43.
WHITE (46): Donovan Santoro 1-4 5-5 8, Garwey Dual 3-6 2-2 8, Eli DeLaurier 2-4 2-2 8, Devin Carter 2-5 2-2 7, Bryce Hopkins 5-10 4-6 15; totals 13-29 15-17 46.
Halftime — W, 27-22. 3FG – B 3-12 (Gaines 3-6, Pierre 0-2, Barron 0-1, Floyd Jr. 0-3), W 5-15 (Santoro 1-4, Dual 0-2, DeLaurier 2-4, Carter 1-2, Hopkins 1-3). Rebounds — B 17 (Gaines 6), W 17 (DeLaurier 6). Assists – B 7 (Pierre, Floyd Jr. 3), W 7 (Carter 3).
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence basketball holds annual preseason scrimmage at AMP
