2008–09 Providence Friars men's basketball team

The 2008–09 Providence Friars men's basketball team represented Providence College in the Big East Conference. The team finished with a 10–8 conference record and a 19–14 record overall.

2008–09 Providence Friars men's basketball
NIT, #5, 1st Round
ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)
2008–09 record1914 (108 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Chris Davis
  • Rodell Davis
  • Pat Skerry
MVPWeyinmi Efejuku
Home arenaDunkin' Donuts Center
2008–09 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
No. 1 Louisville162 .889  316  .838
No. 4 Pittsburgh153 .833  315  .861
No. 5 Connecticut153 .833  315  .861
No. 11 Villanova135 .722  308  .789
No. 23 Marquette126 .667  2510  .714
No. 13 Syracuse117 .611  2810  .737
West Virginia108 .556  2312  .657
Providence108 .556  1914  .576
Notre Dame810 .444  2115  .583
Cincinnati810 .444  1814  .563
Seton Hall711 .389  1715  .531
Georgetown711 .389  1615  .516
St. John's612 .333  1618  .471
South Florida414 .222  922  .290
Rutgers216 .111  1121  .344
DePaul018 .000  924  .273
2009 Big East Tournament winner
As of April 4, 2009[1]; Rankings from AP Poll

In March 2008, head coach Tim Welsh was fired by the school after finishing with a losing record for the third time in four seasons. In April, Drake University head coach Keno Davis replaced him; Davis was named the 2008 Associated Press National Coach of the Year in his first and only season as a head coach at Drake.[2] The Friars had previously been turned down by Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, who coached Providence to the 1987 Final Four, George Mason University head coach Jim Larranaga, a Providence alumnus, and University of Massachusetts head coach Travis Ford.[2][3]

Davis inherited all five starters from Welsh's final season with the Friars. However, prior to the season junior guard Dwain Williams transferred to Oregon State,[4] while reserve forward Charles Burch was the team's lone departing senior.

At home, the Friars twice defeated ranked opponents; on January 28 they defeated #15 Syracuse, and on February 24, the Friars knocked off #1 Pittsburgh, the first time the school had accomplished the feat since 1976. The Friars received votes in the AP Poll after each win, but were not ranked at any point in the season.

Finishing with a 10-8 record in the Big East, the Friars began the 2009 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament as an eighth seed, defeating DePaul in the first round before falling to top-seeded Louisville in the quarterfinals. They missed the NCAA Tournament for a fifth straight season and lost in the first round of the NIT to Miami.

Roster

2008–09 Providence Friars men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
F 0 Alex Kellogg 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)225 lb (102 kg) SoSt. Francis DeSales High School Columbus, Ohio
G 1 Jeff Xavier 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg) SrSt. Raphael Academy Pawtucket, Rhode Island
G/F 2 Marshon Brooks 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)190 lb (86 kg) SoTucker High School Stone Mountain, Georgia
G 4 Sharaud Curry 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)170 lb (77 kg) RS JrJoseph Wheeler High School Gainesville, Georgia
F 11 Geoff McDermott 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)235 lb (107 kg) SrNew Rochelle High School New Rochelle, New York
G 12 Luke Burchett (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)185 lb (84 kg) JrFenwick High School Western Springs, Illinois
G/F 13 Weyinmi Efejuku 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)210 lb (95 kg) SrBrewster Academy Fresh Meadows, New York
F 15 Jamine Peterson  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)225 lb (102 kg) SoNotre Dame Prep Brooklyn, New York
F 21 Chris Baudinet (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)210 lb (95 kg) SrTaft School Watertown, Connecticut
G 23 Brian McKenzie 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)205 lb (93 kg) JrXaverian High School Brooklyn, New York
F 25 Brian Beloin (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)200 lb (91 kg) SrAvon High School Avon, Connecticut
F 31 Connor Heine (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)185 lb (84 kg) SrFairfield Prep Fairfield, Connecticut
F/C 32 Randall Hanke 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)240 lb (109 kg) RS SrTrinity-Pawling School New York, New York
F/C 34 Jonathan Kale 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)245 lb (111 kg) SrSt. Andrew's School Mattapan, Massachusetts
F/C 42 Bilal Dixon  6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)228 lb (103 kg) FrQueen of Peace High School Jersey City, New Jersey
C 55 Ray Hall  6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)265 lb (120 kg) JrJ. K. Mullen High School Denver, Colorado
Head coach

Keno Davis

Assistant coach(es)

Chris Davis
Rodell Davis
Pat Skerry


Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: 2010-02-06

Depth chart

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2 Bench 3
C Jonathan Kale Randall Hanke Bilal Dixon Ray Hall
PF Geoff McDermott Alex Kellogg Chris Baudinet (W) Jamine Peterson
SF Weyinmi Efejuku Marshon Brooks Brian Beloin (W) Connor Heine (W)
SG Jeff Xavier Brian McKenzie
PG Sharaud Curry Luke Burchett (W)

Incoming recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Bilal Dixon
PF
Jersey City, NJ Queen of Peace HS 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 229 lb (104 kg) Sep 25, 2007 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2008 Providence Signees". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
  • "2008 Providence Signees". Scout.com. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
  • "2008 Providence Signees". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
  • "2008 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2009-10-30.

    Schedule

    Date
    time, TV
    Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition games
    November 1*
    7:00 pm
    University of Ottawa (CIS) W 8557 
    Dunkin' Donuts Center 
    Providence, RI
    November 8*
    7:00 pm
    Slippery Rock (D-II) W 10584 
    Dunkin' Donuts Center 
    Providence, RI
    Non-conference games
    November 15*
    7:00 pm
    Northeastern L 6670  01
    Dunkin' Donuts Center (8,086)
    Providence, RI
    November 18*
    7:00 pm
    Dartmouth W 10082  11
    Dunkin' Donuts Center (4,762)
    Providence, RI
    November 20*
    7:00 pm
    Sacred Heart W 111-87  21
    Dunkin' Donuts Center (5,108)
    Providence, RI
    November 22*
    2:00 pm
    Maine W 8362  31
    Dunkin' Donuts Center (7,060)
    Providence, RI
    November 27*
    11:30 pm, ESPN2
    vs. Baylor
    76 Classic
    L 5672  32
    Anaheim Convention Center (1,157)
    Anaheim, CA
    November 28*
    10:00 pm, ESPNU
    vs. Charlotte
    76 Classic
    W 6762  42
    Anaheim Convention Center (1,417)
    Anaheim, CA
    November 30*
    5:30 pm, ESPNU
    vs. St. Mary's (CA)
    76 Classic
    L 7581  43
    Anaheim Convention Center (1,077)
    Anaheim, CA
    December 3*
    7:00 pm
    Brown W 8662  53
    Dunkin' Donuts Center (6,155)
    Providence, RI
    December 6*
    2:00 pm, Cox Sports
    Rhode Island W 6665  63
    Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,600)
    Providence, RI
    December 17*
    7:00 pm
    Jackson State W 8571  73
    Dunkin' Donuts Center (7,158)
    Providence, RI
    December 20*
    4:00 pm, NESN
    at Boston College L 7681  74
    Conte Forum (6,880)
    Chestnut Hill, MA
    December 22*
    7:00 pm
    Bryant W 9164  84
    Dunkin' Donuts Center (6,103)
    Providence, RI
    Big East regular season
    December 31
    4:00 pm, Cox Sports
    St. John's W 7554  94 (10)
    Dunkin' Donuts Center (3,037)
    Providence, RI
    January 3
    7:00 pm, Cox Sports
    DePaul W 6254  104 (20)
    Dunkin' Donuts Center (8,547)
    Providence, RI
    January 7
    7:00 pm, ESPNU
    at Cincinnati W 8779  114 (30)
    Fifth Third Arena (6,612)
    Cincinnati, OH
    January 10
    1:00 pm, ESPNU
    at No. 9 Georgetown L 7582  115 (31)
    Verizon Center (12,764)
    Washington, D.C.
    January 17
    9:00 pm, ESPN2
    No. 14 Marquette L 8291  116 (32)
    Dunkin' Donuts Center (10,221)
    Providence, RI
    January 19
    8:00 pm, Cox Sports
    Cincinnati W 7263  126 (42)
    Dunkin' Donuts Center (7,285)
    Providence, RI
    January 22
    7:00 pm, ESPNU
    at Seton Hall W 9893 OT 136 (52)
    Prudential Center (7,165)
    Newark, NJ
    January 28
    7:00 pm, Cox Sports
    No. 15 Syracuse W 10094  146 (62)
    Dunkin' Donuts Center (10,873)
    Providence, RI
    January 31
    4:00 pm, Cox Sports
    at No. 2 Connecticut L 6194  147 (63)
    Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,167)
    Storrs, CT
    February 4
    8:00 pm, Cox Sports
    No. 17 Villanova L 9194  148 (64)
    Dunkin' Donuts Center (11,212)
    Providence, RI
    February 7
    4:00 pm, Cox Sports
    at West Virginia L 5986  149 (65)
    WVU Coliseum (11,091)
    Morgantown, WV
    February 10
    7:00 pm, ESPN360
    at South Florida W 7762  159 (75)
    USF Sun Dome (3,340)
    Tampa, FL
    February 14
    7:00 pm, Cox Sports
    Rutgers W 7868  169 (85)
    Dunkin' Donuts Center (11,246)
    Providence, RI
    February 18
    7:30 pm, ESPN2
    at No. 7 Louisville L 7694  1610 (86)
    Freedom Hall (19,484)
    Louisville, KY
    February 21
    12:00 pm, Cox Sports
    Notre Dame L 84103  1611 (87)
    Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,600)
    Providence, RI
    February 24
    7:00 pm, Cox Sports
    No. 1 Pittsburgh W 8173  1711 (97)
    Dunkin' Donuts Center (11,887)
    Providence, RI
    March 1
    2:00 pm, ESPNU
    at Rutgers W 7366  1811 (107)
    Louis Brown Athletic Center (5,122)
    Piscataway, NJ
    March 5
    7:00 pm, ESPN2
    at No. 11 Villanova L 8097  1812 (108)
    The Pavilion (6,500)
    Villanova, PA
    Big East Tournament
    March 11
    12:00 pm, ESPN
    vs. DePaul
    First Round
    W 8374  1912 (108)
    Madison Square Garden (19,375)
    New York, NY
    March 12
    12:00 pm, ESPN
    vs. No. 5 Louisville
    Quarterfinals
    L 5573  1913 (108)
    Madison Square Garden (19,375)
    New York, NY
    NIT
    March 18*
    7:00 pm, ESPN2
    No. 5 No. 4 Miami
    First Round
    L 6678  1914 (108)
    Dunkin' Donuts Center (5,645)
    Providence, RI
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Eastern Time [5].

    Rankings

    Ranking Movement
    Legend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
    PollPreWk 1Wk 2Wk 3Wk 4Wk 5Wk 6Wk 7Wk 8Wk 9Wk 10Wk 11Wk 12Wk 13Wk 14Wk 15Wk 16WK 17Wk 18Final
    AP RV RV n/a
    Coaches RV

    Awards and honors

    Recipient Award(s)
    Marshon Brooks 2009 Co-Coca-Cola Most Promising Prospect Award[6]
    Sharaud Curry 2009 Ernie D Team Leader Award[6]
    Weyinmi Efejuku 2009 All-Big East Honorable Mention[7]
    2009 USBWA All-District 1[8]
    2009 Jimmy Walker Most Valuable Player Award[6]
    March 2: Big East Player of the Week[9]
    Ray Hall 2009 Thomas Ramos Academic Award[6]
    Randall Hanke 2009 John Zannini Coaches' Award[6]
    Jonathan Kale 2009 Ryan Gomes Most Improved Player Award[6]
    Geoff McDermott 2009 Marvin Barnes Defensive Player Award[6]
    Brian McKenzie 2009 Co-Coca-Cola Most Promising Prospect Award[6]
    Jeff Xavier 2009 Lenny Wilkens Hustle Award[6]

    References

    1. "Big East Conference Standings - 2008-09." ESPN.com. Retrieved 03-23-10.
    2. Tucker, Eric (2008-04-15). "Providence picks Drake's Keno Davis to replace Tim Welsh". Associated Press. The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
    3. McNamara, Kevin (2008-10-26). "Courting Pitino -- Friar coaching legend considered a return to PC". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
    4. "Dwain Williams to Transfer to Oregon State". Oregon State University. 2008-08-11. Archived from the original on 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
    5. Schedule Friars.com. Retrieved on October 30, 2009.
    6. "Men's Basketball Team Awards Announced". Friars.com. 2009-04-25. Archived from the original on 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
    7. "Weyinmi Efejuku Named All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention". Friars.com. 2009-03-08. Archived from the original on 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
    8. "Weyinmi Efejuku Named USBWA All-District 1". Friars.com. 2009-03-13. Archived from the original on 2018-04-29. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
    9. "Weyinmi Efejuku Named BIG EAST Player Of The Week". Friars.com. 2009-03-02. Archived from the original on 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
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