Each Friday from July to October, Jake McCreven, the UConn Report’s lead staff writer, will detail every Big East team, player and coach. Next up: The Providence Friars.
Head CoachBryan Hodgson (1st year here, 0-0)2025-26 Result15-18, 9th Big East, no postseason2026-27 Big East Rank5Returning Starters/Players1/1Returning Minutes (Torvik)12.6% (10th Big East)Incoming Transfer Class38thIncoming Freshmen Class105th
Kim English’s three-year tenure in Providence felt more like a Walmart brand melatonin dream than the calming, stabilizing hire it was first envisioned to be when Ed Cooley fled to Georgetown in 2023.
Unfathomable late-game collapses spurred on by undisciplined shot selection. Inexcusable yet continually repeated defensive woes. Off-the-court drama surrounding the social media activity of walk-ons. All-out brawls on the baseline of league games.
Anything and everything but quality basketball — the antithesis of it, actually.
The Friars fired English in March and poached heralded South Florida head coach Bryan Hodgson from the mid-major ranks soon after.
Hodgson doesn’t do much of anything but win, as evidenced by his previous stops at Arkansas St. and USF; Hodgson’s won 20-plus games in each of the three seasons he’s been a head coach and has at least one league championship at both schools.
He’s now tasked with restoring a proud program back to the norm — back to its NCAA Tournament standards.
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Off Season Additions and Losses
Hodgson not only had to import an entire coaching staff — which he did by taking his South Florida staff with him from Tampa — but he also had to rebuild an entire high-major roster less than a week after getting the job in Friartown.
Nine of Providence’s 15 players from last year bolted for the transfer portal and four others exhausted their eligibility. Four starters, including the Big East’s leading scorer in Jaylin Sellers and shot-making maestro Stefan Vaaks, are gone, as are depth pieces Duncan Powell and Corey Floyd Jr. — perhaps for the better.
That leaves two, John Jackson and Ryan Mela.
Jackson, a walk-on, redshirted and never saw the court. Mela, now a junior, accounted for just under 13% of the Friars’ minutes, marking the only on-court connection to the English era.
Hodgson brought in eight transfers — second only to Seton Hall in the conference — three freshmen and, for now, one former NBA G-Leaguer-turned-college-freshman in Dink Pate.
Pate, if eligible (it’s a long story, with no sensible way of telling), will play the four at 6-foot-8. Venerable Georgetown guard Malik Mack and USF import Gavin Hightower will man the point. Guards Devin Vanterpool, Miles Byrd and Ryan Sabol add an amalgamation of quality defense and tough shot making.
Mela, Jacob Bannarbie and freshmen Javon Bardwell and Clyde Walters will split time off the bench at forward, while Northwestern transfer Arrinten Page and Yale senior Samson Aletan divide center responsibilities.
It’s an entirely new team that comprises players from all levels of the sport. They’ll need to mesh — most in a new conference, all but one in a new coach’s system — for Providence to emerge as an NCAA Tournament team.
Ball Handlers
Last year’s patchwork point guard room was perhaps the main culprit of Providence’s lack of offensive communication and terrible perimeter defense.
Backup Daquan Davis was injured and done for the year after just three games and the highly touted Jason Edwards experiment belly flopped by December.
Vaaks stepped in and set the net on fire from 3, leading the conference in 3-pointers made and attempted, but wasn’t the floor general Providence needed and oftentimes siloed himself offensively.
All three left this off season, leaving Hodgson to rebuild the room to his liking.
Mar 19, 2026; Buffalo, NY, USA; South Florida Bulls guard Gavin Hightower (9) shoots a lay up during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Keybank Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
He brought Hightower, a sophomore who spent last season at USF, to be the backup and Mack, the veteran Georgetown transfer, to be the stabilizer in the starting lineup.
In Hightower, Hodgson has a 6-foot-1 dynamo familiar with his system, an aggressive at-the-rim scorer and fiery on-ball defender. Hightower presented almost no threat from 3 last year, attempting just 0.2 per game (1st percentile among guards nationally), but scored 66% of his points in the paint (96th percentile).
Mack, meanwhile, spent two years in the Big East at Georgetown and is one of the most well-rounded guards in the conference with 3,010 career minutes.
The 6-foot-2 senior ranked in the 91st percentile nationally in assist percentage last year (26.1) but also thrived as a high-volume shot taker, leading Georgetown in points, assists and 3-pointers made.
Mar 11, 2026; New York, NY, USA; Georgetown Hoyas guard Malik Mack (2) drives to the basket against DePaul Blue Demons guard RJ Smith (5) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
He struggled at times with keeping the ball safe, turning it over on average two times per game, and was streaky from the field in conference play. Improving defensively wouldn’t hurt, either.
Barring injuries, Providence should expect considerably more stable point guard play in 2026-27, though.
Other Guards
For as wildly unpredictable as Providence was overall last season, its contingent of off-ball guards was remarkably consistent, especially offensively.
Vaaks, the aforementioned freshman stud, had the size and scoring versatility to maneuver across the lineup and score at will from deep; Sellers led the conference in scoring at 18.3 points per game; the venerable Floyd Jr. was a mainstay off the bench.
All three departed this off season, along with project sophomore Jaylen Harrell, leaving Hodgson with an empty room to fill when he arrived.
Dec 20, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; San Diego State Aztecs guard Miles Byrd (21) against the Arizona Wildcats during the Hall of Fame Series at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
He started by grabbing Byrd from the portal, a 6-foot-6 graduate transfer who spent four years under Brian Dutcher at San Diego St. Lauded for his defensive prowess, Byrd led the Aztecs in steals (63, 1.9 per game), blocks (41, 1.2 per game) and rebounds (155, 4.7 per game) despite sharing the court (albeit sparingly) with all-world defender Magoon Gwath, who’s now at DePaul.
Byrd was also a confident and reliable scorer at SDSU, pouring 10.4 points and 2.6 assists per game on 40.5% shooting from the field. Given his frame and penchant for shrink-wrapping opponents defensively, Byrd will likely play the three and let Vanterpool roam around the perimeter.
Vanterpool spent three years at Florida Atlantic and progressed from redshirting his true freshman season to the American Conference Most Improved Player last year, averaging 15.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks per game in 31.2 minutes.
The 6-foot-4 redshirt junior shot 35.1% from 3, led his team in steals and finished second in blocks. He’ll fit in at the two as Hodgson’s do-it-all guard with the requisite combination of size, shooting and defense to thrive in the Big East.
Sabol will back them up off the bench after leading the MAC in 3-pointers made (122) and Buffalo in minutes played (1,160). A wily scoring threat, Sabol averaged 18.8 points per game for the Bulls, with whom he spent the past three years as a combo guard, and started all 32 games.
Wings and Forwards
Pate’s eligibility carries tremendous weight over the Friars’ ability to make an NCAA Tournament push in 2026-27.
And, of course, there’s no way to expedite the process and quickly find a resolution. Providence, under the mercy of the NCAA, won’t know if Pate is eligible until mid-September — or even later.
With him, Hodgson has a 6-foot-8 20-year-old who’s spent three years in the NBA G-League and averaged 16.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game doing so.
Without Pate, the youngest player to ever join the NBA G-League Ignite program, Providence not only loses a vital fixture to its rotation, but freshmen will be forced to step into large roles off the bench right away to fill the void.
Assuming he is eligible, Pate will start at the four and will be spelled by an aggregate of Bannarbie, Bardwell, Mela and Walters.
Mar 11, 2026; New York, NY, USA; Providence Friars guard Ryan Mela (11) controls the ball against Butler Bulldogs guard Finley Bizjack (11) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Mela, the lone returner who saw the court last year, has the versatility to slide up and play the three at 6-foot-6 but is better suited as a downhill and inside-the-arc scorer (94th percentile on 2-pointers last year).
He isn’t a pulverizing threat from 3, hitting on 32.1% of his attempts last year, but he’ll step out and shoot a few per game, demanding attention behind the line.
Bannarbie spent three years at UNLV but only played two, appearing in 49 games and starting 18 for the Rebels. Considering his consistency on the glass, he’ll likely be the primary backup to Pate as the freshmen acclimate to the system.
Both Bardwell and Walters should compete for time as true freshmen but, as 2027 reclasses, will take time to adjust to the high-major level — Bardwell especially, who committed to Providence in late August.
Post Players
Two-year starter Oswin Erhunmwunse, who appeared in 33 games for Providence last season before transferring to Creighton, finished fourth in the Big East in rebounds (8.3) and third in blocks (2.1) per game as a sophomore.
That’s hard to replicate in any given year, never mind replace entirely amidst a mass roster exodus.
But Erhunmwunse was also crippled by foul trouble, leading the conference in personal fouls (3.3 per game) while fouling out of four games. He never quite blossomed into a consistent offensive threat down low, either.
Hodgson prioritized the opposite when retooling the room, picking up two centers from the transfer portal with 167 total appearances across six seasons and a combined career average of 3.3 fouls per game.
Feb 14, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Northwestern Wildcats forward Arrinten Page (22) drives against Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Braden Frager (5) during the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
Page, a 6-foot-11 senior, is at his fourth school in as many years and will likely start at the five; his career average of 14.2 minutes per game at USC, Cincinnati and Northwestern includes 20 total starts and 18 double-digit scoring efforts down low.
Page took major strides as a scorer last year especially, setting a career-high in points against Big East foe DePaul in November (22) and finishing third on the team in scoring (296) in 16 starts. He showed a willingness, albeit not often, to step outside and take a 3-pointer, as well, hitting on 25% of his 1.5 attempts per game.
While Page will wear many hats as a scorer and facilitator as the starter, Aletan will serve as Providence’s defensive bedrock down low. Starting all 29 games for Yale last season, Aletan averaged 1.4 blocks per night and a plus-1.2 defensive box plus/minus.
The 6-foot-10 senior spent three years in New Haven and had developed into one of the best rim protecting big men in the Ivy League by the time he entered the portal. He won’t offer much, if anything at all, from outside the paint, but his steadiness inside will be coveted come conference play.
Playstyle
A disciple of Nate Oats, Hodgson has adopted — and orchestrated some of the very best — up-tempo offenses in the nation the last three years. That should continue at Providence.
Expect the Friars to run the rims, create advantages using their size on the offensive glass and smother opponents who dare settle into a half-court offense.
Providence won’t shoot the 3-ball at a top-notch level, both from a personnel and schematic standpoint, but with an overall upgrade in size and influx of attitude on the perimeter, expect the Friars to play much better defense in 2026-27.
Depth Chart
STARTERMalik MackDevin VanterpoolMiles ByrdDink PateArrinten PageBACKUPGavin HightowerRyan SabolRyan Mela Jacob BannarbieSamson AletanTHIRD LINE––Clyde WaltersJavon Bardwell–RESERVEJohn Jackson––Leonardo Marangon–
2026-27 Projection
Given Hodgson’s winning pedigree and the talent populating this Friar roster, it’s difficult not to envision Providence competing for an NCAA Tournament bid in 2026-27.
There’s size everywhere, depth on the wings and experienced scoring talent in the starting lineup.
A lot hinges on Hodgson — who’s never coached at the high-major level — meshing those pieces together, though, and Pate’s eligibility debacle hasn’t helped smooth out that transition process down low.
There are questions to be answered, but there is an indisputable buzz surrounding the program for the first time since the Ed Cooley days in Friartown.