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)
Record19–14 (10–8 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
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 1 Louisville†16–2 .88931–6  .838
No. 4 Pittsburgh15–3 .83331–5  .861
No. 5 Connecticut15–3 .83331–5  .861
No. 11 Villanova13–5 .72230–8  .789
No. 23 Marquette12–6 .66725–10  .714
No. 13 Syracuse11–7 .61128–10  .737
West Virginia10–8 .55623–12  .657
Providence10–8 .55619–14  .576
Notre Dame8–10 .44421–15  .583
Cincinnati8–10 .44418–14  .563
Seton Hall7–11 .38917–15  .531
Georgetown7–11 .38916–15  .516
St. John's6–12 .33316–18  .471
South Florida4–14 .2229–22  .290
Rutgers2–16 .11111–21  .344
DePaul0–18 .0009–24  .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 Current redshirt 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 Current redshirt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)228 lb (103 kg) FrQueen of Peace High School Jersey City, New Jersey
C 55 Ray Hall Injured 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 Redshirt Ray Hall Injured
PF Geoff McDermott Alex Kellogg Chris Baudinet (W) Jamine Peterson Redshirt
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:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   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 October 30, 2009.
  • "2008 Providence Signees". Scout.com. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
  • "2008 Providence Signees". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
  • "2008 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 30, 2009.

Schedule
Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition games
November 1*
7:00 pm		 University of Ottawa (CIS) W 85–57 
Dunkin' Donuts Center 
Providence, RI
November 8*
7:00 pm		 Slippery Rock (D-II) W 105–84 
Dunkin' Donuts Center 
Providence, RI
Non-conference games
November 15*
7:00 pm		 Northeastern L 66–70  0–1
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (8,086)
Providence, RI
November 18*
7:00 pm		 Dartmouth W 100–82  1–1
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (4,762)
Providence, RI
November 20*
7:00 pm		 Sacred Heart W 111-87  2–1
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (5,108)
Providence, RI
November 22*
2:00 pm		 Maine W 83–62  3–1
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (7,060)
Providence, RI
November 27*
11:30 pm, ESPN2		 vs. Baylor
76 Classic		 L 56–72  3–2
 Anaheim Convention Center (1,157)
Anaheim, CA
November 28*
10:00 pm, ESPNU		 vs. Charlotte
76 Classic		 W 67–62  4–2
 Anaheim Convention Center (1,417)
Anaheim, CA
November 30*
5:30 pm, ESPNU		 vs. St. Mary's (CA)
76 Classic		 L 75–81  4–3
 Anaheim Convention Center (1,077)
Anaheim, CA
December 3*
7:00 pm		 Brown W 86–62  5–3
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (6,155)
Providence, RI
December 6*
2:00 pm, Cox Sports		 Rhode Island W 66–65  6–3
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,600)
Providence, RI
December 17*
7:00 pm		 Jackson State W 85–71  7–3
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (7,158)
Providence, RI
December 20*
4:00 pm, NESN		 at Boston College L 76–81  7–4
 Conte Forum (6,880)
Chestnut Hill, MA
December 22*
7:00 pm		 Bryant W 91–64  8–4
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (6,103)
Providence, RI
Big East regular season
December 31
4:00 pm, Cox Sports		 St. John's W 75–54  9–4 (1–0)
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (3,037)
Providence, RI
January 3
7:00 pm, Cox Sports		 DePaul W 62–54  10–4 (2–0)
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (8,547)
Providence, RI
January 7
7:00 pm, ESPNU		 at Cincinnati W 87–79  11–4 (3–0)
 Fifth Third Arena (6,612)
Cincinnati, OH
January 10
1:00 pm, ESPNU		 at No. 9 Georgetown L 75–82  11–5 (3–1)
 Verizon Center (12,764)
Washington, D.C.
January 17
9:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 14 Marquette L 82–91  11–6 (3–2)
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (10,221)
Providence, RI
January 19
8:00 pm, Cox Sports		 Cincinnati W 72–63  12–6 (4–2)
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (7,285)
Providence, RI
January 22
7:00 pm, ESPNU		 at Seton Hall W 98–93 OT 13–6 (5–2)
 Prudential Center (7,165)
Newark, NJ
January 28
7:00 pm, Cox Sports		 No. 15 Syracuse W 100–94  14–6 (6–2)
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (10,873)
Providence, RI
January 31
4:00 pm, Cox Sports		 at No. 2 Connecticut L 61–94  14–7 (6–3)
 Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,167)
Storrs, CT
February 4
8:00 pm, Cox Sports		 No. 17 Villanova L 91–94  14–8 (6–4)
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (11,212)
Providence, RI
February 7
4:00 pm, Cox Sports		 at West Virginia L 59–86  14–9 (6–5)
 WVU Coliseum (11,091)
Morgantown, WV
February 10
7:00 pm, ESPN360		 at South Florida W 77–62  15–9 (7–5)
 USF Sun Dome (3,340)
Tampa, FL
February 14
7:00 pm, Cox Sports		 Rutgers W 78–68  16–9 (8–5)
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (11,246)
Providence, RI
February 18
7:30 pm, ESPN2		 at No. 7 Louisville L 76–94  16–10 (8–6)
 Freedom Hall (19,484)
Louisville, KY
February 21
12:00 pm, Cox Sports		 Notre Dame L 84–103  16–11 (8–7)
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,600)
Providence, RI
February 24
7:00 pm, Cox Sports		 No. 1 Pittsburgh W 81–73  17–11 (9–7)
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (11,887)
Providence, RI
March 1
2:00 pm, ESPNU		 at Rutgers W 73–66  18–11 (10–7)
 Louis Brown Athletic Center (5,122)
Piscataway, NJ
March 5
7:00 pm, ESPN2		 at No. 11 Villanova L 80–97  18–12 (10–8)
 The Pavilion (6,500)
Villanova, PA
Big East tournament
March 11
12:00 pm, ESPN		 vs. DePaul
First Round		 W 83–74  19–12 (10–8)
 Madison Square Garden (19,375)
New York, NY
March 12
12:00 pm, ESPN		 vs. No. 5 Louisville
Quarterfinals		 L 55–73  19–13 (10–8)
 Madison Square Garden (19,375)
New York, NY
NIT
March 18*
7:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 5 No. 4 Miami
First Round		 L 66–78  19–14 (10–8)
 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
Main article: 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball 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 (April 15, 2008). "Providence picks Drake's Keno Davis to replace Tim Welsh". Associated Press. The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
  3. McNamara, Kevin (October 26, 2008). "Courting Pitino -- Friar coaching legend considered a return to PC". The Providence Journal. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
  4. "Dwain Williams to Transfer to Oregon State". Oregon State University. August 11, 2008. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
  5. Schedule Friars.com. Retrieved on October 30, 2009.
  6. "Men's Basketball Team Awards Announced". Friars.com. April 25, 2009. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
  7. "Weyinmi Efejuku Named All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention". Friars.com. March 8, 2009. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
  8. "Weyinmi Efejuku Named USBWA All-District 1". Friars.com. March 13, 2009. Archived from the original on April 29, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
  9. "Weyinmi Efejuku Named BIG EAST Player Of The Week". Friars.com. March 2, 2009. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
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