Thinking out loud ... while wondering if a clean house is merely a sign of a broken computer or a smartphone…
• Playing this week’s version of “Can You Top This,” I give you the PC Friars.
• I will also give you the Bryant Bulldogs, but more on that in a bit.
• Providence’s triple-overtime extravaganza with Xavier Wednesday night at the Dunk was filled with emotion, entertainment, effort, and error. On both sides of the ball. It was a helluva ride if you missed it.
• The past few weeks have been remarkable for everyone attending games at the Dunk, or along for the ride from a distance. As such, these Friars are on the brink of pulling off something previously unattainable on their athletic radar – a Big East regular season men’s basketball title.
• When I think back over the past 30-plus years, since the ’87 team made its’ unlikely but entertaining run to the Final Four, there simply hasn’t been a season – or even a moment – that this program could realize sustained success long enough to reach this point.
• I’ve been privy to countless conversations, with coaches and administrators, as to why sustained winning at Providence just could not occur. Until today.
• There are three reasons why Providence Basketball has finally arrived as a ‘playah’ in the Big East, 43 years after Dave Gavitt’s dream was realized.
• 1) Facilities. PC was at the basement of the Big East. They had nothing; no swag or brag. Now? The upgrade to the Dunk got the ball rolling. The Ruane Center on campus changed the perception of competitiveness. These Friars can now match facilities with the very best.
• Oh, note to Larry Lepore and the RI Convention Center authority: You might want to check the roof of the Dunk for leaks. Thanks. But the floor sure looks clean.
• 2) The “new” Big East Conference. There’s simply no doubt that playing against and competing with actual “like” institutions contributed mightily, not only to PC’s competitiveness in basketball and other sports, but also to the arrival of Villanova as a national blueblood and national relevance for a reconstituted league.
• Remember ESPN’s “Requiem for the Big East?” How about a “Requiem for the ACC?” Just sayin’.
• 3) Ed Cooley. ‘Nuff said. But I’ll say it anyway. The hometown boy has certainly made good. Fox Sports’ and The Sporting News’ Mike DeCourcy told us this week (on This Week in the Big East) Cooley is his favorite story in all of college hoopdom, and he should be National Coach of the Year.
• And now, the Friars get their first swing at that championship belt Saturday night against Creighton, on Senior Night, no less. Let’s hope they swing and connect – because the second and final swing, if they miss Saturday, comes Tuesday at Blue Blooded Villanova.
• And those bluebloods lost this week to surging UConn. They mad.
• But we know these Friars are who they are. They play close games. Too close, really. Buckle your seat belts a bit tighter for the Madness still to come. If you can take it.
• Ok, fess up Friar fans. You pulled for UConn this week against Villanova, didn’t you?
• Inside this week’s TWITBE…UConn’s Dan Hurley (he did cool down after Tuesday’s ejection against the Wildcats) and Seton Hall’s Jared Rhoden, along with Mike DeCourcy. The madness is already here. Catch it on westwoodonesports.com or bigeast.com.
• This year’s all-Big East selections will be tough to make. So many ways it could go for the coaches who make the picks, so here’s one try at it: Villanova’s Colin Gillespie, Player of the Year; Julian Champagnie St. John’s, Justin Moore Villanova, Tyrese Martin UConn, Nate Watson Providence, Justin Lewis, Marquette.
• Not for nuthin’, but for my money, ex-Rhody Ram Martin is the straw who stirs UConn’s drink. Even if R.J. Cole is a big-shot artist.
• The Friars’ Jared Bynum should be a strong candidate for Most Improved and Sixth Man, while Justin Minaya remains a potential choice for Defensive Player of the Year. But there will be dissension within the coaching ranks on these choices.
• It’s nice the NCAA Selection Committee sees Providence as a Top 16-seeded team. Means squat today. It’ll mean more in another two weeks.
• Bryant? As it turns out, the Bulldogs can also clinch a regular season title (plus the top tournament seed) in the Northeast Conference this weekend by beating Wagner Saturday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center in Smithfield.
• Bryant enters play Saturday at 18-9 overall, 15-2 in the NEC. The 18 wins are tied for the second-most in a single season, and the 15 NEC wins are the most in their Division I program history.
• And oh yeah – the Bulldogs have the Number One scorer in the nation – yes, No. 1 – in Peter Kiss at 25.2 points per game. Kiss has scored 30 or more in six straight games, and he and former Oklahoma star Trae Young (now in the NBA with Atlanta) are the only two college players in the last 10 years to play eight straight (or more) scoring 25+.
• Where’s Bill Raftery when you need him? “With a Kiss!”
• They’ll need to win their post season tournament, but this has the distinct look of TWO Rhode Island teams getting ready for the Big Dance.
• Juwan Howard’s slap-punch at Wisconsin was a complete loss of consciousness. Ex-players as coaches need to be constantly reminded, apparently, they don’t play anymore. Which doesn’t excuse Howard in the least.
• His punishment is about right, five games. Would have meant more if it included postseason, but why punish the players? Fines? Please. Boosters will pick those up in two seconds.
• One-time St. Joseph’s honcho Phil Martelli, as a Michigan assistant, will lead a bench again in the interim. And if the Wolverines have any success, maybe they should consider ‘Wally Pipping’ Howard.
• But these ‘hot takes’ of doing away with the handshake line? If we need to ditch the most basic, sacrosanct tradition of sportsmanship because a couple of hot heads get their feelings hurt…what are we doing playing competitive games anyway?
• And what are we teaching the next generation of athletes? That it’s ok to reach out and slap someone who disrespects you?
• If I slapped everyone who disrespected me along the way, I’d have a rap sheet a mile long. Remember, I work in radio (plus TV and write a column). Disrespect, from someone, is a daily occurrence…especially from know-it-alls hiding behind social media keyboards.
• Two things you need to know about Rhody’s struggles, especially after dropping a game to preseason A-10 faves St. Bonaventure this week.
• One, they simply don’t value possession of the ball as they should. And two, they can’t shoot straight. Or, when they do…the ball doesn’t go in the basket.
• URI’s women’s team won a program-record 22nd game of their season this week against St. Bonaventure. The Rams close out their regular season Saturday afternoon at Dayton. Could it be…THREE dancing from the Ocean State?
• My buddy ”Big E” sez he dreamed last night he was peeing in bed. Turns out this morning that dreams do come true.
• Wait, wut?
• ICYMI, one-time LaSalle Academy star and former RI High School Gatorade Player of the Year Liam Coen (also ex-UMass player, coach and URI assistant) has been hired by the Super Bowl champ LA Rams to be their next offensive coordinator.
• Ex-Brown star Michael Hoecht gets a ring from that Rams’ team. Ex-Hendricken star Kwity Paye was on the NFL all-rookie team. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that football – real, tackle football – got played a little bit around here.
• If you care, TB12 may be back. So say several in the media ‘close’ to him. And no, not really. I don’t.
• The Steelers got the jump on everyone by hiring alleged persona-non-grata Brian Flores to their coaching staff. This was a move the Patriots should have at least considered, but Flores told HBO this week he never had a conversation with them about returning.
• Speaking of returning…the Patriots have apparently settled on some familiar names for different coaching roles. Joe Judge will work with the QB’s, Matt Patricia with the O-Line. Still no coordinators named, yet, on either side of the ball.
• In Bill Do You Still Trust?
• Front Office Sports reports this week BB is giving back. His foundation is donating $385,000 in scholarships and grants to underprivileged youth and their athletic programs, and the first 13 students will receive $5,000 stipends for their success on and off the field.
• JC Jackson? Pay the man. That is all.
• The time to apply the franchise tag is upon us, until March 8th. At the very least, tag him and trade him if the demand is great (and it is) for Grade A cornerbacks.
• Cancelling regular season baseball games, only a year removed from the pandemic cancelling most of them for us?
• I don’t know about you, but that’s just not a good look for the sport. Greed is evident on both sides. And ugly, these days especially.
• Based on last years’ salaries, players could lose $20.5 million PER DAY for every game of the regular season lost. You tell me – which side looks worse in this thing?
• And we ain’t starting this baseball season on time. Fans, media, employees of baseball-related businesses…bend over. Time to get spanked by the sport you love – again.
• Speaking of again…the Revs are playing again? Didn’t they just lose, again, to end their season? Realizing, of course, that they do it this way in Europe with soccer ‘seasons’ spanning 10 months-or-thereabouts of a year.
• But we ain’t Europe, are we?
• The Winter Olympics recorded a record low number of viewers, the least watched in Olympic history. But they get a gold medal for their Covid positivity rate…0.01% among tested athletes. That like a “10” on the balance beam?
• The sports world is responding, where it can, to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. UEFA is reportedly moving its’ May 28 Champions League final out of St. Petersburg. German Bundesliga’s Schalke is removing the name of a Russian company from its’ jerseys. Chelsea’s owner is facing calls to be stripped of his team ownership in the EPL after documents show his illegal financial ties with Russia.
• And upcoming World Cup qualifying matches scheduled for play in Moscow will reportedly be boycotted by players from Poland, the Czech Republic and Sweden.
• F1 Racing has also taken down its’ web page selling tickets for an event in Russia this September.
• Golfers never like to shank. But Phil Mickelson has.
• Trying to walk back his comments on the PGA Tour needing change AFTER his public support of the controversial Saudi-backed Super Golf League? It’s like saying…”sorry you heard me say what I did, but I didn’t mean it even if I believe it.”
• He lost long time sponsor KPMG. Always been a fan of Phil. Not so much now. He’s got some work to do on that once squeaky-clean image. It appears greed and ungratefulness has seeped in.
• Should we expect to see higher prices within NHL arenas? The league’s lawsuit seeking to collect $1 billion from an insurance company over losses sustained during the pandemic has been rejected by a California judge.
• Snark and sarcasm aside, you can probably tell…I love my job. I’m very fortunate. It can get tough at times with demands and setbacks, but when one of my college students gets the chance to realize a dream – and I can help them achieve that dream – it’s a special moment.
• It’s why I do what I do.
• So, a shout out to Franklin, MA resident and Dean College alum Brendan Howe, named this week as the play-by-play voice of the Peoria Chiefs in the St. Louis Cardinals’ minor league system. I wish him luck as he embarks on a professional career.
• Hope there’s a season soon for him to call. Welcome to the biz, Brendan. Buckle up for a helluva ride.
Interested in having your questions on local Rhode Island sports (and yes, that includes the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? It’s your chance to “think out loud,” so send your questions, comments and local stories to jrbroadcaster@gmail.com. We’ll share mailbag comments/Facebook posts/Tweets right here! Would appreciate the follow on Twitter, @JRbroadcaster…and join in on Facebook, www.facebook.com/john.rooke.
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