Friar Notes:<\/p>\n
*Providence holds a 44-74 mark all-time versus Villanova.<\/p>\n
*The Friars have posted a 14-37 mark all-time versus Villanova in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n
*The Friars have posted a 0-1 mark this season versus Villanova.<\/p>\n
*Seven of the eight Friar BIG EAST defeats this season have been by six points or less, with three of the losses occurring in overtime.<\/p>\n
*Jamier Jones<\/a> scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds at UConn on Jan. 27.<\/p>\n *Oswin Erhunmwunse<\/a> recorded his third double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds at UConn on Jan. 27.<\/p>\n *Jaylin Sellers<\/a> scored 18 points at UConn on Jan. 27 and surpassed 1,500 points for his career.<\/p>\n *Jason Edwards<\/a> has missed the last five games with a foot injury.<\/p>\n *Jason Edwards<\/a> is 13 points shy of 1,500 for his career.<\/p>\n *Stefan Vaaks<\/a> (21 points) and Jamier Jones<\/a> (23 points) became the first freshmen duo to each score 20 or more points in the same game as they each scored 20 or more vs. Villanova on Jan. 13.<\/p>\n *Jaylin Sellers<\/a> has made 87 of 98 free throw attempts and ranks first in the BIG EAST in\u00a0 free throw percentage (88.8 %).<\/p>\n *Oswin Erhunmwunse<\/a> ranks first in the BIG EAST with 56 blocks through 21 games (2.7 bpg).\u00a0<\/p>\n *Jamier Jones<\/a> is shooting 64.5 % (89-138) from the field this season.<\/p>\n *The Friars lead the BIG EAST in scoring (88.7 ppg), and free-throw percentage (78.0, 390-500).<\/p>\n *The Friars have had five or more players finish in double figures in scoring in 11 of the 21 games.<\/p>\n *Stefan Vaaks<\/a> earned his second BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honor on Jan. 19 after he averaged 22.5 points and 4.0 assists in two games on Jan. 13 and Jan. 16.<\/p>\n *Jamier Jones<\/a> was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll on Jan. 19 after he averaged 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals in the two games on Jan. 13 and Jan. 16.\u00a0<\/p>\n *Jason Edwards<\/a> has scored 20 or more points in six of his 16 games this season.<\/p>\n *Jason Edwards<\/a> ranks third overall in scoring (17.2 ppg) in the BIG EAST.<\/p>\n *The Friars are 649 -253 (.721) all-time at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.<\/p>\n Friars To Play At Villanova On Friday: The Friars will play at Villanova on Friday at 7:00 p.m. FS1.\u00a0 The Friars have posted a 44-74 mark all-time versus the Wildcats. The Friars are 28-25 at home, 14-37 on the road and 2-12 on neutral courts all-time against Villanova. The two teams first met on February 15, 1936 with the Friars earning a 46-37 win in Providence.\u00a0 In the first meeting this season, Villanova defeated the Friars, 88-82, on Jan. 13 in Providence. \u00a0<\/p>\n Friars Defeated At No. 2\/3 UConn: The Providence College men’s basketball team was defeated at the No. 2\/3 University of Connecticut Huskies (20-1, 10-0 BIG EAST), 87-81, on Tuesday, Jan. 27 at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn. With the loss, Providence fell to 9-12 overall and 2-8 in BIG EAST play. Freshman Jamier Jones<\/a> (Sarasota, Fla.) (20 points), graduate student Jaylin Sellers<\/a> (Columbus, Ga.) (18 points), sophomore Oswin Erhunmwunse<\/a> (Benin City, Nigeria) (14 points) and freshman Stefan Vaaks<\/a> (Tabasalu, Estonia) (12 points) all scored in double figures for the Friars. \u00a0 Erhunmwunse also grabbed 10 rebounds to register his third double-double of the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n Edwards Has Missed The Last Five Games:\u00a0 Graduate student Jason Edwards<\/a> (Atlanta, Ga.) did not play in the Friars’ last five games versus Villanova on Jan. 13, Creighton on Jan. 16, Marquette on Jan. 19, Georgetown on Jan. 24 and UConn on Jan. 27 as he had an injured foot.\u00a0 Edwards is third in the BIG EAST in scoring, averaging 17.2 points per game.\u00a0 He has scored 20 or more points six times this season – versus Virginia Tech (28 points) on Nov. 8, at Colorado (24 points) on Nov. 14, versus New Hampshire (25 points) on Nov. 18, versus Wisconsin (20 points) on Nov. 27, versus FDU (24 points) on Dec. 2 and at Butler (32 points) on Dec. 13.\u00a0 \u00a0 He also is averaging 3.3 assists and 2.9 rebounds through 16 games. \u00a0<\/p>\n Sellers Is Producing On Offense: Graduate student Jaylin Sellers<\/a> (Columbus, Ga.) is second on the team in scoring, averaging 16.1 points per game.\u00a0 He ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in scoring. Sellers recorded a season high with 27 points at Marquette on Jan. 19. He scored a game-high 24 points versus Villanova on Jan. 13.\u00a0 In the team’s loss at Butler on Dec. 13, he scored 26 points.\u00a0 On Dec. 6, Sellers recorded his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Rhode Island.\u00a0 He also is averaging 4.0 rebounds per game.\u00a0 Sellers has made 87 of 98 attempts from the free-throw line and ranks first in the BIG EAST at 88.8 percent.<\/p>\n Vaaks Leads The Friars From Behind The Arc: Freshman Stefan Vaaks<\/a> (Tabasalu, Estonia) leads the Friars in three-point shooting having connected on a team-best 55 made threes on 170 attempts (32.4 percent).\u00a0 He made five threes versus Rhode Island on Dec. 6.\u00a0 Vaaks made two threes in the final two minutes to seal the Friar win versus Penn State on Nov. 22.\u00a0 Vaaks was 6-14 from three at Marquette on Jan. 19.\u00a0 He is third\u00a0 on the team in scoring, averaging 15.1 ppg.\u00a0 He recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 assists versus FDU on Dec. 2.\u00a0 He had 24 points and seven assists in the Friars’ win over Creighton on Jan. 16.\u00a0 Vaaks recorded a career-high 26 points at Marquette on Jan. 19.\u00a0 It was his fourth consecutive game with 20 or more points.\u00a0<\/p>\n Erhunmwunse Leads The BIG EAST In Blocks: Sophomore Oswin Erhunmwunse<\/a> (Benin City, Nigeria) leads the BIG EAST in blocks with 56 (2.7 bpg) in 21 games.\u00a0 He also is averaging 8.0 points per game and 8.0\u00a0 rebounds.\u00a0 He recorded a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds versus Creighton on Jan. 16.\u00a0 Erhunmwunse also registered a double-double at No. 2\/3 UConn on Jan. 27 as he had 14 points and 10 rebounds.\u00a0 Over the last four games, Erhunmwunse has grabbed 48 rebounds, including a career-high 15 at Marquette on Jan. 19.<\/p>\n Jones Heats Up Over His Last 11: Freshman Jamier Jones<\/a> (Sarasota, Fla.) is averaging 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds over his last 11 games for the Friars.\u00a0 Over the 11 games, he has shot 67.7 percent (67-99) from the field.\u00a0 For the season, he is shooting an impressive 64.5 percent from the field (96-149).\u00a0 He also is averaging 12.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.\u00a0 He made his first career start versus Seton Hall on Dec. 19.\u00a0 Jones recorded his first career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds at St. John’s on Jan. 3.\u00a0 He registered a career high of 23 points as he shot 8-12 from the field against Villanova on Jan 13.\u00a0 On Jan. 16, he added a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds.\u00a0 On Jan. 27, Jones scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds at UConn. \u00a0<\/p>\n Vaaks And Jones Honored By BIG EAST:\u00a0 It was announced on Jan. 19 that Providence College freshman guard Stefan Vaaks<\/a> (Tabasalu, Estonia) and freshman forward Jamier Jones<\/a> (Sarasota, Fla.) earned BIG EAST Weekly Honors.\u00a0 Vaaks was named BIG EAST Freshman of Week and Jones was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll.\u00a0 The two rookies each had a productive week as they helped the Friars post a 1-1 mark.\u00a0 For the week, Vaaks averaged 22.5 points and 4.0 assists in the two games. He registered 21 points on 8-14 shooting from the field in an 88-82 loss to Villanova on January 13.\u00a0 On January 16, he scored a career-high 24 points and added seven assists in the Friars’ 93-88 victory over Creighton.\u00a0 With the 24-point effort against Creighton, Vaaks became the first BIG EAST freshman to record three consecutive 20-point games in conference play since Marcus Lovett of St. John’s in 2017.\u00a0 Vaaks only committed one turnover in the two games while averaging 37.4 minutes played for the week.\u00a0 It marks the second Freshman of the Week accolade for Vaaks as he also earned the honor on November 10. Jones averaged 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals in the two games.\u00a0 He scored a career-high 23 points as he shot 8-12 from the field in the Friars’ loss to Villanova on January 13.\u00a0 Jones registered his second double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds in the win against Creighton on January 16.\u00a0 He also had three steals.\u00a0 Jones was 8-16 from the field.\u00a0 It marks his second BIG EAST Weekly Honor as he was named Freshman of the Week on January 5.<\/p>\n Aiden Derkack To Attend PC In 2026-27:\u00a0 Providence College Head Coach Kim English<\/a> announced on Nov. 12 that Aiden Derkack (Colonia, N.J.) has signed a financial aid agreement to attend Providence College in 2026-27.\u00a0 Derkack, a 6-foot-6-inch, 195-pound forward attends Spire Academy in Geneva, Ohio.\u00a0 In 2024-25, Derkack played at Colonia High School and averaged 24.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.\u00a0 In three years at Colonia, Derkack established the school’s all-time scoring record.\u00a0 During the summer of 2025, he played for Team Final on the Nike EYBL circuit.\u00a0 In 20 games for Team Final, he averaged 15.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists, while shooting 51.0 percent from the field.\u00a0 Derkack had a strong performance at Peach Jam as he concluded his AAU season.\u00a0 In five games at the Peach Jam, he averaged 21.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists.\u00a0 Derkack also shot 67.0 percent from the field.\u00a0 Derkack, a consensus four-star recruit, is the 45th ranked player in the nation and the No. 20 forward, according to ESPN.com.\u00a0 He also is ranked 52nd (fourth in his position) by 247Sports and 65th (19th in his position) by On3.\u00a0<\/p>\n Friar Legend Lenny Wilkens Passed Away On Nov. 9:\u00a0 Former Friar All-American Lenny Wilkens ’60 passed away on Nov. 9.\u00a0 Wilkens is one of the Friar all-time greats.\u00a0 In three seasons with the Friars, he scored 1,193 points in 80 games (14.9 ppg).\u00a0 He helped lead the Friars to the NIT in his junior and senior seasons.\u00a0 Wilkens was named All-American in 1959 and 1960.\u00a0 He was named MVP of the NIT in 1960. He played all three seasons as a Friar for legendary Head Coach Joe Mullaney.\u00a0 Wilkens was inducted in the Providence College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1972 and his number 14 was hung in the rafters of the Amica Mutual Pavilion in 1996.\u00a0 Upon graduating from Providence in 1960, Wilkens went on to have a long and prosperous career in the NBA as a player and a coach.\u00a0 He was the sixth overall pick in the 1960 NBA Draft when he was selected by the St. Louis Hawks.\u00a0 He would earn nine NBA All-Star selections over 15 seasons with the St. Louis Hawks (eight years), Seattle SuperSonics (four years), Cleveland Cavaliers (two years), and Portland Trail Blazers (one year).\u00a0 He also coached for 32 seasons in the NBA.\u00a0 His coaching career featured multiple stints with teams such as the Seattle SuperSonics, Portland Trail Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, and New York Knicks. Over those 32 seasons, he amassed 1,332 victories.\u00a0 He guided the 1979 Seattle Supersonics to the NBA title.\u00a0 He was inducted in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame three times.\u00a0 In 1989, Wilkens was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player.\u00a0 In 1998, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a coach.\u00a0 He earned his third induction in 2009 as an Assistant Coach to 1992 USA Olympic Dream Team.<\/p>\n Jones Named BIG EAST Rookies Of The Week:\u00a0 It was announced on Jan. 5 that freshman forward Jamier Jones<\/a> (Sarasota, Fla.) was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week . Jones had 15 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals, while shooting 5-7 from the from the floor and 5-7 from the line in the Friars’ 77-71 win at No. 25 St. John’s on Jan. 3.\u00a0 It was his first career double-double.\u00a0 Jones, a 6-6, 218-pound forward, had nine points in the final 6:32 as the Friars erased a nine-point deficit (64-55) to earn the win. \u00a0<\/p>\n Vaaks Named BIG EAST Freshman Of The Week On Nov. 10:\u00a0 It was announced on Nov. 10 that Providence College freshman guard Stefan Vaaks<\/a> (Tabasalu, Estonia) was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week. Vaaks averaged 18 points, shooting 38.9 percent from three-point range as the Friars posted a 1-1 mark last week.\u00a0 In his collegiate debut on Nov. 3, Vaaks led Providence to an 89-79 home victory over Holy Cross, registering 19 points, two assists and two steals.\u00a0 He connected on three of seven attempts from beyond the three-point arc. On Nov. 8 at the Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun, Vaaks recorded 17 points, three rebounds and knocked down four three-pointers in the Friars’ 107-101 overtime loss to Virginia Tech.\u00a0<\/p>\n Edwards And Erhunmwunse Earn Preseason All-BIG EAST Honors:\u00a0 It was announced on Oct. 21 that Providence graduate student Jason Edwards<\/a> (Atlanta, Ga.) and sophomore Oswin Erhunmwunse<\/a> (Benin City, Nigeria) each earned All-BIG EAST Preseason Honors.\u00a0 Edwards, who transferred to Providence after spending the 2024-25 season at Vanderbilt, averaged 17.0 points and 2.0 rebounds last season for the Commodores.\u00a0 He was named Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team. Erhunmwunse was named to the 2025 BIG EAST All-Freshman Team after he averaged 6.8 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Friars last season. The sophomore center was named Preseason All-BIG EAST Third Team.<\/p>\n Friars Picked Fourth In Preseason BIG EAST Coaches Poll:\u00a0 The 2025-26 BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Poll was announced on Oct. 21.\u00a0 The Friars received 64 points in the poll and were selected to finish fourth of 11 teams.\u00a0 St. John’s was picked to finish first.<\/p>\n Friars All-Time Versus Top-25 Teams:\u00a0 The Friars have posted a 134-291 (.315) mark all-time versus top-25 teams, including a 1-2 mark this season.<\/p>\n Friars Have 10 Newcomers For 2025-26:\u00a0 Providence College Head Coach Kim English<\/a> added 10 new players to the team for 2025-26.\u00a0 Graduate students Jason Edwards<\/a> (Atlanta, Ga.), Jaylin Sellers<\/a> (Columbus, Ga.) and Duncan Powell<\/a> (Dallas, Texas) have all played at a high level.\u00a0 Edwards averaged 17.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game at Vanderbilt in 2024-25.\u00a0 Sellers, who was injured last season, averaged 15.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 2023-24 at UCF.\u00a0 Powell averaged 12.2 points and 5.4 rebounds at Georgia Tech.\u00a0 Senior Cole Hargrove<\/a> (Norristown, Pa.) comes to the Friars after spending three years at Drexel.\u00a0 In his junior season at Drexel, the 6-8 forward averaged 9.9 points and 7.5 rebounds.\u00a0 Sophomore Daquan Davis<\/a> (Baltimore, Md.) spent his freshman season at Florida State.\u00a0 The second-year point guard averaged 8.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game last season for the Seminoles.\u00a0 Freshmen Peteris Pinnis<\/a> (Salaspils, Latvia) and Stefan Vaaks<\/a> (Tabasalu, Estonia) both played in Europe last year.\u00a0 Pinnis averaged 7.2 points and 5.5 rebounds in the Latvia-Estonia Basketball League.\u00a0 Vaaks averaged 15.0 points and 3.2 rebounds in 2024-25.\u00a0 Freshmen Jaylen Harrell<\/a> (Boston, Mass.) and Jamier Jones<\/a> (Sarasota, Fla.) were both ranked in the top-100 coming out of high school.\u00a0 Harrell, the 2025 Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year, averaged 22.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.2 assists at Cambridge Arts, Technology and Science Academy.\u00a0 He was ranked in the top-100 by 247Sports (No. 85), Rivals (No. 85) and On3 (No. 88). On3 and 247Sports each ranked Harrell as the top recruit in Massachusetts for 2025.\u00a0 Jones averaged 20.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists at Oak Ridge High School.\u00a0 He was a consensus four-star recruit, was the 44th ranked player in the nation and the No. 12 forward, according to ESPN.com.\u00a0 He also ranked 37th (ninth in his position) by On3, 43rd by Rivals (15th in his position) and 45th (11th in his position) by 247Sports.\u00a0 Graduate student Jack Williams<\/a> (Ann Arbor, Mich.) joins the team as a walk-on. \u00a0<\/p>\n Friars Sell Out Season Tix Again In 2025-26: In 2023-24, the Friars sold out of season tickets at the Amica Mutual Pavilion for the first time ever.\u00a0 Again in 2025-26, the team sold its entire season ticket allotment for the arena.\u00a0 It marked the third consecutive season that the Friars sold out of season tickets.\u00a0 In 2024-25, a total of 167,978 fans watched the Friars at the AMP in 16 home games.\u00a0 It was an average of 10,499 fans – the ninth highest single season average at the AMP.\u00a0 The 2023-24 season marked the first time a complete sell out of season tickets\u00a0 occurred since the team moved to the AMP when it opened in 1972.\u00a0 As a result, the Friars had 211,147 fans watch the team play 19 games at the AMP.\u00a0 That average of 11,113 per game is the highest single-season mark in the history of the program.\u00a0 The total of 211,147 is the second highest amount of fans to watch the Friars at home in the history of the program.\u00a0 In 1991, 211,498 fans attended 20 home games at the AMP.\u00a0 The 211,147 fans in 2023-24, also marked just the second time in the history of the program that the team drew more than 200,000 fans in a single season.<\/p>\n Friars Are 116-6 In Non-Conference Home Games Over The Last 16 Years: The Friars have posted a 114-6 mark (.950) in their last 16 seasons in non-conference home games.\u00a0 The team’s six losses over the last 16 years were to Brown (77-67) on December 8, 2014, Minnesota (86-74) on November 13, 2017, UMass (79-78) on December 7, 2018, Arkansas (84-72) on March 19, 2019, Penn (81-75) on November 23, 2019 and Boston College (62-57) on March 19, 2024.\u00a0 The Friars are 39-1 in their last 40 non-conference home games (2025-26, 6-0; 2024-25, 6-0; 2023-24, 8-1; 2022-23, 7-0; 2021-22, 8-0; 2020-21, 2-0; 2019-20, 2-0).<\/p>\n Friars In Overtime:\u00a0 The Friars have recorded a 0-4 record in overtime games this season.\u00a0 They have recorded an 80-75 mark all-time in overtime games.\u00a0 The Friars are 8-1 in their last nine overtime games at the AMP.<\/p>\n Friars At The Amica Mutual Pavilion: All-time, the Friars have recorded a 649-253 (.721) mark in 53 seasons of games at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.\u00a0 The AMP, formerly the Providence Civic Center and the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, opened on November 3, 1972. The Friars had played their home games there for 48 consecutive seasons, prior to the 2020-21 season when the team played on campus at Alumni Hall with no fans in attendance due to the pandemic.\u00a0 PC posted a 15-2 mark at the AMP in 2022-23 and a 16-1 record in 2021-22 — the team’s best record at home since 1973-74.<\/p>\n Providence College Basketball: The 2025-26 campaign marks the 99th season of basketball at Providence College. Since the program started in 1926-27, Providence has posted a 1,585-1,073 mark, good for a .600 winning percentage.\u00a0 The Friars have made the NCAA Tournament 22 times and the National Invitation Tournament on 21 occasions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Friar Notes: *Providence holds a 44-74 mark all-time versus Villanova. *The Friars have posted a 14-37 mark all-time…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":443941,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-443940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=443940"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443940\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/443941"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=443940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=443940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=443940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}