by npatano on March 31, 2022
The Scowl
Fonts #1 Fan
NBA Insider
With the Friars’ breakout season coming to a close on Friday, March 25, the players are switching their mindset from March Madness to planning their next professional moves. It is always sad to say goodbye to our Providence College favorites as they graduate and move on to the next level. This year will be an emotional one, as seven members of the team are either seniors or graduate students, including team leader Drew Fonts ’22.
Fonts put up impressive numbers this season, including a 75.0 field goal percentage and 67.0 percent three-point shooting. He made a huge step forward this year, as he previously shot only 25.0 percent shooting and 28.6 percent three-point shooting in 2019-2020. Scouts have been raving about Fonts’ improvement this year, and his numbers are significantly higher than the 2021-2022 Big East conference averages of 43.4 percent shooting and 33.4 percent three-point shooting.
His shooting skills are certainly transferrable to the National Basketball Association. Teams have been shooting more three-point attempts every year, and this trend looks like it will continue over the next few years. Fonts is a player perfectly crafted for NBA success in the three-point shooting era. He is also proficient on the defensive side, as he was subbed into the Friars game on Friday, March 25, at the end of the first half with the sole assignment of locking down the University of Kansas Jayhawks as the clock expired. Player comparisons for Fonts include Larry Bird, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Ed Cooley in his prime, and Dean Sears.
In addition to Fonts’ impressive shooting, his leadership skills are unmatched. Fans attending the Friars’ men’s basketball games at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center frequently call out for Fonts to be subbed into the game. The popular chant repeats the phrase “Put in Fonts!” until head coach Ed Cooley brings the Friar Fanatics’ favorite player onto the court.
Fonts’ unique skill set is primed for the NBA, and scouts project him to be picked first overall in the 2022 NBA Draft. Although the 7-foot Chet Holmgren ’25 of Gonzaga University has the height advantage over 6’2” Fonts, his skills and technique on the court fall short of Fonts’ tenacity and love for the game. Fonts is a one-of-a-kind player who PC will surely miss. While he was originally considering pursuing a career in corporate business upon graduation, Fonts’ senior year success has vaulted him to the top of the NBA Mock Draft Boards. He looks like the clear choice for first overall pick next season. Any team would be lucky to have Fonts as the face of their basketball program.
The entire PC student body would like to sincerely thank Fonts for his dedication to the PC men’s basketball program, and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.