Andrew Vines ’29

by Andrew Vines ’29 on April 16, 2026

In the past few weeks, there have been rumors of shark-infested waters off the coast of Rhode Island. These reports came from multiple sources, including Jon Rothstein, Jeff Goodman, Trilly Donovan, Curry Hicks Sage, and Kevin McNamara. Many were wondering what would happen when Steve Napolillo, the Providence College athletic director, wandered into the water contested by the Syracuse University Orange, who lacked a leader. Napolillo, aided by Father Sicard, O.P. ’78, ’82G wandered in with a war chest prepared to get the job done. On March 22, Napolillo was bitten and announced Bryan Hodgson as the next PC men’s basketball head coach. Every PC basketball fan then started talking about this shark attack!  

Napolillo and Providence were attractive bites for Hodgson, who Rothstein called a “great white”. Bryan “The Shark” Hodgson was officially announced as the head coach of the PC men’s basketball team on Sunday, March 22. Some of the reasons PC is such an attractive job for “The Shark” and other head coaching candidates include the rumored top 25 NIL and revenue-sharing money, a strong fanbase even in down years, and the opportunity to compete in the Big East Conference. These reasons helped Napolillo land “The Shark” over schools like Syracuse.  

Hodgson is 39 years old and originally from Olean, NY. Hodgson’s first experience in Division I basketball came on Nate Oats’ staff at the University of Buffalo, where they made three NCAA tournaments with two first-round wins. Hodgson then followed Oats to the University of Alabama. While at Alabama, Hodgson helped bring in a top-three recruiting class in the country. After his time in Tuscaloosa, Hodgson took the head coaching position at Arkansas State University. In the 2024–25 season, Hodgson led the Red Wolves to a 25–11 record and a Sun Belt regular season title. After just two seasons, Hodgson landed a job at the University of South Florida, and in just year one, the Bulls went 25–9. USF won the American Conference regular season and tournament titles. The Bulls were seeded No. 11 in the NCAA Tournament and lost to No. 6 University of Louisville 83–79.  

Friar fans are very excited to have landed one of the top head coaches on the market. In this new era of college basketball, it won’t be hard for the Friars to turn things around quickly.