Tag: College Basketball
Basketball Team Wins 2K Classic
by The Cowl Editor on November 30, 2017
Friar Sports
By Max Anderson ’18
Sports Staff
On Friday, November 17, the Providence College Men’s Basketball Team was able to add another piece of hardware to the trophy cabinet by winning the 2K Classic Tournament, held annually at Madison Square Garden.
The tournament kicked off with a preliminary regional round matchup on Nov. 10, which saw the Friars square off with Houston Baptist University; the winner would advance to the Championship rounds of the tournament. The contest, which was also the season opener for the Friars, turned out to be a one-sided affair, as the Friars would end up winning by a final score of 84-55.
The game saw 11 different Friars score, with Maliek White ’20 leading the way with 13 points. Isaiah Jackson ’19 and Kalif Young ’20 were also big contributors, with Jackson scoring 11 points and Young contributing 10 of his own. Kyron Cartwright ’18 also reached double-digits in points, scoring 10 while also recording 10 assists to be the only Friar to achieve a double-double during the contest.
Nearly a week later, the Friars headed to New York City to take on the Univserity of Washington Huskies in the first game of the championship round. The Friars were able to hang on in a tightly-contested game, winning by a final score of 77-70 to advance to the championship game the following night. Rodney Bullock ‘18 was the star for the Friars in this one, shooting 5-11 from the field, and finishing with 17 points.
Bullock also pulled down nine rebounds, making him one rebound shy of recording the second Friar double-double of the tournament. Young and Cartwright were key cogs once again, with the former adding 12 points and the latter once again chipping in 10 of his own. The talented youth of the Friars was also on display, as Alpha Diallo ’20 and Drew Edwards ’20 both achieved double-digit point marks, with both players contributing 11 points.
The championship game proved much less competitive, with the Friars routing the previously unbeaten St. Louis Billikens 90-63 to capture the 2K Classic crown. Bullock once again led the Friars with 15 points, while Diallo and White both added 11 to the Friars 90 as well.
Cartwright, once again, showed why he is considered one of the top distributors in all of college basketball by dishing out eight assists, and seemingly finding his teammates for open shots at will. But the most impressive Friar on the floor may have very well been heralded freshman Makai Ashton-Langford ‘21. Ashton-Langford, a consensus top recruit who committed to PC this past April, went a perfect 5-5 from the floor during the game, finishing with 11 points for the Friars. Ashton-Langford also showcased his own playmaking abilities, adding three assists while also recording a steal.
The Friars played a post-tournament game at home this past Wednesday, Novemeber 22, taking on the Belmont Bruins at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The game came down to the final seconds, with Cartwright nailing a game-winning three-pointer to give the Friars a 66-65 victory at the buzzer and an unblemished 4-0 mark in the 2K Classic. Bullock and Diallo obtained double-digit points as well, scoring 15 and 13 respectively, while Jalen Lindsey ’18 also had 12, which put him in the double-digit margin.
The 2K Classic Crown is a first for the Friars, and while it is always nice to celebrate new championship hardware, the Friars have their sights set on adding a much bigger trophy to their collection this upcoming March.
PCI: College Athletes Should Not be Paid
by The Cowl Editor on November 30, 2017
PCI
By Ethan Ticehurst ’18
Sports Staff
College athletes should not get paid. There is no acceptable reason why athletes should be paid. The payment for their services is the education that they receive at their institution.
The main argument for paying college athletes is that the NCAA is making a lot of money off the sale of merchandise and the players should be allowed to partake in the fruits of their efforts. It seems that proponents of this argument have forgotten about the true purpose of college. They have forgotten that the main point of college is to educate, not to play sports. There are athletes all across the nation that get athletic scholarships to come and play a sport for a few years and get an entirely free education. Their payment for their athleticism is the education that they receive for free and no monetary compensation should be added on top. Even athletes that are not on scholarship are getting the benefit of an education and do not need to be paid for anything that they are accomplishing.
The real problem in this whole argument are the actions of the NCAA. It is true that the NCAA is making money unfairly off of the accomplishments of their athletes. But, instead of trying to stop the unfair activity, proponents of athlete pay want to keep the unfairness going, just as long as the athletes get a share of it. This is a classic example of one of those situations where everyone is offended by something until they benefit from it themselves.
Men’s Basketball Splits First Weekend of Play
by The Cowl Editor on November 16, 2017
Friar Sports
By Chris McCormack ’18
Sports Staff
The Providence College Men’s Basketball Team kicked off their season last weekend with a 84-55 win over the Houston Baptist Huskies in Alumni Hall. With comic-con being held at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on Nov. 10, the Friars were able to play the first men’s basketball game on campus since 1972.
After this win, the Friars went into one of their biggest out of conference games this season against the no. 15 ranked, Minnesota Gophers. The Gophers, coached by Richard Pitino ’05, proved to be resilient as their veteran team was able to fight off the Friars and win with a final score of 84-72.
Although they lost, the Friars looked solid throughout most of the game and there were a lot of positive things to take away. They got off to a slow start as Minnesota opened the game with a 12-2 run, but they quickly recovered with a run of their own and closed the half out with a three-point lead 39-36.
The second half started similarly to the first with both teams going back and forth up until about the 10 minute mark. The Friars offense seemed to cool off while the Gophers continued to flourish offensively. The Friars seemed to miss Emmitt Holt ‘18, who is out indefinitely after having stomach surgery. The Gophers’ Jordan Murphy scored 23 points with 14 rebounds. As a 6’6” forward, this seems to be the ideal player for Holt to be guarding. The Friars were still able to put up a bit of a fight with a pretty solid offensive performance.
Four players scored in double figures, but what they needed was someone to step up as the rest of the team cooled down. Regardless of the result, there is no doubt they have a promising season ahead of them. They will travel to New York City and face Washington University at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.
The remaining out-of conference games are games the Friars should win. It is definitely a good thing for them to face such a tough opponent early in the season as it will prove to be a learning experience and they will improve as the season goes on. Given the atmosphere in the Dunk on Monday, there is no doubt Friars fans are ready for this season.
College Basketball in the Hot Seat
by The Cowl Editor on October 7, 2017
Sports
photo courtesy of Casey Sapio
By Chris McCormack ’18
Sports Staff
It was a sad week for college basketball last week as 10 people, including four assistant coaches, were arrested for their part in a corruption and bribery scandal that put all eyes on the NCAA. Former Providence College Head Coach Rick Pitino was put on unpaid administrative leave and was eventually relieved of his coaching duties at the University of Louisville completely.
The investigation performed by the FBI began last year when a financial adviser Marty Blazer was charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission with fraud allegations and accused of taking $2.35 million from five of his clients who were professional athletes. As part of the plea agreement that Blazer ultimately signed, he agreed to work under the FBI as a key witness and helped provide evidence that contributed to the 10 arrests made last week.
During his time at PC, Pitino helped coach the Friars to a Final Four in the 1987 NCAA Tournament. As one of the most successful coaches in NCAA, many people looked up to Pitino. However, in recent years he has been the face behind many scandals and this one seems like it is going to put him out of a coaching job for the rest of his life.
Pitino has been the center of attention for three other major scandals over the past 10 years. In 2009, a woman named Karen Sypher demanded money and cars from Pitino after they engaged in a sexual encounter in 2003. Sypher was ultimately arrested and Pitino faced no consequences.
In 2015, a former escort in the Louisville area published a book that documented the times she was paid by a graduate assistant to go to the dorms and visit potential recruits. Pitino claimed to have no idea these things were going on and the program was eventually suspended from participating in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
Finally, the findings of last weeks investigation shows a coach from an unnamed program matching the description of Louisville allegedly paying $100,000 to a basketball recruit’s family.
These three investigations will result in Pitino’s legacy being forever tainted. The latest investigation is just one of many for the NCAA and players illegally receiving money from teams.
Pitino is the biggest name in this scandal but there are many others involved from other schools such as Auburn University, University of Southern California, University of Arizona, Oklahoma State University, and the University of Miami.
Arizona’s assistant coach Emmanuel Richardson is one of the coaches who was arrested last week. He is accused of accepting bribes from agent Christian Dawkins as well as financial adviser Munish Sood in exchange for pushing Arizona players to them as they reach the professional level. Richardson was relieved of all duties at the university.
Like Richardson, Auburn’s associate head coach Chuck Person was also arrested. He is accused of accepting a $50,000 bribe from Rashan Michel, owner of a clothing line based in Atlanta. Richardson accepted the bribe on the terms he would convince his players to sign with the clothing line once they make it to the pros.
Oklahoma State assistant coach Lamont Evans is also accused of accepting a bribe of $22,000 from Dawkins and Sood. He was a former coach at the University of South Carolina. At both Oklahoma State and South Carolina, he influenced players to sign with Dawkins and Sood.
University of Southern California assistant coach Tony Bland is accused of being bedding with the two bribers. He allegedly took a bribe of $13,000 and had Dawkins and Sood pay $9,000 to the families of two USC athletes.
All of these coaches, along with Dawkins and Sood, have been arrested and charged with fraud. It is the sad truth that this probably will not be the last time we hear about coaches and players violating NCAA standards.