After last season came to an ignominious end in the opening round of the Big East Tournament at the World’s Most Famous Arena, the staff and fan base of Friartown each did their own hot wash on the season to determine what went wrong and how to rectify it for this year. Among the concerns were health and injuries, connectedness among the players, recruiting players to roles for which they were unfamiliar, and making too big a jump in the level of competition. The bottom line in my opinion is that all of these player issues had a similar root cause: the lack of leadership on the team.
This paragraph is based on my opinions from observing the team and is not meant as an insult to the players who were here last season. It appeared that the staff tried to put Jayden Pierre and Bryce Hopkins in position to lead the team, and it seemed to be a logical move. Pierre was installed as the point guard while Hopkins was a preseason all Big East selection. The problem was that Pierre is not a take charge person, and Hopkins always seemed more comfortable limiting his leadership to being an example on the court, allowing Devin Carter to be the vocal leader on the team. With Hopkins not playing, leadership from him went from difficult to impossible. The newcomers, with the possible exception of Bensley Joseph, also were reluctant to lead others. This had to change if the Friars were going to be successful in the upcoming season.
Read more: Brian Reddy: Beyond the Box Score – New Leadership in Friartown
Enter Corey Floyd Jr. As he discussed on this week’s Kim English Show at Audi Warwick, he told Coach English that he planned on leading the team in word and in example. By all accounts to date, Floyd has done all of that and more. He spoke to English about the players being recruited to Friartown, giving his opinions both good and bad. He also reached out to players that had committed to Providence, making sure they knew what to expect from the staff and what made Providence special. He also worked with the returning players and staff to maintain a sense of connectedness while awaiting reinforcements.
The way Floyd has stepped up in his fourth season in Friartown has not gone unnoticed among the team either. At the press availability this past Tuesday, your intrepid correspondent asked Central Florida transfer Jaylin Sellers about his own leadership. He took the opportunity to praise Floyd and relay how he made sure he and the other transfers were fully prepared for this season, and as Sellers said, that is why they call him Captain. Similarly, his roommate Oswin Erhunmwunse said on the Friar Podcast that Floyd is not only the team leader but also the hardest worker on the team. Oswin said he’s also constantly pushing and encouraging him to be better every day.
The good thing is that he is not alone in providing leadership to this team. There appears to be a greater sense of connection between the players and staff this season. This comes from a combination of the returning coaches being more comfortable and bringing in new staff who have been successful at the highest levels of basketball. Of the returning coaches, Dennis Felton is the senior member and has a resume second to none in the coaching community. Felton achieved success bringing Western Kentucky and Georgia to the NCAA tournament, and has been a top assistant coach at Providence, Clemson, George Mason, and Providence again, among others, with stints in the NBA in between. At Western Kentucky, he led the Hilltoppers to their highest ranking in 50 years and also led Georgia to the only SEC tournament championship of the last 40 years. As an assistant he combines old school knowledge and scouting with modern theories.
Matt Palumbo and Corey Wright are back for their second year as assistant coaches. I have had a number of occasions to talk with Corey Wright, and it is hard to believe it is only year two for him. He is assertive at practice and is making great strides as a recruiter. There is no doubt that he will continue to be successful as an assistant and future coach in college basketball. Similar to Coach Felton, High Performance Coach Shaun Brown is returning to Friartown after a 30-year absence. Brown has run strength and conditioning programs at Kentucky, Virginia, USC, Minnesota, and West Virginia, as well as in the NBA with Boston and Toronto in between stops in Providence. The other coaches and almost every player have gone out of their way to praise Brown, and the returning players have repeatedly noted how much more prepared they feel for the upcoming season under his program.
The new players brought in also have shown leadership skills in their short time in Friartown. Jaylin Sellers and Duncan Powell have embraced the team culture and the fan base, quickly adapting to the social media frenzy for which we are famous. Cole Hargrove appears quiet but all business on the court and was seen working with his fellow bigs after practices. Daquan Davis and Jason Edwards both show fearlessness on the floor and play much bigger than their actual size. This allows European transfers Stefan Vaaks and Peteris Pinnis, and freshmen Jaylen Harrell and Jamier Jones to progress at their own pace as they adjust to both the playing style and lifestyle in Providence.
None of this will guarantee success for the 2025-26 Friar season. Fortunately, the additions to the roster along with the returning players results in a roster that will be among the best in the Big East. They have players at every position who have proven that they can compete at this level, and depth to handle to occasional injury. The real benefit is that the improved leadership will be able to handle the occasional bump in the road and maintain focus during hot streaks. Looking at many of the best teams in Friar history, the 1961, 1963, 1973, 1987, 1994, 1997, 2014, and 2022 teams all had strong leadership, with a true leader and several others to back him up. The 2025-26 team fits that bill
Go Friars.