After the heartbreaking loss to Georgetown at the AMP, I took my daughter and her friend to the 110 Grill to eat. While we were enjoying our meal (Cajun salmon) I saw someone at the door motioning toward me. Being clueless, I got up to see what Rich Barron wanted from me. I said hello to him, and he pointed at my FR14R sweatshirt in honor of Corey Floyd, Rich said, “I wanted you to know that’s my all-time favorite Friar.” He then told me how much Corey meant to his teammates on and off the court. I was so impressed about what Rich said about Corey unsolicited, and the fact that Rich was decent enough to go out of his way to say that to someone he didn’t even know.
I started following Corey when he was in high school, since his father was a player. I enjoyed watching during his time in Friartown in the early 90s. Corey Sr. wasn’t a star in his two years here, as he played with four future NBA players. He was a player who did a little bit of everything, playing the point and off-guard positions, who played tough defense. I was hoping Corey would commit here and be the first second-generation scholarship Friar. What I didn’t expect is that as the portal era developed, he would be a rare four-year Friar. (I know he went to UConn for a year, but that was in place of his senior year of high school due to Covid, and UConn is basically a high school 😊)
I assume that these four years have not gone as Corey and his teammates had hoped, especially after the Friars spent much of his freshman year in the top 25, but Corey made himself part of the team and the Friar community. When Ed Cooley left for Georgetown, and the Friars were looking for a new coach, Corey was the first player to commit to returning. As Kim English toured the facilities late at night while interviewing for the coaching job, he saw Corey in the Ruane facility practicing. Coach English learned that he didn’t have to sell himself to Corey, as Corey was sold on Providence College.
Corey improved his game in his sophomore year, one that should have resulted in an NCAA tournament bid, but it was a year in which most people would agree was the worst selection committee ever. Corey had a solid season and was much improved defensively. Over the course of a season a number of moments tend to stand out. Corey had two of them for me. First was during Coach Cooley’s return to the AMP, when Corey threw a 75-foot alley-oop to Devin Carter, the first of a number of amazing plays by Carter in that game. The second occurred at the Big East tournament during the quarterfinal game against Creighton, a game the Friars needed to keep their tournament hopes alive. Providence was holding onto a 5-point lead in the final minute, but senior star Josh Oduro had fouled out and Creighton had the ball. Coach English put the 6’4” Floyd on 7’1” Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Floyd responded by stealing the lob pass intended for Kalkbrenner, effectively sealing the victory for the Friars.
Last year was a tough one for the entire team, as injuries seemed to hit most of the roster. Corey was playing his best ball of the season over the eight-game stretch (13 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists per game) when he was the victim of a hit and run accident, causing him to miss three games and except for a 25-point, 8 rebound outburst against DePaul, limit him for the rest of the season.
Similarly, this year has been a tough one for the entire team, one that began with high expectations. Coach English mentioned that Corey had said he was considering a transfer, but as his mother told me, graduating from Providence College, just as his father had done, was his main priority and reason for returning. Despite an up and down season, Corey was the clear leader of the team, as was noted by numerous teammates. Jaylin Sellers mentioned over the summer how Corey reached out to him while Jaylin was finishing up as Central Florida and setting up group texts with the new and returning players. Sellers mentioned at a press gathering in July that by the time he arrived on campus he felt like he knew everyone and everything was comfortable because of these efforts. Oswin Erhunmwunse said on the Friar Podcast how important Corey was as a teammate and a roommate, and how his work ethic inspired others on the team. During the season on multiple occasions his teammates mentioned how Corey spoke out to the team during the games or at halftime to assist them going forward.
Despite all of the ups and downs of his time here, Corey has never complained or made excuses. During his appearance on the Friar Podcast, he talked about the game at Butler during his sophomore season, where no foul was called despite two Butler players assaulting him as he went for the game winning dunk. Billy Ricci asked him if he expected the foul call, and Corey said he talked about the play with his father, and his father said, “did the referees call a foul? Then there wasn’t one.”
It’s easy to be positive and gracious when things are going well, but the true character of a person really shows when things are tough. Despite a season that has clearly not been what the entire team expected, and with several injuries that have hampered him, Corey has not complained at all. Whether he has been starting, coming off the bench, or unable to play, Corey can be seen encouraging his teammates, cheering for them when they do well and encouraging everyone when the team has struggled. He does this without any ego or jealousy. As his mother said, he has never given up on the team despite his injuries, and he wears his heart on his sleeve. He is the definition of a team first player.
I have been fortunate enough to have gotten to know Corey’s parents during his time here, and they are exactly what a coach would want from parents of a player. They come up from New Jersey and quietly cheer for Corey and his teammates. The Friars have had their share of parents privately and publicly complaining about the coaches, believing they knew more about college basketball than the staff. None of them had played basketball at this level as Corey Sr. had but acted as if they did.
One last part I feel obligated to mention about Corey is how he is such an important part of the Providence College community away from the basketball court. Corey was a regular attendee at sporting events for the other Friar teams, and organized team bonding events throughout the off-season. Most importantly, Corey was one of many Friars involved in community events, including basketball camps for local Providence recreation groups and most recently the Make A Wish foundation. He also visited children at the HasbroChildren’s Hospital and many other community activities.
On Wednesday, Corey and his fellow seniors/grad students will play their final game at the AMP. While the season has not gone the way many of us had hoped (at least not yet), these players have never given up on the team, each other, or the fans. They have worked hard all season and could have packed it in when the Friars were 2-9. They did not and have been playing better, led by my preseason Big East Player of the Year selection Jaylin Sellers and Jason Edwards. With the talent this team has, I will remain hopeful as long as the season is going. Regardless of how and when the season ends, Corey and his teammates have left an indelible imprint of the entire Providence College community. Of course, I will be there wearing my FR14R hoodie.
Go Friars.