Young, Watson, Dickens vying for frontcourt playing time
Holt’s injury opens up playing time for youngsters
PROVIDENCE – Takeaways from Saturday’s Mal Brown scrimmage at Alumni Hall:
• With all signs continuing to point to Emmitt Holt missing basketball games – just how many remains to be seen – the importance of sophomore Kalif Young and freshmen Nate Watson and Dajour Dickens cannot be underscored.
The three youngsters all took turns throwing their weight around as the Black team featuring Young and Dickens bested the White team with Watson on the roster, 59-51. Sometimes their energy and aggressiveness got the better of each of them – Young finished with five fouls while Dickens and Watson each picked up three – yet none of them backed down from the challenge of trying to stabilize the paint on both ends of the court.
Of the group, Watson displayed the most take-charge spirit. He got to the free-throw line six times and finished with 12 points, five rebounds, and two blocks. Young, who recently returned to practice after being sidelined with a head-related injury, went 5-for-5 from the floor for 13 points and eight rebounds while getting to the line four times. Dickens had nine points on 4-of-6 shooting with seven rebounds and two free-throw attempts.
There were many times Saturday when Young and Watson would guard each other, a regular occurrence that dates back to the summer. This time, the hip-checking and jockeying for position was done with fans in the Alumni Hall stands. You could tell Young was a little frustrated when he picked up his third foul that led to free throws for Watson with 13:19 remaining in the game.
The Friar bigs tried their best to outduel each other for crowd-pleasing moments. After Dickens converted an ally-oop from Kyron Cartwright, Watson answered with a 3-point play at 13:48 of the second half.
To see all three players engaged and active was an encouraging sign. Replacing Holt’s production and rugged toughness will be a tall order, yet don’t expect head coach Ed Cooley to anoint just one of his baby bulls.
A committee approach makes the most sense and would enable Young, Watson, and Dickens to flourish without the burden of feeling they must replace the 12.5 ppg and 5.4 rebounds, which is what Holt averaged as a junior for Providence.
• Neither Jalen Lindsey nor Rodney Bullock played Saturday. Lindsey was in full-blown basketball attire while Bullock wore a white polo shirt. No doubt, we’ll get answers about both in advance of Wednesday’s exhibition game against UConn at Mohegan Sun.
With no Holt, Lindsey, or Bullock, the door was wide open for a scoring alpha dog to emerge. That someone was sophomore Alpha Diallo, who proved a reliable playmaker with a game-high 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Diallo made a series of nifty moves that enabled him to finish strong on multiple occasions and was instrumental in the Black team ripping off 13 straight points in the first half.
Every team needs a bell cow, someone who can score points with the game on the line. Don’t be surprised if Diallo emerges as a featured performer during crunch time this winter.
• Perhaps it was due to finally playing in front an audience, but the Friars struggled out of the gate. The two sides combined for eight turnovers with not even four minutes gone by.
To everyone’s credit, the pace and tempo drastically improved as the game progressed. The Black team opened the second half with four consecutive makes while the White team hit three straight after missing their first shot.
Bottom line? Wednesday’s clash-for-charity with the Huskies is a very good thing for the simple reason that the Friars get to square off against someone wearing a different color jersey. In a preseason that by now must feel like an eternity, teams like Providence are no doubt starting to grow tired of seeing the same faces day after day.
• Get ready to see plenty of collapsing defenses because Makai Ashton-Langford is an absolute blur. The freshman point guard didn’t shoot the ball well – 3-of-14 – yet he wasn’t deterred in the slightest He repeatedly drove into the lane and into the teeth of the Friar defense. Finishing at the rim might prove a challenge for the 6-3 Ashton-Langford, yet he did get to the free-throw line seven times on Saturday to go along with four assists and six turnovers.
It stands to reason that Ashton-Langford will learn plenty from being around and watching Cartwright, who finished with 12 points and seven assists and was the only scholarship senior to play Saturday.
• One week after supplying the Friars with a verbal commit, David Duke returned to PC and sat courtside for much of the Mal Brown scrimmage. Have to figure we’ll be seeing plenty of Duke along with fellow 2018 Friar prospect A.J. Reeves at a number of games at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center this season.
• Was told Saturday that Maliek White has been shooting the ball very well in practice. The sophomore made that person look good by going 4-of-8 from 3-point territory with one the triples coming right before halftime.
One of the questions about this year’s Providence squad is whether there’s enough firepower from deep. Perhaps White, who finished with 15 points, ends up supplying what the Friars believed they had in Ryan Fazekas – a dependable and reliable 3-point threat.
• You have to appreciate Cooley for always wearing his passion on his sleeve. With the scrimmage going on in the second half, he grabbed the public-address microphone, pointed to a fan who was wearing Michigan gear, and said for everyone in Alumni Hall to hear, “This is Friartown.”
For those coming to The Dunk, you’ve been warned. Cooley doesn’t take too kindly to those showing up in college garb that’s not affiliated with the Friars. You don’t want to end up being embarrassed.