The Providence College Friars men's basketball team represents Providence College in NCAA Division I competition. They were a founding member of the original Big East Conference from 1979 until 2013, and are now a member of the current Big East Conference. They play their home games at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island.
The Friars have made two Final Four appearances in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, in 1973 and 1987. Four former players or coachesDave Gavitt, John Thompson, Rick Pitino, and Lenny Wilkensare enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition, two-time NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament champion, current Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan, helped lead the Friars (as a player) to the Final Four in 1987.
History Early years: 1921–1955 Providence Friars basketball can be traced back to 1921, when the four-year-old school fielded its first basketball team on an informal basis. This first team only lasted two years, however, and did not return until the 1926–27 season when Archie Golembeski, the school's football coach, led to the team to a win over St. John's before devoting his time to football the next year. He was replaced by Al McClellan, who coached the team to four New England championships — 1929, 1930, 1932, and 1935 — and had an overall winning percentage over .700. In 1938, McClellan left and was replaced by Ed Crotty, who led the team to a 15–5 record in 1942–43 before the team suspended play the next year after the outbreak of World War II. After the war, the NCAA divided its teams into two divisions, the University Division and the College Division; with a smaller enrollment and no home court (the team played in an on-campus auditorium and then local high school gyms), the Friars were placed into the College Division and no longer faced the opponents they once played.
Mullaney era: 1955–1969 In 1949, Vin Cuddy was hired as the team's head coach, leading the team to a 14–9 record in his first season and qualified for the NAIB regional tournament in 1951, behind the school's first 1,000-point scorer, Jim Schlimm. By 1955, Cuddy's record fell to 9–12 and he was replaced by Joe Mullaney; at the same time, the school opened its first on-campus gym, Alumni Hall. In 1959, Mullaney and the Friars defeated ranked Villanova on the road, leading to their first-ever National Invitational Tournament bid.
The Friars reached the NIT Finals in 1960 with future hall-of-famer Lenny Wilkens being named MVP in his senior season before winning the tournament in 1961 behind Vin Ernst, John Egan, and Jim Hadnot. Two years later (1963), led by another future hall of famer, John Thompson, as well as future Boston Mayor Ray Flynn, the Friars won their second NIT title. With a 24–2 record in 1964–65, the number four ranked Friars reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. In 1966–67, Jimmy Walker led the nation in scoring and became the school's first 2,000-point scorer as well as the first New England player selected first overall in the NBA draft. That season also marked the last in Mullaney's run of nine consecutive 20-win seasons. Two years later, Mullaney was hired as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA.
Gavitt era: 1969–1979 Following Mullaney's departure, Dave Gavitt, an assistant under Mullaney who then became head coach at Dartmouth, took over as the Friars' head coach in 1969. In his second year, Gavitt began a string of eight consecutive 20-win seasons. For the 1972–73 season, the team began playing in downtown Providence at the brand-new 12,000-seat arena, the Providence Civic Center (renamed the Dunkin' Donuts Center in 2001). That season was the Friars' best to date; led by Ernie DiGregorio and the troubled center Marvin Barnes, the team went on a 17-team game winning streak that ended in a Final Four loss to Memphis State. The next year, the Friars posted a 28–4 record and made their second straight Sweet Sixteen appearance. The team continued its top-flight status with back-to-back 20-win seasons in 1976–77 and 1977–78, earning NCAA tournament bids each year, one coming after defeating top-ranked Michigan in 1976. After a 10–16 season in 1978–79, Gavitt left Providence to become the first commissioner of the Providence-based Big East Conference. He finished his 10-year career at Providence with a 209–84 (.713) record.
Mullaney returns: 1979–1985 After spending the first six decades of their existence as an independent, the Friars joined the Big East in its inaugural season, 1979–80. The conference originally consisted of Providence, Boston College, Georgetown, St. John's, Seton Hall, Syracuse, and Connecticut. New head coach Gary Walters led the team to an 11–16 record in 1979–80, and was replaced by Mullaney in 1981. His next stint with the Friars would not be as successful, and consisted of only one winning season (1983–84, behind Otis Thorpe) against three losing.
Pitino era: 1985–1987 In 1985, New York Knicks assistant coach Rick Pitino was hired as the latest Friars head coach. In his first season the Friars compiled a 17–14 record and made their first NIT appearance in a decade. The next year, 1986–87, the Friars posted a 25–9 record behind Billy Donovan and made their second-ever Final Four appearance in the 1987 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. After losing to Syracuse, Pitino left the school and re-joined the Knicks as their head coach in 1987. The Friars have not returned to the Final Four since Pitino's departure.
Chiesa, Barnes, Gillen: 1987–1998
In 1987–88, the Friars posted a losing record under new head coach Gordie Chiesa, who was replaced by Rick Barnes after the season. Behind Barnes and 2,000-point scorer Eric Murdock, the Friars made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances in 1989 and 1990, as well as an NIT bid in 1991. Following Murdock's departure and a losing season in 1991–92, the team had an NIT semifinal appearance in 1993 and an NCAA tournament appearance in 1994, while also capturing the school's first Big East Tournament title. Following back-to-back 20-win seasons, Barnes left to become the head coach at Clemson in 1994. He was replaced by Pete Gillen. Led by Eric Williams, the Friars made consecutive NIT appearances in 1995 and 1996. In 1996–97, the Friars posted a 24–12 record, led by Austin Croshere and Jamel Thomas. After defeating Duke in the 1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, the Friars reached the Elite Eight before losing, in overtime, to eventual champion Arizona. Following a losing season in 1997–98, Gillen departed to become the head coach at Virginia.
Welsh era: 1998–2008 Gillen was replaced by Iona head coach Tim Welsh in 1998. Led by Thomas, the Friars made an NIT bid in 1999. The team returned to the NCAA tournament two years later, posting a 21–10 record behind John Linehan. While the Friars posted a losing record in Linehan's senior season in 2001–02, the guard broke Allen Iverson's single-season Big East steals record of 67 as well as Murdock's NCAA career steals record of 377. Led by Ryan Gomes, the Friars returned to the NIT with an 18–14 record in 2002–03 and made another NCAA appearance in 2003–04 with a 20–9 record. However, Welsh's next four teams, without Gomes after 2004–05, recorded one winning season, and Welsh was fired following the 2007–08 season.
Davis era: 2008–2011 In 2008, the Friars hired Drake head coach Keno Davis, who won the National Coach of the Year Award in his first and only season as Drake's head coach. Davis' team posted a 19–14 record, including a win at home over top-ranked Pittsburgh, in 2008–09 en route to an NIT appearance. In 2009–10, Davis' team lost their final 11 games to finish 15th in the Big East. The Friars averaged 82 points per game, the fourth highest in Division I, while also surrendering 85 points per conference game, the worst statistical performance in Big East history. In Davis' third season, 2010–11, the Friars finished 14th in the conference despite having Division I's second-leading scorer in Marshon Brooks. Davis was fired after the 2010–11 season.
Cooley era: 2011–2023 On March 22, 2011, the Friars hired Fairfield head coach Ed Cooley, as the 15th head coach in program history. A Providence native, Cooley brought a reinvigorated energy surrounding the program and recruited six consensus Top 100 recruits in his first three years.
2011–12 season In his first season at Providence, Cooley led the Friars to a 15–17 mark overall, posting an 11–3 mark (8–0 at home) in non-conference action and going 4–14 in the Big East. That season, point guard Vincent Council was named All-Big East Third Team and forward LaDontae Henton earned Big East All-Rookie Team accolades.
2012–13 season — NIT quarterfinals In his second season, Cooley led the Friars to a 19–15 record overall and a 9–9 mark in league play. Included in the 9–9 Big East record in 2012–13 was a 7–2 mark over the last nine games of the conference season, marking the second best turnaround over second half of the season in Big East history. The Friars played the season with a short roster with transfers Carson Desrosier and Tyler Harris having to sit out the year per NCAA transfer rules, five-star freshman shooting guard and Providence native Ricky Ledo sitting our per NCAA eligibility issues, and five-star freshman point guard Kris Dunn sitting out the first semester with a shoulder injury. Friars freshman guard Josh Fortune was the only incoming player in 2012–2013 season eligible to compete. Cooley guided the Friars to the NIT, where the squad posted a 2–1 record, beating Charlotte and Robert Morris before losing in the quarterfinals to eventual NIT Champion Baylor. That season, combo guard Bryce Cotton was named All-Big East First Team and Kadeem Batts was recognized as a co-winner of the league's Most Improved Award and earned All-Big East Honorable Mention accolades. After spending one year at Providence without being able to play, Ledo declared for the 2013 NBA Draft and was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves, eventually being traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
2013–14 season — Big East tournament champions / NCAA tournament first round