Projo Sports Blog

Kevin McNamara filed this dispatch on the College Hoops blog yesterday. In case you missed it, here's what he had to say:

We've been buried by coverage of the Boston Celtics' playoff run for a few weeks now (with no end in sight) so PC news is slim at the moment. Here are a few nuggets:

COACHING STAFF. Keno Davis is a few days away from announcing his coaching staff. It will contain Chris Davis and Rodell Davis from Drake, giving PC its first Midwest-based recruiters since the Rick Barnes Era. Barnes came with extensive ties in that area from his days at Ohio State.

Davis will also hire Pat Skerry, the URI assistant who's led an effort to stock that program with several good, young prospects. Skerry could be very useful right away since the New England area is set to produce one of its best classes of seniors and juniors in the last 10 years. Kevin Kurbec, the administrative asst. to Tim Welsh, is also expected to be on this staff.

RECRUITS: While the Friars say goodbye to Dwain Williams (a huge loss in my eyes. Just ask Jim Calhoun) and Chuck Burch, they're set to welcome one recruit, big forward Bilal Dixon. He wasn't originally comfortable with the coaching switch but he really feels he fits in at PC right now. Keno Davis is also shopping for a guard for the fall. Right now the leads are few. Some could develop over the summer, perhaps, in the form of a sudden qualifier, European, D-2 transfer, ect.

INJURIES: Both Geoff McDermott (sprained knee) and Sharaud Curry (broken foot) are not allowed to play hoops right now. PC doesn't play next week so that's not a problem but this is not good news. McDermott's knee can best be termed `balky.' Rest won't make all his issues disappear. Curry had surgery in April and will miss most, if not all, of the summer. How close will he be to 100 percent in October for the start of practice? Who knows. But with no other PG in the program right now, this is Davis' biggest concern. He knows how Tim Welsh must have felt all last season.

SCHEDULE: The change in coaching staffs disrupted scheduling and the Friars are behind in the quest to secure games. Davis would like to create a 4-team tourney hosted in Providence, ala the Fleet Classic, but that's not likely to happen for a few years. Bottom line? With games set against BC and URI, plus a strong tournament in Anaheim, the Friars might need only one other tough game. The problem is filling up the slate with weaker foes who've already been spoken for.

CHARITY: Finally, my most important note. Spoke with Ryan Gomes last week and just received correspondence for a charity dinner/golf tourney he is hosting in Southington, Conn. next month. Gomes has started a Hoops For Heart charity with a goal of preventing sudden cardiac arrests at basketball games. This has been an issue at AAU events and Gomes and his supporters, with a big shout out to Wayne Simone, would like a working defibrillator and someone trained to use one at every practice and game in Div. 1 college basketball.

Gomes is holding a charity dinner on June 16 and a golf outing June 17. Keno Davis, Tim Welsh and Billy Donovan are some of the coaches expected to attend. Gomes wants to welcome all PC fans to attend either event or donate to the cause.

Go to hoopsforhearthealth.org for additional information.

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