2003–04 Providence Friars men's basketball team

The 2003–04 Providence Friars men's basketball team represented Providence College in the Big East Conference. The team finished with an 11–5 conference record and a 20–9 record overall.

2003–04 Providence Friars men's basketball
NCAA, #5, Midwest Region, First Round
ConferenceBig East Conference
Ranking
APNo. 21
Record20–9 (11–5 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Steve DeMeo
  • Phil Seymore
  • Bob Walsh
MVPRyan Gomes
CaptainRyan Gomes
Home arenaDunkin' Donuts Center
Seasons
← 2002–03
2004–05 →
2003–04 Big East men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 9 Pittsburgh133 .813315 .861
No. 7 Connecticut124 .750336 .846
No. 21 Providence115 .688209 .690
No. 20 Syracuse115 .688238 .742
No. 25 Boston College106 .6252410 .706
Seton Hall106 .6252112 .636
Notre Dame97 .5631913 .594
Virginia Tech79 .4381514 .517
Rutgers79 .4382013 .606
West Virginia79 .4381714 .548
Villanova610 .3751817 .514
Georgetown412 .2501315 .464
Miami (FL)*412 .2501416 .467
St. John's*115 .063621 .222
2004 Big East tournament winner
As of April 5, 2004[1]
Rankings from AP Poll
*Did not qualify for 2004 Big East tournament

Coming off an 18–14 record and a second-round NIT loss in 2002–03, the team returned all five starters for coach Tim Welsh's sixth season with the Friars. However, forward Romuald Augustin transferred to Bryant College for his fifth year of eligibility,[2] while walk-on guard Chris Burns also transferred to Bryant for his sophomore season.[3] The team also lost two departing seniors, guard Kareem Hayletts and forward Stephen Traugott. On February 24, after playing in 12 games for the Friars, senior forward Māris Ļaksa left the team to play professional basketball in Slovenia.[4]

The Friars began the season receiving votes in both polls, but not ranked in either. Following an 8–1 start that included a win over #14 Illinois, the Friars earned a #25 ranking in the AP Poll in time for their January 5 matchup with #18 Texas. The Friars took the Longhorns to overtime, but as time expired in the overtime period, Texas forward P. J. Tucker released a layup to give the Longhorns a two-point win. The controversial shot was reviewed for more than five minutes by the officials, who determined that the clock read "00.0" but the red backboard light had not yet gone on when the ball was released, which at the time overruled the clock.[5][6]

Despite the close loss, the Friars re-emerged in the top 25 three weeks later, following a road win over #4 Connecticut. A six-game winning streak that began with a win over #18 Syracuse propelled the Friars to a #12 ranking in the AP Poll on March 1. This was followed by two home losses to close out the regular season, and a #3 seed in the 2004 Big East men's basketball tournament. Following a first-round bye, the Friars dropped a three-point game to Villanova in the quarterfinals, leading to a #5 seed in the NCAA tournament. In the first round, the Friars were defeated 66–58 by the #12 seed, Pacific. The Friars ended the season with a #21 ranking in the AP Poll.

The Friars were led in scoring (18.9 ppg) and rebounding (9.4 rpg) by junior forward Ryan Gomes. He became the fourth Friar to be named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press.

Roster

2003–04 Providence Friars men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G1Donnie McGrath6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)190 lb (86 kg)SoJohn F. Kennedy Catholic High SchoolKatonah, New York
F/C3Ryan Gomes (C)6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)245 lb (111 kg)JrWilby High SchoolWaterbury, Connecticut
C4Marcus Douthit6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)235 lb (107 kg)SrNotre Dame PrepSyracuse, New York
G5Gerald Brown6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)190 lb (86 kg)FrHargrave Military AcademyBaltimore, Maryland
F10Sean Van De Walle (W)6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)205 lb (93 kg)FrFenwick High SchoolElmhurst, Illinois
G11Abdul Mills  6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)195 lb (88 kg)RS SrMilford AcademyBrooklyn, New York
G13Sheiku Kabba6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)200 lb (91 kg)SrBronx Regional High SchoolBronx, New York
F15Herbert Hill6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)220 lb (100 kg)RS FrKinston High SchoolKinston, North Carolina
F20Chris Anrin6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)220 lb (100 kg)Sr08 Stockholm Human RightsVärmdö Municipality, Sweden
F21Jeff Parmer  6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)230 lb (104 kg)FrNiagara Falls High SchoolNiagara Falls, New York
F22Māris Ļaksa6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)230 lb (104 kg)SrLatvian Junior National TeamVentspils, Latvia
G24Dwight Brewington6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg)FrWorcester AcademyLynn, Massachusetts
F25Tuukka Kotti6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)220 lb (100 kg)JrSalon Vilpas SaloForssa, Finland
G31Timothy Englert (W)5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)165 lb (75 kg)SoBergen Catholic High SchoolRamsey, New Jersey
F35Rob Sanders6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)215 lb (98 kg)JrSt. Thomas More SchoolNew London, Connecticut
Head coach

Tim Welsh

Assistant coach(es)

Steve DeMeo
Phil Seymore
Bob Walsh


Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: 2010-02-07

Depth chart

Pos.Starting 5Bench 1Bench 2
CMarcus Douthit(Māris Ļaksa)Herbert Hill
PFRyan GomesTuukka KottiJeff Parmer
SFRob SandersChris AnrinSean Van De Walle (W)
SGSheiku KabbaGerald BrownAbdul Mills
PGDonnie McGrathDwight BrewingtonTimothy Englert (W)

Incoming recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Dwight Brewington
PG
Lynn, MassachusettsWorcester Academy6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)187 lb (85 kg)Jul 8, 2003 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A
Gerald Brown
SG
BaltimoreHargrave Military Academy6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)180 lb (82 kg)Jul 8, 2003 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A
Jeff Parmer
PF
Niagara Falls, New YorkNiagara Falls HS6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)215 lb (98 kg)Jul 8, 2003 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2003 Providence Signees". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
  • "2003 Providence Signees". Scout.com. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
  • "2003 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 7, 2010.

Schedule

Date
time, TV
Rank#Opponent#ResultRecordSite (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition games
November 2*
3:00 pm
Global Sports All-StarsW 77–63 
Dunkin' Donuts Center (5,260)
Providence, Rhode Island
November 15*
7:30 pm
USDBL/320 All-StarsL 109–112 OT
Dunkin' Donuts Center (5,173)
Providence, Rhode Island
Non-conference games
November 22*
7:30 pm
HofstraW 69–56 1–0
Dunkin' Donuts Center (8,163)
Providence, Rhode Island
November 29*
7:30 pm, Cox Sports
AlabamaW 76–71 2–0
Dunkin' Donuts Center (9,256)
Providence, Rhode Island
December 2*
7:30 pm, Cox Sports
South FloridaW 84–60 3–0
Dunkin' Donuts Center (7,554)
Providence, Rhode Island
December 6*
4:00 pm, Cox Sports
at Rhode IslandL 79–89 3–1
Ryan Center (7,657)
Kingston, Rhode Island
December 9*
7:00 pm, ESPN
vs. No. 14 Illinois
Jimmy V Classic
W 70–51 4–1
Madison Square Garden (7,665)
New York City
December 21*
3:00 pm, Cox Sports
Central ConnecticutW 72–67 5–1
Dunkin' Donuts Center (7,543)
Providence, Rhode Island
December 23*
7:30 pm
at RichmondW 57–56 6–1
Robins Center (6,043)
Richmond, Virginia
December 28*
12:00 pm, Cox Sports
SienaW 73–66 7–1
Dunkin' Donuts Center (7,434)
Providence, Rhode Island
January 3*
3:00 pm, CSN
at VirginiaW 84–69 8–1
University Hall (7,470)
Charlottesville, Virginia
January 5*
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 25 No. 18 TexasL 77–79 OT8–2
Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,993)
Providence, Rhode Island
Big East regular season
January 10
7:00 pm, NESN
No. 25 at RutgersL 64–65 8–3 (0–1)
Louis Brown Athletic Center (6,942)
Piscataway, New Jersey
January 12
8:00 pm, Cox Sports
at Seton HallW 63–60 9–3 (1–1)
Continental Airlines Arena (7,737)
East Rutherford, New Jersey
January 17
7:30 pm, Cox Sports
West VirginiaW 87–66 10–3 (2–1)
Dunkin' Donuts Center (10,033)
Providence, Rhode Island
January 19*
8:00 pm
Loyola ChicagoW 89–59 11–3 (2–1)
Dunkin' Donuts Center (6,943)
Providence, Rhode Island
January 21
7:30 pm
VillanovaW 62–56 12–3 (3–1)
Dunkin' Donuts Center (8,972)
Providence, Rhode Island
January 24
12:00 pm, Cox Sports
at No. 4 ConnecticutW 66–56 13–3 (4–1)
Hartford Civic Center (16,294)
Hartford, Connecticut
January 26
7:30 pm, Cox Sports
No. 23 GeorgetownW 66–50 14–3 (5–1)
Dunkin' Donuts Center (10,397)
Providence, Rhode Island
February 1
12:00 pm, Cox Sports
No. 23 Seton HallL 46–55 14–4 (5–2)
Dunkin' Donuts Center (10,191)
Providence, Rhode Island
February 4
7:00 pm
No. 23 at Virginia TechL 57–69 14–5 (5–3)
Cassell Coliseum (6,323)
Blacksburg, Virginia
February 7
12:00 pm, Cox Sports
No. 23 No. 18 SyracuseW 74–61 15–5 (6–3)
Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,993)
Providence, Rhode Island
February 11
7:00 pm
No. 24 at VillanovaW 100–74 16–5 (7–3)
The Pavilion (6,500)
Villanova, Pennsylvania
February 14
2:00 pm, Cox Sports
No. 24 at Boston CollegeW 61–52 17–5 (8–3)
Conte Forum (7,682)
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
February 21
2:00 pm, NESN
No. 19 MiamiW 70–57 18–5 (9–3)
Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,993)
Providence, Rhode Island
February 24
7:30 pm, Cox Sports
No. 13 at Notre DameW 73–59 19–5 (10–3)
Edmund P. Joyce Center (11,418)
Notre Dame, Indiana
February 29
12:00 pm, NESN
No. 13 at St. John'sW 103–78 20–5 (11–3)
Madison Square Garden (N/A)
New York
March 2
7:30 pm, Cox Sports
No. 12 No. 6 PittsburghL 61–88 20–6 (11–4)
Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,993)
Providence, Rhode Island
March 6
12:00 pm, Cox Sports
No. 12 Boston CollegeL 54–63 20–7 (11–5)
Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,993)
Providence, Rhode Island
Big East tournament
March 11
9:30 pm, ESPN
No. 20 vs. Villanova
Quarterfinals
L 66–69 20–8 (11–5)
Madison Square Garden (19,528)
New York
NCAA tournament
March 19*
6:25 pm, CBS
No. 5-M vs. No. 12-M Pacific
First Round
L 58–66 20–9 (11–5)
Kemper Arena (17,500)
Kansas City, Missouri
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll.  †NCAA Tournament ranks are seeds in the region (E=East, M=Midwest, S=South, W=West). (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time[7].

Rankings

Ranking Movement
Legend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
PollPreWk 1Wk 2Wk 3Wk 4Wk 5Wk 6Wk 7Wk 8Wk 9Wk 10Wk 11Wk 12Wk 13Wk 14Wk 15Wk 16WK 17Final
APRVRVRVRVRVRV25RVRV2323241913122021n/a
CoachesRVRVRVRVRVRVRV2423211713131719RV

Awards and honors

RecipientAward(s)
Chris Anrin2004 John Zannini Coaches' Award[8]
2004 Thomas Ramos Academic Award[8]
Dwight Brewington2004 Promising Prospect Award[8]
Marcus Douthit2004 Marvin Barnes Defensive Player of the Year Award[8]
Ryan Gomes2004 Associated Press First Team All-American[9]
2004 USBWA First Team All-American[10]
2004 NABC Second Team All-American[10]
2004 All-Big East First Team[11]
2004 USBWA All-District 1 First Team[10]
2004 NABC Division I All-District 1 First Team[10]
2004 Naismith College Player of the Year Finalist[10]
2004 Jimmy Walker Most Valuable Player Award[8]
March 1: Big East Co-Player of the Week[12]
January 26: Big East Player of the Week[13]
January 5: Big East Co-Player of the Week[14]
December 15: Big East Co-Player of the Week[15]
2004 John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 30 Candidate[10]
2004 Preseason All-Big East First Team[10]
2004 John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Candidate[10]
Sheiku Kabba2004 Co-Unsung Hero Award[8]
Tuukka Kotti2004 Co-Unsung Hero Award[8]
Donnie McGrath2004 Coca-Cola Most Improved Player Award[8]

References

External links