Who's Who At Late Night Madness
Breaking down the 12 recruits Providence hosted this weekend
Saturday evening Providence hosted its annual Late Night Madness event at the AMP. It’s a night that involves a lot of pomp and circumstance, a great event for the community, students, team and recruits. In my mind it’s the official kickoff to the season. One Republic performed, the players (and coaches) showcased some impressive dance moves, good vibes all around. What really matters though is the 12 recruits that Kim English hosted as part of the night. It’s not an official recruiting visit or as meaningful as a prospect sitting behind the bench for say the UConn game, but every recruit in attendance is considered some level of priority for the Program. Those levels of course vary, and I’ve tried based on a few factors (e.g., who else is recruiting the player, player ranking, English’s recruiting history, where the player is from, etc.) to put together a very loose priority and probability rating for each prospect that was in attendance. There was one recruit from the class of 2027, Patrick Otey from Braintree, MA, that was not listed below because trying to determine what a 15 year old is going to do in 3 years seems like a fool errand.
You’ll notice that English has placed an outsized emphasis on recruiting the New England area. Each of these prospects outside of Daquan Davis plays their high school ball in either Connecticut, Massachusetts or New Hampshire. I like this approach. Why in the world would a top 100 prospect from Dallas or Florida come to Providence to play collegiately? Answer, they wouldn’t. There is ample talent among the high school / prep school ranks in New England, and I think the trajectory of the Program allows the coaching staff to make a run at any prospect in the area, regardless of how highly they are rated (as you’ll see shortly with Joson Sanon). It’s yet to be seen if this strategy pays off, but you’ll remember that Cooley’s best recruits, Kris Dunn (New London, CT) and David Duke Jr. (Providence, RI), were hyper local prospects as well. In the age of NIL, constantly chasing, and inevitably missing out on, national recruits is not a recipe for sustained success. There are some very intriguing prospects in the list below, and I’d be shocked if one or two of them didn’t end up at the AMP full time.
Class of 2024:
G - Daquan Davis (Committed); I previously covered Daquan Davis when he committed back in June but as a refresher, he’s a 6’0 point guard originally from Baltimore. Quick first step, strong for his size, high level ball handler. Profiles as a Maliek White type of player. Friars beat out Maryland and Mississippi State for his services.
F - Ryan Mela (Committed); I also wrote about Ryan Mela when he committed 6 weeks ago. The native of Natick, MA is a smooth shooting wing who was relatively under recruited at the time of his committment. Gives me Ryan Fazekas vibes. Providence was his first high-major offer.
F - Amdy Ndiaye; Ndiaye is a 6’10 forward originally from Glen Head, NY. The powerful, lengthy forward spent some time at Long Island Lutheran (Jayden Pierre’s alma mater) and is currently at Putnam Science Academy in CT. A native of Senegal, Ndiaye has next level length, but his skill set is still a bit raw (as you’ll see in the clip below, Ndiaye is number 10 in black. He’s primarily used as a rim runner + defensive piece, but he repeatedly gets bodied out of the way by bigger post players. He needs to add a fair amount of size to his frame, but there’s time.) There will be plenty of playing time available in the front court after this season, so despite the needed improvements to his game, Ndiaye would be a nice piece to add to the 2024 class, in the mold of former Friar (and the largest human I’ve ever seen Pascal Chuwku). In terms of competition, Pittsburgh, Rutgers and Eastern Michigan have all offered the big man.
Priority: Medium
Probability: Medium
Class of 2025:
G - Nigel James; Providence, Syracuse, Rutgers and Marquette are the leaders in the clubhouse for the 6’1 point guard who also hails from Long Island but most recently played for Cushing Academy in Massachusetts but will be playing this upcoming season for Long Island Lutheran. James is a high level ball handler with a quick first step, currently ranked 90th overall in the class of 2025. James has skyrocketed up recruiting rankings recently
Daquan Davis and Nigel James
Priority: High
Probability: High
G - Joson Sanon; This is the crowned jewel of Kim English’s current recruiting efforts. Sanon is a local phenom, originally from Fall River, MA and currently playing high school hoops at Vermont Academy. Providence has put on the full court press for the #11 recruit in the class of 2025, but the competition is steep. UConn (defending national champions), Kansas (national champions two years ago) and Alabama (one of the biggest NIL funds in the country) compromise Sanon’s top 4 alongside the Friars. There’s a lot of hype around Sanon but it is well deserved. He would likely be the highest ranked recruit in the history of Friartown. If you have extra pennies in your couch to donate to the Friar Family NIL fund, Sanon would be the recruit to do it for.
Priority: Higher than High, as High it is gets.
Probability: Low (for now)
F - Jaylen Harrell; Another Boston area native, Jaylen Harrell would be a superb consolation prize for the class of 2025 is Sanon decides to take his talents elsewhere. The top 80 recruit is a 6’5, 210 pound wing who has the physical skills to play in college tomorrow. Harrell can really score the ball too and gives me flashbacks to prime Alpha Diallo. Alabama, Wake Forest and Georgetown are the primary competition here.
Priority: High
Probability: Medium
C - Oswin Erhunmwunse; Another target for Kim English out of Putnam Science Academy, Erhunmwunse is a 6’10 monster of a player in the low post. The top 50 recruit is a natural around the rim and has the physical skills to probably come in and contribute as a freshmen. Georgia Tech and new head coach Damon Stoudamire seem to have the inside track here but Erhunmwunse has been offered by Marquette, Creighton, Alabama, Rutgers and many many more in addition to Providence.
Priority: High
Probability: Medium
C - Amadou Doumbia; A 6’11 native of Mali, Doumbia has a freakishly long wingspan and pretty strong defensive instincts. He plays his high school ball at Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut and is a relatively under the radar prospect at this point. Providence hasn’t formally offered him yet but he has received offers from Washington State, Bryant, University of Rhode Island and St. Bonaventure. Could be a diamond in the rough recruit but it’s really too early to say on this one.
Priority: Low
Probability: Low
Class of 2026:
F - Sebastian Wilkins; I love English’s strategy of targeting the most highly touted local prospects and making a run at them. It remains to see if this strategy ends up paying dividends but Wilkins fits squarely into that category. A top 50 prospect in the class of 2026, he is a native of Groton, MA and currently plays for Brewster Academy. 2026 is a ways away so it’s tough to really put too much stock into his evaluation at this point, but I’d rather have a top 50 recruit than not. Wilkins has only been offered by Rutgers, Providence and U-Mass at this point but has received interest from the likes of Virginia, Georgetown and Texas A&M. Make no mistake, this is a priority target for English & Co. and it should be. (and yes he reclassified to 2026 since this highlight video was published)
Priority: High
Probability: TBD
C - Collins Chidera Onyejiaka; Collins is… really big, really good at basketball and is being recruited like it. Playing for the Boston-based Newman School, Collins is a 6’11 monster who is a menace on the defensive end and can rebound anything in sight. Unlike some prospects his size, there is no lack of strength in his frame. Collins is a super intriguing prospect that will likely move to the top of Kim English’s list once the class of 2025 is set in stone.
Priority: High
Probability: TBD
C - Ben Ahmed; Another near 7-footer out of Putnam Science Academy, Ahmen has not been officially offered by the Friars to this point. He hold offers from URI, Georgia Tech, Rutgers and a few other power 6 schools, and will likely receive an offer from Friartown on the sooner side of sooner versus later. Again, too early to tell where this recruitment may potentially go but a name to keep in mind for sure.
Priority: Low
Probability: TBD