Kevin Stacom: Scorsese-Scripted Return by Hopkins Sets Stage for URI-PC Battle
Kevin Stacom, Sports Analyst
Kevin Stacom: Scorsese-Scripted Return by Hopkins Sets Stage for URI-PC Battle
It’s commonly known that besides the intense, physically demanding rehab process involved in returning to full-tilt competition, overcoming the psychological trauma and building up the confidence to know when it’s the right time to make your return can be just as daunting. Too soon can be disastrous, setting you back to square one, and at the same time, you’re sitting there on the sidelines, knowing that you have the power to solve a lot of the problems your team is experiencing. It's a lot of pressure because you’re very aware of how many people are counting on your imminent return- teammates, coaches, and fans.
Throughout all my years in scouting, I would usually make it a habit to check the spreads of the games beforehand just to get a feel for what the professional handicappers thought about the game I was about to see. I noticed how, on Tuesday morning, PC was a 6 and 1/2 underdog at home, but that was modified to 5 and 1/2 later in the afternoon. Somehow, I’m sure they factored in the possible return of Bryce Hopkins. Not enough. How could anyone calculate the immense impact of his return after almost a full year away from the game?
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAlmost right away, you could feel the difference and feel of the team compared to the previous games. After researching BYU a bit, you thought maybe PC would be in store for another Davidson onslaught of precision old-school basketball of ball and player movement, efficient screening, back door cuts, and accurate catch and shoot 3-point shooting, dictating the action.
They were 6 and 1, losing only to a good #23 ranked Ole Miss team in OT, and beat a good NC State team prior to their trip to Providence. In addition, just about 1/2 of the NBA had scouts there to see one of the best freshmen in the country, Egor Demin, who, as a 15-year-old, like Luca Doncic, was signed by one of the best teams in the European League (Real Madrid), before coming to America to play college ball. He’s a 6’9” guard who leads his team in assists (6.2/game) and scoring (14.3/game), and steals(1.8/game).
He’s being mentioned as a possible lottery pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
I mention him in particular to highlight the effect Hopkins had, for one thing, on the defensive side of the ball. Yes, it was a team effort, but now, unlike in previous games, switches ended up with much better matchups on the pick-and-roll due to Hopkins’ versatility to cover smalls on the perimeter and also rotated to give bigs a problem down low. It was a whole different ball game, which fed into the team's overall confidence and aggressiveness defensively.
This defensive effort led to a nightmare night for Demin:
22 minutes; 0/10 FG’s; 0/5 3’s; 6/6 FT’s; 2 assists; 6 points
It was a big factor in PC's impressive 83- 64 win. In BYU’s previous seven games, they averaged a gaudy 87.4 points/game.
The best example of Hopkins’ effect on the team offensively was when, in the 1st half, Providence’s 13-point lead at the 6:08 mark had dwindled down to only 4 by 2:52 left in the 1/2. After Hopkins' reinsertion into the game, he was involved in the 3 key plays that reinstated a 13-point lead at the 1:30 left point in the 1/2- an assist to Barron for a 3, a rebound, and an assist to Abdur-Rahim for a 3, and a rebound that led to an assist and 3 by Pierre.
Hopkins' strength and explosiveness around the hoop presents matchup problems that create easier looks on offense for his teammates. Now, instead of difficult contested shots and 3-pointers as the shot clock is expiring, guys have the luxury of stepping into their shots in rhythm. Hopkins had 4 assists and 0 turnovers. Everyone benefited ( they shot just under 60% as a team), but Abdur-Rahim the most, as he finished with 21 points on 5/9 FGs, including 4/7 from 3 and 7/8 from the line.
As coach Kim English succinctly stated after the game, “Our team makes a lot more sense with Bryce Hopkins out there.”
PC v. URI Rivalry - Rams on a Roll
Of course, this performance adds greatly to the hype and drama around the annual intrastate event at this Saturday’s noontime game at URI.
Our State University’s team is off to one of their most impressive starts in many years, reflected in statistics that would make any analytics guru take notice. For starters, they are 8 and 0, having a couple of wins against two usually quality programs, College of Charleston and Yale.
The Rams have a very well-constructed, balanced team offensively with all five starters averaging double figures, starting with David Green, a senior forward, 6’7” 230lbs (17pts; 50% on 3’s, 6 rebs) and local Hendricken product, point guard Sebastian Thomas, Sr. 6’1” 175lbs, averaging 16.4 points/game and 7.7 assists/game.
What jumps off the page with his numbers is that besides the gross amount of assists (54), he only has 13 turnovers over his 1st 7 games, giving him an incredible 4 to 1 assist to turnover ratio. Just so you know in most analytics formulas a 2 to 1 is considered excellent It will be interesting to see if he can sustain that efficiency.
URI has five guys who are shooting 38% or better from 3 (40% as a team) at significant high volume. And, Rhode Island features a 7’0” 250lb center in Javonte Brown, who averages 11 points and 2.2 blocks/game.
As a team, they also have an impressive 140 assists/95 turnovers. Such a ratio to the positive as a team is usually indicative of very good team play and effective sharing of the ball.
Both teams have to feel pretty good about themselves entering Saturday’s game. An efficient home team on a historic roll and a revitalized Providence team with their best player and team leader back in the fold, coming off a confidence-building win against a Big 12 team.
It should be a lot of fun!