2003–04 Providence Friars men's basketball team

2003–04 Providence Friars men's basketball
NCAA, #5, Midwest Region, First Round
Conference	Big East Conference
Ranking
AP	No. 21
Record	20–9 (11–5 Big East)
Head coach	Tim Welsh (6th season)
Assistant coaches	Steve DeMeo Phil Seymore Bob Walsh
MVP	Ryan Gomes
Captain	Ryan Gomes
Home arena	Dunkin' Donuts Center
Seasons ← 2002–03 2004–05 →

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.

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.

2003–04 Providence Friars men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 1 Donnie McGrath 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So John F. Kennedy Catholic High School Katonah, New York F/C 3 Ryan Gomes (C) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Jr Wilby High School Waterbury, Connecticut C 4 Marcus Douthit 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr Notre Dame Prep Syracuse, New York G 5 Gerald Brown 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Hargrave Military Academy Baltimore, Maryland F 10 Sean Van De Walle (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Fenwick High School Elmhurst, Illinois G 11 Abdul Mills  6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Sr Milford Academy Brooklyn, New York G 13 Sheiku Kabba 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Bronx Regional High School Bronx, New York F 15 Herbert Hill 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Fr Kinston High School Kinston, North Carolina F 20 Chris Anrin 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr 08 Stockholm Human Rights Värmdö Municipality, Sweden F 21 Jeff Parmer  6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Niagara Falls High School Niagara Falls, New York F 22 Māris Ļaksa 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Latvian Junior National Team Ventspils, Latvia G 24 Dwight Brewington 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Worcester Academy Lynn, Massachusetts F 25 Tuukka Kotti 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Salon Vilpas Salo Forssa, Finland G 31 Timothy Englert (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So Bergen Catholic High School Ramsey, New Jersey F 35 Rob Sanders 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr St. Thomas More School New 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 Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: 2010-02-07

Pos.	Starting 5	Bench 1	Bench 2
C	Marcus Douthit	(Māris Ļaksa)	Herbert Hill
PF	Ryan Gomes	Tuukka Kotti	Jeff Parmer
SF	Rob Sanders	Chris Anrin	Sean Van De Walle (W)
SG	Sheiku Kabba	Gerald Brown	Abdul Mills
PG	Donnie McGrath	Dwight Brewington	Timothy Englert (W)

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Dwight Brewington PG	Lynn, Massachusetts	Worcester Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	187 lb (85 kg)	Jul 8, 2003
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Gerald Brown SG	Baltimore	Hargrave Military Academy	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jul 8, 2003
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Jeff Parmer PF	Niagara Falls, New York	Niagara Falls HS	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Jul 8, 2003
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/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.

• 2003–04 Providence Friars men's basketball prospectus Archived 2012-11-12 at the Wayback Machine