Dunn leads Providence into title matchup with Michigan State
Any die-hard or even casual Providence College basketball fan had plenty of reason to miss some, or all, of the Friars? game against Arizona at the Wooden Legacy on Friday night.
The 11:30 p.m. tip time could have scared you off. So could the tryptophan trance from the Thanksgiving Day leftovers or the headache-inducing visits from a crazy uncle or boorish brother.
But anyone who stayed up late witnessed a game with a finish for the ages. It?s not that the Friars rallied to beat the 11th-ranked Wildcats, 69-65. It?s the way they did it and, more specifically, the way Kris Dunn closed the game.
Providence fans know Dunn is a special talent, but anyone watching on TV around the country received an eyeful over the final 5:14. Dunn took over the game, tallying 11 points, two assists, one steal and one rebound. He scored PC?s final 10 points, wiping out a 58-54 deficit with what only can be described as a lottery-pick series of plays. He scored on a power drive to the rim, a tough 16-foot jumper from the wing, a gorgeous stop-and-spin floater in the lane, and an emphatic fastbreak dunk after a Ben Bentil steal and pass.
It was a finish so dominant, so spectacular, that the takeaway from the Friars? trip out West ? no matter what happens in Sunday night?s championship game against No. 3 Michigan State ? is clear. Get your tickets now, basketball fans. This kid is special.
All teams practice late-game situations on an almost daily basis. Coaches crave a team that becomes comfortable with crunch-time inbounds plays, isolation sets and last-second shot plays. Providence coach Ed Cooley and his staff have their bases covered in this department.
The Friars have crafted what they actually call the "KD Package," named for Dunn. It?s a set of offensive options from all over the floor designed for Dunn to attack and create scoring opportunities for either himself or a teammate on the way to the hoop.
?It?s coming. Everybody in the building knows it?s coming,? Cooley says. ?I believe in him. It?s that simple.?
In the Arizona game, a few head-shaking calls from the officials (who were worse than shaky for both teams all night) limited Dunn to a season-low 21 minutes due to foul trouble. He left the game with four fouls and 10:44 on the clock. By the time he came back with 5:14 left, it was time for the "KD Package."
?That?s literally what I said,? Cooley said. ?Like 'Kris, this is what we dream about. Let?s go.? ??
It was a show that certainly caught the eye of Arizona coach Sean Miller. His team has won the Preseason NIT and Maui Classic in the last few years but won?t get a chance at adding a trophy from the Wooden Legacy because of the Friars and Dunn.
?At the end of the game you?re kind of at his mercy in a way,? Miller said. ?He was tremendous down the stretch making shots. If he missed any one of the field goals down the stretch, we may be here talking about a [Arizona] win.?
Cooley likes to challenge his team in these early-season tournaments, and it?s easy to see why. Youngsters such as Bentil (22.5 ppg), Junior Lomomba and Ryan Fazekas have grown up in wins over Evansville and Arizona and now will get a chance at a truly marquee win over do-it-all Denzel Valentine and the Spartans. If there is one player in the country more well-rounded than Dunn, it?s Valentine. He?s already posted two triple-doubles in six games and is certainly a coach?s nightmare.
But the Friars have their own version of Valentine. Cooley said on Saturday after a team meeting that ?there is something special about this team. I don?t know what it is, but they play hard and they play together.? They also have the ultimate difference-maker in a close game, a player teams will throw everything at, but it may not matter.
?Every night you?ll see one of the best players in the country and one of the best Friars ever,? Cooley said. ?If you?re going to miss that? Hey, your call. I don?t know if we?re ever going to get a kid like him again.?
Any die-hard or even casual Providence College basketball fan had plenty of reason to miss some, or all, of the Friars? game against Arizona at the Wooden Legacy on Friday night.
The 11:30 p.m. tip time could have scared you off. So could the tryptophan trance from the Thanksgiving Day leftovers or the headache-inducing visits from a crazy uncle or boorish brother.
But anyone who stayed up late witnessed a game with a finish for the ages. It?s not that the Friars rallied to beat the 11th-ranked Wildcats, 69-65. It?s the way they did it and, more specifically, the way Kris Dunn closed the game.
Providence fans know Dunn is a special talent, but anyone watching on TV around the country received an eyeful over the final 5:14. Dunn took over the game, tallying 11 points, two assists, one steal and one rebound. He scored PC?s final 10 points, wiping out a 58-54 deficit with what only can be described as a lottery-pick series of plays. He scored on a power drive to the rim, a tough 16-foot jumper from the wing, a gorgeous stop-and-spin floater in the lane, and an emphatic fastbreak dunk after a Ben Bentil steal and pass.
It was a finish so dominant, so spectacular, that the takeaway from the Friars? trip out West ? no matter what happens in Sunday night?s championship game against No. 3 Michigan State ? is clear. Get your tickets now, basketball fans. This kid is special.
All teams practice late-game situations on an almost daily basis. Coaches crave a team that becomes comfortable with crunch-time inbounds plays, isolation sets and last-second shot plays. Providence coach Ed Cooley and his staff have their bases covered in this department.
The Friars have crafted what they actually call the "KD Package," named for Dunn. It?s a set of offensive options from all over the floor designed for Dunn to attack and create scoring opportunities for either himself or a teammate on the way to the hoop.
?It?s coming. Everybody in the building knows it?s coming,? Cooley says. ?I believe in him. It?s that simple.?
In the Arizona game, a few head-shaking calls from the officials (who were worse than shaky for both teams all night) limited Dunn to a season-low 21 minutes due to foul trouble. He left the game with four fouls and 10:44 on the clock. By the time he came back with 5:14 left, it was time for the "KD Package."
?That?s literally what I said,? Cooley said. ?Like 'Kris, this is what we dream about. Let?s go.? ??
It was a show that certainly caught the eye of Arizona coach Sean Miller. His team has won the Preseason NIT and Maui Classic in the last few years but won?t get a chance at adding a trophy from the Wooden Legacy because of the Friars and Dunn.
?At the end of the game you?re kind of at his mercy in a way,? Miller said. ?He was tremendous down the stretch making shots. If he missed any one of the field goals down the stretch, we may be here talking about a [Arizona] win.?
Cooley likes to challenge his team in these early-season tournaments, and it?s easy to see why. Youngsters such as Bentil (22.5 ppg), Junior Lomomba and Ryan Fazekas have grown up in wins over Evansville and Arizona and now will get a chance at a truly marquee win over do-it-all Denzel Valentine and the Spartans. If there is one player in the country more well-rounded than Dunn, it?s Valentine. He?s already posted two triple-doubles in six games and is certainly a coach?s nightmare.
But the Friars have their own version of Valentine. Cooley said on Saturday after a team meeting that ?there is something special about this team. I don?t know what it is, but they play hard and they play together.? They also have the ultimate difference-maker in a close game, a player teams will throw everything at, but it may not matter.
?Every night you?ll see one of the best players in the country and one of the best Friars ever,? Cooley said. ?If you?re going to miss that? Hey, your call. I don?t know if we?re ever going to get a kid like him again.?
