With Ben Bentil leaving Providence in favor of remaining in the NBA Draft, Providence head coach Ed Cooley now was replace 50.6-percent of his team’s scoring from a year ago, but perhaps even more in veteran leadership and experience.
Bentil made one of the biggest jumps in the country from the year prior, going from an often-used but underproductive big man averaging 6.4 points a game in more than 20 minutes per contest, to one of the most lethal scorers in the country, putting up 21.1 points per game as a sophomore. When paired alongside star point guard Kris Dunn, the two made for a dynamic duo, though the squad’s overall inconsistency kept them from reaching the heights many thought them capable of.
Check out Bentil’s 42-point effort against Marquette this season, where he flashed the entire toolbox, one that has more and more draft experts projecting him in the late first-round, more than enough of a prognosis to justify staying in the draft:
With Bentil’s decision now final, Cooley loses both he and Dunn to the NBA. Now, Cooley will likely be looking to the likes of Rodney Bullock and Jalen Lindsey to increase their production next season–one where the national conversation already has the Friars in rebuilding mode and favored to miss out on what would be Cooley’s fourth NCAA Tournament appearance with the program.
Incoming freshmen Maliek White and Alpha Diallo will have plenty of chances to make their presences felt early and often, with Bullock being the only returner who has averaged double-digit scoring in his time.
