Jason Edwards Holds the Keys to Providence’s Season

To say the 2024-25 Providence College Men’s Basketball team was a disaster is an understatement. The team regressed by nine wins in head coach Kim English’s second season to their lowest total (12) since 2010. The Friars’ six Big East wins were the fewest since Ed Cooley’s first season. The team tried to replace the trio of Devin Carter, Josh Oduro, and Davonte Gaines with a group of transfers that didn’t live up to expectations. Meanwhile, All-Big East player Bryce Hopkins played just three games, suffered another injury, then packed his bags for St. John’s.

Needless to say, after a season that left the future of the Friars with more questions than answers, it was a surprise to see Providence picked fourth in the Preseason Big East Coaches’ Poll. Looking a little deeper, it’s apparent that coaches around the league think one transfer is going to be a difference-maker for Providence: former Vanderbilt guard Jason Edwards.

Jason Edwards Holds the Keys to Providence’s Season

Reliable Scoring Option

Incoming transfers into a new conference have become the norm but, the new faces remain unfamiliar to fans and possibly opposing coaches. That’s why Edwards’ inclusion on the Preseason All-Big East Second Team caught some attention. Clearly his time at Vandy did not go unnoticed and his production should transfer over as well.

There were few games last season where Providence put out a lineup last season that featured a go-to scorer when the team needed a basket. Hopkins lasted just three games, Georgia transfer Jabri Abdur-Rahim tore his meniscus after scoring 27 points, and Jayden Pierre took a step back in his development. Leading scorer, Bensley Joseph, averaged 13.2 points a game. Even his eight 20-point games were countered by 12 single-digit scoring performances. Between trying to get a whole new group of guys to mesh, plus the injuries, English couldn’t find a consistent number-one option.

With all those guys gone, the is a huge void in the scoring department that needs to be filled and Edwards fits the role. In his first and only season with the Commodores, he led the team in scoring with 17 points per game. Only two times did he fail to record at least ten points. After transferring from North Texas, he proved he could handle the tough competition the SEC presents.