Providence College Lands First Recruit in Class of 2026

Derkack should fit nicely into Providence’s fast-paced offense. While his shooting will need to be improved, his strength lies in scoring in transition and slashing to the rim. He’s already gone head-to-head against the nation’s best high school players, including top prospect Tyran Stokes.

In an interview with ZagsBlog, Derkack only had praise for Providence staff.

“Their staff is amazing,” he said. “I got an offer from them last year, which means a lot because they have been here for a while. They’re always at my games. I don’t think they’ve missed a game at any live period this summer. So yeah, I have a very good relationship with them, and they have a great staff.”

Derkack also comes from a basketball family. His dad, Gene, played basketball at FIU, while both his siblings currently play at the collegiate level. His brother, Jordan, is entering his first year at Dayton after stops at Merrimack and Rutgers. His sister, Taylor, is a redshirt freshman at UMass Amherst.

English Continues to Land Top Freshmen

The transfer portal has decreased the need to build big recruiting classes each year. While coaches still build relationships, there is less motivation to sign four top-100 prospects with the likelihood that more than one guy will hit the portal after a year.

Nevertheless, entering his third season in Providence, Kim English continues to find success bringing in top talent each year. He convinced Garwey Dual to stick with his committment despite the coaching change in 2023 (though he didn’t pan out for the Friars). He brought in top-50 recruit Oswin Erhunmwunse last year, and followed up with signing a pair of four-star top-100 recruits Jamier Jones and Jaylen Harrell for this season.

As the top players in the 2026 class begin their commitments, the signing of Derkack gives English is first of what hopes to be another strong recruiting class.