Providence gets massive recruiting win by picking up 5-star C

Providence college men's basketball head coach Bryan Hodgson. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Providence gets massive recruiting win by picking up 5-star C Lewis Uvwo

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Oct 28, 2026 7:42 PM ET

It has been a while since the Providence Friars were big in the national scene.

They haven't made the NCAA Tournament since 2022-23, and when they made a Sweet 16 run in 2021-22, it was the first time the Friars had been that far in the tournament since 1997.

Ed Cooley was the coach then, but he's now at Georgetown. Kim English took over for Cooley, but he was fired after three seasons, going just 48-52 overall and 23-37 in Big East play.

The job is now Bryan Hodgson's, and he's brought a ton of excitement back to the Friars' program. At only 38, he led the USF Bulls to the NCAA Tournament last season, and he went 70-37 overall in two seasons prior to that at Arkansas State.

He's an up-and-comer, and he and his staff just landed a recruit who could very well put Providence back on the map.

That would be five-star center Lewis Uvwo, who committed to Providence over Kentucky, Baylor and Cal.

NEWS: 5⭐️ Lewis Uvwo has committed to Providence, he announced. ⁰
The 6-foot-11 senior is the No. 1-ranked center in the 2027 class and a top-10 overall prospect.https://t.co/qSyFxYlW5L pic.twitter.com/uML5RYnjrL
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) October 28, 2026

Providence lands elite defensive prospect Lewis Uvwo

Uvwo checks in at 6-foot-11, 225 pounds, and he's known as a defensive dynamo. He's got a 7-foot-6 wingspan and is a tremendous athlete. It shouldn't be surprising to hear that he's an elite shot-blocker, averaging 4.5 blocks per game in the EYBL, and he brings rim-running ability on offense.

"Not often are we able to watch a player dictate the flow of a game without having to touch the ball on the offensive end of the floor," wrote Rivals national recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw in his analysis of Uvwo. "This is the type of defensive dominance that we saw from Lewis Uvwo this summer. His unique combination of length, twitch, timing, and tenacity forced teams to game plan for him and know where he was on every possession."

Uvwo will go down as one of the biggest commitments in the modern era for Providence. He's ranked as the No. 1 center in the 2027 class and the No. 7 recruit overall, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

More must-reads: