Hallelujah!! Now let’s play, Keno

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Today Providence College announced Keno Davis as the 14th coach in Friars’ history. To say we are excited about this hire would be an understatement. Davis meets just about every criteria we wanted in the next coach — defensive-minded, smart, adaptable, energetic, charismatic and young. There are minor questions (can he or his staff recruit; is one year as a head coach enough time at the helm), none of which worry us with a man who was recently named the AP National Coach of the Year and is the definition of a basketball lifer. Today is a day for PC fans to celebrate — there is joy, hope and optimism again in Friartown. The cloud has been lifted.

Before we delve into our take on Keno’s hiring, we have to congratulate Bob Driscoll and Fr. Shanley. The search process was nerve-racking to say the least, and at various points we admit to being embarrassed (Travis Ford saying “No”) and questioning Driscoll’s leadership (reports claiming that Tim O’Shea and Fran Frachilla were at the top of his list).

But, at the end of the day, we applaud his approach. Driscoll swung for the fences with candidates like Jeff Van Gundy and Larry Brown before moving on to what seemed like a safer, more likely pick in Jim Larranaga. After that somewhat surprising rejection, Driscoll turned to the best available coach in the region in Travis Ford. The subsequent rejection was almost unfathomable, but in the end worked out best for PC.

Maybe Driscoll read the situation right and knew Davis wouldn’t pull a Jim Christian and make a hasty move. Maybe he got lucky that Davis was still around and had roots in New England. Regardless of the whys, the result is all we care about, and Driscoll hit his homerun.

The spotlight is Davis’ today, but we feel Driscoll deserves the game ball here just like at the end of We Are Marshall Jack Lengyel presented the game ball from the Xavier game to Pres. Don Dedmon. We are much more confident and comfortable with Driscoll and Shanley leading the College forward now than we were just a month ago. Well done, gentlemen.

Which leads us to Keno. It’s his day. This is now his team. A Big East team in a city with passionate fans that have been waiting for an opportunity to fully open their hearts again to the Friars, and to have that investment rewarded. It’s already been a magical year for Davis, and a 200% raise is never a bad way to celebrate.

We’ve been pushing for Davis for awhile and there’s been enough written about his background and merits. He’s a heck of a coach and a very grounded guy. To be able to say “PC just got the National Coach of the Year” and let those words sink in makes the future seem brighter already.

Of all days, a day like today allows us to think more grandiosely than we probably should. Just for a little while, before we settle down to worry about who transfers, who’s healthy, and where we’ll finish in conference. It allows us to ask, even if it’s just for a second, if this could be the “perfect storm” hire? One where a young, energetic coach comes back to a region he is a fan of, at a time when PC has dedicated itself to finding the money and constructing the facilities necessary to keep a successful coach. Just for today we can ask, could this be our version of UConn’s Jim Calhoun? Villanova’s Jay Wright? Gonzaga’s Mark Few?

Providence’s Keno Davis. Damn that sounds good.

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Filed under Providence, Providence Basketball

Tags: Bob Driscoll, Keno Davis, PC Coaching Search, PC Coaching Search Is Over!