It may be mid-July, but Ed Cooley’s mind is already on March.
Providence’s boisterous head coach is thinking about the 2021 NCAA Tournament and how his team will put itself in a position to hear its name called on Selection Sunday.
According to Cooley, that’s directly related to the production level of two transfers — Jared Bynum (Saint Joseph’s) and Noah Horchler (North Florida) — who redshirted last season.
“Both of them will have a major role in whether or not we can be an NCAA Tournament team,” Cooley said of Bynum and Horchler Monday on the College Hoops Today Podcast. “I really love how they prepared last season. Noah (Horchler) is a great athlete. He can play inside and outside and Jared is a natural point guard. His ability to communicate is terrific.”
The 5-10 Bynum averaged 11.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists two seasons ago while the 6-8 Horchler nearly averaged a double-double — 16 points and 9.3 rebounds — during the 18-19 campaign.
Together, they’ll now step up a weight class as they get ready for the Big East while joining a Providence nucleus that features veterans David Duke, A.J. Reeves, and Nate Watson.
Cooley is hoping the addition of Bynum — a pass-first point guard — will help alleviate some of the pressure on Duke and Reeves.
“I’m hoping to free those guys up,” Cooley said of Duke and Reeves. “I thought David (Duke) was one of the most improved players in the country last year — not just offensively, but defensively. I hope that Jared (Bynum) can loosen those guys up a lot more.”
Cooley noted that Providence will file a waiver with the NCAA in an effort for Syracuse transfer Brycen Goodine to gain immediate eligibility next season.
The Friars were 19-12 overall last March prior to the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Tournament and are currently 35th in the ROTHSTEIN 45.
“There’s uncertainty,” Cooley said. “You don’t know what your freshmen are going to bring to the table because by now, we as coaches would have normally seen our kids all summer.”
