Pawtucket Times

RUNNING IT BACK

All-Big East forward Hopkins, Carter coming back to PC

By BRENDAN McGAIR bmcgair@pawtuckettimes.com

PROVIDENCE – In March of 1995, Michael Jordan issued a two-word statement that succulently announced his plan to unretire and return to the NBA and the Chicago Bulls: “I’m Back.”

Within one minute of each other Friday, Bryce Hopkins and Devin Carter took to their personal Twitter accounts to declare news in the exact wording as Air Jordan’s famous declaration of resuming his career on the hardwood.

“I’m back,” wrote Carter at noontime.

“I’m back,” wrote Hopkins at 12:01 p.m.

With those respective assertions, new Providence College basketball head coach Kim English can now lay claim to having two key pieces in the fold for the 2023-24 season. The decisions made by Carter and Hopkins to return for a second season with the Friars caps off a frantic month of March that those who closely follow PC basketball won’t forget anytime soon.

Speaking with the Call/ Times, Clyde Hopkins – Bryce’s father – noted that his son made up his mind concerning staying put with the Friars before Wednesday’s press conference that officially welcomed English to PC.

“Coach English is energetic and passionate. I think he’s going to bring out the best in Bryce and get him ready for that next level. Excited to be a part of it,” said Clyde Hopkins. “After meeting with [English] and starting a relationship with him, we felt really comfortable. Bryce is comfortable playing in front of the PC fans. The entire family was on board. That was really helpful in helping us make our decision to come back to PC.”

With Carter and Hopkins remaining in the fold, it’s officially full speed ahead for English and his coaching staff in the quest to add more talent to a roster that won’t be viewed in a rebuilding light. The defensive terror (Carter) and all-around offensive talent (Hopkins) will be joined by fellow Friar returnees Corey Floyd Jr., Alyn Breed and Quante Berry as well as newcomers Donovan Santoro, Justyn Fernandez and Josh Oduro. One piece to the puzzle concerning last year’s team and whether he sticks around under the new coaching regime stems from the status of freshman big man Rafael Castro.

“To have the main core back, that’s exciting,” said Clyde Hopkins. “If we can find another big man, we’ll be just fine.”

In what could be viewed as a stroke of good timing on the NCAA’s behalf in the wake of Ed Cooley’s decision to leave Providence for Georgetown, it would have appeared that significant roadblocks awaited Carter and Hopkins had they elected to transfer for the second time in their respective college careers. Both used their one-time transfer pass last spring when Hopkins came aboard to PC after spending his freshman year at Kentucky. Carter became a Friar after spending his first year of eligibility at South Carolina.

“We didn’t want to uproot and start all over,” said Clyde Hopkins, referring to the decision made by himself and his wife Karen to follow their son to Providence College. “We’re thankful for finding a great home at PC. We’re excited to come back for a second year.”

Whether their hands were tied to a certain degree or not concerning the NCAA cracking down on those looking to transfer for a second time, it stands to reason that both Hopkins and Carter felt comfortable enough with English and his approach to refrain from exploring options – whatever they may have entailed. Now the 1-2 punch can look forward to helping Providence once again compete in the top half of the Big East standings as well as be in the mix for another NCAA Tournament berth.

“I think Devin has developed some very close relationships with his [Friar] teammates. He enjoys it there. They had a certain degree of success by making the NCAA Tournament. He feels they can go an extra step further next year,” said Jason Smith, who coached Carter at Brewster [N.H.] Academy.

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2023-04-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-04-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://pawtuckettimes.pressreader.com/article/281668259240618

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