1996-1997 Providence College Friars

The 1996-1997 Providence College Friars were a unique team with a different group of personalities that will probably always be remembered by Friar fans. They were a #10 seed in the NCAA Tournament that season and they knocked off # 7 Marquette, # 2 Duke, and # 14 Tenn.-Chattanooga, before losing to # 4 Arizona in OT. Arizona would go on to win the National Championship that year.

Here is a look at the players on the 1997 Providence College Friars:

PG: God Shammgod: Shammgod was the king of the crossover dribble, but he couldn't shoot to save his life. Still his flashy style of play was always entertaining to watch. The former McDonalds High School All-American only spent two years at PC before bolting for the NBA. He got drafted by the Washington Wizards in the second round, but didn't make it past one year in the NBA. Shammgod is currently playing for the Portland Chinooks of the International Basketball League. Shammgod averaged 10.8 points, 6.6 assists, and 2.4 steals a game for the 1997 Friars.

SG: Jamel Thomas: Thomas is probably most famously known as Stephon Marbury's cousin and Sebastian Telfair's half brother. However, he was also a key part of this Providence College team. Thomas was one of the most talented players on the Friars. He could shoot and pass very well and had good size for a college SG. He had a very short NBA career and has played in Italy and Turkey throughout the years. He averaged 14.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists a game for the 1997 Friars. He also led the team with 65 three pointers, hitting on 40.1% of them.

SF: Derrick Brown: Brown was another Junior College transfer, who was a key part of the 1997 Friars team. He was a great college player who did almost everything well, but not well enough to be an NBA player. Brown was king of the baseline, always seeming to work his way from the baseline to sneak in underneath the hoop to catch a pass for a layup. He also had the best nickname on the team: Derrick "Flight" Brown. Brown averaged 17.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals a game in 1997. He also shot the ball extremely well, knocking down 49.9 % of his shots, including a solid 37% from three.

PF: Austin Croshere: Croshere was the star of this team and would end up having the most successful career after getting drafted in the lottery by the Indiana Pacers. He was Mr. Inside & Outside for the Friars, knocking down threes and handling his business down low. He was a great college scorer and was deadly at the free throw line hitting 84.3% of his free throws for his career. Croshere is back with the Indiana Pacers after bouncing around the NBA for a few years. Croshere finished the 1997 season averaging 17.9 points and 7.5 rebounds a game.

C: Ruben Garces: Garces was the big man enforcer on this Providence College team. A Junior College transfer, Garces was solid low post presence for the Friars, providing just enough scoring to go with his rebounding. Garces had a brief NBA career and is currently playing in Spanish ACB for Pamesa Valencia. He is also a member of the Panama national basketball team. He finished the 1997 season averaging 9.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks a game, while shooting 53.8% from the field.

Bench: The bench for the Friars wasn't very deep, but it was led by Corey Wright and Jason Murdock. Corey Wright was a fan favorite at just 5'8" and was a quick change of pace guard for the Friars. His speed allowed him to average 2 steals a game for the Friars. Murdock averaged just under 19 minutes a game for the Friars, but struggled with his shot all season connecting on just 34.6% of his attempts, including just 29.8% from three. The other members on the bench did not see big minutes, but included big man Ndongo Ndiaye and forwards Abdul Brown and Kofi Pointer.