Projo College Hoops

Providence College completes its Rhode Island round-robin tonight when it hosts Bryant at the Dunk.

The Friars already have beaten URI and Brown. The meeting is the second with Bryant. The schools played in 1994 and PC won, 86-50.

Considering that PC and Bryant are only about 10 miles apart, it is not surprising that the schools have plenty of connections. Still, the list compiled by Jason Sullivan and Jared Hager of the Bryant sports communications office is impressive in just how many current Bryant coaches have Friar connections.

Here is the list:

Women's basketball coach Mary Burke is one of the great players in PC's women's hoop history and a Friar Hall of Famer; men's soccer coach Seamus Purcell was a two-time PC All-American and also a Friar Hall of Famer; men's tennis coach Ron Gendron both played and coached at PC; women's tennis coach Barbara Cilli, women's volleyball coach Theresa Garlacy, and track and cross country coach Stephanie Reilly all are PC grads.

Men's basketball assistant Kevin Kurbec was an assistant coach at PC for 10 years under Tim Welsh. And, for good measure, two of the recent interns in the Bryant communications office, Mike Coyne and Ryan Emerson, were PC grad students.

``They're all coming tonight,'' Hager said of the Friars who have turned into Bryant coaches. ``I don't know who they're rooting for.''

 Tags  Bryant Mary Burke PC Friars

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