PROVIDENCE – Officially the Keno Davis Era kicked off with his hiring last April. Unofficially Davis’ tenure as Friar basketball coach got rolling following Providence College’s season-ending 78-66 loss to Miami on Wednesday.
After wrapping up a 19-14 season that included a spot in the National Invitational Tournament, Davis can take solace he squeezed all he could out of a team that was hand-picked for him. The Friars bopped off some heavyweights (Pittsburgh, Syracuse) along the way to merit NCAA Tournament consideration, but as was the persistent theme throughout Tim Welsh’s 10 years, PC didn’t accomplish enough to graduate to the next level.
As Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez noted before playing Providence in January, Davis walked into a rare situation. “No one in the (Big East) has (five) seniors, they are a veteran team that has a ton of experience,” said Gonzalez, noting the presence of Jeff Xavier, Geoff McDermott, Jonathan Kale, Randall Hanke and Weyinmi Efejuku. While Gonzalez is dead-on, the veteran factor couldn’t hide the fact this group won just one postseason game and missed out competing in the NCAAs.
Davis deserves credit for guiding the Friars to 10 Big East victories, the most since the Big East expanded to its current 16-team conglomerate in 2005. Getting, however, shut out of the field of 65 despite residing in a conference that yielded three No. 1 seeds showed Davis what kind of uphill climb he has ahead of him.
With a seven-player recruiting class on the horizon, Davis now gets the chance to put his stamp on the program. Whether that translates into a NCAA berth any time soon remains to be seen, but Davis is officially on the clock.
Here are some keys to monitor in Davis’ quest to push Providence onto the big stage:

FAREWELL
Davis spoke glowingly about the departing Friars in his post-game remarks Wednesday, saying “I can’t ask of a better group to coach for one year. I wish we could coach them another year. Whether its Weyinmi driving to the basket to or Randall having a big rebounding spurt, it’s those things you see and think ‘Maybe they can add this or that to their games’ next year. As a staff we’re not as fortunate to have them back for one more year.”
While it’s easy for Friar fans to find fault with this group’s shortcomings, the truth is that they provided Davis a necessary blueprint of what’s required to combat the ilk of Louisville, Connecticut and Pittsburgh. One doesn’t gain a true appreciation of just how difficult a league this is to win consistently in until navigating through an 18-game minefield. Now, thanks to the aid of Efejuku & Co., Davis can say “been there, done that.”
Efejuku could draw some interest from pro scouts thanks to a late-season push that saw him earn Big East honorable mention honors. An invite to next month’s Portsmouth Invitational, which is geared specifically towards seniors, arrived yesterday for the Efejuku, who ended his career with exactly 1,500 points, and McDermott.
Xavier mentioned he would like to further his career overseas, which is also a possibility for Kale and Hanke.

THE RETURNEES
Davis used a strict eight-man rotation this season with sophomore Alex Kellogg used as a spare ninth piece. After Wednesday, that rotation dwindled down to three players.
Sharaud Curry, who will be a red-shirt senior, demonstrated just how critical a having a healthy point guard is. When the 5-foot-10 Georgia native was sidelined in 2007-08 with a foot injury, the Friars limped to a 15-16 record that resulted in Welsh’s dismissal at season’s end.
Though it took some time before Curry felt like his old self, the mighty-might provided countless reasons why he’s one the best scoring point guards in the country. Where Curry ran into trouble was when opponents flashed different looks at him, which Louisville did in the Big East Tournament. The Cardinals all but cut off Curry, holding him to six points and four turnovers in 39 minutes.
Lost in the midst of Wednesday’s finale was the second-half explosion by Brian McKenzie, who broke out of a 2-for-17 slump by draining four 3-pointers. The junior saw his scoring average drop by six points this season, his shooting percentage tail off from 47 percent as a sophomore to 31 percent in 2008-09.
After starting off the year like a house on fire, Marshon Brooks, a sophomore, wore down as the season deepened. He managed just 41 points over the Friars’ final eight games, a far cry from the 30 points he torched Sacred Heart in November. Adding some strength to his slender 190-pound frame should be Brooks’ top priority this season.
The decision to sit out freshman Bilal Dixon and sophomore Jamine “Greedy” Peterson bought Davis some years of eligibility down the road. Both players, along with Kellogg, spent the season banging bodies with the regulars while serving time on the scout team.
“They have a good group of guys coming back,” said Efejuku.

NEWCOMERS
Though we won’t be able to grab a full understanding of Davis’ first recruiting class until next season, the following is already understood: the Friars are going to resemble a Cub Scout troop. Their makeup should make them one of the most inexperienced clubs in the Big East.
Another thing that’s certain is Davis will have plenty of minutes to throw around, a point he and his staff undoubtedly drove home while combing the country from the next Friar. Already in the fold are center James Still and forward Kadeem Batts along with guards Johnnie Lacy and Duke Mondy and Kyle Wright, a teammate of Efejuku’s at Brewster (N.H.) Academy. The final two pieces, Russ Permenter and Vincent Council are expected to sign their letters-of-intent when the signing period opens next month.

INTANGIBLES
From a tactical vantage point, Davis’ matchup zone proved far too inviting. The images of Notre Dame swishing 13 threes or Miami’s Jack McClinton burying seven treys revealed there were far too many leaks on a PC team that surrendered a league-worst 76 points during conference play.
Davis gets somewhat of a pass because he was trying to incorporate his system with players firmly set in their ways. Now it’s up to him to steer the program back to the Big Dance, a venue the Friars haven’t visited since 2004.