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Looking at last week’s moves in the local college basketball scene

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4 months ago

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Looking at last week’s moves in the local college basketball scene

Games are obviously in short supply when July rolls around, but the business of college basketball remains alive and well throughout the year. 

NBA Summer League invitations, offseason team trips, coaching changes and transfers are still ongoing. It’s been three months since the Final Four and it’s still four months until opening night in November but that matters little. 

Here are a few notes during what was a busy week leading into the fireworks, cookouts and other celebrations that marked Independence Day. Hope it was a happy and healthy time for all. 

NBA Summer League — Ed Croswell, Jeff Dowtin Jr., Justin Minaya, Charles Pride 

Four additional former college standouts in the state were assigned to NBA Summer League rosters this past week. 

Croswell will return from his season in Turkey to play with the Orlando Magic. He appeared in 33 games with Fenerbahce last year, averaging 19.1 points and 9.3 rebounds. Croswell was a key member of two NCAA Tournament teams at Providence before beginning his professional career overseas. 

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Dowtin will play with the Philadelphia 76ers. The former star point guard at the University of Rhode Island played in 12 games with the 76ers last season, averaging 4.3 points and 2.3 assists. Dowtin previously played for Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse with the Toronto Raptors, giving him a natural connection to his fifth stop in the league. 

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Minaya signed a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers and will play with them this month. He appeared in 34 games with Portland last season, averaging 1.8 points and 1.6 rebounds. Minaya is about to enter his third season with the Trail Blazers after a lone season as a Providence forward in 2021-22, and his transfer from South Carolina helped the Friars reach the Sweet 16. 

Pride has agreed to a summer deal with the Charlotte Hornets as a rookie. He spent a final season at St. Bonaventure in 2023-24 after starring at Bryant for four years. Pride helped the Bulldogs reach a first NCAA Tournament in program history, leaving the school with more than 1,500 career points, 750 rebounds and 250 assists. 

Rhode Island men — Bahamas 

The Rams will play three games during a week-long tour of the Bahamas in August. 

URI will visit Baha Mar for matchups with the University of Calgary, the University of Alberta and a local team to be determined. The trip comes at the end of the school’s second summer session. Players have been on campus and practicing since the close of the 2023-24 season. 

“The opportunity to bring our program to a destination site like the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League is exciting,” URI coach Archie Miller said in a statement. “Any chance to give your team live game action against any opponent helps build team chemistry, especially where we are blending a returning nucleus with several newcomers.” 

Ticket packages are available at bahamarhoops.com. 

Bryant women — Megan Bodziony 

Bodziony will spend a COVID fifth year with the Le Moyne Dolphins in 2024-25. It will be the left-handed guard’s third college stop after Fordham and 85 games with the Bulldogs over the last three seasons. 

Bodziony made 15 of her 25 starts in 2022-23 and averaged 3.3 points during her time in Smithfield. She was a star at South Kingstown and the state Gatorade Player of the Year at St. Andrew’s before moving to the Atlantic 10. 

Bodziony is one of four incoming transfers for Le Moyne coach Nick DiPillo, who is entering his debut season.  

Providence men — Matt Palumbo, Anton Bonke, Corey Floyd Jr. 

Palumbo has been promoted to assistant coach entering the 2024-25 season. He spent last year as a special assistant to head coach Kim English. 

“He is one of the most dedicated and driven individuals I have worked with during my career,” English said in a statement. “We are fortunate to have him working with our team.” 

Palumbo was a graduate assistant at George Mason for two seasons and followed English when he was hired away from the Patriots. He was an undergraduate manager for four seasons at Virginia, helping the Cavaliers win a national title in 2019. Palumbo has largely focused on player development and recruiting coordination under English. 

Bonke and Floyd recently completed a nine-day trip to Greece with the USA East Coast Men’s Basketball Select Team. They played four games in Athens from June 24 to July 2. 

Floyd was one of the team’s leading scorers. He hit for 13 points in the second game, 17 in the third and 18 in the fourth. Floyd averaged 4.8 points and 3.0 rebounds as a redshirt sophomore guard with the Friars in 2023-24. 

Bonke enjoyed productive showings in the second and fourth games. The center collected 10 points and seven rebounds in the second before adding 12 points and four rebounds in the fourth. Bonke enrolled at Providence out of an Arizona junior college at the midseason last year and practiced with the team through the remainder of an NIT campaign. 

Elsewhere — Darius Lopes 

Lopes announced his commitment to Maine on Sunday. He took an official visit with the Black Bears in May and also claimed offers from Albany, Fordham, Siena and UMBC. 

Lopes is a 2025 guard and West Warwick native. He was an undergraduate at Bishop Hendricken before joining his current prep home at Vermont Academy. Lopes plays on the Puma grassroots circuit with Rhode Island Elite. 

“There isn’t a part of the journey I regret,” Lopes said in his announcement on social media. 

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25 

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