Projecting Bryan Hodgson's First Starting Five at Providence

The Friars completed their eight week summer practice sessions this past week as Thursday marked the end of the dog days of summer for the team.

The team will have a retreat next week which is something that head coach Bryan Hodgson has been doing both as an assistant and head coach for the past 12 years as he will be bringing in three Navy Seals to join the team off campus for 72 hours full of challenging everyone mentally, physically, and becoming closer as a unit.

The Friars will resume offseason activities in September once everyone is back on campus, with that leaves plenty of time to speculate on the state of the roster and potential starting five lineup which I have predicted below.

Subject to change, but here is my early starting five prediction for the 2026-2027 Providence Friars:

Point Guard (PG): Malik Mack

Starting out at the one I have Malik Mack who was a later addition this offseason through the transfer portal coming over from Big East foe Georgetown.

While I did not think that Mack would start when he initially committed, the statistics, one in particular stood out to me when I started to dive into his game: Mack has started all 90 games he has played in throughout his three-year collegiate career between Harvard and Georgetown.

When you think about having a veteran PG presence in the Big East conference combined with the fact that this is a new regime of Friar basketball under Hodgson, this is a relatively easy choice for me. I want someone who I can trust to not only have the ball in their hands to control the pace and tempo of the offense but also someone who can help mentor the other new non-conference transfers on the playstyle and physicality of the Big East.

Last season, Mack had 15 games with 15 or more points, including four games with 20 or more points.  Mack also recorded 14 games with five or more assists in 2025-26.  He ranked seventh in the Big East in assists (4.1 apg), assist to turnover ratio (2.07) and free throw shooting (81.8 percent).

From Mack's perspective, he would have not came here if he did not think that he would start as he easily could have stayed in conference at Georgetown. Mack is a pass first deep threat shooter who can knock it down from anywhere.

Shooting Guard (SG): Dink Pate

Much like Mack, this is a relatively easy choice for me as well just with a different context. While this will be Mack's third school, this will be Pate's first as he comes over from the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League.

According to Hodgson, "Dink Pate made a decision last year to turn down 2 way and 10-day contracts offered by the Knicks so he could maintain eligibility...Now he's here and he's fired up."

Per Pate himself on the Big East compared to the G League, "I think it's good, it's more of a physical league, individually, you gotta be more physical for this type of league. But I think I'm ready for it."

Pate has actually been Hodgson's guy from the very beginning as he started recruiting him in the 10th grade so there is obviously familiarity between the two, Pate was also ranked as the 30th ranked recruit in the class of 2023 according to ESPN ahead of the likes of Jeremy Fears Jr., Solo Ball, and Jaylin Stewart.

Last season with the Westchester Knicks, Pate had 10 games with 20 or more points, including a career-high 31 points on Jan. 9, 2026 versus the Kings.  He also shot 8-14 from three in the game. Pate also recorded seven double doubles in 2025-26.

Pate came here to start and to keep developing into an NBA player, I would be shocked if Pate was not in the starting lineup Nov. 2 vs. Maine.

Small Forward (SF): Devin Vanterpool

This one was easily the most difficult as it came down to Vanterpool and Ryan Mela, while I could see Mela starting at this spot by the time October rolls around, I gave the nod to Vanterpool (for now) only because he has slightly more and impactful starting experience than Mela.

Furthermore, Vanterpool started in every game he appeared in for the Florida Atlantic Owls last season which was 24 while Mela started 22 games for Providence while appearing in all 33 contests.

While the difference is only two games, last season Vanterpool led Florida Atlantic in scoring and rebounding last season, averaging 15.8 points and 6.3 rebounds.  He also shot 35.1 percent (52-148) from three and 78.2 percent (68-87) from the free-throw line.  Vanterpool also played about six more minutes per game than Mela last season. For his efforts he was named Third Team All-AAC and AAC Most Improved Player.

Nothing against Mela but he only averaged 9.9 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game, this is not a knock at all against or towards him this is just my gut prediction in August as I am thrilled that he's back as he will still have a very important role on the team even if he's the first guy off the bench instead of starting.

The great problem about this is that both players have improved their points per game, field goal percentage, and three-point field goal percentages over the past two seasons. Both are only ascending as this will be the biggest battle to keep a close eye out for as the season approaches which slightly favors Vanterpool at the moment for the accolades and better resume he has.

Power Forward (PF): Miles Byrd

Unlike the Vanterpool and Mela dynamic, Miles Byrd slides in at the four without question for this year's team. Not only was he Hodgson's first and biggest get from the transfer portal this offseason, but he has also established himself as one of the best defenders in college basketball as Providence ranked in the 300's in defensive efficiency last season.

Here's what CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein had to say about him via X at a recent summer practice he attended: "San Diego State transfer Miles Byrd is shining here at Providence practice. Winning 50/50 plays. Making ball reversals with regularity. Going to be a really good player in the Big East."

Byrd brings a wealth of experience to the court as he played at San Diego State the past four seasons and earned 2026 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors. Not only this, but Byrd also has NCAA tournament experience as he reached March Madness three times with the Aztecs including a trip to the national championship game during their historic Final Four run in 2023.

Byrd will be the best defender, if not the best player on this year's team as well as long as he's able to develop a consistent mid-range and three-point jump shot, this is the biggest weakness in his game but also a staple in the Hodgson offense as the hope is that Hodgson and co. can take his shooting ability to the next level.

Regardless, Byrd will be one of if not the most impactful and important player on this year's team.

Center (C): Arrinten Page

This is the position that scares me the most with this year's team as Providence will be Page's fourth different team in four years.

While it is a concern to me, thankfully it is not to Hodgson as "Arrinten will add another dimension to our roster next season," Hodgson said. "He has played in three different power conferences and is coming off his best individual season, averaging 10.2 points and 4.5 rebounds and shooting 54.6 percent from the field in the Big Ten. We expect that he will continue to develop and he will improve his versatile skill set in our program. He will be an elite addition on both ends of the floor in Friartown!"

Similarly to Vanterpool and Mela, Page is improving as well as the coaching staff is banking on his experience, traits, and skill set to keep developing him under what they believe is an ideal fit.

Rothstein seems to be higher than most people on Page as he said via X: "Palpable Buzz at Providence surrounding Northwestern transfer Arrinten Page. Look for the Friars to play a 4 around 1 look with Page as the interior focal point. Will be backed up by Samson Aletan."

A lot will fall on Page's plate as the interior focal point but that is an opportunity the coaching staff believes can get the best out of him, only time will tell if that turns out to be the case.

August projections are just that — projections. The roster won't really start to take shape until practices resume in September and competition for minutes ramps up. But on paper, Providence has more size, more depth and more experience than it did a year ago. Now comes the part that matters: seeing whether those pieces fit once the games begin.