At Late Night Madness, Friars turn up the heat on pursuit of point guard from Class of 2026

PROVIDENCE As members of the high school Class of 2026, Amir Jenkins and Jermel Thomas have, in theory, many miles to go before firming up their college basketball plans.

There are official visits to schedule, coaches to connect with on a deeper level, and day-of-game atmospheres to check out in person.

The checklist appears lengthy, yet its all part of the recruiting game where schools woo prospects.

It also takes two to tango, as in high school-aged teenagers believing in the message being conveyed to them.

Shifting back to Jenkins and Thomas, the presence of both at Providence Colleges Late Night Madness celebration was a clear-as-day sign that head coach Kim English and his staff are prioritizing their desire to land a point guard from the Class of 2026.

The quest to land a floor general straight out of the high school ranks figures to have been raised after the recent development involving Jaylen Reece choosing LSU over a group of finalists that included the Friars.

Reece is rated as one of the better point guards from the 25 class.

Had PC been able to land Reece a high school/AAU teammate of Friar 25 verbal commit Jamier Jones it stands to reason he would have slid into the role that will become available when Bensley Joseph completes his first and only season in a Providence uniform.

Pairing Reece with Jayden Pierre for the 2025-26 season now represents a pipe dream.

Now, its reasonable to expect English to dip in the transfer portal next spring perhaps with the intention of landing a point guard with multiple seasons of eligibility under his belt.

Further down the line is where youll find Jenkins and Thomas, two guests at the Amica Mutual Pavilion Saturday night.

Before heading to the downtown arena to see the crowd whip themselves into a frenzy as members of both the mens and womens basketball teams were introduced, both spent time on PCs campus.

Being a point guard, if I were to come to Providence, I would strive to be the best at that spot.

I think Coach English is great with his guards in general ...

Devin Carter, Bensley Joseph, Jayden Pierre, Corey Floyd, said Jenkins.

Watching practice, they ran the offense well.

I feel its more of a guard-oriented offense.

They try to get the bigs the ball, then youll see Bensley shoot a floater.

The way their guards come off ball screens, they have a lot of options.

A Worcester native who is heading into his first season with Worcester Academy, Jenkins made waves the same night that Devin Carter went to the Sacramento Kings as a lottery pick.

The same day as the NBA Draft, Jenkins shared via social media that he had been offered by the Friars.

Shortly before the draft proceedings began, Jenkins news of his Friar offer was retweeted by Carter.

Listed at 6-foot-3, Jenkins enjoyed a strong summer on the grassroots circuit with Team New England Basketball Club.

Additionally, he participated in the USA Basketball gold-medal winning mens U18 3X3 team in the FIBA World Cup.

Now, hes gearing up for his first season in the NEPSAC.

Im very excited to start.

Cant wait to start practicing and playing games, said Jenkins.

Also listed at 6-foot-3, Thomas is preparing for his first high school season with Our Saviour Lutheran School, located in the Bronx, N.Y.

I think the team would be very blessed to have me because Im a point guard who wants to get everyone involved and make everyone happy, said Thomas.

Coach English brings great energy.

He wants the best for everyone on the team.

Technically, Thomas and Jenkins were on unofficial visits on Saturday.

Both are looking to set up official visits in the not-so-distant future a step that would thrust the quest to land a Class of 2026 point guard into a higher plateau.

Being away from New York and coming up to Providence, its giving me space to clear my head and meet new people in a new environment, said Thomas.

Meeting the media before getting introduced to the crowd, English talks about the power of having recruits in the house to physically see the support that the Friars receive on a night-in, night-out basis.

The atmosphere is something that were proud of every time we step into it, said English.

Whenever we have a chance to have recruits come see this building, they do.

We dont have football, but I think in this day and age that its a beautiful thing that we dont have football.

It speaks to the strength of our league [the Big East].

Optimism may have been in the air Saturday night, yet English came across as a concerned coach when asked to provide a health update about his 2024-25 squad.

Not great right now.

Practicing with 6-7 scholarship guys.

Lots of nicks and bruises and thats frustrating.

The good news is nothing is catastrophic right now.

Hopefully well have guys ready to go [for the season opener] on Nov.

4, said English, noting that the Friars will likely be shorthanded for next Saturdays exhibition game against UMass.

English noted that Bryce Hopkins has been ratcheting up the intensity and duration regarding his individual workouts, though placing a time frame on when Friar fans can expect the All-Big East forward to return to game action is a conversation for down the road.

Ive told him all offseason that his ACL is going to be stronger and his game is going to be better when he does return, said English.

Follow Brendan McGair on X, formerly Twitter, @BWMcGair03.

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