🏀 30 Seconds in Providence

The other day, we wrote an article about the importance of garbage time in the NBA, a time in the game where many overlook the players that take the court. Many turn the game off, change channels, or just kinda zone out. But in college basketball, this point in the game could mean some players are getting the opportunity to step on the court for the very first, and maybe last, time in their careers. For today’s first edition of the ‘Stump Spotlight’, we turn to the final thirty seconds of “garbage time” in Providence yesterday.

Providence welcomed the UConn Huskies to town yesterday for their final home game of the season. With that, comes senior day festivities. Families and players are honored for their dedication to the program for the duration of their time there. For many players, loud applauds shake the stadium as they get their flowers. But for a few players, some fans are left looking at each other in the stands and thinking, “who?”.

Those are typically the walk-ons. On senior night, coaches typically try to somehow get every senior some playing time. Providence was in striking distance of the Huskies for almost the whole second half, so Providence head coach Kim English kept in his guys to try to make a late push, leaving the walk-ons on the bench. With less than a minute left, the Huskies stretched the lead to above 10, and Providence went to the end of their bench.

With about 30 seconds left in the game, the buzzer sounded and in stepped Kieran O’Haire and Luke Fonts. Two Providence walk-ons playing in the last games of their career, neither of whom had ever recorded a point. Fonts, a Portsmouth, RI native has always loved Providence basketball. His brother was also a member of the program. Providence basketball is in his blood. O’Haire, a native of Menands, NY, just outside of Albany, hadn’t scored a basket in a real game since winning the state championship in high school.

So when these two stepped onto the court, you can’t sit there and tell me that these 30 seconds don’t matter.

It was a storybook ending for these two, as Fonts got the ball immediately and drove to the rim. Airball. But, a FOUL! Fonts went to the free throw line and BANG, knocks the first one down. In the stat book.

Providence got the offensive rebound and immediately gave the ball O’Haire. Turnaround jumper with a hand in his face. BANG! In the stat book.

An absolutely beautiful ending to an otherwise poor performance for Providence. These guys worked 4 years just to get a shot at putting their names in the scoring column. All the long days, long nights, hard workouts, days on the scout team. All worth it. It was 30 seconds for the rest of their life.

Congratulations to Luke Fonts and Kieran O’Haire. You deserved to be in the stat books. No matter what, you ARE Providence Basketball.

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