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Providence basketball announces that all season tickets for next season have sold out.

Bill Koch
The Providence Journal

PROVIDENCE — Steve Napolillo endured a few sleepless nights. Larry Lepore was concerned for one of his primary business partners. 

Those difficult times over the last six weeks make occasions like Monday all the more worth it. Providence has sold out of men’s basketball season tickets for the 2023-24 season, the announcement coming six months before the opening tip in November. 

Providence College athletic director Steven Napolillo announced this week that all season tickets for the coming men's basketball season have already been sold.

The Friars have rallied since the official March announcement that head coach and city native Ed Cooley would leave for Georgetown. His latest NCAA Tournament appearance helped extend what had been building momentum around the program for the better part of the last decade. It will continue in the seats for the debut campaign under Kim English, who was hired away from George Mason and managed to retain the majority of the returning core

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“To Ed’s credit, this has been built — I'm not going to take that away,” said Napolillo, Providence’s athletic director. “This has just hit another level. This program is huge for the city, the state.” 

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Friars forward Bryce Hopkins drives to the basket during a game against Xavier last season at a sold-out Amica Mutual Pavilion. Season tickets for the coming season have already sold out, PC announced.

Providence has established a waiting list for fans hoping to purchase tickets in the future. They’ll pay a fee of $100 to have the first crack if any current holders elect not to renew. That's unprecedented in program history. Lepore and his staff at Amica Mutual Pavilion will receive an immediate benefit for adding 400 seats at the visiting end of the building and expanding the backstage area for patrons who pay to access premium amenities before and during home games. 

“They’re going to show up,” said Lepore, general manager of Providence’s home venue and the adjacent Convention Center. “Anybody showing up walking through the doors means food and beverage sales and parking — all the things that we live on.” 

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There was a legitimate question about whether or not the Friars could sustain their financial momentum going forward after Cooley’s departure. Providence was just a season removed from a first Big East regular-season title and a return to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1997. Cooley was voted the National Coach of the Year by Naismith before making his unprecedented move to conference-rival Georgetown. 

“We were prepared,” Napolillo said. “All the credit goes to Coach English and his staff. These kids had to believe in him. Kids wanted to come here and play for him.” 

Napolillo was both honest and notably patient publicly while Cooley allowed speculation to drag on for multiple weeks. His last game ultimately was a 61-53 loss to Kentucky in his seventh edition of March Madness. The Hoyas announced their new hire just three days later, and Napolillo pivoted quickly to English on a six-year deal. 

“They didn’t miss a beat,” Lepore said. “Time really didn’t go by. It didn’t last long enough to worry. 

“They clearly had a candidate right away. He was the right person and they just moved on, which is pretty astonishing for today.” 

Providence men's basketball coach Kim English greets some of the fans after he was introduced as Ed Cooley's successor in March.

English secured commitments from key members of his returning roster in consensus all-conference selection Bryce Hopkins, running mate Devin Carter and a pair of incoming freshmen in Garwey Dual and Bryce Santoro. Providence also retained Jayden Pierre, Corey Floyd Jr. and Rafael Castro from a team that went 21-12 last season. English has since added a sizeable Patriots contingent — graduate transfers Josh Oduro and Davonte Gaines, freshman guard Justyn Fernandez and incoming prospect Rich Barron will all suit up for the Friars next year. 

“Knowing who we wanted and getting him was a tribute to him,” Napolillo said. “The kids had to believe in him.  

“At the end of the day, you could have brought any coach in. If they didn’t believe in him, they’re not staying.” 

Providence has dropped just three home games over the last two seasons and sold its full allotment of student tickets in each of those. The Friars were at capacity for seven of their 17 home dates in 2022-23 and drew at least 10,000 fans on five other occasions. Home tickets against a Gavitt Games opponent to be determined, the University of Rhode Island, Georgetown, St. John’s and Connecticut should all generate some heat on the secondary market. 

“We do everything at an elite level,” Napolillo said. “We’re going to continue to do that with name, image and likeness. I don’t want to have any excuses.” 

bkoch@providencejournal.com  

On Twitter: @BillKoch25