The Friars opened eyes nationally grabbing Miles Byrd and Dink Pate
By KEVIN McNAMARA
This New World basketball stuff is a bit crazy, but certainly fun.
Example A is what Bryan Hodgson and staff pulled off Thursday for the Providence Friars. While the fandom is juggling between fighting through The Masters, these 40 degree temps, and this Red Sox start from Hell, the Friars grabbed two players of significant renown for the 2026-27 season. One is a lock-down defender and plus athlete, while the other may be a player who combines the most talent with biggest mystery since …I’m struggling to remember Who.
Their names are Miles Byrd and Dink Pate.
First, the Defender. This guy Byrd is the little brother of Justin Minaya, the versatile, lock-down lefty defender from the 2022 Big East champion/Sweet 16 entrant. He’s listed at 6-7, is long and active and while his 3-point marksmanship is shaky (30.8%), the Stockton, Cal., native averaged 10.4 points but was so impactful that he’s a Top 20 rated recruit in the portal.
Of course anyone who sits around and rates basketball players entering ‘the portal’ needs to be examined. What’s important for Providence right now is stockpiling talent and adding a piece like Byrd is sweet. He’s a perfect mix among any grouping that Hodgson may put around him because he will not be a ball-dominant offensive player but will make eye-popping defensive stops. He averaged 10.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals while shooting just a bit over 30 percent from the 3-point line. That downtown accuracy needs to improve and will be a major focus this summer.
So for anyone who does not know – Shame, Shame, Shame – as I wrapped up my daily radio show on WPRO in Providence 997wpro.com there were rumors of more Friar news brewing. That always perks my ears skyward but who was prepared for this one?
A Dink Drop.
Dink Pate?
I can honestly say I had faintly heard of someone named Dink from Texas a few years ago but this is one of the biggest shock/impact player combos I can ever recall in 30-plus years of monitoring this craziness.
Dink Pate? He’s actually Sasha Pate but family members back in Dallas began calling him ‘Dink’ since birth. A simple Google search of Mr. Dink Pate will show that he is an offensive basketball talent the type that does not come along every year. Pate was a 1st team All-Texas high school scorer, matured into a 6-7 stud athlete who averaged 16 points a game for the Westchester Hawks in the NBA’s G League and at 20-years old is a budding NBA Draft pick who’ll pick up another year of seasoning (and some major cash) in the Big East.
Pate’s track record is impressive. As a high school player in Dallas, Pate was a top 30 recruit, per ESPN, and considered schools like Kansas and West Virginia. He chose to skip college and polish his skills in basketball’s minor leagues and met with success. He signed with the G League Ignite, a finishing school for NBA prospects that is now defunct. Pate then spent the 2024-25 season in Mexico before declaring for the 2025 draft. He signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the New York Knicks this past September and enjoyed a big year in the G League, such as a 26-point, 13-rebound effort against the Maine Celtics
When G League player James Nnaji was cleared to play at Baylor this past season, schools began focusing on other players in that league. Pate has never been drafted by an NBA team, has never signed a two-way, and has not played in an NBA game. Pate did sign the Exhibit 10 deal with the Knicks – which can be interpreted as an NBA contract – but his collegiate eligibility does appear solid.
With Byrd, Pate and Ryan Mela in tow, Hodgson has checked the box with big, versatile wings. PC is still mentioned with a few players from Hodgson’s South Florida program, most notably 6-2 shooter Wes Enis. However the addition of a ball-centric guard like Pate may limit PC’s recruiting of Enis.
