By KEVIN McNAMARA

The promised deep connections to his Baltimore roots are already paying off for new Providence College basketball coach Kim English.

The Friars secured their first commitment from a 2024 high school prospect late Saturday when Daquan Davis, a 6-0 foot guard who will play at St. Frances in Baltimore this coming season, chose Providence after a strong push from in-state Maryland, Notre Dame and Mississippi State. Davis visited PC earlier this spring and cited a close relationship with English and assistant Nate Tomlinson, who both also recruited him when they were working at George Mason.

“Coach Kim is a great guy,” Davis said via Instagram. “Great staff. Great fans. I felt like it was home.” 

Davis is ranked as one of the top point guards in the Mid-Atlantic. He starred for St. John’s College High in Washington, D.C. but will transfer back home to Baltimore this coming season. He is ranked anywhere from 75-125 by most scouting services.

Davis has helped lead Team Takeover on the Nike EYBL circuit to a 14-3 record heading into the Peach Jam next month. That team is loaded with talent and is clearly a focus for English and his assistants. Center Patrick Ngongba II visited PC with Davis back in May and has emerged as one of the hottest big man prospects in the country. Forward Isaiah Abraham visited Providence last week and power forward Garrett Sundra has narrowed his picks to PC, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Butler and Miami.

The Friars are welcoming highly-touted point guard Garwey Dual in the 2023 freshman class but he is a bigger guard with range and certainly can play on the court at the same time as a smaller, quick guard like Davis.