Bryan Hodgson adds 3 players in less than 24 hours, including Yale big man Samson Aletan
By KEVIN McNAMARA
Hold onto your programs, Friar fans.
Yes, I know, they don’t even sell (sadly) programs at the Amica Mutual Pavilion anymore but the expected introduction of 10 or more Providence Friars on the 2026-27 team will take some time. It also promises to be quite the exciting start to a season.
If the Friars were looking to sell excitement – and hope – with the hiring of Bryan Hodgson, they’ve done it over the last two weeks. The capstone moment may not have even arrived but the dizzying pace that Hodgson and his staff have added talent to the program has sparked all sorts of excitement.
Consider this timeline: On Tuesday night, the Friars secured a commitment from Florida Atlantic guard Devin Vanterpool. A little after Noon Wednesday, Buffalo 3-point shooter supreme Ryan Sabol jumped on board. Then, as night time fell, the first piece to PC’s frontcourt pledged in the form a massive Yale center Samson Aletan.
That gives Hodgson seven players and there is no stoppage in sight. The Friars will keep dipping into the portal for additional size and could also use another shooting point guard while they’re at it.
Here is a quick roster synopsis:
PG: Gavin Hightower, So.; Dink Pate, Fr.
SG: Devin Vanterpool, Sr.; Ryan Sabol, Sr.
SF: Ryan Mela, Jr; Miles Byrd, Sr.
C: Samson Aletan
The best part about the above group? For most of the players you can disregard those positions. Pate, for example, can lead the offense from the point but certainly his most natural spot is attacking from the wings and in transition. Friar fans know that Mela is a Swiss Army knife type player. Same goes for Byrd and Vanterpool is just a guard, comfortable at either spot.
Maybe most important is that these guys can guard multiple positions which is so important with modern-day, switching man-to-man defenses.
Defense is where the 6-10, 225 pound Aletan shines most. In his three years at Yale, the Dallas native has blocked 100 shots. He was as physically blessed as any big man in the Ivy League and used his imposing frame to protect the rim for a Bulldog team that played in the NCAA Tournament for twice (2024, ’25) and was beaten at the buzzer by Penn in this year’s Ivy title game.
Aletan is an elite finisher around the rim but didn’t get a lot of scoring chances. He made 58 percent of his shots while averaging 7.8 points and 5.8 rebounds but his calling card is rim protection and finishing with authority. He owns good, not great, hands and made 58 percent of his free throws last year.
Vanterpool, a 6-4 sophomore at Florida Atlantic who was named the American Conference’s Most Improved player this past season, checks a lot of boxes. He is the son of former St. Bonny star and current Washington Wizards assistant coach David Vanterpool and was a 3’rd team All-American Conference pick after averaging 15.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while making 52 threes at a 35% clip.
Vanterpool scored 26 points (with three 3-pointers) in a 83-81 loss to Hodgson’s South Florida team on Feb. 15 but was shut down for the final seven games of the season with an ankle injury. After a redshirt freshman season averaging only eight minutes a game, Vanterpool played over 31 minutes a night in 2025-26 and eclipsed 20 points seven different times.
A former New York City high school star at Christ the King, Vanterpool entered the portal last week and heard from schools like UCLA and Maryland before picking the Friars.
Any good team needs a designated pure sniper and Sabol certainly fill the bill. Few players in college basketball made more of an impact from the 3-point line than Sabol has in his three years with Buffalo. Sabol averaged 18.8 points as a junior with 122 threes on 40 percent shooting. He’s made a whopping 263 threes in three seasons. Just this past season Sabol hit for five or more threes in 13 games.
While Vanterpool and Pate are both strong 3-point shooter, Sabol could see open looks galore on this team. While he won’t take nearly as many shots as he did with the Bulls, Sabol’s role to come off the bench and stretch defenses will be vitally important.
Among the additional big men the Friars are looking at is Arrinton Page, a 6-10 center who has played for three schools (USC, Cincinnati, Northwestern) and will now play his senior season at his fourth school in four years. Page did have his best collegiate season with Northwestern, in which he appeared in 29 games with 16 starts, averaging 10.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. He did this playing 22.9 minutes per game and shot the ball at a 54.6% clip.
