With players on this year’s roster from Louisiana, Alabama, Puerto Rico and Turkey, the BCC Bayhawks are putting together one of their finest seasons, enjoying a 16-4 record after Thursday’s 75-49 victory over Quinsigamond.
FALL RIVER - The expanded recruiting process at Bristol Community College is paying big dividends for the men’s basketball program.
With players on this year’s roster from Louisiana, Alabama, Puerto Rico and Turkey, the Bayhawks are putting together one of their finest seasons, enjoying a 16-4 record after Thursday’s 75-49 victory over Quinsigamond.
Rob Delaleu, in his ninth season as head coach at BCC, has seen his recruiting process evolve from mostly local players in his initial season to today’s global squad.
“When I first started, it was mostly Fall River, New Bedford guys, and some from the Newport area,” said Delaleu. “As time we on, we spread out into Pawtucket and that’s become a great pipeline for us. With social media now, I do a lot of networking and we’re able to reach out to these guys.”
Joshua Winbush, a 6-foot-7 forward/center, is one of two BCC players - Damion Martin the other - to come to Fall River from Barbe High School in New Orleans, Louisiana. Winbush is fresh off a 23-point, 11-rebound performance in Tuesday’s 84-68 win over Roxbury and has been a force for the Bayhawks this year.
Winbush (22 points against Quinsigamond) never played high school basketball.
“We recruited him through an AAU contact,” Delaleu said. “He admits he didn’t take basketball seriously back in high school.”
“I’m thankful for the opportunity they gave me here,” said Winbush, who had never been away from home prior to his arrival at BCC. “It was scary for me coming here because I didn’t know anybody. The biggest thing for me is getting used to the snow.”
Caleb Provitt, a 6-foot guard, came to Fall River from G.W. Carver High School in Montgomery, Alabama and heard about the school from his cousin, Frank Stephenson, an assistant coach for the Bayhawks.
“I really like it up here,” Provitt said. “The teachers at the school really try to help you out.
“For me, I’m away from all the distractions back home. I’m away from my family and I miss that, but they have come up here to see me.”
Both Provitt and Winbush hope to take their basketball talents to the next level when they leave BCC.
“I’d like to go play overseas,” Provitt said, “but if I don’t get to do that, I’ll be going in the military.”
Hakan Arda Coban (Istanbul, Turkey) and Luis Rosario Rivera (Orocovis, Puerto Rico) are also making an impact with the Bayhawks.
“I think people want to come here,” Delaleu said. “I think they see there is a formula for success here. We don’t just roll out the balls. We provide a good education.”
Education has been a big part of these five players’ stay in Fall River, something that Delaleu is proud of.
“All five of these guys took care of their marks,” he said.
While Delaleu has had success bringing in players from all over, he says it hasn’t happened without a challenge.
“We do lack resources,” he said. “We don’t have our own facilities and we don’t have dorms, so they have to be able to afford housing. What we are able to do is get them ready for the next level. The formula is working here.”
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