Richard Coren’s Road to Glory is a Love Letter to the PC Friars

A Providence College (PC) basketball fan for over 50 years has released a new book that is a must-read for Friar fans. Richard Coren’s Road to Glory: The Providence College Basketball Story is a fascinating journey through the history of the Big East team that played its first season in 1926. “Friar fans are definitely enjoying it,” says Coren, noting solid sales since the book’s May 2024 release.

Basketball has been Coren’s passion since his family moved to Rhode Island in 1972, “just in time for the opening of the Providence Civic Center,” says the writer, referencing what is now known as the Amica Mutual Pavilion or AMP. This also marked the beginning of the Ernie DiGregorio and Marvin Barnes Final Four era, local kids who were NCAA All-American players at PC and went on to play professionally. “My dad took me to a lot of games, and I became hooked as a fan,” Coren recalls.

Fast forward to 1989, when Coren approached the school about compiling statistics from across Friar history. “I told them I’ll do the research, and I’ll do it for free,” he says. “So every weekend, I’d go to the library, study the microfilm, and look up box scores from the Providence Journal. I put together season stats from the beginning, going all the way back to 1926.” Coren’s book includes an all-time player register and an alphabetical listing of every player who ever played for PC, along with their career statistics.

His knowledge and experience led to college officials offering Coren a gameday role with the team. “In 1991, I started on the scorer’s table, and for the last 13 years, I’ve been the team’s official scorekeeper,” he explains. “I’ve been sitting at half-court for the last 35 years; it’s the best seat in the house! It’s a labor of love, something you would do even if there were no money involved.”

Over the years, Coren has become the go-to guy for questions about anything PC men’s basketball-related. “I became the unofficial PC basketball historian,” he says. “When someone at the school had a question, they would call me, and I would have the answer. I had all this knowledge at my fingertips and in my head. I thought, let’s get this down on paper so it’s there for future generations. It’s kind of a reference piece for anyone that comes after me.”

Since their first televised game in 1961, the Friars have served as the state’s leading winter sports program. The men’s squad competes on a national level and fills the AMP for games all season long, supporting downtown businesses during the chilly winter months. With the 100th anniversary season on the horizon, support for the team is as strong as ever.   

“It really began when Providence first won the NIT (National Invitational Tournament) in 1961; the team came back by bus, with fans lining the road from the Connecticut border to Providence,” says Coren. “It’s only grown since then. Providence College basketball really is the state’s pro team. The support is there, the history, the tradition; it’s unlike any other athletic team in the state.”

In addition to his role at the scorer’s table, Coren oversees the Providence College website for the 24/7 CBS Sports Network. “I do a lot of articles and interviews for that,” he says. “I did a series of interviews in the 1990s for a cable documentary that never got produced, that included many players and coaches who are no longer with us. That gave me a lot of material for the book.” Road to Glory is available online only at BookBaby.com.