By JAMES MADDEN
Providence head coach Bryan Hodgson made one of the biggest splashes of the offseason last spring when the Friars signed G-League star Dink Pate.
Pate, a former four-star recruit, played three seasons in the G-League after originally forgoing his college eligibility and playing for the G-League Ignite over his senior year of high school.
After his breakout campaign during the 2025-26 season, Pate began to garner significant interest from college programs around the country, before he ultimately committed to play for the Friars.
With Hodgson speaking to the media in Providence, he provided an update on Pate’s situation, with the former G-League star remaining ineligible.
“We’re awaiting some final documentation on Dink as it pertains to the NCAA regarding his eligibility,” Hodgson said. “He has been deemed ineligible already based on playing in the G-League and that Exhibit-10 contract he signed.”
Hodgson also mentioned the reasoning for Pate and his camp not filing an a lawsuit in seek of a temporary restraining order, which has granted hundreds of athletes around the country additional eligibility.
“I’ve seen, ‘Why hasn’t Dink Pate sued the NCAA? Why hasn’t he sought out an injunction yet?,” he said. “There’s things that need to happen before that’s even an option, those things are not completely finalized yet. There’s a couple pieces of paperwork that are still in process. That’s the simplest way for me to put that, to you.”
With so many coaches voicing their displeasure with the current state of college basketball, Hodgson touched on the ongoing eligibility and NIL crises going on around the country.
“Everybody’s got something to complain about, but what’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong. They’ve let guys play in the past in that situation,” Hodgson said. “You’ve got guys that played in college basketball last year that made seven figures in Europe before they came over. We’ve got programs in college basketball that last year, paid half-a-million to a million dollar buyouts for players coming over from Europe but they’re crying about what’s going on now.”
Hodgson is entering his first season at Providence after being hired by the Friars on March 22. He previously two seasons at Arkansas State and one season at South Florida, notably reaching the NCAA Tournament at South Florida and finishing the season 25-9.
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