December 22, 2008

For Bryant's homegrown players, the chance to play PC is a highlight

By KEVIN McNAMARA
Journal Sports Writer

SMITHFIELD -- Oddly enough, the operative word is "fun" these days for the Bryant University men's basketball team.

You would think a team carrying a 1-8 record and facing long odds in virtually every game it plays wouldn't be having a whole lot of fun, but that's not the case with the Bulldogs. And Monday night, when Bryant plays Providence College for the first time as a Division I program, promises even more fun for three players in particular.

Bryant has three Rhode Island natives on its roster. Each grew up enjoying, even rooting for, the Friars. Monday night, they'll all be in coach Tim O'Shea's starting lineup.

"All three guys deserve to start, but we haven't started them together. We will [Monday night]. They'll really appreciate that,'' said O'Shea.

Chris Birrell has started every game for the Bulldogs in his junior season. A point guard from Scituate High and CCRI, Birrell played 38 minutes of Bryant's 67-37 loss at Rutgers on Saturday and is the team's third-leading scorer. He says he's enjoyed competing against Connecticut, Boston College, Iowa and all of the big-name foes on Bryant's grueling schedule, but that he's always wanted to play against Providence College.

``My dad [Rob] had season tickets, so I went to a lot of games when I was young,'' said Birrell. "I remember (God) Shammgod, Jamel Thomas, John Linehan. It was fun.''

Read more about Chris Birrell, Pete Lambert, and Andrew Lyell in this great article by Kevin McNamara http://www.projo.com/pc/content/projo-20081222-pc-bryant.24ebf2f.html