When Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., sat down with the Torch last fall after the announcement of his presidency, he expressed a love for basketball and his own personal connection to the Big East Conference. The former president of Providence College, he rooted exclusively for the Friars, one of the Red Storm’s Big East opponents. This season, however, he’s been cheering for the Red Storm.
“I’m not rooting against Providence,” he said back in November. “I’m rooting for St. John’s… When I come back [to Providence] to visit, I want to come back here as a winner.