PC Retires Jerseys of Kevin Stacom, Joe Hassett and Tracy Lis

On Saturday, January 25, Providence College honored three of its
all-time greatest basketball players. Former Friar men's basketball
players Kevin Stacom
'74 and Joe Hassett'77 and women's basketball player Tracy Lis '92 were
honored at the men's and women's home games that day as banners were
unveiled with their names and numbers (Stacom #25, Hassett #10 and Lis
#22). The banners were presented at a halftime ceremony of the men's and
women's games. All three former Friars joined the Friar Legends Forever
Tradition.

The Providence College Athletic Department also held a dinner to
honor Stacom, Hassett and Lis. The event was held at the Omni Hotel in
Downtown Providence.
The Friar Legends Forever Tradition began in 1996. To earn the honor,
the player or coach must have made a significant impact on Friar
basketball and he/she must have received national recognition during
his/her career at Providence.

Stacom and Hassett became the 10th and 11th members of the Friar
men's basketball family to be honored as part of the Friar Legends
Forever Tradition. Lenny Wilkens
`60 was the first PC player to have his number retired in 1996. In
2007, the College honored former coaches Joe Mullaney and Dave Gavitt.
In 2008, Jimmy Walker `67, Marvin Barnes `74 and Ernie DiGregorio
`73 had their numbers retired. In 2009, the College honored John
Egan`61 as his number was retired. The most recent Friars to earn the
honor were Ray Flynn `63 and Vinnie Ernst `63 in 2011.

“Playing for Coach Gavitt at Providence College was one of the
highlights of my career,” Stacom said. “I appreciate the College
recognizing me today. There are so many special players that have
earned this honor over the years, I truly feel blessed.”

Stacom, a native of Elmont, N.Y., played two seasons (1972-74) for the
Friars after transferring from Holy Cross. In just two seasons he earned
the reputation of being one of the most consistent and effective
shooters ever at Providence, helping lead the Friars to a 55-8 mark
during his career. His .527 field goal percentage is tops all-time
amongst Friar guards. In 63 career games, he scored 1,143 points (18.1
ppg) and shot 83.4 percent from the free-throw line. His 18.1 points per
game average ranks sixth all-time and his 83.4 percent from the line is
12th at Providence. In 1973, Stacom helped lead the Friars to a 27-4
mark and a trip to the Final Four. He was named to the NCAA East Region
All-Tournament Team. In his junior season, he averaged 17.8 points per
game. As a senior, Stacom helped the Friars post a 28-4 record and
advance to the Sweet 16. In his final season at Providence, he averaged
18.5 points per game. In recognition of his stellar play in 1974, Stacom
was named Second Team All-America, First Team All-ECAC, All-East and
All-New England. He was selected in the second round of the 1974 NBA
Draft by the Boston Celtics. He played six seasons in the NBA.

“Providence College has been such a big part of my life,” Hassett
said. “Today is another chapter in that story. I love PC and have so
many great memories of games over the years. It is a great honor to
have my number hanging from the rafters with all those great players.”

Hassett, a native of Providence, was one of the greatest shooters
to ever play for the Friars. He scored 1,828 points (14.7 ppg) in four
seasons and ranks sixth all-time in scoring at Providence. During his
four seasons, the Friars posted a 93-31 record and reached post-season
play each year (NCAA Tournament – 1974 and 1977 and NIT – 1975 and
1976). He is one of only seven players to lead the Friars in scoring for
three consecutive seasons. Hassett holds the Friar single season free
throw percentage mark (64-68, .941) and ranks second all-time at
Providence with an .865 percentage (148-171) for his career. He also
holds the Friar career field goal record with 840 made in 124 games. A
three-time All-New England selection (1975-77), a three-time NABC
All-District selection (1975-77), a two-time ECAC First Team All-Star
(1976-77) and a two-time All-East honoree (1976-77), Hassett was an
Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America selection in 1976 and a
NABC Third-Team All-American in 1977. Hassett was selected in the third
round of the 1977 NBA Draft by the Seattle Supersonics. He played six
seasons in the NBA and helped the 1979 Seattle team capture the NBA
title.

Lis became the second player in Providence College women's
basketball history to have her jersey retired, and the third honoree
overall. In 2010, former Associate Athletic Director Helen Bert and
former Friar great Kathy Finn Hill `84 were honored.

“I'm proud to be a Friar,” Lis said. “It definitely was the
right decision to go to Providence College. Coming back now and being
here I see how great of a place PC really is. This was a wonderful day,
seeing that banner unveiled was really special.”

Lis, a native of Cromwell, Conn., is one of the greatest players
to ever wear a Friar uniform. She played for the Providence College
women's basketball team from 1988-92, and is the program's all-time
leading scorer with 2,534 career points. She is the only Friar to
eclipse the 2,000-point plateau in the history of the program. Lis also
ranks fifth in career rebounding with 821 boards. She also ranks fourth
all-time among BIG EAST Conference career leaders in points (1,296),
ninth in scoring average (19.6 ppg), third in free throws made (302),
ninth in steals (183) and 11th in field goals made (455) in conference
action. In 1990, she led the Friars to the program's first BIG EAST
Tournament title. That same season, the Friars advanced to the “Sweet
16” of the NCAA Tournament. In 1991, she guided the program to its
highest national ranking in the Associated Press Top-25 at No. 15. In
1992, Lis received the BIG EAST Special Achievement Award and was named
ECAC Player of the Year. Lis was a two-time First-Team All-BIG EAST
selection. In 2004, Lis was one of 15 players honored as a member of the
BIG EAST Conference Silver Anniversary Team. During her career,
Providence made four-consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament and
compiled a 96-31 record (.755). Providence also advanced to the BIG EAST
Championship game three-straight years (1989-91). Lis played
professionally for the New England Blizzard in the American Basketball
League (ABL).