After starting all 35 games and posting averages of 8.4 points and 3.0 rebounds per contest last season, guard Josh Fortune made the decision to transfer from the Providence program. Wednesday it was learned that the Virginia native has found a new school, with CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reporting that Fortune will be transferring to Colorado.
Fortune, who has two years of eligibility remaining, will have to sit out the 2014-15 season per NCAA transfer rules but his perimeter shooting ability makes this a solid pickup for Colorado head coach Tad Boyle and his staff.
As a sophomore, Fortune shot 41.4% from the field and 35.0% from beyond the arc, and while those numbers may not jump off the page they represent solid improvements when compared to his freshman season. Fortune made his greatest strides during the Friars’ late-season run to the Big East tournament title and a spot in the NCAA tournament, reaching double figures in nine of Providence’s final 13 games.
By comparison, Fortune reached double figures in just six of Providence’s first 22 contests. The most important performance in that late-season stretch was a 24-point outing in Providence’s Big East quarterfinal win over St. John’s, a game billed by more than a few as an “elimination game” of sorts with regards to the NCAA tournament.
The addition of Fortune gives Colorado some needed depth at the off guard position, especially when considering the fact that Askia Booker will be a senior in 2014-15. From a shooting standpoint Colorado made just 31.3% of its three-pointers in 2013-14, ranking 11th in the Pac-12 in that category, and the 6-foot-5 Fortune has the shooting ability needed to help the Buffaloes improve on that figure.