Providence mascot haunts media member after Friars’ loss to Kentucky

In March Madness, teams carry not only the hopes of their respective schools, but also those schools’ fanbases and mascots. When those teams fall short, everyone feels the agony of defeat.

Take, for instance, Providence’s Friar Dom.

The Friars’ mascot was going through it after his team fell to Kentucky in the round of 64 — while putting quite a fright into one of the media members at the game, Josh Graham of WSJS Radio in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

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Even before his interesting coping mechanism after the end of his school’s men’s basketball season, Friar Dom owned a special place in the pantheon of strange if not downright creepy Big East mascots, right alongside the Blue Blob of Xavier. 

Still, it’s understandable why Friar Dom perhaps needed some space after Providence’s loss Friday. The Friars regressed in 2022-23, one year after breaking through to the Sweet 16 in longtime coach Ed Cooley’s first trip there. Adding to the concern for Providence fans, multiple reports have connected Cooley to the job opening at Big East rival Georgetown.

Regardless of Cooley’s future, however, Friar Dom seems poised to remain at Providence, rallying fans and putting a fright into neutral onlookers for years to come.

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