The Friars men 's basketball team is an original member of the Big East Conference , which was created in 1979 by a group led by former Providence coach Dave Gavitt and headquartered in Providence . The Friars play their home games at the 13,000-seat Dunkin' Donuts Center in downtown Providence , a facility that underwent an $ 80 million renovation completed in 2008 . Despite having the smallest enrollment of any Big East Conference school , the Friars have routinely averaged over 10,000 fans per game during the 30-plus year history of the facility , all while earning postseason berths and placing many players in the National Basketball Association . In addition to producing NBA players , former Friars players and coaches have also gone on to become basketball icons in the coaching world , such as Rick Pitino , Billy Donovan , Lenny Wilkens , Pete Gillen , Rick Barnes , Johnny Egan , and John Thompson . They are currently coached by Ed Cooley
Big East Conference
Big East Conference (1979–2013)
Providence College