PROVIDENCE — Although he’s entering his fourth season at Brown, coach Jesse Agel insists he’s still a ways away from building the type of program he dreams about.

For two years, Agel sat alongside Craig Robinson as an assistant coach. He’ll begin his second year as the head man Friday at St. Francis (N.Y.) but with a roster that is lacking in depth and versatility right now. That’s changing quickly, however.

“I feel like we hit a home run with our first recruiting class and we need to keep doing that year after year,” said Agel, who’s welcoming four new players to Brown. “You need kids who attack the academic side of this institution as hard as the basketball side. I want kids who love the game, love our program and also can deal with a strenuous academic load.”

Three of Brown’s four freshmen will play immediately. A fourth, Tyler Ponticelli, would possibly start but is currently sidelined with a back injury. Forwards Andrew McCarthy and Tucker Halpern will play major minutes, while guard Matt Sullivan is a likely starter at guard alongside his brother, two-year starter Peter Sullivan.

“We recruited these young guys to play right away, and they’re ready for that,” said Agel.

McCarthy is a long-armed, 6-foot-8 forward from Sudbury, Mass., who can block shots and runs the floor well. Halpern, from Brookline, Mass., boasts a dead-eye shot from the wing. Sullivan will be asked to fill a gaping hole at point guard and safely get the ball up the floor so his brother and senior center Matt Mullery can lead the offense.

“He’ll take care of the ball for us,” Agel said of Matt Sullivan. “He’s worked hard all summer to prepare for this job.”

The new players won’t have to carry the heaviest load just yet. That responsibility falls into the hands of Mullery (16.1 points last year), Peter Sullivan (14.3) and junior shooter Adrian Williams (11.0). Agel is challenging the 6-8, 235-pound Mullery to be the best player in the Ivy League. He’s talented enough to pull it off. The Millstone, N.J., native is a post player with nice moves who’s also comfortable knocking down jumpers.

“He’s a markedly better shooter whose confidence is growing,” said Agel. “The game will be run through him and he can affect the game in many ways.”

Williams led the Bears with 58 3’s as a sophomore, including seven in one game. He’ll be asked to fire away from downtown once again. The two Sullivans are certainly used to playing together, and fans will see a similar skill set in both. The Wilmette, Ill., natives both shoot the 3-pointer well, play smart and like to mix it up on defense.

“As the season wore on, Pete developed into our second-best ball handler, and I have confidence in Matt as well,” said Agel.

Getting Ponticelli up and running would be a major addition. Agel is also hoping that little-used veterans such as guards Jean-Herbert Harris, Steve Gruber and Marques Coleman or forwards Garrett Leffelman, Stefan Kaluz and Chris Taylor can improve enough to add much-needed depth.

Our schedule is as tough as any in our league, and that’s going to force our young kids to grow up right away,” said Agel. “We need our freshmen to start playing like sophomores as soon as possible.”

kmcnamar@projo.com