Bryant's Andrew Lyell, one of three Rhode Island natives who will start for the Bulldogs against Providence, defends earlier this season against Albany.

Journal photo / Kris Craig

SMITHFIELD -- Oddly enough, the operative word is "fun" these days for the Bryant University men's basketball team.

You would think a team carrying a 1-8 record and facing long odds in virtually every game it plays wouldn't be having a whole lot of fun, but that's not the case with the Bulldogs. And Monday night, when Bryant plays Providence College for the first time as a Division I program, promises even more fun for three players in particular.

Bryant has three Rhode Island natives on its roster. Each grew up enjoying, even rooting for, the Friars. Monday night, they'll all be in coach Tim O'Shea's starting lineup.

"All three guys deserve to start, but we haven't started them together. We will [Monday night]. They'll really appreciate that,'' said O'Shea.

Chris Birrell has started every game for the Bulldogs in his junior season. A point guard from Scituate High and CCRI, Birrell played 38 minutes of Bryant's 67-37 loss at Rutgers on Saturday and is the team's third-leading scorer. He says he's enjoyed competing against Connecticut, Boston College, Iowa and all of the big-name foes on Bryant's grueling schedule, but that he's always wanted to play against Providence College.

``My dad [Rob] had season tickets, so I went to a lot of games when I was young,'' said Birrell. "I remember (God) Shammgod, Jamel Thomas, John Linehan. It was fun.''

What does playing PC mean to a kid from Scituate who only two years ago was hoisting shots at CCRI? "We're looking forward to playing this one out of them all, just because PC is the team of Rhode Island. They have good history and a lot of good players. We want to compete with every team we play, but especially this one,'' said Birrell.

Peter Lambert grew up in Cumberland, just a 3-pointer from the Bryant campus. But he's also always kept an eye on PC and its clashes with the Big East's beasts.

"I've always been a PC Friars fan,'' said Lambert. "It's going to be fun playing a team like that. I wasn't recruited by any schools like that, so it's nice to be able to measure yourself now.''

Lambert came to Bryant mainly because of its strong business platform, and the accounting major already has a job lined up after graduation this June. Although he's never been on scholarship, Lambert made himself into a key player at Bryant. A year ago, he set a school record when he torched Merrimack for nine 3-pointers on his way to a career-best 29 points. The step to a full Division I schedule has been a huge one for Lambert and all of his teammates, but he's still a factor. He hit three treys at Rutgers on Saturday.

"It's fun to compete with all these teams,'' Lambert said. "We haven't hung in there for 40 minutes, but we played with UConn for 15 minutes and we scored 41 points at Boston College in the second half. Just have to get to the point of doing that for 40 minutes.''

Andrew Lyell, from Portsmouth, actually grew up a fan of UMass. That's where his father, Chandler, went to college. But Lyell, a 6-5 senior, says he remembers rooting for the 1997 Providence team that advanced to the Elite Eight behind Shammgod, Thomas, Austin Croshere and others. He attended PC's summer camp for several years and can't wait to play Monday night.

"I've never played in the Dunkin' Donuts Center, so that's big for me, and in Rhode Island there's nothing bigger than playing PC,'' said Lyell.

Lyell has an interesting perspective on Bryant's adventurous move into D-I. For the last three years, he played on teams that had a chance to win every time they laced up. The Bulldogs won 60 games and advanced to three straight NCAA Tournaments. This season, Lyell and his teammates face long odds in virtually every game they play.

"I had mixed feelings because I enjoyed winning and playing in the Northeast 10, but at the same time I always wanted to play Division I,'' Lyell said. "Now we're playing a great schedule, flying everywhere. I have a new perspective on what it takes to play Division I.''

All three players said they'll always remember the feeling on the bus ride home after Bryant's first win, a 59-50 triumph over Quinnipiac. "The ride back was great. For us to be able to say we had the school's first Division I win is unbelievable,'' said Lyell.

Repeating that type of euphoria has proven to be elusive. After Monday night's game, the Bulldogs travel to Maryland, but then the maniacal schedule put together by former coach Max Good calms down. In the final 18 games, the Bulldogs will play at home nine times. None of the games will come against a team from a league like the Big East or the ACC.

"Our schedule is just crazy and it's cool to test yourselves against teams like this, but after awhile it gets tiring,'' said Lyell. "We know we have more wins left in us. We're staying positive.''

kmcnamar@projo.com