PROVIDENCE –– In his first basketball season at Providence College, Marshon Brooks dealt with a typical case of the freshman blues.

On the floor, Brooks fought to even get into games, but by the end of the year he began to make his mark. Away from the court, the Stone Mountain, Ga., native missed his family and friends, and when Tim Welsh and his staff were fired, his world turned upside down.

After meeting new Friar coach Keno Davis, Brooks decided to remain at PC, and that decision looks like a critical one for both sides. A 6-foot-5 wing player with an enormous wingspan, Brooks is clearly the Friar who’s improved the most over the summer. Those skills were on full display last night as Brooks set career highs in points (18), rebounds (7) and blocked shots (3) in 22 busy minutes as the Friars eventually overwhelmed Dartmouth College, 100-82, before 4,762 fans at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

Brooks was one of seven Friars in Davis’ eight-man rotation who scored in double figures. Randall Hanke (16), Geoff McDermott (12), Weyinmi Efejuku (12), Brian McKenzie (12), Jeff Xavier (11) and Sharaud Curry (10) rounded out the balanced attack.

Brooks said that last year he played with one eye on his opponents and the other on the PC bench.

“I made a mistake and started wondering when I would come out. Now, it’s just playing basketball,” he said.

Brooks is using his long arms and quick legs to create havoc on the defensive end of the floor and make plays on offense, as well. His outside shot (three of PC’s seven 3-pointers) is much improved and he’s always been an able passer.

“My confidence is through the roof,” he said. “I always knew I could play, but it’s great to know you can go out there and just go as hard as you can and make things happen.”

Davis says the increased intensity from Brooks is what he’s looking for from all his players right now. The Friars played at a strong pace in their season-opening loss to Northeastern, but the defeat had more to do with execution than effort. Davis is confident the execution will click in, but he’s clearly concerned about his team’s intensity.

“All we’re focusing on is effort and the idea of ‘Don’t worry about the mistakes. Don’t worry about the missed shots.’ How hard can you play?” he said.

“I think this team is playing as hard as it can play right now and Marshon is a big reason,” he added. “What’s going to be tough for other teams to match up with us is when Marshon plays. He can play any position. We’ve played him anywhere from the off-guard to the center position already. We could play very small or we could play bigger. His versatility and ability to go in and mix it up with offensive rebounding, yet be able to shoot it with good percentage, is going to make him an outstanding player for us.”

Davis has decided to press more than expected in order to speed up games and create easier scoring chances. The team’s offense has relied a lot on 3-point shooting (7-of-23) and dribble penetration and Davis was very happy the way the players executed pre-game goals of dominating the backboards (53-33) and getting to the foul line.

The game was a sloppy one, with both teams struggling on the defensive end of the floor, but the Big Green players had to be scratching their heads on the long bus ride back to Hanover. They were whistled for 32 fouls while PC was called for only 13. That disparity led the Friars to convert 31-of-46 free throws, compared with just 12-of-14 for the visitors.

The Friars seemed to have the Big Green on the ropes at one point in the first half, but numerous defensive breakdowns and sloppy offense (15 turnovers) let the visitors back in.

PC used a 14-2 run to open up a 19-5 lead, but the Green answered with a 14-6 run to close to 25-19. The Friars led, 46-36, at the half and quickly went up by 14 points, but Dartmouth hung in, largely thanks to 28 points from forward Alex Barnett.

Army held the Big Green to only 48 points a few days ago, but the Ivy Leaguers kept scoring on PC’s defense and the deficit remained around 15 points through most of the second half.

That’s got to be a major cause for concern for Davis and his players, but they say that with consistent effort, and performances from players like Brooks, things are heading in the right direction.

kmcnamar@projo.com