PROVIDENCE — As they sat and watched their Providence College basketball teammates all last season, Jamine Peterson and Bilal Dixon endured similar yet very different experiences.

One accepted his fate to sit, watch and beat up the upperclassmen at practice. The other was downright convinced that Keno Davis would eventually buckle and send him into a Big East battle. Through it all, both players embraced one simple goal: get better.

“It was tough,” said Peterson, a 21-year old redshirt sophomore. “I wanted to go out and play with those senior guys and be a part of all the excitement and intensity.”

Peterson played in 25 games as a true freshman in 2007-08, so he knows what he’s getting into this season. He understood Davis’ decision to keep him on the bench all year, but Dixon did not. He was a true freshman a year ago and could not hide his anticipation to get out on the court.

“You’re talking about someone who sat on the bench and got splinters all year,” said Davis. “Even so, every game, even in the Big East Tournament, he’s in my ear, ‘Coach, put me in!’ Dead serious. He would’ve run right in there for us. He probably accepted it maybe 10-12 games in, when I sat him down and told him I wasn’t going to use him unless someone got hurt. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t stop asking. He would’ve loved to get in at the Big East Tournament against Louisville.”

Davis is a major booster of redshirting players. He’s contemplating shelving one or two of his current freshmen this season, a decision that won’t come until next week, at the earliest.

Even though Davis played with just an eight-man rotation last season, he says that sidelining Peterson and Dixon wasn’t all that difficult a decision. Peterson helped the Friars beat both Boston College and Florida State as a freshman, but the coach says he needed a year to polish his all-around game. Dixon’s raw skills slotted the forward behind both Jonathan Kale and Randall Hanke. Even so, both players regularly tormented the senior frontcourt players in practice.

Asked whether he thinks Peterson or Dixon could’ve helped the Friars win the extra game or two that may have pushed the team into the NCAA Tournament, Davis answered, “I don’t think so. As talented as (Peterson) is and as athletic as he is, he really needed a year to learn how to play the game better. The seniors we had last year fortunately picked up the offense and the defense we play quickly. Bilal and Jamine didn’t pick it up as quick.”

Now next year is here. Peterson and Dixon are being asked to lead a frontcourt littered with newcomers, but thus far the prognosis is strong for both players.

Peterson, a 6-6 jumping jack from Brooklyn, has cleaned the backboards in practices and is even comfortable lofting a 15-foot jumper. Dixon is the team’s strongest big man and owns the athletic ability to finish around the rim with authority. Both are likely starters.

Davis says Peterson’s active play around the backboard reminds him of a former NBA star. “He is becoming a really good player,” Davis said. “Right now he’s a really good rebounder. When he gets the other parts of his game to improve, then we’ll have something very special, but when you look at him you, can use the Dennis Rodman comparison. He can affect a game just with his rebounding.”

As a freshman, Peterson’s leaping ability caused PC fans to shake their heads with amazement. That skill remains in his arsenal. “Every day in practice I’ll look at my assistants after something Jamine does and go ‘did he just do that?’ ” Davis said. “I love having someone with his talent out there.”

Dixon, a Jersey City, N.J., native, scored 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in 17 minutes of last week’s exhibition win over Merrimack. He says Davis’ orders are fairly simple. “They just want us to post up strong, be as physical as we can, try to get to the free-throw line and rebound the ball,” Dixon said.

As both players show what they’ve learned through this season, Davis says the decision to hold them back in 2009 will only look better.

“When you look at those two guys, when they become seniors, our fans will see why they really needed that extra year,” Davis said.