PROVIDENCE — Jamine Peterson was involved in a lot of happenings Saturday night as his Providence College men’s basketball team swept past Stonehill, 91-55, at The Dunk.

The 6-foot-6 forward jumped center to begin the game. He committed a turnover on the Friars’ possession, then scored his team’s first basket seconds later. The next time down, the red-shirt sophomore drew oohs and ahhs when he came flying through the lane chasing down a rebound above the rim.

And all that was just in the first minute!

But the best part of his night, the work that could mean so much to the Friars this winter, came later in the first half. On back-to-back trips downcourt, Peterson drilled 3-pointers, first from the left elbow, and then from the top of the key.

Who knew?

When last seen two years ago, Peterson was a leaper who flew around and over the bucket, but never even tried a shot beyond a few feet from the hoop. In his seasonal debut (he sat out the Merrimack game with a bruised knee), he looked like a much more complete player.

“With Peterson, I think you see what happened with the year (off),” said Friar coach Keno Davis who red-shirted Peterson last winter. “People didn’t get to see him, but he worked on his game. He wasn’t just sitting on the bench. We had an idea we had to develop him as a player. He’s not there yet, but with his athleticism now he also has a skill with being able to shoot it. And he has some driving ability, so he’s a very dangerous player out there.”

“If the off season, the red-shirt season, I worked on a lot of things, including the outside shot,” Peterson related. “After every practice I’d stay another half hour and work on my shot.”

“I told him when he started shooting them in practice, ‘Hey, you know what, I’m going to let you shoot them as long as you go get rebounds for us, too,”’ Davis said.

“It could be a big weapon for us with a player who can play on the inside but also can spread the defense,” the coach added. “He brings an energy to the game and obviously an athleticism that we need. He can play a center position, but he’ll be more likely to play at a power forward for us. But he’s quick enough to guard guards and he’s big and strong enough and athletic enough to play on the inside. We’ll try and move him and Marshon Brooks around quite a bit.”

“I’m feeling real comfortable now,” Peterson said. “I’m not getting away from the basket, but I want to have an inside-outside game.”

Peterson had an alley-oop dunk on a feed from Brooks and almost another on a three-quarter-court pass from Brooks. He finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, six on the offensive glass, four blocked shots and two steals.

He was not the only Friar making shots from behind the arc. The Friars had an excellent night of long-range shooting, making 12 of 25. Brooks, looking totally in control, was 3-for-4 on 3-pointers on the way to 21 points in 20 minutes. Sharaud Curry added three 3-pointers and Duke Mondy made all three of his treys

“I think we’re going to be a dangerous team when we make shots,” Davis said. “We’re such a young team, we’re going to have ups and downs. But I think we’re going to be a better shooting team.”

Davis also had good news to report on Ray Hall’s status. The team’s biggest player, at 6-11, was thought to be out permanently because of leg problems, but he has begun working out with the team.

“He’s been on the court, actually not at practice, but he’s trying to rehab,” Davis said. “So I would see him continuing to do that. Whether he’s actually been in scrimmage work, I’d say not yet. But it’s day-to-day now with our trainers and doctors to find out how to best proceed with him, with caution.”