PROVIDENCE – Although he last coached a game for Providence College two months ago, Keno Davis hasn’t slowed down much since. He’s even developed a chronic case of writer’s cramp.

Davis and his coaching staff have spent the last eight weeks working with the Friars’ five returning players, talking with the seven recruits who’ll be on campus soon and scanning the country for more future players. But he’s also taken time to write letters, and lots of them, to PC’s most ardent supporters.

Davis recently completed writing letters to every PC season-ticket holder. That’s about 3,000 letters to fans who control the best 6,500 seats at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The coach said the letter-writing campaign was his idea, and he hand-signed a small note on every one of them.

“I found myself writing while I was talking on the phone, and I’d make a mistake and have to start all over," the PC coach said. “I just thought for season tickets and our alumni, it would mean something to receive a thank you from the coach. In these tough economic times, we sincerely appreciate everyone’s support.”

Since he was hired at PC one year ago, Davis has learned many of the ins and outs of the Friar program. Unlike some other high-profile jobs, he says Providence can’t just open the ticket office and expect fans to pack the house. That’s why he’s writing letters, appearing at charitable events, meeting with alumni and Twittering ( twitter.com/CoachKenoDavis) to reach out to Friar supporters.

“A recurring theme for me is for the sake of the future of Providence basketball, we have to improve in a lot of ways, and not just on the floor,” he said. “The great news is, people are very positive. I met with Ryan Gomes [of the Minnesota Timberwolves] Tuesday and Dickey Simpkins [a former Chicago Bull] last week, and they both want to be involved. Providence alumni and fans are proud of their school and we want them to be a part of our future.”

Much of PC’s basketball future arrives over the summer in the form of Davis’ first recruiting class, a seven-player haul that includes two junior college graduates. Most of those recruits can enroll in a summer session at PC and begin an integration period into the program. The Friars have one open scholarship for 2009-10 that Davis hasn’t ruled out using. The Friars hosted 7-1 center John Riek on a recruiting visit two weeks ago, but he ended up choosing Mississippi State. They also talked with Allan Chaney, a transfer from the University of Florida, but Davis decided to hold the spot open for now. Chaney has since chosen Virginia Tech after also considering a move to Temple or Saint Joseph’s.

“I feel comfortable with what we’ve accomplished, but I also like having options open,” said Davis. “If we don’t use [the scholarship] it may be a positive sign of what the future holds.”

Davis is referring to his staff’s efforts recruiting current high school juniors and sophomores. “Now is the stretch drive for the class of 2010 [juniors]. We’ve made the type of in-roads you need to with the better juniors and sophomores we’ve been recruiting,” he said.

Among the 2010 prospects PC is chasing hardest are guard Gerard Coleman of Boston and Tilton (NH) Academy, forward Will Regan of Buffalo, New York City forward Shane Southwell, big forwards Majok Majok and Ron Giplaye, as well as Carson Desrosiers, a 6-10 center from Lawrence, Mass., who is among the top big men in the East. At a recent AAU tournament held at PC, Desrosiers named the Friars on a list of eight schools he’s considering, along with Syracuse, Marquette, Georgia Tech, Stanford, Arizona State, Purdue and UNLV.

“Coach Davis is recruiting me very hard,” Desrosiers said. “I’ve known [PC assistant] coach [Pat] Skerry for a few years and they’ve been to my school for workouts at 6:30 in the morning. On my list they’re the closest school.”

If the last scholarship for the fall of 2009 remains open, PC will have three scholarships to shop with over the summer.

kmcnamar@projo.com