Dink Pate is leaving Providence College's men's basketball program, coach Bryan Hodgson confirmed Oct. 16, ending the guard's attempt to join the Friars for the 2026-27 season citing uncertainty Hodgson attributed to an NCAA ruling on his G League time.
Hodgson said in a public statement that Providence supported Pate's decision and tied the uncertainty to the NCAA's ruling concerning his G League experience. The coach's statement did not identify Pate's next team or give a timetable for his next move.
"Dink Pate will always be a Friar," Hodgson wrote on X. He wished Pate well and assured Providence supporters that the team would continue forward.
The departure comes six months after Providence announced an athletic aid agreement with Pate on April 11. At the time, Hodgson said he had followed Pate's career for years and praised his development during three seasons in the NBA's G League.
Pate is a Dallas native who attended L.G. Pinkston High School. Providence's player biography lists him as a 6-foot-8 guard and a freshman, despite his three seasons in the developmental league. The biography remained on the college's website when reviewed Oct. 16.
Providence's signing announcement described Pate's most recent season with the Westchester Knicks. In 36 games during 2025-26, he averaged 16 points and made 103 of 279 attempts from 3-point range. The college credited him with seven double-doubles and 10 games of at least 20 points.
The college also recorded a 31-point game against the Kings on Jan. 9, when Pate made eight of 14 attempts from beyond the arc. His high-school background included district most valuable player honors in 2022-23, and Providence identified him as ESPN's No. 30 recruit in the 2023 class.
Before Westchester, Pate played for the Mexico City Capitanes and G League Ignite. His Providence biography records averages of 10.1 points in 34 games for Mexico City in 2024-25 and eight points in 31 games for Ignite in 2023-24.
Those records describe the experience Providence recruited. They do not resolve the NCAA ruling Hodgson cited in announcing Pate's departure.
The Friars' first public exhibition is scheduled for Oct. 17 against Pittsburgh at 2 p.m. Providence's official schedule announcement lists a second home exhibition against Georgia Tech on Oct. 24 at noon. Both games are scheduled to stream through Friars Live.
The regular-season opener follows Nov. 2 against Maine at Amica Mutual Pavilion, with a 7 p.m. tip on ESPN+. Providence then plays Nebraska at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut on Nov. 7 before returning home to face Bryant on Nov. 10.
Sources: Bryan Hodgson's Oct. 16 statement; Providence's April 11 signing announcement; Providence player biography; Providence's official schedule announcement.