KeaneyBlue - The URI Basketball Forum

Stetson 17-Brown 13-yikes!
CCSU 42 Penn 21
Cornell 17 Harvard 14
Elon 25 Will & Mary 17


Speaks volumes about Rhodys crappy coaching

Sure does. If Fleming gets extended, that would confirm they don't care about the program. Even more than usual.

Has to win 4 games min. to keep his job (I hear)?
Maine
Elon
Albany
Towson

Among?
Can he do it??

He has very explicitly shown that he cannot do it. Look at what is going on at Elon. The team tat URI pounded last year is 5-1. Do you think the new coach has made a difference? I think Fleming's fate will be sealed in 2 weeks when Elon comes to Mead.

I used to think it was the coaching. I thought Stower was the answer, he won at Georgia Southern. Coaching is important, but you need administrative support , which you really never had at URI. Ask Stower how hard it is to recruit, he could not show recruits the football offices. They maybe better now, but at best URI football facilities are mediocre High School. Also, Fleming as Div 2 talent when he came in. Inherited a program that was if bad shape, because of NEC decision and other Admin issues.

It's a combination of lack of talent and coaching sure....it's hard to recruit here and that won't change in the forseeable future....

But the talent should be good enough right now to win a few games a year.....he's had a full 4 year cycle, these are his players.

Teams that aren't quite as talented as their opponents have to win games by being more fundamentally sound....that imo is doable, but Fleming's teams are an undisciplined mess with way too many mental mistakes and bad coaching and strategy decisions.

So whatever talent is here is being wasted......excuses are for losers and we have a truckload of them here.

The facilities and lack of admin support are real which makes it almost impossible to win on a regular basis, but geez things should be at least a little better.....

OBRAM wrote:I used to think it was the coaching. I thought Stower was the answer, he won at Georgia Southern. Coaching is important, but you need administrative support , which you really never had at URI. Ask Stower how hard it is to recruit, he could not show recruits the football offices. They maybe better now, but at best URI football facilities are mediocre High School. Also, Fleming as Div 2 talent when he came in. Inherited a program that was if bad shape, because of NEC decision and other Admin issues.

And why is there no support from the administration? Because the vast majority of the fanbase isn't really concerned with wins and losses and the booster club doesn't want to put in work. When the fanbase starts caring about wins and losses they'll hold the administration accountable and when the booster club starts putting in work like the baseball boosters things will improve

Building the Ryan Center destroyed the West Stands. They only reason they were rebuild was from Football Alumni and Friends support. Admin had no intention of rebuilding those stands. What happened to the Meade Stadium rebuild. I saw plans for this 13 years ago. Do you think Stony Brook built their program from fan support (they didn't have any) or support from the Administration?
Where are the lights on Meade or the field turf that was promised. Actually needed field turf on the practice field that was rebuild last year, but Admin didn't have the money for field turf.
In the 1990's I believe there was a big fund raiser to do over lockers the Football Fieldhouse. So what happened, maybe 10 years and they took down the Field house to build the Ryan Center.

Dooley himself told me that there would be lights and field turf installed no later than last year. Oops.

Coming from Montana State, I believed Dooley was keen on improving the football program, but I have seen nothing to suggest that this is indeed true. It appears that there is zero pressure on him for the football program to be successful. Why risk pushing for an investment in something that is not viewed as important? I saw Dooley at the JMU massacre last year and was hopeful he would relieve Fleming of his duties on the plane ride home. That was the right move for something that you care about. Perhaps the success of the basketball program will make this a good time to pull the plug on football!

URI will not spend a red cent on football. That much is obvious.

If they do, we sure haven't heard anything about any plans to do so.

5 years to rebuild the East Stands? Since Dooley reneged on the field turf and lights, who's to say he won't on that?

As proactive as they are on the BB program, the football program is an afterthought.

Could it be that the right way to go about this is to build the Basketball Program into a Powerhouse first just as we are now doing?

The Decision making for all sports resides with Thor and Dooley. The condition of the stands, field turf, lights, expansion plans, coach hiring decisions, etc. all fall under the ultimate responsibility of Thor and Dooley. The Decision to go NEC was under them, which they thankfully reversed.

Thor says Football is remaining under his watch, talk of dropping Football is just talk while Thor is the AD.

I would love to hear of and see a medium and long term plan for Football, to drum up excitement for Football at URI. If Maine and New Hampshire can do it certainly URI can.

That's the issue...there is no plan for the football program.....are they expecting this huge windfall from the BB program before they do anything?

That's a shot in the dark...nothing is guaranteed.

Just wish the CAA would tell them, either upgrade, have a definite timetable to upgrade, or get off the pot.

I think basketball keeps drawing more and more money from Budget. No outdoor track, not really stands at baseball field, all the eggs go to basketball improvements. It is almost 20 years since the Ryan Center Project kicked off, and still no outdoor track or any football facility plan upgrades.

OBRAM wrote:I think basketball keeps drawing more and more money from Budget. No outdoor track, not really stands at baseball field, all the eggs go to basketball improvements. It is almost 20 years since the Ryan Center Project kicked off, and still no outdoor track or any football facility plan upgrades.

If that's true, and I don't know whether it is or not, then that's absolutely the way it should be. Basketball is the only sport that has any chance of making the school money and gaining the school exposure nationally. It better draw more and more from the budget.

Not sure if basketball will ever make money. How do you account for the cost and maintenance of the Ryan Center. If you are PC and the State of RI picks up all the cost for the Dunk and Maintenance you can make money, but at URI, if you include the Cost of the Ryan Center (Which we all know was built because of Men's basketball), you would have trouble making money. I don't think you get much exposure in basketball unless you are going to Elite 8 year after year Gonzaga Style, which could happen. I am just saying, when you see schools like Towson, StonyBrook, Albany, Bryant, UNH get better football facilities than URI than you have to wonder who is in charge.

Consensus seems to be that all is irrelevant besides basketball. I accept that. But we do have some teams that are successful - specifically track and field and others that are frequently competitive; men's soccer, baseball, golf, women's volleyball and rowing. Beyond that the teams are pretty irrelevant. Focus on what is most important - that is basketball, and add more support the teams we do well in by dropping football. Let football go club. What we are doing with football unfortunately reminds me of the currently viewing PBS series on Vietnam. No one wants to be labeled as giving up or losing but neither are they willing to make the commitment to be successful.

Stop this drop football , Please Mr. Ed. I find it incomprehensible that a fan of URI sports would not want all the URI sports to do well. The fact of the matter is, that college football is much bigger than college basketball. If you don’t believe me, that’s why National College Sports Radio shows talk about college football from April thru February, and college basketball in February and March. I know that the talk is the FBS level, but get out of New England and it all about football 10 months of the year.

Uncle Ed wrote:Consensus seems to be that all is irrelevant besides basketball. I accept that. But we do have some teams that are successful - specifically track and field and others that are frequently competitive; men's soccer, baseball, golf, women's volleyball and rowing. Beyond that the teams are pretty irrelevant. Focus on what is most important - that is basketball, and add more support the teams we do well in by dropping football. Let football go club. What we are doing with football unfortunately reminds me of the currently viewing PBS series on Vietnam. No one wants to be labeled as giving up or losing but neither are they willing to make the commitment to be successful.

Who is the consensus?

Maybe not a consensus, yet...but in reading these posts I don't see support of football as a consensus either. Quite frankly, URI football is the only team I fully support and have since I was on the team a long time ago. I would much prefer a top football program over a top basketball program. But basketball is "King" and that it will remain, as will the cost of the Ryan Center impacting financing of other sports. The administration needs to be honest and smart. The evidence makes it clear that URI does not care about doing football well. And if you cannot do it well then it is time to get out.

Uncle Ed wrote:Maybe not a consensus, yet...but in reading these posts I don't see support of football as a consensus either. Quite frankly, URI football is the only team I fully support and have since I was on the team a long time ago. I would much prefer a top football program over a top basketball program. But basketball is "King" and that it will remain, as will the cost of the Ryan Center impacting financing of other sports. The administration needs to be honest and smart. The evidence makes it clear that URI does not care about doing football well. And if you cannot do it well then it is time to get out.

It's because people that support football don't feel the need to get on here and argue with you regarding their support. (What is the old saying about arguing with fools?...) It's a very vocal, but small minority that wants us to join Vermont as the only state university without a football team.

OBRAM wrote:Stop this drop football , Please Mr. Ed. I find it incomprehensible that a fan of URI sports would not want all the URI sports to do well. The fact of the matter is, that college football is much bigger than college basketball. If you don’t believe me, that’s why National College Sports Radio shows talk about college football from April thru February, and college basketball in February and March. I know that the talk is the FBS level, but get out of New England and it all about football 10 months of the year.

We're never going FBS and we are in New England, so what's your point? College basketball has been, is, and always will be more important at URI.

I truly believe that there is not a single URI fan who really WANTS URI to drop football. I think what most, if not all, of us want is to stop being a complete embarrassment year after year. But if there is no plan in place to make that happen, what the hell is the point anymore?

I don't think the football team has been an embarrassment last year and this year. They were a few years ago.
Team W –L record is what people are upset about now. Look at Columbia, they have turned things around. Can we Say Columbia or is that not Politically Correct now.

OBRAM wrote:I don't think the football team has been an embarrassment last year and this year. They were a few years ago.
Team W –L record is what people are upset about now. Look at Columbia, they have turned things around. Can we Say Columbia or is that not Politically Correct now.

You don't think going 3-13 overall, 1-10 in conference and tying the league worst margin of defeat in a game is an embarrassment? Because that's what we've done last year and this year. If you're not embarrassed you should be.

Getting blown out at Monmouth is an embarrassment, beating Harvard and almost beating CMU is not. I stated that the issues is W-L .

The real embarrassment regarding the URI football program is the insufficient support it gets from the administration. As long as it does not get the adequate resources, it will never see any sustained success on the field.

I've asked the question before and it's never been answered. If the fans don't care, if the fans don't put in any effort, why should the administration do more? If fans are happy with leaves and a decrepit stadium, why should the administration invest?

RhowdyRam02 wrote:I've asked the question before and it's never been answered. If the fans don't care, if the fans don't put in any effort, why should the administration do more? If fans are happy with leaves and a decrepit stadium, why should the administration invest?

They should invest because it is their job - plain and simple. It is the job of the AD and the President of the University of Rhode Island to have a short, medium and long term plan for all sports in the Athletic Department.

That includes every sport, not just men’s basketball. And it especially means Football because of the size of the Football Budget and the fact it easily brings in the 2nd most attendance of any sport.

The fans do care. Fans are not happy with the stands - has been mentioned often. Fans go to the Football games because they care. Fans go to all URI events that they attend because they care.

RhowdyRam02 wrote:I've asked the question before and it's never been answered. If the fans don't care, if the fans don't put in any effort, why should the administration do more? If fans are happy with leaves and a decrepit stadium, why should the administration invest?

So you are basically 100% in favor of every athletic program outside of men's basketball having no investment from the administration. Since you believe it all is entirely related to the effort of fans, do you propose all these other sports be dropped at URI?