KeaneyBlue - The URI Basketball Forum

Ramulous wrote:Hey Ace

Dan Hurley has the opportunity to be the most important coach of all time at the University of Rhode Island.

He can keep us in the actual Good Place by staying here for the next several years and building the program to where it becomes a destination for very good high school kids......kids who are three and four star players....I doubt we will ever attract 5-star kids....

...or he can leave as quickly as this year if he wants to chase the dream of the Power 5...

.....we will remember him as the coach who resurrected the team to the point where we go to 2 straight NCAA tournaments..

....or he can emulate his dad and commit to staying here long term and turn the team into a national entity and become the most important coach the University has ever had...

....two other coaches had that opportunity and chose to chase the bigger stage.....Penders and Harrick.....we remember them fondly but they didn't ascend to Olympus (Rhody version)....

...I dream of the duo of Keaney and Hurley over the trio of Penders, Harrick, and Hurley.....

That’s the same dream I have haha, with Hurley’s comment about being the Gonzaga of the east, he will be up there with Keaney when talking about best coaches in Rhody history

I have long thought of Dan as "different" with regards to traditional college coaches.

The conversations I've had with him are always face value and transparent. There are things he's said to me that I wouldn't ever put on a public forum but would lend me to believe he's a lot more like his father. Leave a legacy, become a community pillar, win.

9 years as a high school coach with opportunities to go elsewhere and chase money, even when it would've greatly helped.

It tore him apart to leave a low major school after only 2 seasons - he still even has them listed in his twitter bio. He's proud of what he did there and the only reason he left is because he wanted to play in March. After winning 25 games and coming up just short in the conference tourney, that didn't get him into March.

He probably goes back and forth on many things (as everyone does) - just like when he initially said he didn't want to coach past 50, and then changed his lifestyle/diet so that he could plan to do just that.

What Dan values most in life is his family, and then winning at basketball. Dan will put himself and his family in whichever situation is best for both of those things.

From my understanding he, Andrea, and the kids love RI. Close enough to Jersey family. Playing in a conference that has multiple games in an area close by.

The finances don't matter to him as much as other coaches, and he frequently mentions the fact that his agent does all of that for him. He doesn't even like talking about money. He wants to coach and win and will be in the situation that makes that easiest for him.

My honest thought is that if we keep Dan through this offseason, the new class comes in and blows peoples minds/makes a back-door run to he NCAAs, and ground breaks on a practice facility...Dan will buy into a LONG term plan to stay and win here.

If EC/Hass and Jared/Jarvis' classes built the foundation for a "darkhorse" or second weekend team - then Tate/Harris/Adams/Martin could be the foundation for a team that goes even further.

If Dan gets attached to any of next year's class like he did EC and Hass, leaving would be even harder than it was at Wagner.

The A10 is traditionally a 3-4 bid league - but worst case Dan has set himself up to run this conference and collect and NCAA bid on the regular.

Look at what's happened to Shaka and Archie. From near-guaranteed NCAA tournaments/positive seeds to struggles to even make the field.

I truly believe Dan just wants to put himself in a position to win basketball games, go into March, and be set up to run deep.

IF and it's a big IF - URI can support him in everything he needs (chartered flights to all away games, charters for recruiting visits, practice facility, assistant coaches salary pool to keep talent around him, and full arenas) I can see him staying and becoming a legend.

He will certainly get looks from the Syracuses/UConns/Louisvilles of the world - but does he want to be known as the second Calhoun, Boeheim, or Pitino? Or does he want to be the first Dan Hurley?

Lets just go deep and win big this March so he sees he doesn't need to go elsewhere to accomplish that.

There’s a lot of accuracy in these last few posts...

I think blue man hit it right on the head.
URI has always been a stepping stone job to something bigger. But all it takes is one coach to break the mold.
I agree that the big schools will definitely come calling in the off season but with DH I get the feeling it has to be a very special school for him to leave. I think he is really happy here and really enjoys what he is building.
Now URI has to do whatever he ask and so far so good. I think the practice facility will be the biggest thing since the Ryan center broke ground.
Keep the good times rolling DH!

I say DH stays long term unless a Tobacco Road ACC job opens up

I think even then he might stay. Word I have is family is happy, he’s makin plenty of cash and if he completes the task here he has a shot at local GOAT.

Up against the likes of Mullaney and Keaney I think that’s pretty meaningful.

The class incoming assures near term stability, going to be hard to walk away from Kingston.

ace wrote:There’s a lot of accuracy in these last few posts...

Congrats on the Eagles' victory. See you in the Super Bowl!

Yeah I agree also I hope DH stays a very long time and build something special

Gonzaga east like Mark Few !!

I've been so happy. It is everything I've ever wanted. I don't care/expect to ever be a Duke or Kentucky where we get two or three 5 star recruits every year. Much better to be a Gonzaga or a Wichita State, and play King-Slayer of a Duke or Kentucky.

I've had realistic goals/dreams for what the URI program could be. All it would take is one coach willing to stick it out, and build; not help themselves to one day move on to a greener pasture.

DanInAZ wrote:I've been so happy. It is everything I've ever wanted. I don't care/expect to ever be a Duke or Kentucky where we get two or three 5 star recruits every year. Much better to be a Gonzaga or a Wichita State, and play King-Slayer of a Duke or Kentucky.

I've had realistic goals/dreams for what the URI program could be. All it would take is one coach willing to stick it out, and build; not help themselves to one day move on to a greener pasture.

Well said, if fans pack the Ryan Center and the University continues to step up with program improvements, that’s the best we can do to keep our future Legendary Coach!! Can’t say it enough, donate if you can, even if it’s $100 here and there, that will go a long way to building this “beast of the East”

Dan has always struck me as being like his dad. Settle in somewhere, build a program and stay. Comfort and consistency is more important than chasing money and moving his family every 4 years.

Bob Sr had countless chances to leave St Anthony's and he never did. He was happy and comfortable.

RoadyJay wrote:

ace wrote:There’s a lot of accuracy in these last few posts...

Congrats on the Eagles' victory. See you in the Super Bowl!

I am deceased. Football has killed me. Unbelievable. If you need me, I’ll be trying to climb a greased lamppost, wearing a dog mask.

To Dan's credit and to me one of the most impressive things is that all of the success has come with his guys.

Many coaches claim or ask for enough years to get their guys on the court. Put their imprint on the program.

Well DH did that and it is paying off huge. For example, Harrick and Penders both coached up another coach's players.

Pretty cool/interesting to have a coach who has delivered on his word. And delivered in a way that many coaches never do.

He has over delivered on his word if you ask me.

I agree completely, DH has more than delivered on his word while passing on several opportunities to go to a "better conference" for much more money. I never doubted that DH is a stand up guy. The thing that thrills me is that Dan has a forward moving intellect with the ability to reflect on the important things to make the future brighter. In my mind DH was a good coach and a great program manager from the beginning, now it is my belief that he is a great coach. When you put all the pieces together I think he's among the top 10 coaches in the NCAA's.

Obviously I've questioned things along the way, most of us have, but DH has stifled those concerns, not just by winning games but by proving to be the intellect I mentioned, by reflecting and questioning and moving forward with broad shoulders. I feel one of the finest examples is DH basically telling us he's human when he addressed his reaction to E.C.'s injury a few seasons ago. He didn't get defensive or evasive, he admitted that he didn't handle things perfectly in the aftermath of the injury and he moved on from there. At the time I was disappointed that he was so publicly devastated, disappointed but not upset, though he is a guy that lives by a code, he also is a wearing it on my sleeve kind a guy. His being devastated for E.C. was, in my mind, a result of the depth of his relationship with the team. Digressing, my point being, DH was devastated because he is a good person foremost, being good at his job was Dan admitting he could have measured his response better. I just feel very thankful to have a man like Dan at the helm. Very smart, relentless, strong in his convictions while still being able to reflect and evolve. We really do need to be grateful and understand what a gem we have in Kingston.

If he stays and keeps building the program maybe we can be one of those teams the better conferences come and pluck next time they decide to add teams.

ElmCityRhody wrote:

It’s like watching your wedding video and falling in Love all over again.

What a great fucking hire Thorr.

Have not done alot of posting but certainly basking in the glory of present day Ram basketball. This team knows how to win. It just has taken me a little longer to realize this. When Pc cut the lead to 65-62, I was thinking the same thing for the last couple of decades - something will go wrong. How many times have I said to myself "the last shot never goes in". Yes, Brian Woodward hit one and so did Dawan, but there was a lot of frustration. Even now when we are up 12 with 4 minutes left, I keep looking at the clock or yelling hold the ball (anyone relate to this). But no more, this is a confident, hard working, team oriented group that has many good games to go. How do you scout our team? Andre and Cyril combined for 4 points, but Nicola and Fatts added nineteen. How would you like to be a guard on an opposing team and think you caught a break at the 13 minute mark when Jeff and Jared take a break and then Fatts and Jarvis enter the contest. Wow! As a very long time fan I was trying to equate some former team that might be similar to this year. With all apologies to the true historian on the board, I came up with the 91 Rams who had just as much depth. I'll throw out some names and please nail me if I made a mistake. But they had Jeff Kent, Abdul Fox, Jason Alexander, Damont Collins, Carlos Easterling, Michael Brown, Kyle Ivey Jones, Andre Samuel, and Carlos Cofield, all of whom played significant minutes, and won one of my top 5 ram wins ever when I went to Chestnut Hill and saw them beat BC in double overtime in the NIT. With all apologies to Al, Dan has turned this program around. You read the Hartford Courant after a Uconn loss, and players are quoted that " I guess we should have played harder". That does not exist in Kingston, Rhode Island. Looking forward to a packed out Saturday. - one last selfish thought - I would love to see Jarvis get to 1000 points. No one worked harder to get there. Have not and will not quit...that Ram fan

Rhody74 wrote:

ace wrote:We are in the actual Good Place.
Can I be Janet?



(shout out to anyone who gets this!)

Most URI fans are Chidi, me included.

Admittedly we've got a few Jake Jortles as well.

Great to watch DH introductory press conference!! Thanks for sharing

RhowdyRam02 wrote:

Billyboy78 wrote:There has to be a way to keep Dan here for 10 more years.

We should all become Uconn fans the rest of the season. This off-season could be dicey as we transition between this year's team and the recruits coming in. Once those guys are on campus it will be tougher for him to move on

And I'm not worried about Uconn anymore...

http://m.ctpost.com/sports/jeffjacobs/a ... source=CMS Sharing Button&utm_medium=social

After how Hurley felt dealing with our APR situation there is 0.0 chance that Hurley goes to a program dealing with sanctions or still under NCAA investigation

RhowdyRam02 wrote:

RhowdyRam02 wrote:

Billyboy78 wrote:There has to be a way to keep Dan here for 10 more years.

We should all become Uconn fans the rest of the season. This off-season could be dicey as we transition between this year's team and the recruits coming in. Once those guys are on campus it will be tougher for him to move on

And I'm not worried about Uconn anymore...

http://m.ctpost.com/sports/jeffjacobs/a ... source=CMS Sharing Button&utm_medium=social

After how Hurley felt dealing with our APR situation there is 0.0 chance that Hurley goes to a program dealing with sanctions or still under NCAA investigation

Shouldn’t teams who cheat be better?

Still waiting on the consequences for Arizona and South Carolina and USC and...

Auburn and Oklahoma State and...

remember when UNC invented fake classes and they determined nothing was wrong? LOL.

Even when we are bad we are good (enough).

TruePoint wrote:
This is a stress-free team to follow right now. ...

Not today it wasn't!

Cue up the video from the first page of this thread...

Just a random thought because we can and we deserve to enjoy these good times:

Remember how that night felt last year after the Fordham loss? Just imagine if we new what this team would accomplish after that night....for the rest of the season...into the A10 Championship...NCAA's...then 2017-2018 until now playing into the top 25?

I still say that loss to Fordham was this best thing that could have ever happened to this team. They have remained locked in ever since and they just keep rolling. I will continue to ride this high for as long as necessary.

I remember. I don't know for sure, but at the end of the game I'd imagine my face looked like I was watching a hostage video starring my family

I know losing Iverson and Martin hurts tons. But I think our current Rams still have room to grow. EC/Terrell never meshed or got tons of time to play with each other. We are seeing them do that in front of our eyes. Most time on the court together in years. Then sprinkle in the potential growth of the young guys Langevine/Dowtin. Berry having never played so many minutes (I think he has looked much better defending the ball screen the past few weeks). Jarvis playing a season healthy. Team is really coming together. I don't note Stan because I think he is just an unbelievable talent.

Seawrightspostgame wrote:I don't note Stan because I think he is just an unbelievable talent.

I thought it ironic that Stan came in with the rep that he couldn't hit the outside shot, yet it was his 3-pointer that won the game for us.

Seawrightspostgame wrote:I know losing Iverson and Martin hurts tons. But I think our current Rams still have room to grow. EC/Terrell never meshed or got tons of time to play with each other. We are seeing them do that in front of our eyes. Most time on the court together in years. Then sprinkle in the potential growth of the young guys Langevine/Dowtin. Berry having never played so many minutes (I think he has looked much better defending the ball screen the past few weeks). Jarvis playing a season healthy. Team is really coming together. I don't note Stan because I think he is just an unbelievable talent.

Speaking of losing Hass and Kuran, Dan said that since we don’t have the same rim protection this year, the focus has turned to getting more steals and taking more charges. I thought that was interesting. We can mainly thank Stan for the success in both of those stats, although many have contributed.

Not sure how to look this up because it isn't in the regular box score, but I want to say Jarvis took four charges against Duquesne. If he had 4 steals people probably would note it because it would jump off the box score, but four charges is just as good for the team and requires significantly more personal sacrifice to get them.

Stan is also excellent at positioning himself to get the charge call instead of the block.....

Ramulous wrote:Stan is also excellent at positioning himself to get the charge call instead of the block.....

I don’t know where they track the stat...but he must lead the nation in charges taken. He had 3 in a half last week. A HALF.

He’s good for 1-2 a game at least. That is invaluable and possibly under appreciated.

.......these good times are all the more sweet, with thinking back to where this program was for an extended period......

Drawing the charge is akin to stealing the ball.....another area in which Stan excels....

TruePoint wrote:Not sure how to look this up because it isn't in the regular box score, but I want to say Jarvis took four charges against Duquesne. If he had 4 steals people probably would note it because it would jump off the box score, but four charges is just as good for the team and requires significantly more personal sacrifice to get them.

It was three for sure, but it very well could have been four.

They mentioned during the broadcast on Saturday that Dan told them they have a goal to take at least 4 charges in every game.

Stan is Rhody’s version of Shane Battier. Does everything pretty well, does the little things, is a lock down defender and takes the most charges on the team.

I'll just leave this here....

This team is just so fun to watch. This program is just unreal right now.

CT Rhody wrote:This team is just so fun to watch. This program is just unreal right now.

.......yes they are.....and yes it is.....

TruePoint wrote:

I regret that I can only like this once....they need to play this at the RC...

I love it when the only complaints on this board are about the concession stands at the Ryan Center

Let's hope Bar and the other Rhody fans made it out of the Siegel Center in one piece.

Oh I made it out just fine...Tyrese Martin was in attendance.
VCU fans were very complimentary of our team.
Not for nothing, Ryan Center > Siegal Center. If we had their band it wouldn't even be close, the arena is nice but kinda small-ish.

Nice to hear Tyrese was there !!