URI Basketball Right Now

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 11 years ago

I expect Hare to come back next year much stronger, and with a little more offensive capabilities. They say there's usually a big improvement from a player's freshman year to his sophomore year.

If Hare has the upside people seem to think he does, he'll show it by next fall. He'll need to, or else he will be sitting a lot. Biruta and the big O will be taking a lot of his minutes.

They look to be much better rebounders.

Shinze88 · Unread post by **Shinze88** » 11 years ago

Hare gets a modified pass from me this year. I've seen enough to know that he has the skills and talent to be a very good A10 player. He's a true freshman who is being thrown into the fire out of necessity due to our lack of front court players. Next year he will be a year bigger, stonger, smarter and will have a much better cast of players around him, plus he will know what Dan's expectations are in each and every practice. Having said that, he does need to work on his moves near the basket, and improve his free throw shooting. I'm very excited to have him playing for us the next 4 years.

sf2010 · Unread post by **sf2010** » 11 years ago

I expect Hare's rebounding to improve next year as the whole team's rebounding does. If there is at least one other big body on the floor with him to occupy space he will be able to use his athleticism more effectively. Right now he's on an island as we have no other effective rebounders to assist him down low. No question he needs to gain strength though, and I agree that a big man camp like the one Martell attended would be an excellent investment of time this summer.

I recall thinking that Hare showed decent touch from the line earlier this year, particularly in the Mohegan Sun games, but clearly that has deserted him entirely. Hopefully more reps and confidence from seeing a few drop will make him into a 70% shooter.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Don't know where to put this.
Some idiot named Adam Bagni on TV 10 doing
a piece on social media and college basketball players said,
"Even a school like URI has 75% of their games televised".
Some things never change.

Unread post by **SGreenwell** » 11 years ago

rambone 78 wrote:I expect Hare to come back next year much stronger, and with a little more offensive capabilities. They say there's usually a big improvement from a player's freshman year to his sophomore year.

I looked at it once, and yes, the biggest jump is usually from freshman to sophomore year, followed by sophomore to junior, and finally the least improvement from junior to senior year. Of course, each player can improve (or regress) differently, but this is generally true, kind of similar to how most MLB players hit their peak around 28. It makes intuitive sense when it comes to college basketball, since the player 1) has a year of experience at the D1 level to focus their practice and 2) a college schedule leaves you with more downtime than a high school schedule, and more opportunity to work on your game as a result.

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 11 years ago

"The best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores."

Rhody Guy · Unread post by **Rhody Guy** » 11 years ago

I can see Hare getting stronger and improving his skill set, but i have a hard time seeing him putting on a lot of weight. That body type just doesn't support muscle well enough. OO was similar.

RAM67 · Unread post by **RAM67** » 11 years ago

An interesting poll right now would be whether (if he suddenly became eligible) you would want the Big O to play for wins this year, or sit it out until next near? Without the Patriots, and the Celts, and losing to Fordham, I am selfishly looking for something to perk me up this winter

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 11 years ago

In this hypothetical situation, do we know if he has 4 years of eligibility? Because if he doesn't, it's a no-brainer.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

At this point, to waste a year of eligibility this late in a quagmire of a season,
would be madness.

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 11 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:At this point, to waste a year of eligibility this late in a quagmire of a season,
would be madness.

Right, which is why it would be nice to know if he still has all 4 left. It seems like he should, but it also kind of seems like he should have been able to play at least part of this year, given some of the other situations around the game.

sf2010 · Unread post by **sf2010** » 11 years ago

Anybody remember what happened with the kid Moreno from South America, Argentina I think?

I remember he got caught in NCAA purgatory for a while too and never ended up seeing the court for URI, despite hearing several times that he would be cleared eventually.

I'm just wondering because I really hope that Onyekaba's situation doesn't work out in a similar fashion.

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 11 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:At this point, to waste a year of eligibility this late in a quagmire of a season,
would be madness.

Ha. Glad to see you've seen the light. Where is the Rod that yelled at me that "every win mattered" and wanted all those guys to get waivers to play this season rather than a year to get stronger and practice with the team. What was your pre-season prediction for wins because this "quagmire" was eminently predictable?

sf2010 · Unread post by **sf2010** » 11 years ago

"Again, if he gets the waiver granted, he plays this season, if it's granted before A-10 season begins.
Hurley wants to win, even now. Yesterday had to kill him.
He knows what a difference Onyekaba could mean. At least a post presence and five
fouls, and added depth.
Plus, The Big O will get a jump on learning and getting the rust off.
Nothing better than game experience.
It's not like Hurley can't recruit another bigman in the 2014 or 2015 recruiting."

That was from Rod right after the Seton Hall game. Seems like he would have wanted Onyekaba to play this year ONLY if the waiver happened before the start of A10 play (I'm sure many of us agree).

At this point, it's now not worth wasting a year of eligibility (29 games + potential post-season) for 11 regular season games and now no reasonable shot at even making the A10 tournament.

Of course the whole eligibility situation is so confusing that discussing any sort of hypothetical scenario is absurd...

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 11 years ago

sf2010 wrote:"Again, if he gets the waiver granted, he plays this season, if it's granted before A-10 season begins.
Hurley wants to win, even now. Yesterday had to kill him.
He knows what a difference Onyekaba could mean. At least a post presence and five
fouls, and added depth.
Plus, The Big O will get a jump on learning and getting the rust off.
Nothing better than game experience.
It's not like Hurley can't recruit another bigman in the 2014 or 2015 recruiting."

That was from Rod right after the Seton Hall game. Seems like he would have wanted Onyekaba to play this year ONLY if the waiver happened before the start of A10 play (I'm sure many of us agree).

At this point, it's now not worth wasting a year of eligibility (29 games + potential post-season) for 11 regular season games and now no reasonable shot at even making the A10 tournament.

Of course the whole eligibility situation is so confusing that discussing any sort of hypothetical scenario is absurd...

Right. But, all you have to do is take a look at the prediction thread to realize that everyone sort of knew this was going to be a tough year. Wanting Onyekaba and Reischel to use a year of eligibility to be a 11 win team over a nine win team was always silly.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Thank you sf2010.
I think Oneykaba being eligible in December, would have made a big difference.
Consider our major weakness is rebounding, that's a given.
Going to Brooklyn would have been a boost to the program, the holdovers and
the new kids.
Winning four or five more games, would bring out more fans.
Oneykaba playing the bulk of the season would be a win-win for everyone.
Now we're into February, and that's why I said, even if he could, why waste a years
eligibility for 11 games.
My prediction was 11-18. Barring a miracle, I'll fall short.
Since my post after the SH game, we've had six close losses, five less then 4 points.
Put six wins in the win column and take six losses out, and it's a different season.

sf2010 · Unread post by **sf2010** » 11 years ago

I disagree, GBG.

If those extra wins allowed us to reach the A10 tournament this year, then I would have considered it worth it.

There is also the reasonable assumption that competing this year in actual games would improve their abilities more than only practicing and working out with the team, thereby making URI stronger next season.

I am not concerned yet about the roster make-up 4 years down the line. I am sure that if all goes as planned and we experience a few winning seasons between now and then that Hurley will be able to recruit equal or greater talent to Kingston.

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 11 years ago

sf2010 wrote:I disagree, GBG.

If those extra wins allowed us to reach the A10 tournament this year, then I would have considered it worth it.

There is also the reasonable assumption that competing this year in actual games would improve their abilities more than only practicing and working out with the team, thereby making URI stronger next season.

I am not concerned yet about the roster make-up 4 years down the line. I am sure that if all goes as planned and we experience a few winning seasons between now and then that Hurley will be able to recruit equal or greater talent to Kingston.

That's fair. Four years is a long time in college hoops and I fully expect Rhody to be pretty good by then. And, I would rather have a MUCH better/stronger Reischel/O be part of tournament rotation even if they are 6,7,8th men because Hurley has recruited over them than watch them get waxed in round one of the 2013 A10 tournament. At least, if you are weighing value/probably outcomes.

Rhody72 · Unread post by **Rhody72** » 11 years ago

URI's losing is a drag on recruiting. In the short-term the effect of losing is being off-set by the stable of ineligible players and being a new coach. We need to win over 60% of our game next season or else DH's reputation will be tarnished. I'm confident that we will.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 11 years ago

72, after all the hype, this team NEEDS to win at least 18 games next year. I think they will too.

I will be surprised if they don't. Nothing's a given of course, but if the transfers and the freshmen are as good as advertised, it'll happen.

A lot of Baron's recruits never met expectations, due to either lack of talent or coaching or both.

I trust most of Hurley's WILL meet expectations. He won't hit a home run with all of them, nobody will, but at least they'll get the coaching they need.

section(105) · Unread post by **section(105)** » 11 years ago

Things I wonder. Would our current bench/sitting out players beat the current starting 5?

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 11 years ago

I hope so, or we're not going to be as good as everyone thinks we'll be.

The group on the bench would kill the starting group when it comes to rebounding, that"s for sure.

Dan himself has inferred that they are better, a LOT better.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

You have almost a complete team sitting out.
You also have pieces that the 2012-13 team lacks.
Real frontline personnel, plus Reischel as a swingman and
Biggie as a big combo, who can go to the basket.
I'll bet if you gave them a walkon to make five, they'd
run 2012-13 off the floor.
I know Biruta and Oneykaba would have a cakewalk on the boards.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 11 years ago

well if you look at it this way....

Reischel replaces Nik
Minnis replaces Dre
Biruta replaces Brooks

right there you would seem to have a night and day exchange...add a year of development for Powell, X, Hare and Aaman. And then The Big O, Martin and Matthews are the cherry on top.

We will have chemistry issues and growing pains as a lot of new guys learn to play with each other, but on talent alone it will be an entirely different team.

I would expect our playing style and offensive/defensive sets to change accordingly, for the better.

More uptempo, more turnovers caused, better rebounding team, maintain the solid perimeter defense and add real muscle down low. How can you not be excited!!!!

reef · Unread post by **reef** » 11 years ago

Yes I think our sitting out players would top our current starting 5

sf2010 · Unread post by **sf2010** » 11 years ago

bigappleram wrote:well if you look at it this way....

Reischel replaces Nik
Minnis replaces Dre
Biruta replaces Brooks

Not trying to temper enthusiasm here, but trying to make an alternate point.

I'm sold on Biruta being a force in the A10, as he was more than solid in the Big East as a freshman/sophmore, but I'm less convinced by the other two.

Has anyone seen Biggie/Reischel play?

I remember when their transfers first came through people on this board were mostly indifferent.

Biggie didn't do much at Texas Tech, and Reischel was decent at Rice, how sure are we that they're ready to contribute immediately next year?

Biruta is already 10 times the player Brooks is, but I'm not so sure that Biggie will replace Andre, or that Reischel will replace Nik (who despite his maddening inconsistency and poor attitude, still has carried this team for a few games this year).

Having not witnessed Biggie or Reischel play, I can't be sure of their talent level, but I remain somewhat skeptical.

Blue Man · Unread post by **Blue Man** » 11 years ago

sf2010 wrote:
bigappleram wrote:well if you look at it this way....

Reischel replaces Nik
Minnis replaces Dre
Biruta replaces Brooks
Not trying to temper enthusiasm here, but trying to make an alternate point.

I'm sold on Biruta being a force in the A10, as he was more than solid in the Big East as a freshman/sophmore, but I'm less convinced by the other two.

Has anyone seen Biggie/Reischel play?

I remember when their transfers first came through people on this board were mostly indifferent.

Biggie didn't do much at Texas Tech, and Reischel was decent at Rice, how sure are we that they're ready to contribute immediately next year?

Biruta is already 10 times the player Brooks is, but I'm not so sure that Biggie will replace Andre, or that Reischel will replace Nik (who despite his maddening inconsistency and poor attitude, still has carried this team for a few games this year).

Having not witnessed Biggie or Reischel play, I can't be sure of their talent level, but I remain somewhat skeptical.

I understand the skepticism, and even if you temper those expectations - look at it like this:

The addition of Biruta alone adds an inside scoring presence that HAS to be respected by the defense. This will allow for 3 very great, very different things than what we have this year.

1) We will have someone who can score with his back to the basket
2) That second scoring option takes the doubleteam and pressure off of X who will still be our leading scorer next season.
3) Having those 2 other scoring options will leave Hare free from the bigger body that he's been matched up against, allowing him to get rebounds in space, or have more open lanes to dunk.

Beyond the Biruta point, you now have a deep bench, and we'd actually be able to play Hurley ball, which I don't know if most have realized it, but we haven't seen at all this year. We are playing a slow offensive game because we're 3-4 bodies short of a full lineup, and devoid of consistent scoring talent.

Now, whatever you want to say about Biggie, Riechelle, Onyekaba, Matthews, and Martin - just those above facts make everything we're going through right now worth it.

RhodeIslandBred · Unread post by **RhodeIslandBred** » 11 years ago

What this team needs most is people who can score the basketball--plus with current players getting another year of Hurley's coaching and shooting drills this team is going to be good much better than this year. The only question will be how good.

If you've got: (Projected Starters followed by backups)
Powell-Matthews
Munford
Minnis-Buchanon-Bigby
Biruta-Aaman-Reischel
Martin-Hare-Onyekaba

We have a lot more depth next year than this year and we can be a lot more physical. I like the scoring potential of next year's team even losing Nik and Dre who have played well in stretches this year.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Hare has to be a center on offense and defense.
He hasn't got the game to play anywhere else.
That means on defense, he gets the other team's bigman.
Who 's he going to guard on defense? He can't handle a quicker forward.
People go by him, now, with no problem.
I'm hoping he develops his game this summer, so he's not a bench player.
Minnis won't start, Bred.
You're projecting a small lineup.
Martin came here to be a 3.
Reischel is a swingman, and most likely to start, as he's been a year in the system.
Bigby isn't even going to be on the team next season.
If Oneykaba is as good as Hurley says he is, he's your center, with Biruta at power forward.
Matthews is too big a talent to not start for too long.
Bench by January might be, Hare, Minnis, Buchanan, Aaman, probably Matthews and Martin.
Plus, there are two more likely recruits, unless Hurley and staff have some superior 2014 recruits
that they feel they can wait for.

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 11 years ago

Better days ahead for sure. If I had to hazard a wild guess a year out, I would say growing pains in the OOC while all of these new guys get their first game tests. Maybe 9-6 or so then middle of the pack A-10 finish with a head of steam at the end. Of course, if Butler/VCU/Dayton/SLU/X are gone, it might be a first place finish.....

RhodeIslandBred · Unread post by **RhodeIslandBred** » 11 years ago

I agree that Minnis wont start at the beginning of the year, and I agree that Hare will probably be best suited coming off the bench. The list I came up with didn't really catergorize players by position but I just tried to project who we'd want out on the court depth wise that would provide the best talent scoring.

Possible starting five: Powell, Munford, Reischel, Biruta (Aaman), Hare (Martin) -> Onyekaba still looks like too raw of a talent.

Were in good hands with Hurley. Hope tonights game is competitive.

Blue Man · Unread post by **Blue Man** » 11 years ago

I see Hare as a 4, not 5. If you don't see Biruta as a 5, then Onyekaba is your 5. I'd like to see this lineup -

1)Matthews - Powell - Buchanan
2)Munford - Minnis
3)Riechelle - Martin
4)Biruta - Hare
5)Onyekaba - Aaman

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Hurley says Oneykaba is often the best frontcourt player in practice.
Not sure where all this "raw" talk started, but I've seen him in person a couple of times,
and he's got some advanced ofensive moves.
My guess is, his worst area will be staying out of foul trouble.
He's a bull, and we haven't had his bodytype in the program in over a decade.
How can Hare be a four, when he had zero shot or ability to put the ball on the floor?
The word "raw" really applies to Hare.
With his shot blocking ability, you want him near the basket as the last line of defense.
So much of where and how he ends up, is up to him.

sf2010 · Unread post by **sf2010** » 11 years ago

For Hare I don't think the 4/5 distinction matters very much, what matter is who he is paired with in the frontcourt.

Someone stronger and more physical (i.e. Biruta/Onyekaba) will take up space and allow Hare to use his athleticism much more effectively with regards to rebounding and coming off the ball to block shots. Where he really needs to improve is in using his athleticism and length to block shots after he is initially beaten in the post. He's never going to be strong enough to stop a guy that bulls through him, but he should be able to recover and block the shot from behind.

I see his offensive potential limited to alley-oops and putbacks, but that's fine. We don't need to have five #1 scoring options on the floor at all times, and if he really works on the defensive end and becomes a game-changer there, we won't need him to do any more besides get cheap points by athleticism.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

I think some here mistake blocking shots, for playing solid defense.
Denying a player the position he wants, if far more important than a blocked shot, because this
can happen all night.
Blocked shots are flashy, but don't translate always into a player's sound defense.
Hare needs to work on a shot, ball handling in the post, positioning, and not rely on putbacks, to be a factor
on offense.

sf2010 · Unread post by **sf2010** » 11 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:I think some here mistake blocking shots, for playing solid defense.
Denying a player the position he wants, if far more important than a blocked shot, because this
can happen all night.
Blocked shots are flashy, but don't translate always into a player's sound defense.
Hare needs to work on a shot, ball handling in the post, positioning, and not rely on putbacks, to be a factor
on offense.

Definitely agree with those points on defense, I think I remember someone recently referencing the fact that PC legend Randall Hanke blocked a lot of shots, when he was a horrific post defender. Block 3 shots, give up 8 lay-ups kind of guy.

Strength and denying position are always going to be challenges for Hare, but improvement in those areas is achievable and necessary. No question he needs to stop what we saw against Fordham, which was 2 dribbles and a layup for whoever was posting him up. His footwork I think is really the key to him becoming a successful on-the-ball post defender, rather than strength. Even if he gets stronger he'll be susceptible to the 6'8" 240 type players overpowering him. I think he could be outstanding coming off the ball to block/alter shots IF there is another post defender who is at least serviceable at holding position long enough for Hare to come over and help out. Right now that is not the case as he is often paired with Nik in the frontcourt.

Certainly it would be great if Hare were to develop a post game, and I think a big man camp over the summer is necessary, but I'm not holding my breath on that. I'd be happy with his development if he becomes a huge plus defensively, plus rebounding, and neutral offensively.

neil · Unread post by **neil** » 11 years ago

I'm going to be cautiously optimistic and say that they will do fine during the occ part of the schedule. They have been practicing every day since October (and probably before). It's not like we are bringing five new players to Kingston. I wouldn't be afraid to schedule "up" next year.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

We seem to have a great staff for guards, but what about bigs?
There's no Larry Farmer type around, to say,"This is how I did it."
That's why I think, a Bigman Camp would be the best option for Hare
in the off season.
I know! Bobby can have his good buddy, Christian Laetner come here to tutor Hare all summer.
Seriously, the development of Mason Plumlee at Duke, has been astonishing.
We all know bigs develop late. You still need the will to learn and improve.

ramfan85 · Unread post by **ramfan85** » 11 years ago

Agree completely with Rod about Hare. He really can only play center. he doesn't have the offense moves for the 3 or the toughness for the 4. It's up to him to develop. If he doesn't, he'll be sitting a lot. He's got a great opportunity this year to prove himself (at least show that he's improving). But, next year it's for real.

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 11 years ago

I think raw is a fair enough description for Onyekaba, if only for the fact that he's not been playing organized basketball for all that long (but was still a 3/4 star recruit). I still love the way they went about getting him. He's the one I'm most worried about sitting out a year, though. The others at least had D1 experience before doing so. But what was said above about this team not yet being able to play the style the coach really wants them to is spot-on. Even without adding anyone else, 11 players sounds like a luxury after this year.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Just remember his immortal countryman, Hakeem Olajuwon.
He didn't play until he was 15 years old, and never in the US,
before going to U of Houston.
At least Oneykaba played some high school ball.

Andrew · Unread post by **Andrew** » 11 years ago

Wasn't there supposed to be some open practices? Did anyone ever go to those? Is that still an option?

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

There was one open practice before season started. Dan did tweet about there being more.

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 11 years ago

Andrew wrote:Wasn't there supposed to be some open practices? Did anyone ever go to those? Is that still an option?

I'd still like to get down there to see a practice.

BFC · Unread post by **BFC** » 11 years ago

"14. Rhode Island. Rhode Island is not good -- let's not get carried away -- but the Rams are not bad, and nowhere near as abysmal as they were last season. Consider their past four games: On Jan. 19, they won at Saint Louis. On Jan. 23, they lost to George Washington 66-65. On Jan. 30, they lost at VCU 70-64. There was a three-point road loss at Fordham sandwiched in there, but nobody's perfect, and the point is not that Rhode Island is even a top-100 team -- merely that it is playing teams both good and bad close, both at home and on the road. Considering where this program left off last season, it's pretty impressive stuff."

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketba ... ngs-a-10-7

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Practices at Monday, Wednesay and Friday at 8:3--10:30
Tuesday and Thursday 10:00-12:00.
He said he doesn't mind anyone watching practices, but he doesn't want a lot of people running around.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

Rod, how would a fan like me get access to a practice? These are in Keaney, or are some at Ryan Center?

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Ryan. Dan said, "Just walk in".

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 11 years ago

This is why twitter is fun, if you care about such things- Gil Biruta worked out with Orion Outerbridge today.

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