1/9 | Richmond Spiders | 7PM (ESPN+)

[bigappleram]

Golden had 18pts, 7rebs and 6assists and people here wonder if he would play for us, ummm, yeah of course he would.
Someone said he was overrated earlier, he has 18pts in both games against us thus far in his career.

Really liked the game plan tonight, attacked their zone from foul line, paint touches and good ball reversal. Fatts still took 2-3 ill advised shots but offensively not much to fault out there. I do think our man2man defensive intensity isn't what it used to be, if I am going to nitpick. Felt like we should have beat that team by 20, they had 2 players to worry about.

Freshmen continue to come along, even in the little opportunity Harris gets offensively you can see his game and skill set and get excited. It will click for him, eventually. You can see trust building with the FR, Jeff/CT/Fatts getting them the ball in better spots, trusting them in the half court and its making us more dynamic offensively. In their last 5 games Dowtin is 12-23 from 3 and Martin is 8-17. 20 for 40. Who said we can't shoot?!?

[RF1]

Good A-10 road trip getting at least one win. Tough to start conference play with two straight away games. We thankfully ended a nine game stretch where we had but one home game. Went a respectable 5-4. Would have been nice to have gotten another win in HI but that didn't happen. Will still give credit to the team and staff for getting through a difficult portion of the schedule. It will be nice having the majority of games (9 of 16) from here on out at the Ryan Center.

[rambone 78]

Only issue is Jeff needs to play a few less minutes going forward. He's gassed.

He will wear down to nothing especially with games every 3-4 days from here on out.

[Rhody83]

[Rhodymob05]

I’m happy we won but one man on an awful Richmond team completely stopping our inside game is concerning.

......we have an inside game?.....l

Lol don’t get me started , but on that note, we need to give Harris more looks ...again. High low action baby.

[Rhody15]

Late in the second half, Fatts had an absolutely wide open 3 in the corner, but drove to the rim, got fouled and went to the line.

He would have taken that shot 100% of the time the last few games and all of last year.

That’s progress, and a good sign (I hope) for the rest of the year.

[Rhodymob05]

Fatts def took chill pills and it’s helping his game. Also Uri currently is tied for the least amount of home games in the conference. Crazy road trips.

[TruePoint]

I’m happy we won but one man on an awful Richmond team completely stopping our inside game is concerning.

......we have an inside game?.....l

Lol don’t get me started , but on that note, we need to give Harris more looks ...again. High low action baby.

Seems universal that everyone thinks Harris should get more looks. I notice two things with him - nobody seems all that interested in throwing him the ball in the normal course of the offense; and (maybe as a result) he stands around a lot and doesn’t seem to have good awareness of the floor yet in terms of finding spots to get open - the combined effect is that sometimes it looks like he is straight up hiding on offense.

[RhodyRam86]

What on earth happened to the Richmond program? This team is absolute garbage, I cant see one of their players getting any minutes on our team. Mooney obviously on the hot seat and likely will be replaced after this season. I always thought that Richmond was a tough place to play and a team you never want to face, but they have completely fallen off the map, their recruiting is awful, what a shame for a once proud program.

Golden and Gilyard couldn't get any pt for URI?

I'd say no, maybe Gilyard could spell one of our guards, but it would be Omar type minutes. Golden is slow and clumsy with no perimeter game that I saw, and he cant shoot free throws. I wouldn't play him over Cyril or Harris, but thats just my opinion

Golden hit on 8 of 13 vs our bigs and pulled down 8 rebounds. He is only a sophomore. Didn't see our bigs doing much scoring against him. He doesn't shoot free throws well...true. What...Is Cyril the second coming of Rick Barry at the foul line? Do you like Cyril's perimeter game? Geesh...that's one hell of an opinion you have.

[Rhodymob05]

It’s weird because the guy works his ass off to get open and then the balls reversed.

[Rhody15]

I expected (I’m assuming others did as well) that as soon as we started playing stiffer competition / got into conference play that Cyril’s production would dip a tad bit. I’m not surprised or concerned, as others (Martin and Tate) have stepped up recently.

[Rhody83]

I expected (I’m assuming others did as well) that as soon as we started playing stiffer competition / got into conference play that Cyril’s production would dip a tad bit. I’m not surprised or concerned, as others (Martin and Tate) have stepped up recently.

Cyril’s offense has reverted to last year’s. Poor hands and struggles once he gets the ball. I thought he would be better being he is completely healthy and it is his Jr year.

[mstyles22]

Hey everyone - I've been slacking on posts this season. Two young kids, work travel, etc, so thanks to those who post and keep me updated...

Just watched the replay on ESPN+...observations:

- The career arch of JD at Rhody will go down as one of the most enjoyable. From looking lost early as a freshman, to the big game in the NCAAT vs Creighton, to taking the reigns of the offense last year to now, the unquestioned leader and best player on the team. One of the best players in the conference. I love his game and what he brings to this team. As we saw against St. Louis he can't do it all himself, but he's going to take over a lot of games this year and next.

- Fatts! I have to remind myself he's only a Sophmore. I really like how he's settled down. For a player who already plays as fast as he does, it doesn't take a body language expert to tell when he's under control or when he's pressing. Tonight he played with confidence and that's exactly what we need from him.

- CT would drive me insane if I was a coach. The ability is there to be so much more of an impact player than he is. Sometimes it's like he doesn't know his role on the team, and I think if/when he embraces the Stan/TJ type role he'll become a fan favorite and very important player. Right now there are way too many brain farts and plays off. You can't ask a guy to show more emotion, but you sure as shit can demand they play hard all the time.

- JH...love the kid. Maybe it's the ankle but I think we can all agree he's been a disappointment so far. And no one is wearing that more than he is. You can tell he's frustrated and wants to do so much more. I think he'll have some big games in conference play. We certainly need him to.

- Tate is a MAN. Looks more comfortable out there every game. Imagine what the kid will look like as an upperclassman with more time in the weight room? A versitle player that I'm very excited about.

- And speaking of which...Martin is probably going to be the best player on the roster from the day Dowtin plays his last game until he plays his last game. He's clearly found his jumper and that's opening up the ability for him to drive to the bucket. I feel like his defense has kicked up a notch too.

- CL...not worried about a regression. He'll be fine. Plays his ass off.

Great road win tonight, I don't care who it's against. This team needed it.

Go Rhody!

[reef]

That was a nice win that we needed and we were in control the whole way

JD looks amazing out there I really think he has a shot to make the NBA especially if he keeps improving his outside shot

Fatts playing better a little more in control 19 points

Loving Martin and Tate coming alive especially Martin

Harris we need to get going

Golden is a decent player come on Shines

[rhodylaw]

JH looks like Tate and Harris did 5 games ago, just not quite there yet. When it comes it will be huge.

Team was very good last night except a stretch in the second half where both Fatts and Jeff were trying to launch dagger shots and we didn’t score a fg in 5 mins.

[SandorClegane]

Wasn’t able to follow/watch the game but according to the ESPN box score we only played 7 guys. Is this correct???

Yes. No Silverio, no Preston.

Need Silverio to get a couple minutes to spell Dowtin and Fatts at the point. These boys log a lot of minutes. Looked gassed at the end.

[section(105)]

.....getting Harris going, if he is learning the college post/low post, bAck to basket type position that he did not play in high school/prep, then maybe a big man camp/coach guru is needed......certainly don’t know what Coach Cox expects him to produce and what role he will grow into......also don’t know what role/positions he previously played at the prep level, but he probably dominated with pure physical skills and size against that level of competition.......so then, why is it taking this amount of college games to get him going?......Am I being to impatient?.....Tell me....

[Seawrightspostgame]

Nice win!

[PeteRI]

.....getting Harris going, if he is learning the college post/low post, bAck to basket type position that he did not play in high school/prep, then maybe a big man camp/coach guru is needed......certainly don’t know what Coach Cox expects him to produce and what role he will grow into......also don’t know what role/positions he previously played at the prep level, but he probably dominated with pure physical skills and size against that level of competition.......so then, why is it taking this amount of college games to get him going?......Am I being to impatient?.....Tell me....

I'm equally flummoxed. He looked FANTASTIC against Harvard -- 15 points or so, I recall -- with a great mix of inside buckets and mid-range jumpers. And he was making his free throws. He's clearly more gifted offensively than Cyril, but he's looked lost in the last few games. I'm really looking forward to him figuring out his game, because he brings another dimension to our offense that combined with Dana and Tyrese will be a joy to watch for the next 4 years.

[PillPushr]

.....getting Harris going, if he is learning the college post/low post, bAck to basket type position that he did not play in high school/prep, then maybe a big man camp/coach guru is needed......certainly don’t know what Coach Cox expects him to produce and what role he will grow into......also don’t know what role/positions he previously played at the prep level, but he probably dominated with pure physical skills and size against that level of competition.......so then, why is it taking this amount of college games to get him going?......Am I being to impatient?.....Tell me....

I'm equally flummoxed. He looked FANTASTIC against Harvard -- 15 points or so, I recall -- with a great mix of inside buckets and mid-range jumpers. And he was making his free throws. He's clearly more gifted offensively than Cyril, but he's looked lost in the last few games. I'm really looking forward to him figuring out his game, because he brings another dimension to our offense that combined with Dana and Tyrese will be a joy to watch for the next 4 years.

The thing that really stands out to me on Harris is just how weak he is with the ball down in the post. He has gotten the ball downlow with decent position many times, and he almost always gets stripped or blocked. Most of the times he actually gets a shot up, its not strong to the hoop, it is more of a fadeaway. He really has to work on being strong with the ball on the block.

[bigappleram]

.....getting Harris going, if he is learning the college post/low post, bAck to basket type position that he did not play in high school/prep, then maybe a big man camp/coach guru is needed......certainly don’t know what Coach Cox expects him to produce and what role he will grow into......also don’t know what role/positions he previously played at the prep level, but he probably dominated with pure physical skills and size against that level of competition.......so then, why is it taking this amount of college games to get him going?......Am I being to impatient?.....Tell me....

I'm equally flummoxed. He looked FANTASTIC against Harvard -- 15 points or so, I recall -- with a great mix of inside buckets and mid-range jumpers. And he was making his free throws. He's clearly more gifted offensively than Cyril, but he's looked lost in the last few games. I'm really looking forward to him figuring out his game, because he brings another dimension to our offense that combined with Dana and Tyrese will be a joy to watch for the next 4 years.

One answer, big men always take longer. Secondly, I think he is playing through injury. We all saw how much stronger and more explosive Cyril is when healthy this year, Harris seems hobbled both hamstring and ankle.

[RhowdyRam02]

Golden had 18pts, 7rebs and 6assists and people here wonder if he would play for us, ummm, yeah of course he would.
Someone said he was overrated earlier, he has 18pts in both games against us thus far in his career.

Last year he did it on 6/16 shooting, that sucks for a forward. And that doesn't factor in how many points he gives up normally because of his defense. Winning plays and winning players have become a cliche, but he's the opposite. His box score looks great when you look at just points and rebounds, but when you watch him he's not nearly as good as the box score would indicate

[RhowdyRam02]

I expected (I’m assuming others did as well) that as soon as we started playing stiffer competition / got into conference play that Cyril’s production would dip a tad bit. I’m not surprised or concerned, as others (Martin and Tate) have stepped up recently.

Cyril’s offense has reverted to last year’s. Poor hands and struggles once he gets the ball. I thought he would be better being he is completely healthy and it is his Jr year.

He's not completely healthy, he has a knee issue

[KevanBoyles]

As does Harris.

[RhodyRam86]

Golden had 18pts, 7rebs and 6assists and people here wonder if he would play for us, ummm, yeah of course he would.
Someone said he was overrated earlier, he has 18pts in both games against us thus far in his career.

Last year he did it on 6/16 shooting, that sucks for a forward. And that doesn't factor in how many points he gives up normally because of his defense. Winning plays and winning players have become a cliche, but he's the opposite. His box score looks great when you look at just points and rebounds, but when you watch him he's not nearly as good as the box score would indicate

I watched him last night. He looked better than our big men. He is slow, but he's also not a bull in the china shop. He's pretty strong with the ball, doesn't turn it over. Needs to work a bit on his touch. He would absolutely be a starter on our time this year.

[section(105)]

.......for me onto to Mason......which Team Rankings gives us 76% to win.......like that, welcome back home guys......Go Rhody.....

[RhowdyRam02]

Golden had 18pts, 7rebs and 6assists and people here wonder if he would play for us, ummm, yeah of course he would.
Someone said he was overrated earlier, he has 18pts in both games against us thus far in his career.

Last year he did it on 6/16 shooting, that sucks for a forward. And that doesn't factor in how many points he gives up normally because of his defense. Winning plays and winning players have become a cliche, but he's the opposite. His box score looks great when you look at just points and rebounds, but when you watch him he's not nearly as good as the box score would indicate

I watched him last night. He looked better than our big men. He is slow, but he's also not a bull in the china shop. He's pretty strong with the ball, doesn't turn it over. Needs to work a bit on his touch. He would absolutely be a starter on our time this year.

I wasn't the person who didn't think he'd have a spot here, I said he was overrated, and I stand by that. He was pre-season first team in the A10, and I don't see him being that good.

[RhodyRam86]

Last year he did it on 6/16 shooting, that sucks for a forward. And that doesn't factor in how many points he gives up normally because of his defense. Winning plays and winning players have become a cliche, but he's the opposite. His box score looks great when you look at just points and rebounds, but when you watch him he's not nearly as good as the box score would indicate

I watched him last night. He looked better than our big men. He is slow, but he's also not a bull in the china shop. He's pretty strong with the ball, doesn't turn it over. Needs to work a bit on his touch. He would absolutely be a starter on our time this year.

I wasn't the person who didn't think he'd have a spot here, I said he was overrated, and I stand by that. He was pre-season first team in the A10, and I don't see him being that good.

Gotcha 02. We're only a couple games in so we've only seen us, St L, and URI. So far, while he may be overrated, he is the best we've seen. We have a lot more big men to see before the season ends.

[steviep123]

I watched him last night. He looked better than our big men. He is slow, but he's also not a bull in the china shop. He's pretty strong with the ball, doesn't turn it over. Needs to work a bit on his touch. He would absolutely be a starter on our time this year.

I wasn't the person who didn't think he'd have a spot here, I said he was overrated, and I stand by that. He was pre-season first team in the A10, and I don't see him being that good.

Gotcha 02. We're only a couple games in so we've only seen us, St L, and URI. So far, while he may be overrated, he is the best we've seen. We have a lot more big men to see before the season ends.

I like Golden and he would definitely help Rhody, but French (on SLU) is better and between the two, I'd rather have French. Actually, I'll have to watch for that match up when it happens.

[PeterRamTime]

Jermaine was getting his leg worked out throughout the whole game. At halftime he didnt put up any shots. He just got worked on.

I think he needs to put on a lot more muscle this offseason.
Hes pretty wiry strong, I mean I thought he played really good defense against Golden. Hes just not poised when he gets the ball. Gets too excited. Much less explosive than he should be, but him adding some more muscle on that frame will help him a whole lot.

[bigappleram]

I wasn't the person who didn't think he'd have a spot here, I said he was overrated, and I stand by that. He was pre-season first team in the A10, and I don't see him being that good.

Gotcha 02. We're only a couple games in so we've only seen us, St L, and URI. So far, while he may be overrated, he is the best we've seen. We have a lot more big men to see before the season ends.

I like Golden and he would definitely help Golden, but French (on SLU) is better and between the two, I'd rather have French. Actually, I'll have to watch for that match up when it happens.

Agree with this, for my money French is the best big in the league in terms of all around game. If he could ever hit foul shots he would be lethal. He's strong, athletic and can put the ball on the floor a bit. And he's only a Soph. He'll be a handful for the next couple of years.

[Rhody83]

Gotcha 02. We're only a couple games in so we've only seen us, St L, and URI. So far, while he may be overrated, he is the best we've seen. We have a lot more big men to see before the season ends.

I like Golden and he would definitely help Golden, but French (on SLU) is better and between the two, I'd rather have French. Actually, I'll have to watch for that match up when it happens.

Agree with this, for my money French is the best big in the league in terms of all around game. If he could ever hit foul shots he would be lethal. He's strong, athletic and can put the ball on the floor a bit. And he's only a Soph. He'll be a handful for the next couple of years.

I think you are distorted by one game. French avgs 8.3 ppg (5th on his team) & 7.7 rebs. He shoots 44% (low for a big man), 39% FTs.

There are 15 front court players in the A10 with a higher scoring avg and 54 players overall. I would pick several ahead of French. Josh Cunningham is - 15.9 ppg, 6.7 rebs, FG 66%, FT 61%. Golden - 18.3 ppg, 7.2 rebs, FG 51%, FT 64%.

[bigappleram]

This is based off much more than 1 game, and I expect with Gordon leaving the program his stats will go up.
But I totally forgot Cunningham. So let me rephrase, I think Cunningham is clearly best big in league. But I would put French as next, and especially given his youthfulness he is only going to keep getting better. He is an ox and athletic. When all is said and done at end of season I am betting his numbers will be much better. We shall see.

[Rhody83]

French btw played at Springfield Commonwealth Academy his last year (school Marial Mading is at). He wasn’t rated in the Top 150. He played AAU for PSA out of NY.

[Section104]

French btw played at Springfield Commonwealth Academy his last year (school Marial Mading is at). He wasn’t rated in the Top 150. He played AAU for PSA out of NY.

top 100 on ESPN - slightly outside top 150 on 247

[bigappleram]

Beyond the name, his game, his recruiting profile, his build are all very Hass Martin like. And i expect him to have a similar career. Hass might have had a little more bounce but French might be a bit stronger.

[Rhody83]

French btw played at Springfield Commonwealth Academy his last year (school Marial Mading is at). He wasn’t rated in the Top 150. He played AAU for PSA out of NY.

top 100 on ESPN - slightly outside top 150 on 247

It was the first year for SCA. Tony Burgeron was the coach. I live in that area. I remember they didn’t have any players in the Top 100 when their season started.
Just found an article about that team.
http://highschoolsports.masslive.com/ne ... owerhouse/

[NYGFan_Section208]

.....getting Harris going, if he is learning the college post/low post, bAck to basket type position that he did not play in high school/prep, then maybe a big man camp/coach guru is needed......certainly don’t know what Coach Cox expects him to produce and what role he will grow into......also don’t know what role/positions he previously played at the prep level, but he probably dominated with pure physical skills and size against that level of competition.......so then, why is it taking this amount of college games to get him going?......Am I being to impatient?.....Tell me....

I'm equally flummoxed. He looked FANTASTIC against Harvard -- 15 points or so, I recall -- with a great mix of inside buckets and mid-range jumpers. And he was making his free throws. He's clearly more gifted offensively than Cyril, but he's looked lost in the last few games. I'm really looking forward to him figuring out his game, because he brings another dimension to our offense that combined with Dana and Tyrese will be a joy to watch for the next 4 years.

The thing that really stands out to me on Harris is just how weak he is with the ball down in the post. He has gotten the ball downlow with decent position many times, and he almost always gets stripped or blocked. Most of the times he actually gets a shot up, its not strong to the hoop, it is more of a fadeaway. He really has to work on being strong with the ball on the block.

I don't think Harris has been given enough chances to get anything done. It seems like there are zero plays designed to get him the ball.
I've seen all the games, but haven't seen him with the ball down low with decent position "many times". Maybe 7-8 times in 14 games? I think they gotta run some plays for him. Would like to see him get the ball to take a few (that's more than one) 10-12 footers per game. I think he can hit the shot, and if they play up on him, that he can go by or pass it off. Just doesn't seem to be getting the chances he needs.

[theblueram]

I'm equally flummoxed. He looked FANTASTIC against Harvard -- 15 points or so, I recall -- with a great mix of inside buckets and mid-range jumpers. And he was making his free throws. He's clearly more gifted offensively than Cyril, but he's looked lost in the last few games. I'm really looking forward to him figuring out his game, because he brings another dimension to our offense that combined with Dana and Tyrese will be a joy to watch for the next 4 years.

The thing that really stands out to me on Harris is just how weak he is with the ball down in the post. He has gotten the ball downlow with decent position many times, and he almost always gets stripped or blocked. Most of the times he actually gets a shot up, its not strong to the hoop, it is more of a fadeaway. He really has to work on being strong with the ball on the block.

I don't think Harris has been given enough chances to get anything done. It seems like there are zero plays designed to get him the ball.
I've seen all the games, but haven't seen him with the ball down low with decent position "many times". Maybe 7-8 times in 14 games? I think they gotta run some plays for him. Would like to see him get the ball to take a few (that's more than one) 10-12 footers per game. I think he can hit the shot, and if they play up on him, that he can go by or pass it off. Just doesn't seem to be getting the chances he needs.

Harris seems like an alley oop specialist. Need to feed him going to the basket. But the dude needs to slam dunk it.

[NYGFan_Section208]

The thing that really stands out to me on Harris is just how weak he is with the ball down in the post. He has gotten the ball downlow with decent position many times, and he almost always gets stripped or blocked. Most of the times he actually gets a shot up, its not strong to the hoop, it is more of a fadeaway. He really has to work on being strong with the ball on the block.

I don't think Harris has been given enough chances to get anything done. It seems like there are zero plays designed to get him the ball.
I've seen all the games, but haven't seen him with the ball down low with decent position "many times". Maybe 7-8 times in 14 games? I think they gotta run some plays for him. Would like to see him get the ball to take a few (that's more than one) 10-12 footers per game. I think he can hit the shot, and if they play up on him, that he can go by or pass it off. Just doesn't seem to be getting the chances he needs.

Harris seems like an alley oop specialist. Need to feed him going to the basket. But the dude needs to slam dunk it.

Just get him the ball...somehow...some way...any way... Seems like he might have fewest touches of anyone on the team almost..and he starts!

[Rhody Guy]

Harris has not seemed like an above the rim player at all so far this year. Hes dunks and attempts have been barely over the rim. In his defense it may be related to the injuries. That being said, he seems to me to be a player similar to Andrew Wiggins in that he has a bunch of talent that manifests occasionally. He also doesn't seem to play aggressively at all. Most of the time I feel like he is just going through the motions. I am guessing I am in the minority based on others opinions on here, but so far IMHO he has a motor issue.

[ElmCityRhody]

DEMAND THE BALL

i haven't seen that yet

[Billyboy78]

Jermaine has only 49 field goal attempts in 14 games. You hope he would get some attempts off of offensive rebounds, but since opening night, he hasn't had more than 2 offensive rebounds in a game. That knee seems to be an issue.

[Ramulous]

I think the team is deferring to Cyril for down low touches....Martin and Tate are outside more and have more chances when the ball is being passed around the perimeter...they get more touches and opportunities for open jumpers or lanes to the basket...

...harder for the freshman Harris to assert himself over Cyril....it will take time for that to happen...I hope it does...

[section(105)]

.......wonder what the Coach has in mind to get Harris “going”.......maybe the staff feels what we see is what we get, for now.....and they are OK with that....of course every coach wants more outta everybody......and the staffs focus is improving the others components of the offensive system.....know what?......I have no clue here, but he(Harris)needs to get comfortable.......if injury, I give a pass.....no?

[rambone 78]

If you have a bum knee/ankle you're just not going to be able to move and jump as well as you can when healthy.

I know that's obvious but that's what we're seeing here with Harris.


His development will suffer until he can get up to full speed.

[Rhody83]

Harris shot 40% from three point range last year. Early on in practice Cox mentioned they are converting Jermaine to a low post player. That is an added learning curve. Others who saw him play in high school can speak better to this but I don’t believe he was a back to the basket player last year. He has had nunerous injuries - the first one kept him out of preseason practices. He has been behind the other Fr in adapting to the college game from missing time. Dana and Tyrese played in high level prep programs last year that have a lot more college type features than what Harris experienced. If he gets healthy, I think he will make great strides the later part of this year. We need to show some patience. The talent is there and he will develop into an impact player.

[rambone 78]

83, injuries and experience aside, what if trying to convert JH into a back to the basket player doesn't work?

What if he's more suited to be more of a 3-4 than a center? We know he can shoot jumpers and FT's, but maybe his skill set just doesn't fit what Cox wants to do?


I guess we'll find out soon enough.

[theblueram]

That's a concern Bone cause I don't see him as a back to the basket player. I see him more as an explosive 3/4.

[section(105)]

......all above is a competitive bingo.....if the development of the post players is slower than the other younger players, as has been pointed out, and JH demonstrated other skills as prep player......then the conversion to low post back to hoop player could take even longer.......so he comes then a high level player as what junior/senior?.......I am not ragging on JH, but I am just wondering the value and lost of any conversion of a talented player to a relatively new position......for me, Harris and the handling of him thus far is still a mystery......