'16 PG - Jeremy Sheppard (URI Signed LOI)

[Ramulous]

It is a very important summer for Harris, Martin and Tate......we need to see significant growth now that they are on longer freshmen....the new freshmen shouldn't be counted on for more than a handful of minutes a game.....Sheppard will be a little different in that he is seasoned...

[Iggy1979]

I think the wear and tear on their bodies playing so many minutes as freshmen was significant. Hopefully they get stronger and healthier. The skill set is there. I'll be bummed if Sheppard and Walker aren't two of the first players off the bench.

[wgracie99]

I think the wear and tear on their bodies playing so many minutes as freshmen was significant. Hopefully they get stronger and healthier. The skill set is there. I'll be bummed if Sheppard and Walker aren't two of the first players off the bench.

I think Walker could supplant Harris in the starting lineup if he outplays him in practice this summer and fall. With the deepness we have there should be plenty of competition for playing time. Harris might be better coming off the bench anyway where he can stay out of early foul trouble and then be aggressive in the 2nd half.

[ramster]

I think the wear and tear on their bodies playing so many minutes as freshmen was significant. Hopefully they get stronger and healthier. The skill set is there. I'll be bummed if Sheppard and Walker aren't two of the first players off the bench.

I think Walker could supplant Harris in the starting lineup if he outplays him in practice this summer and fall. With the deepness we have there should be plenty of competition for playing time. Harris might be better coming off the bench anyway where he can stay out of early foul trouble and then be aggressive in the 2nd half.

We struggled last year with shooting accuracy. Harris can score the ball. Excellent FT Shooter. I don’t see Walker taking Harris’ starting role. Consider Harris kept the starting role as a freshman all season plus he played hurt. I see Harris as a 4 year starter.
We need guys that can shoot.
If Fatts comes back shooting off balance, defense in his face, 3’s again for 25% or worse then Sheppard has to take his place. Sheppard May beat out Fatts anyway.

Only 3 sure starters I see going in are Dowtin, Langevine and Harris. The other two spots are up for grabs.

[RamStock]

I think the wear and tear on their bodies playing so many minutes as freshmen was significant. Hopefully they get stronger and healthier. The skill set is there. I'll be bummed if Sheppard and Walker aren't two of the first players off the bench.

I think Walker could supplant Harris in the starting lineup if he outplays him in practice this summer and fall. With the deepness we have there should be plenty of competition for playing time. Harris might be better coming off the bench anyway where he can stay out of early foul trouble and then be aggressive in the 2nd half.

What is this based on? Walker has done even less than Harris in his one year at Georgetown. I like Walker, but to start throwing what we expect him to do and take over jobs when we have never seen him play at URI is crazy. Wasn’t Harris much higher ranked than Walker? I actually think both will be good and much improved, but let’s cool the jets on Walker.

[rambone 78]

I tend to think the 3 starters will be Dowtin, Langevine, and Martin.

Agreed about Fatts….Sheppard could take major minutes away from him. If Sheppard is lighting it up from 3, and Fatts isn't, would be no surprise.

Cox has many more options now.....juggling playing time will be a challenge at least early in the season.

Harris will likely start at the beginning, but just like with Fatts, Walker could end up being better.

In general, having more depth with guys pushing each other for PT, will only help the bottom line.

[Rhody83]

I think the wear and tear on their bodies playing so many minutes as freshmen was significant. Hopefully they get stronger and healthier. The skill set is there. I'll be bummed if Sheppard and Walker aren't two of the first players off the bench.

I think Walker could supplant Harris in the starting lineup if he outplays him in practice this summer and fall. With the deepness we have there should be plenty of competition for playing time. Harris might be better coming off the bench anyway where he can stay out of early foul trouble and then be aggressive in the 2nd half.

We struggled last year with shooting accuracy. Harris can score the ball. Excellent FT Shooter. I don’t see Walker taking Harris’ starting role. Consider Harris kept the starting role as a freshman all season plus he played hurt. I see Harris as a 4 year starter.
We need guys that can shoot.
If Fatts comes back shooting off balance, defense in his face, 3’s again for 25% or worse then Sheppard has to take his place. Sheppard May beat out Fatts anyway.

Only 3 sure starters I see going in are Dowtin, Langevine and Harris. The other two spots are up for grabs.

Have to disagree. Fatts will definitely be in the starting lineup. So will Martin.

I hope Thompson gets a lot less playing time. My wish for top three reserves are Tate, Walker & Sheppard in no particular order. I feel like Thompson will be in that mix though.

[CHICO 78]

I agree I think Fatts will be starting. But Sheppard gives Cox the ability to have him on
a very short leash. He starts firing up off balance 3's and shooting 25% he will find
himself sitting very quickly. That being said I think Fatts shot selection improved
at the end of the year.... for the most part. I expect his shot selection to continue to
improve as part of the continued development of his game.

[ramster]

I agree Cox will start Fatts, but I wouldn’t. Horrible shooting, too many turnovers.
I have to be convinced because last year was rough to watch.
Let the play in practice dictate who plays the most and who starts.
What I’m hearing is same starting line up as last year from most, if that’s the case I hope certain players are spending a lot of time in the gym shooting 3’s and FTs and not acrobatic dunks

Cox seems hesitant to make line up changes just as Hurley was. It took him a long time to get Thompson out of the starting line up but he still gave him similar minutes

I love the 45% on 3’s that Sheppard hit last year. Also like the 14-15 FTs that Walker hit his freshman year at Georgetown. We need much improved shooting this season. We can’t keep guys in the lineup that keep throwing up bricks like last season. Hopefully the pressure from the bench will I help everyone work hard this offseason.

[bigappleram]

Fatts was just under 2-1 A/TO ratio, so that's not awful especially given how much the ball was in his hands.
Look, Fatts needs to get better with shot selection no doubt, but he is an impact player and our best chance at maxing out next year is with him having a good year not him being replaced by Sheppard. Sheppard could be an electric 6th man and my guess is that is how he is used initially. To spell 1 of the guards 4-5 minutes into each game and go from there. It can't be understated how hard it was for the team last year with only 2 guys that could handle the ball - Jeff and Fatts. That put an immense amount of pressure on each of them to both facilitate for others and also find their own offense. By adding Sheppard, and if Tyrese can be a capable guy attacking off the dribble, it will do wonders for the entire offensive flow. And lighten the load on Fatts to try and be a do everything type.

I also think we need Jermaine Harris to reach his potential as well, so again I am not hoping Walker outplays him as that will be a bad sign. I think Jermaine is going to come back and have a big year next season, but maybe that's just me. Between injury and the big man learning curve his FR year should be considered a giant learning experience. He seems like he is determined to have a big year. I have always compared him to Nate Watson (different body types, but similarly rated 4* PFs) at PC, who had a very big Soph year especially in the back half of year. I would expect Jermaine to have a similar learning curve.

I am with 83 in that Tate, Sheppard and Walker are the key cogs off the bench with Fatts, Dowtin, Martin, Harris and Cyril penciled in as starters. At least for the first game, then we go from there.

[wgracie99]

I think the wear and tear on their bodies playing so many minutes as freshmen was significant. Hopefully they get stronger and healthier. The skill set is there. I'll be bummed if Sheppard and Walker aren't two of the first players off the bench.

I think Walker could supplant Harris in the starting lineup if he outplays him in practice this summer and fall. With the deepness we have there should be plenty of competition for playing time. Harris might be better coming off the bench anyway where he can stay out of early foul trouble and then be aggressive in the 2nd half.

What is this based on? Walker has done even less than Harris in his one year at Georgetown. I like Walker, but to start throwing what we expect him to do and take over jobs when we have never seen him play at URI is crazy. Wasn’t Harris much higher ranked than Walker? I actually think both will be good and much improved, but let’s cool the jets on Walker.

I did say "I THINK he COULD supplant Harris. Both have 1 year of experience and even though Harris played hurt a lot of the year it's not like he couldn't be outperformed. Like I said coming off the bench might be good to keep him out of foul trouble too. Not bringing him down or Walker up but going into "camp" they should be fighting for the starting job and the better man should win it.

[bigappleram]

If Harris isn't starting next year something went horribly wrong. We don't get a lot of 4* Power Forwards in Kingston, our best bet is that he plays up to his expectations and is close to a double figure scorer and rebounder next year. It is capable, and quite likely, that he looks like an entirely different player next season so I wouldn't base too much on what we saw of him in 2018-19. Look what Cyril looked like when he wasn't injured. It can be crippling for a guy who relies on athleticism to lose his foot speed and leaping ability.

[ramster]

I think Walker could supplant Harris in the starting lineup if he outplays him in practice this summer and fall. With the deepness we have there should be plenty of competition for playing time. Harris might be better coming off the bench anyway where he can stay out of early foul trouble and then be aggressive in the 2nd half.

What is this based on? Walker has done even less than Harris in his one year at Georgetown. I like Walker, but to start throwing what we expect him to do and take over jobs when we have never seen him play at URI is crazy. Wasn’t Harris much higher ranked than Walker? I actually think both will be good and much improved, but let’s cool the jets on Walker.

I did say "I THINK he COULD supplant Harris. Both have 1 year of experience and even though Harris played hurt a lot of the year it's not like he couldn't be outperformed. Like I said coming off the bench might be good to keep him out of foul trouble too. Not bringing him down or Walker up but going into "camp" they should be fighting for the starting job and the better man should win it.

I liked that Walker hit 14-15 FTs at Georgetown. We need shooters. Shooting hurt us badly last year. We had Two of the worst 3 point shooters in the A10, Fatts was worst in the Nation. He never improved his shooting during the year so I see no reason to expect improvement this year - hope I’m wrong but if I were Cox I’d make line up changes as early as necessary. Good that he is bringing in more talent to have more options. We can’t let Langevine and Dowtin graduate without giving an NCAA I’d every possible shot.
I think Harris has a big year without the foot problem he had to deal with.

[KevanBoyles]

If Harris isn't starting next year something went horribly wrong. We don't get a lot of 4* Power Forwards in Kingston, our best bet is that he plays up to his expectations and is close to a double figure scorer and rebounder next year. It is capable, and quite likely, that he looks like an entirely different player next season so I wouldn't base too much on what we saw of him in 2018-19. Look what Cyril looked like when he wasn't injured. It can be crippling for a guy who relies on athleticism to lose his foot speed and leaping ability.

I asked my physical therapist how it would effect an 19 year old basketball player’s ability to jump if he had planter fasciitis. He had a one-word response. “Greatly.“

[bigappleram]

15 free throws, mostly taken in garbage time given his PT, are not a barometer for how he will perform in more meaningful minutes.

Fatts shooting can get better with A.) better shot selection and B.) more chances at catch and shoot opps versus creating his own opportunities off the dribble.

I don't think Fatts will ever be a 40% 3 point shooter, but I also don't think he is a 20% shooter either. With better shot selection, less forced threes and more open looks created by other guys on the floor that can beat their man off the dribble and draw help to them I would expect his percentages to go up.

[ramster]

If Harris isn't starting next year something went horribly wrong. We don't get a lot of 4* Power Forwards in Kingston, our best bet is that he plays up to his expectations and is close to a double figure scorer and rebounder next year. It is capable, and quite likely, that he looks like an entirely different player next season so I wouldn't base too much on what we saw of him in 2018-19. Look what Cyril looked like when he wasn't injured. It can be crippling for a guy who relies on athleticism to lose his foot speed and leaping ability.

I asked my physical therapist how it would effect an 19 year old basketball player’s ability to jump if he had planter fasciitis. He had a one-word response. “Greatly.“

Same with Martin in the game vs Oregon and a good part of his senior season. I agree that I think Harris will have a very good Sophomore Season. He is a very good shooter for 6’8” and even though he did not hit a 3 pointer last year, I have seen him shoot the 3 well in warmup drills. He has a smooth FT release that enabled him to shoot 80+% in HS.

[bigappleram]

Agree Ramster. Harris seems to be a potential stretch 4 that can step out from 15-20 feet and knock down shots to create more space for Cyril underneath. He has a nice stroke, and also has some finesse moves in the paint that we only saw glimpses of. Should be a nice 1-2 combo with Cyril next year.

[RhodysRelevant]

If Harris isn't starting next year something went horribly wrong. We don't get a lot of 4* Power Forwards in Kingston, our best bet is that he plays up to his expectations and is close to a double figure scorer and rebounder next year. It is capable, and quite likely, that he looks like an entirely different player next season so I wouldn't base too much on what we saw of him in 2018-19. Look what Cyril looked like when he wasn't injured. It can be crippling for a guy who relies on athleticism to lose his foot speed and leaping ability.

I asked my physical therapist how it would effect an 19 year old basketball player’s ability to jump if he had planter fasciitis. He had a one-word response. “Greatly.“

Im 38 and waaaay past my prime, but i have plantar fasciitis and when it acts up it feels like i got shot in the heel. cant wait to see this kid healthy next season.

[Billyboy78]

Agree. When I had plantar fasciitis, I couldn't walk when I got out of bed in the morning. After it loosened up, it was better, but still painful. A cortisone shot and a little rehab got rid of mine. Hopefully they can get rid of his and he's 100%.

[ace]

That’s what EC Matthews dealt with his sophomore season.

[sf2010]

less forced threes

[rhodylaw]

I think Walker could supplant Harris in the starting lineup if he outplays him in practice this summer and fall. With the deepness we have there should be plenty of competition for playing time. Harris might be better coming off the bench anyway where he can stay out of early foul trouble and then be aggressive in the 2nd half.

We struggled last year with shooting accuracy. Harris can score the ball. Excellent FT Shooter. I don’t see Walker taking Harris’ starting role. Consider Harris kept the starting role as a freshman all season plus he played hurt. I see Harris as a 4 year starter.
We need guys that can shoot.
If Fatts comes back shooting off balance, defense in his face, 3’s again for 25% or worse then Sheppard has to take his place. Sheppard May beat out Fatts anyway.

Only 3 sure starters I see going in are Dowtin, Langevine and Harris. The other two spots are up for grabs.

Have to disagree. Fatts will definitely be in the starting lineup. So will Martin.

I hope Thompson gets a lot less playing time. My wish for top three reserves are Tate, Walker & Sheppard in no particular order. I feel like Thompson will be in that mix though.

Thompson will definitely have a role - just not as relied on as last year.

[rambone 78]

Been waiting on whether Sheppard is finally 100% on board.

Have not gotten a definitive answer yet.

Eligibility was in question earlier.....

[Rhody83]

Been waiting on whether Sheppard is finally 100% on board.

Have not gotten a definitive answer yet.

Eligibility was in question earlier.....

He was participating in official practices with the team during second summer sessions. I believe it would be an NCAA violation if he had not gone thru the NCAA Clearing process and been admitted as a full time student for the Fall Semester.

[rambone 78]

Good to know then, thanks.

[Roz]

We need Shepard’s shooting if it remains as good as advertised. The shooting opens up the whole offense. 28% 3 point shooting lost us probably 4 or 5 games.

[Rhody Guy]

shouldn't this be stickied?

[reckless jake]

I'm not as familiar with all of the eligibility requirements as many posters on here are, but I'm curious, if Sheppard successfully completed his academics both in the summer sessions and the fall semester here at URI, why can't he be ruled academically eligible for the upcoming semester? Why does he sit for an entire season if he's a student in good standing?

[URIRecruitingInfo]

I don't know about Sheppard's academic records but the Junior College he went to, College of Central Florida, doesn't have a great track record with the NCAA. They had two Southern Miss transfers a few years ago who were deemed ineligible by the NCAA due to questions about the legitimacy of their academic work to qualify. College of Central Florida recently decided to eliminate their basketball program.

[Rhody83]

It is my understanding that Sheppard didn’t get thru the NCAA Clearinghouse for eligibility. That is an annual process. It is why you always see Fr that ate academically ineligible (Springs at UConn, Obi at Dayton) are out for the year even though the take summer courses and a full course load in the Fall semester.

[UCH21377]

This is a tough situation for the kid. If he shows good faith, and makes significant progress towards a degree during the next three semesters, I feel the NCAA should be compelled to grant him a 6th year. I know that is not the standard but isn’t the entire concept of intercollegiate athletics geared towards getting a degree?

[rambone 78]

He can still get a degree but he might have to finance that 6th year on his own...in other words, no scholarship.

Hopefully, at least he passes the clearinghouse so he can play next year.

My question is, if he doesn't pass for next season, how much notice will that give the staff so they can replace him?

[Rhody83]

He can still get a degree but he might have to finance that 6th year on his own...in other words, no scholarship.

Hopefully, at least he passes the clearinghouse so he can play next year.

My question is, if he doesn't pass for next season, how much notice will that give the staff so they can replace him?

He isn’t looking for a degree. He doesn’t like school at all. He wanted to have two good years of BBall and play Pro ball overseas.
This is his 3rd school. If you think he is focused on academics, what has he been doing the last 3 years.
And he isn’t getting a 6th year waiver from the NCAA. I am pretty sure that has never happened.

[rambone 78]

Not going to help the team's APR that's for sure.

[steviep123]

He can still get a degree but he might have to finance that 6th year on his own...in other words, no scholarship.

Hopefully, at least he passes the clearinghouse so he can play next year.

My question is, if he doesn't pass for next season, how much notice will that give the staff so they can replace him?

He isn’t looking for a degree. He doesn’t like school at all. He wanted to have two good years of BBall and play Pro ball overseas.
This is his 3rd school. If you think he is focused on academics, what has he been doing the last 3 years.
And he isn’t getting a 6th year waiver from the NCAA. I am pretty sure that has never happened.

I do recall rare situations when a student-athlete has been granted a 6th year, though I don't recall any details other than the circumstances being extraordinary. I seriously doubt this would be the case here though.

[TruePoint]

Usually has to do with injury and not academics.

[Billyboy78]

Usually has to do with injury and not academics.

Like Emmitt Holt right now.

[Rhody83]

None of those granted a 6th year were from being academically ineligible. Not exactly something they want to reward or be sympathetic towards.

[hrstrat57]

Will this kid ever suit up for our Rams?

Is his presence having an impact on current team practice sessions?

[ram1980]

What's the chances of this kid ever playing a minute here?? It appears to be a swing and miss by Cox. Hopefully it does not come back to bite him this year. We are woefully thin at the guard position.. have to hope Hammond can help at some point this season. Not thrilled with Martin having to handle the ball against a pressure defense..

[Rhody83]

What's the chances of this kid ever playing a minute here?? It appears to be a swing and miss by Cox. Hopefully it does not come back to bite him this year. We are woefully thin at the guard position.. have to hope Hammond can help at some point this season. Not thrilled with Martin having to handle the ball against a pressure defense..

I think one adjustment Cox has made it to have multiple options on the floor when Jeff or Fatts are out. You can they determine who can help with bringing the ball up based on who is covering them. Toppin helped in the PC game because he was being covered by Holt. When Martin moves to SG you will most likely see Toppin at the 3 and/or Long at the 4.

[CTRamfan]

I feel that Cox has done a great job in his one season plus, of developing a solid roster. Just think back the short time when he was hired.

Look what we loss after the 17-18 season............Jarvis, Stan, EC, Jared, Hass.

18-19 was a major rebuild by any standard. He brought in Tyrese, Dana, and Jermaine. All now contributors.

19-20, add Long and Toppin. If Walker is a player, add three this year.

I admire the way he is building the roster.......there will always be recruits who don't fit.

[theblueram]

Totally disagree 18-19 was a major rebuild. We were coming off the NCAAT with the #1 recruit class in the A10. Plus had Dowtin, Cyril and Fatts with tourney experience. Plus a new head coach who was on the bench and recruited many of the players.

[rhodyfan3000]

When you lose 5 seniors, all impact players on a NCAA tourney team, it's a rebuild.

The fact that Rhody didn't dip too far and is now solidly back on track, in such a short period of time, is quite the feather in the cap of a first time, first year head coach.

Cox has a lot of impressive intangibles. My personal favorite is how strong his teams finish at the end of the season. You cannot put a price tag on that. It's the opposite of say, Jim Baron, whose teams started off ranked top-25 early in the season and then the second half of the season was a slow agonizing train wreck.

[bigappleram]

Totally disagree 18-19 was a major rebuild. We were coming off the NCAAT with the #1 recruit class in the A10. Plus had Dowtin, Cyril and Fatts with tourney experience. Plus a new head coach who was on the bench and recruited many of the players.

That's ridiculous. We lost close to 75% of our scoring, rebounding and assists through graduation. Regardless of the recruiting class being #1 in A10, the A10 does not attract recruits that will come in right away and be able to lead a team to the top of the conference. Our returning guys were all guys at the time who were role players and were asked to convert into the stars of the team. Plus a first year head coach.

Look at what Dayton did when they lost Pollard, Scoochie, Pierre, etc and lost Archie Miller. They fell to about the same spot as we did and then had an NIT last season and now are back in NCAA contention. That is a very good comp for us, and if we were able to sneak in to the NCAAs this year we would actually be 1 year ahead of them in rebuilding after losing a big senior class.

Expecting last year's team to have not lost any ground from what the previous team had done is unrealistic.

[theblueram]

Totally disagree 18-19 was a major rebuild. We were coming off the NCAAT with the #1 recruit class in the A10. Plus had Dowtin, Cyril and Fatts with tourney experience. Plus a new head coach who was on the bench and recruited many of the players.

That's ridiculous. We lost close to 75% of our scoring, rebounding and assists through graduation. Regardless of the recruiting class being #1 in A10, the A10 does not attract recruits that will come in right away and be able to lead a team to the top of the conference. Our returning guys were all guys at the time who were role players and were asked to convert into the stars of the team. Plus a first year head coach.

Look at what Dayton did when they lost Pollard, Scoochie, Pierre, etc and lost Archie Miller. They fell to about the same spot as we did and then had an NIT last season and now are back in NCAA contention. That is a very good comp for us, and if we were able to sneak in to the NCAAs this year we would actually be 1 year ahead of them in rebuilding after losing a big senior class.

Expecting last year's team to have not lost any ground from what the previous team had done is unrealistic.

That's not what I said BAR. I consider a rebuild like what Hurley had to endure. If it was a major rebuild with Cox, it would have been a major rebuild with Hurley. It was the same damn team either way.

[RhodyRams12]

Totally disagree 18-19 was a major rebuild. We were coming off the NCAAT with the #1 recruit class in the A10. Plus had Dowtin, Cyril and Fatts with tourney experience. Plus a new head coach who was on the bench and recruited many of the players.

That's ridiculous. We lost close to 75% of our scoring, rebounding and assists through graduation. Regardless of the recruiting class being #1 in A10, the A10 does not attract recruits that will come in right away and be able to lead a team to the top of the conference. Our returning guys were all guys at the time who were role players and were asked to convert into the stars of the team. Plus a first year head coach.

Look at what Dayton did when they lost Pollard, Scoochie, Pierre, etc and lost Archie Miller. They fell to about the same spot as we did and then had an NIT last season and now are back in NCAA contention. That is a very good comp for us, and if we were able to sneak in to the NCAAs this year we would actually be 1 year ahead of them in rebuilding after losing a big senior class.

Expecting last year's team to have not lost any ground from what the previous team had done is unrealistic.

That's not what I said BAR. I consider a rebuild like what Hurley had to endure. If it was a major rebuild with Cox, it would have been a major rebuild with Hurley. It was the same damn team either way.

Can someone translate this?

[bigappleram]

Ok then remove the word "major" and meet in the middle. It was a rebuild and Dan leaving only added to it. Even if he stayed I do not think last year was an NCAA team, maybe given the continuity and more experienced HC we could have stretched to make NIT but even that would have taken a lot.

[theblueram]

That's ridiculous. We lost close to 75% of our scoring, rebounding and assists through graduation. Regardless of the recruiting class being #1 in A10, the A10 does not attract recruits that will come in right away and be able to lead a team to the top of the conference. Our returning guys were all guys at the time who were role players and were asked to convert into the stars of the team. Plus a first year head coach.

Look at what Dayton did when they lost Pollard, Scoochie, Pierre, etc and lost Archie Miller. They fell to about the same spot as we did and then had an NIT last season and now are back in NCAA contention. That is a very good comp for us, and if we were able to sneak in to the NCAAs this year we would actually be 1 year ahead of them in rebuilding after losing a big senior class.

Expecting last year's team to have not lost any ground from what the previous team had done is unrealistic.

That's not what I said BAR. I consider a rebuild like what Hurley had to endure. If it was a major rebuild with Cox, it would have been a major rebuild with Hurley. It was the same damn team either way.

Can someone translate this?

Let me know what you need translated.

[theblueram]

Ok then remove the word "major" and meet in the middle. It was a rebuild and Dan leaving only added to it. Even if he stayed I do not think last year was an NCAA team, maybe given the continuity and more experienced HC we could have stretched to make NIT but even that would have taken a lot.

Just responding to the post CTRamFan about major rebuild. I also believe the situation we were in last year with a big turnover helped in DH leaving even though we offered $2 mill a year.