‘19 LA SG - Gregory Hammond (URI ---> UMass-Lowell)

[Rhody83]

I think this is a very bad loss. I think this kid had a lot of potential. 6”7 guard who is very fundamentally sound aren’t that easy to come by. I thought he should have been getting more minutes regardless if he was ready or not. I’d feel better about this if it somehow wasn’t basketball related.

6’5”

[TruePoint]

I think this is a very bad loss. I think this kid had a lot of potential. 6”7 guard who is very fundamentally sound aren’t that easy to come by. I thought he should have been getting more minutes regardless if he was ready or not. I’d feel better about this if it somehow wasn’t basketball related.

6’5”

[Billyboy78]

I'll say 6"6".

[rambone 78]

Hammond was going to be a role player at best.

No matter his height lol.

[SGreenwell]

I'm guessing whatever our connection was in the Louisiana area is done. Three recruits, three transfers (although one was a graduate), or two and a drop out (I still have no idea what happened to Layssard).

Layssard had an issue at URI for a second time and was no longer on the team.

Is Layssard playing anywhere? Didn't realize he had issues here.

You know, every time his name pops up again here, I get curious and check. And unless it's at a really tiny school, the answer is no.

[Rhody83]

Layssard had an issue at URI for a second time and was no longer on the team.

Is Layssard playing anywhere? Didn't realize he had issues here.

You know, every time his name pops up again here, I get curious and check. And unless it's at a really tiny school, the answer is no.

He plays for Gannon. He had 6 pointx against the Bonnies last week.

[Rhody83]

Hammond was going to be a role player at best.

No matter his height lol.

How do you know that? You can project everyone’s college career 9 games into their Fr season.

[SGreenwell]

Is Layssard playing anywhere? Didn't realize he had issues here.

You know, every time his name pops up again here, I get curious and check. And unless it's at a really tiny school, the answer is no.

He plays for Gannon. He had 6 pointx against the Bonnies last week.

Wrong Mike.

[JimSidd]

It has to be lack of playing time. I’m surprised it’s so soon. However, kids all want to play right away more now than in the past: no more wait your turn. That said, it has to be tough when you’re told you’re really wanted during the recruiting process and then you never get any playing time on a team with no other pure guards on the bench. Plus, he has no connection to this area.
I guess that means we have no shot with his elite younger brother. Based on the little bit I had read, there was little to no chance of that happening anyway.

[KevanBoyles]

My take is that is from Louisiana and everyone else on the team is from the East Coast between the DC area and Boston. Very possibly he just didn’t fit in with the rest of the guys. Could be home sick as well. You never know.

[BleedBlue87]

Sucks but it happens. Can't fault him if he wants more minutes. If I could play ball, I would too.

[Rhodyhooopz]

What ever happened to earning your spot? Doesn't anyone have patience anymore? God I hate this entitled generation. Suck it up buttercup. there are others better than you. Work harder!!!

[Sox1]

What ever happened to earning your spot? Doesn't anyone have patience anymore? God I hate this entitled generation. Suck it up buttercup. there are others better than you. Work harder!!!

I feel like this is a wild reaction to a player leaving. Unless he specifically says something like "i'm too good to be on the bench", I think we can assume that there are other factors that contributed to the decision and not throw around wild generalities that hardly ever apply.

I agree with KevanBoyles assessment, culturally he might not be the best fit being from LA. I'm also curious if this is at all linked with Walker coming back.

[DC_Rams]

What ever happened to earning your spot? Doesn't anyone have patience anymore? God I hate this entitled generation. Suck it up buttercup. there are others better than you. Work harder!!!

I feel like this is a wild reaction to a player leaving. Unless he specifically says something like "i'm too good to be on the bench", I think we can assume that there are other factors that contributed to the decision and not throw around wild generalities that hardly ever apply.

I'm curious if this is at all linked with Walker coming back.

He posted something and took it down about needing to see more PT. Huge adjustment for a kid that was the “best player in his state” to not even seeing garbage minutes. College basketball is not for the weak.

[thatRamBand]

I wonder if Boswell's contract not being renewed contributed to this as well. I mean, for sure players commit to the head coach, but it sounds like Ty and Greg had a very good relationship.

[ramster]

What ever happened to earning your spot? Doesn't anyone have patience anymore? God I hate this entitled generation. Suck it up buttercup. there are others better than you. Work harder!!!

I feel like this is a wild reaction to a player leaving. Unless he specifically says something like "i'm too good to be on the bench", I think we can assume that there are other factors that contributed to the decision and not throw around wild generalities that hardly ever apply.

I'm curious if this is at all linked with Walker coming back.

He posted something and took it down about needing to see more PT. Huge adjustment for a kid that was the “best player in his state” to not even seeing garbage minutes. College basketball is not for the weak.

I’d say you could see this coming a few games ago but specifically in the last game vs PC

Hammond has his warmups off and appeared ready to go. We all knew Tate was out.

But Cox played only 7 guys. Even with Harris getting in early foul trouble limiting him to 15 minutes AND when Fatts got hurt still Hammond did not get the call.
15-Harris
31-Langevine
36-Russell
32-Martin
38-Dowtin

23-Long who was the first player Cox put in the game
25-Toppin

Cox said before the season started that he might consider going with a 7 man rotation this year depending upon how guys performed. He preferred 8-9 but specifically mentioned the possibility of 7. I recall someone posting that Cox statement.

Will be interesting to watch this season continue to unfold.

[DC_Rams]

I feel like this is a wild reaction to a player leaving. Unless he specifically says something like "i'm too good to be on the bench", I think we can assume that there are other factors that contributed to the decision and not throw around wild generalities that hardly ever apply.

I'm curious if this is at all linked with Walker coming back.

He posted something and took it down about needing to see more PT. Huge adjustment for a kid that was the “best player in his state” to not even seeing garbage minutes. College basketball is not for the weak.

I’d say you could see this coming a few games ago but specifically in the last game vs PC

Hammond has his warmups off and appeared ready to go. We all knew Tate was out.

But Cox played only 7 guys. Even with Harris getting in early foul trouble limiting him to 15 minutes AND when Fatts got hurt still Hammond did not get the call.
15-Harris
31-Langevine
36-Russell
32-Martin
38-Dowtin

23-Long who was the first player Cox put in the game
25-Toppin

Cox said before the season started that he might consider going with a 7 man rotation this year depending upon how guys performed. He preferred 8-9 but specifically mentioned the possibility of 7. I recall someone posting that Cox statement.

Will be interesting to watch this season continue to unfold.

I can say with certainty that it’s hard to manage an 10-11 man rotation. Look at PC.

Dayton is doing it well, but they have 11 guys who can seemingly contribute.

Cox has said numerous times that an 8-9 man rotation is ideal and the parameters he wants to work in.

[79RhodyFan]

In the PC game just before the end of the first half less than a minute left I think Fatts was shooting a FT and Hammond was at the scoring table getting ready to check into the game. The FT was missed the clock didn't stop so he never got into the game. A missed FT might have been the difference between him staying or leaving. If Greg had gotten into the game made a nice defensive play or even felt like he had more of a role if the big win, it might had made him a little more patient waiting for playing time. But the FT was missed and he didn't get into the game, sometimes things go your way while other times things don't. Its often a thin line between success and failure.

[Iggy1979]

How'd a short rotation work last year? Ahead at half against St. Bon and ran completely out of gas in second half.

[eli#10]

More importantly it was our third game in three days. Gotta get a bye this year.

[Rhody83]

I don’t see how KBers can project Hammond’s career 9 games into his Fr year of which he played in 4. I also don’t see how you can project Long as this can’t miss player after 9 games in which he had one good game. In the good game Long scored zero baskets from beyond a layup - he had 2 dunks and a putback layup.

Long is shooting 31% FG and 60% FT. He has 8 turnovers in 91 minutes. He has 26 points and 23 rebs in 9 games. I hope he turns out to be an impactful player but I don’t see how you can project that this early in.

9 games into his Fr season Jeff Dowtin had 8 points and 0 assists in 32 minutes of play. He had played in 6 of the 9 games.

[bigappleram]

I agree, in no way can you project out his career based on what little we saw in the first month of his career. I will just say we seem to have very little luck with Louisiana high school stars...the fact Mike Layssard had a higher recruiting ranking than Cyril Langevine makes you want to blow all the rating services up.

[RamStock]

What ever happened to earning your spot? Doesn't anyone have patience anymore? God I hate this entitled generation. Suck it up buttercup. there are others better than you. Work harder!!!

I agree completely! Earn during practice. If you are that good show it in practice and you will get minutes which need to be solid in order to earn more time. I was pumped when we got Hammond and think he will contribute at some school in a couple years.

[TruePoint]

How'd a short rotation work last year? Ahead at half against St. Bon and ran completely out of gas in second half.

A couple things about this.

One is that the rotation is much deeper this year. Fair to say that the weakness is guard depth but bringing Tate, Toppin, Walker and Long off the bench compared to Tate and Thompson last year, you’re both deeper and more talented. You’re also not as heavily reliant on freshman. Playing two this year in a reserve role because they’ve absolutely earned it, whereas last year you were starting two and another one was frequently your first off the bench, because you needed them and had no other choice. As a percentage of total team minutes, reliance on freshmen is down considerably.

Second thing is specifically about the Bonnies game - someone else pointed out it was the third game in three days and that was definitely a factor. But I’ve always felt the bigger thing was that the team just went thru a lot last year. They basically played three seasons in one: a mediocre one, a disaster, and then a high wire act where they fought their asses off to try to save the whole thing. As good as that was to see, that kind of effort is just more taxing than what you normally do. Stress gets a bad wrap, but stress can focus you and focus is good. But focus also drains you. You cannot sustain at that kind of peak focus forever and the crash at the end can be brutal. Ask anyone that has taken a bar exam or swam to shore from a boat wreck. Ask baseball people about the impact of high leverage outs compared to mop-up outs on a pitcher’s ability to pitch again the next day, or ask a highly used reliever how his arm feels two days after winning the World Series. I think they just spent everything they had mentally and ran out of gas in the second half against Bonnies. Less to do with total minutes played and more to do with the type of minutes they were.

[SGreenwell]

I don’t see how KBers can project Hammond’s career 9 games into his Fr year of which he played in 4. I also don’t see how you can project Long as this can’t miss player after 9 games in which he had one good game. In the good game Long scored zero baskets from beyond a layup - he had 2 dunks and a putback layup.

Long is shooting 31% FG and 60% FT. He has 8 turnovers in 91 minutes. He has 26 points and 23 rebs in 9 games. I hope he turns out to be an impactful player but I don’t see how you can project that this early in.

9 games into his Fr season Jeff Dowtin had 8 points and 0 assists in 32 minutes of play. He had played in 6 of the 9 games.

Those numbers for Dowtin are parsing things to really benefit your argument, though. In the first nine games he played, he had five games of 11 minutes or more, and he never dipped below 11 minutes or slipped out of the rotation after the sixth game he played. URI didn't have a "break" similar to this one that year, but after barely playing the Providence game on Dec. 2, Dowtin was pretty much a mainstay in the rotation. He was also battling an ankle injury at the time, per the Projo and our board.

Dowtin's situation is also the opposite of Hammond's in that he took minutes from more established options on the roster, like Jarvis Garrett, as the year went on, because of his own play and injuries. In contrast, Cox and the other coaches were presumably watching Hammond every day in practice, and he wasn't getting into games even though the guys ahead of him are averaging 35 minutes per game. Hammond -could- substantially improve and look better in a couple years - he's just a freshman - but there's nothing in his play so far that suggests it.

[ramster]

I don’t see how KBers can project Hammond’s career 9 games into his Fr year of which he played in 4. I also don’t see how you can project Long as this can’t miss player after 9 games in which he had one good game. In the good game Long scored zero baskets from beyond a layup - he had 2 dunks and a putback layup.

Long is shooting 31% FG and 60% FT. He has 8 turnovers in 91 minutes. He has 26 points and 23 rebs in 9 games. I hope he turns out to be an impactful player but I don’t see how you can project that this early in.

9 games into his Fr season Jeff Dowtin had 8 points and 0 assists in 32 minutes of play. He had played in 6 of the 9 games.

Those numbers for Dowtin are parsing things to really benefit your argument, though. In the first nine games he played, he had five games of 11 minutes or more, and he never dipped below 11 minutes or slipped out of the rotation after the sixth game he played. URI didn't have a "break" similar to this one that year, but after barely playing the Providence game on Dec. 2, Dowtin was pretty much a mainstay in the rotation. He was also battling an ankle injury at the time, per the Projo and our board.

Dowtin's situation is also the opposite of Hammond's in that he took minutes from more established options on the roster, like Jarvis Garrett, as the year went on, because of his own play and injuries. In contrast, Cox and the other coaches were presumably watching Hammond every day in practice, and he wasn't getting into games even though the guys ahead of him are averaging 35 minutes per game. Hammond -could- substantially improve and look better in a couple years - he's just a freshman - but there's nothing in his play so far that suggests it.

I think it's obvious from the actions of the Head Coach:

• Hammond's playing time was decreasing, even to the point that when Fatts got injured in the PC game Cox still did not go with Hammond. Not me projecting Hammond's future, just the observations of the HC actions taken or not taken

• For Long, shooting statistics tell part of the story. Again looking at the actions taken by Cox, when Harris picked up a foul in the all important last Game #9 vs Rival Providence College (assuming Ed Cooley is not reading this) David Cox went with Mekhi Long at the 18:50 mark - only 1 minute into the game - seems to say a lot about his confidence in Long

• In 23 minutes Long had a game high 4 steals, 2nd to Langevine in rebounds with 7, 2nd to Langevine in Blocks with 2. Cox calls Long a Swiss Army Knife and looks like that is what Cox was looking for when he made Long his first guy off the bench in such a huge game

• Next Sub by Cox was Toppin at the 14:40 mark in for Dowtin. Interpreting these moves by Cox in such a big game tells me Cox has confidence in the Freshmen Long and Toppin first guys off the bench and confidence not there now in Hammond. My guess is Hammond read these moves the same way. Long and Toppin are also candidates to reduce the minutes of some current starters and possibly gain entrance to the starting line-up themselves depending upon how Starters play and how they themselves play. Injuries can play a part too as well as the potential matchups of opponents

• Interesting games circled on my schedule;
  URI @ Dayton Feb 11 and Mar 4 Home Senior Night 9pm (Toppin vs Toppin)
  URI Home vs Richmond Jan 5 - a huge game for both teams since they play only once in Conference
  URI @ George Washington Feb 8 whereby Long, Harris, Dowtin, Walker and David Cox all return close to home

[steveystuds06]

I don’t see how KBers can project Hammond’s career 9 games into his Fr year of which he played in 4. I also don’t see how you can project Long as this can’t miss player after 9 games in which he had one good game. In the good game Long scored zero baskets from beyond a layup - he had 2 dunks and a putback layup.

Long is shooting 31% FG and 60% FT. He has 8 turnovers in 91 minutes. He has 26 points and 23 rebs in 9 games. I hope he turns out to be an impactful player but I don’t see how you can project that this early in.

9 games into his Fr season Jeff Dowtin had 8 points and 0 assists in 32 minutes of play. He had played in 6 of the 9 games.

Good thing basketball isn't only about scoring the ball. Long has been a great defender in limited minutes. He has 7 steals in the last three games. In the pc game he scored a couple easy baskets because he anticipates well. That's a good thing...

Smart players find their role on their team. Just like Jeff did his freshman year. Long will be a spark plug defender who will get most of his points off layups and the offensive glass. Every good team has a player like this.

[reef]

We should be fine with our top 9 guys assuming they all stay healthy that is plenty enough for this year

I do like Long for the long term and I think Cox does too he does all the little things out there helping the team out defensively hopefully he can improve on offense

[Rhody83]

Some points to several of the post above:
TP you forgot Preston was part of the rotation especially the first half of the year.
All the post on Long use the PC game. He has had one good game.
Two reasons Long came in for Harris - Tate was suspended and PC doesn’t play a big at the 4.
Long struggled in several games early in the year on offense and defense. As did Toppin and Hammond. Toppin was the first of the Fr to be ready to contribute.
With Walker eligible and if Tate returns for the start of A10 games, Long isn’t going to get the minutes he got in the PC game.
Long’s minutes at the 4 will fluctuate based on the opponent’s line up. If they are playing a smaller F at the 4, Long is a great matchup. If they play a legit PF, Harris and Walker are the better matchup.

[Rhody83]

Fr G in the team’s 10th game.

[ramster]

Long came in for the 6’9” Harris
Cox went with Long and Long made both himself and Cox look good.
True for sure it’s only one game but a pretty big game

[Section104]

I thought it was interesting Jacob Toppin retweeted this today...I can see him being a future leader of this team..

[ramster]

I thought it was interesting Jacob Toppin retweeted this today...I can see him being a future leader of this team..

Love it. Freshmen like Toppin are very exciting to look forward to playing not just this year but the years to come. He is the type of player fans buy a ticket for to see play. One day could be that human highlight film type of player.

[steveystuds06]

Some points to several of the post above:
TP you forgot Preston was part of the rotation especially the first half of the year.
All the post on Long use the PC game. He has had one good game.
Two reasons Long came in for Harris - Tate was suspended and PC doesn’t play a big at the 4.
Long struggled in several games early in the year on offense and defense. As did Toppin and Hammond. Toppin was the first of the Fr to be ready to contribute.
With Walker eligible and if Tate returns for the start of A10 games, Long isn’t going to get the minutes he got in the PC game.
Long’s minutes at the 4 will fluctuate based on the opponent’s line up. If they are playing a smaller F at the 4, Long is a great matchup. If they play a legit PF, Harris and Walker are the better matchup.

I'll say it again. Players can have a good game without scoring the ball. I disagree that he's had one good game. He's had one GREAT game and a couple solid games.

He was the best player off the bench against Nicholls St. He hit a 3 and played aggressive D. Cox was cheering him on when he almost caused a couple turnovers. I thought he crashed the boards well and his energy was really needed. I was frustrated he only played 10 minutes because he looked comfortable out there.

LSU, I thought he outplayed Tate. He was better defensively. He had a good putback from an offensive rebound and went to the line after a strong take. His 2nd offensive rebound lead to an easy Fatts score. I thought he forced a bad shot but overall he looked like he belonged.

Manhattan, he was the best defender on the floor for us. He drew a couple chargers, led the team in steals, and disrupted a lot of passes.

We all know what he did against PC....

The eye test shows me a long versatile wing that can help this team in a variety of ways. I've seen enough to be excited.

[JustKenny]

I don’t see how KBers can project Hammond’s career 9 games into his Fr year of which he played in 4. I also don’t see how you can project Long as this can’t miss player after 9 games in which he had one good game. In the good game Long scored zero baskets from beyond a layup - he had 2 dunks and a putback layup.

Long is shooting 31% FG and 60% FT. He has 8 turnovers in 91 minutes. He has 26 points and 23 rebs in 9 games. I hope he turns out to be an impactful player but I don’t see how you can project that this early in.

9 games into his Fr season Jeff Dowtin had 8 points and 0 assists in 32 minutes of play. He had played in 6 of the 9 games.

Good thing basketball isn't only about scoring the ball. Long has been a great defender in limited minutes. He has 7 steals in the last three games. In the pc game he scored a couple easy baskets because he anticipates well. That's a good thing...

Smart players find their role on their team. Just like Jeff did his freshman year. Long will be a spark plug defender who will get most of his points off layups and the offensive glass. Every good team has a player like this.

These early assessments of players are kind of comical, but I do enjoy it and will continue to speak up for Mekhi. I think ya'll forget he's only 18 (AND a 4 star). I don't know how many 18 year old D1 freshmen are out there playing, let alone having an impact every time he gets in the game. I'm glad SOME folks see the game on a whole as opposed to just points. Rebounds, steals, blocks, solid defense and heart ALL contribute to wins. Mekhi does that part easy. Wait until he starts shooting more. Long is earning his minutes the old fashioned way, the only way he knows how. But for real though, had Mekhi been in earlier and given PROPER minutes (as opposed to the little spurts of time), our record would be waaaay different with more W's. You would think Mekhi playing and stepping up to the challenge in the biggest game of the season would be more appreciated. Rhody83, enjoy the ride. You going to be Mekhi's biggest fan by the end of the season.

[Rhody83]

JustKenny, no one other than you (and maybe stevey - is that your 2nd account ) on this Board thinks RI’s “record would be waaay different with More W’s” if “Mekhi had been given PROPER minutes”. You are so over the top it makes you not credible.

I like Mekhi. My point is let’s see him perform over a sustained period. He has had one very good game. I hope he has another one Saturday.

[rambone 78]

He's going to be a very good player for us.

Next season he'll make even another jump.

Him and Toppin are the real deal. And that's great for freshmen at the A10 level.

So 2 hits out of 3 in the class. That's a feather in Cox's cap.

[reef]

I do like Long a lot brings a lot of intangibles to the table and has lots of upside

I disagree though that if he played more minutes we may have another win I still think we lose to Maryland LSU and WVU regardless

[RamStock]

JustKenny, no one other than you (and maybe stevey - is that your 2nd account ) on this Board thinks RI’s “record would be waaay different with More W’s” if “Mekhi had been given PROPER minutes”. You are so over the top it makes you not credible.

I like Mekhi. My point is let’s see him perform over a sustained period. He has had one very good game. I hope he has another one Saturday.

Agree. This is a ridiculous comment. We all hope that Long continues to grow and improve as he has already made nice strides, but he will ups and downs all year just like Toppin. That is what freshman do. To say that Long would have been the difference in any of these games just sounds crazy. If it was Fatts or Langevine who missed these games than I can understand saying it would have made a difference.

[steveystuds06]

JustKenny, no one other than you (and maybe stevey - is that your 2nd account ) on this Board thinks RI’s “record would be waaay different with More W’s” if “Mekhi had been given PROPER minutes”. You are so over the top it makes you not credible.

I like Mekhi. My point is let’s see him perform over a sustained period. He has had one very good game. I hope he has another one Saturday.

The only two guys I think could have affected our record are Sheppard and Walker.

[Rhody83]

JustKenny, no one other than you (and maybe stevey - is that your 2nd account ) on this Board thinks RI’s “record would be waaay different with More W’s” if “Mekhi had been given PROPER minutes”. You are so over the top it makes you not credible.

I like Mekhi. My point is let’s see him perform over a sustained period. He has had one very good game. I hope he has another one Saturday.

The only two guys I think could have affected our record are Sheppard and Walker.

Agree, Rhody could’ve won at WV with Sheppard and/or Walker.

[DC_Rams]

My guess is JustKenny is related to Mehki. And that’s fine...I want Mehki to be a Star here.

[JustKenny]

LOL. No, I don't have a 2nd account. I'm no more credible than anybody else on this board. And some of these other predictions are ridiculous too (Neither Sheppard nor Walker have played a game for RI, right?)....no shade. It's all fun and games on my end. I'm Team Khi all day tho and have witnessed his impact on other teams. Who knows how Cox moves forward? Maybe Khi not in regular rotation. Then its a different conversation. My favorite players right now are Mekhi( of course), Fatts & Langevine. I like their chemistry and the intensity level seems raise a notch when they're on the floor together. I look at both offense & defense. And I find it exceptional when you have kids who are good at both. They all seem to come from the same sandbox. Offense is gonna sell tickets, but the defense is gonna help you win the championship. I guess we'll have to wait and see how this unfolds. If Khi gets more minutes and is a dud, I will proudly take all the roasting!

[JustKenny]

My guess is JustKenny is related to Mehki. And that’s fine...I want Mehki to be a Star here.

Not related by blood, but yes, he is family!

[DC_Rams]

My guess is JustKenny is related to Mehki. And that’s fine...I want Mehki to be a Star here.

Not related by blood, but yes, he is family!

Old High School coach?

[CTRamfan]

Kenny, always welcome your insight [and DRE's], as those who really know.

As one who has played as well.............Cox is only 42 games into his head coaching career, and stands at 24-18, during a major rebuild.

He has shown me good leadership skills.

[ramster]

Not that “major rebuild” thing again

[LoveThoseRams]

Saw Hammond at the game today...thought it was peculiar that he was wearing a red sweatshirt. I’m probably overthinking it, but...interesting choice of color.

[Rhody83]

Saw Hammond at the game today...thought it was peculiar that he was wearing a red sweatshirt. I’m probably overthinking it, but...interesting choice of color.

Sitting behind the URI bench? He went home to Louisiana and then came back for this game? Very weird.
He hasn’t been wearing any URI apparel. I wonder if he had to guve it back

[Rhody83]

He did played this year though. Brey’s comment “We’ll help him find the next place” is encouraging.