1/18 | La Salle | 12:30PM (NBCSN)

[theblueram]

Is BAR Fascitelli?

[bigappleram]

Spare me the dramatics dude. It was you who made this personal with this beauty "Stop shortchanging this team because you don’t like reading the emotions of people who really care." You opened that door and I just walked through it. Somehow inferring that you really care, and someone who doesn't think you should go on an emotional rant about Jermaine Harris after he plays poorly doesn't. You have zero idea who I am, what my expectations and ambitions are, and what my relationship with URI athletics is. But that didn't stop you from going on and on with passive aggressive character knocks. I don't sleep well when we lose, I throw shit around my apartment when we play like zombies against Brown, and I have a really shitty weekend in RI when it includes a URI loss. Hell I even painted my face in 93 and weeped in a bathroom in Raleigh-Durham wiping it off as UNC was kicking our ass by 50. There are many ways to be a fan, you don't have a monopoly on it.

[Blue Man]

Is BAR Fascitelli?

I hope so. Maybe this will fire him up to build us a practice facility?

[rhodyfan3000]

I really enjoy the in game commentary. I hope they don't take it away.

Some of the comments really get me peeved and worked up. Some of them, I think, don't come across in quite the context they were meant. I think there is a lot of emotional rollercoaster behavior there. People express their frustrations in real time. Some people flat out lose faith and act like they are going to jump off a bridge and end it. But to me, those comments make me want to see Rhody pull out the victory that much more.

In the end, all of the games are must win. That is just my opinion. And that is, IMO, irregardless of the Brown and Richmond games. You have to play every game like the season is on the line. All beating Brown or Richmond would have done was lend the illusion that that wasn't the case, but it is the case, it has always been the case, and it will always be the case.

[bigappleram]

Negative on that. But I'm sure calling him a douche would have him running for his checkbook. .

[bigappleram]

And Mods please feel free to eliminate all of this back and forth and clean up the thread to get back on topic, I got lured into the gutter.

[Blue Man]

Spare me the dramatics dude. It was you who made this personal with this beauty "Stop shortchanging this team because you don’t like reading the emotions of people who really care." You opened that door and I just walked through it. Somehow inferring that you really care, and someone who doesn't think you should go on an emotional rant about Jermaine Harris after he plays poorly doesn't. You have zero idea who I am, what my expectations and ambitions are, and what my relationship with URI athletics is. But that didn't stop you from going on and on with passive aggressive character knocks. I don't sleep well when we lose, I throw shit around my apartment when we play like zombies against Brown, and I have a really shitty weekend in RI when it includes a URI loss. Hell I even painted my face in 93 and weeped in a bathroom in Raleigh-Durham wiping it off as UNC was kicking our ass by 50. There are many ways to be a fan, you don't have a monopoly on it.

Spare you the dramatics!? I definitely do not have the ability to do that.

I'm not sure how that's personal? If it was I apologize - I speak in grandiose hyperbolic terms that sound different in my head than via text. My Harris "rant" (read: 6 word sentence) as an example.

You're right I have zero idea who you are. I responded to your post, and I'm paraphrasing, that said "this doesn't really matter." It really matters to a few of us, for sure.

I'm extremely happy to know you're a kindred spirit in regards to being miserable after losses, and at least we can share stories of the times we've wept and washed paint off our faces in visiting team's public bathrooms.

I thought I was clear that I don't think I'm "the man" because there's a large part of my personality that's a child operating at an emotional deficit, unfortunately connected to this team. I thought I was clear this program needs supporters and lovers.

Super disappointed to know you're not Fascitelli though. I fully support a "call fascitelli a douche" campaign if it would get us a practice facility. That said I work in Manhattan, so if you ever want to get a beer or punch me in the face drop me a DM.

[bigappleram]

This fan base and community is too small for Ram on Ram crime. I just said something to that effect, and then went and did the same thing bc your post for whatever reason irked me. And I don't have a Bentley or a castle, so when we get a beer at Barclays before the A10 championship you are buying.

[Blue Man]

This fan base and community is too small for Ram on Ram crime. I just said something to that effect, and then went and did the same thing bc your post for whatever reason irked me. And I don't have a Bentley or a castle, so when we get a beer at Barclays before the A10 championship you are buying.

I'll put in on a credit card

[theblueram]

Negative on that. But I'm sure calling him a douche would have him running for his checkbook. .

Did I do that? I don't think I would do that. Unless it was a drunken post which might happen

[DC_Rams]

I love how these always come full circle. Blue, you are an emotional mf’er (LOL) but you always come back down to being a rationale human, after your rants end. I really love/hate that about you, man.

[bigappleram]

It's RI, which means it's akin to an Italian Sunday lunch. Screaming, yelling, cursing, but all love.

[Blue Man]

I love how these always come full circle. Blue, you are an emotional mf’er (LOL) but you always come back down to being a rationale human, after your rants end. I really love/hate that about you, man.

I’m an adventure. Ask my wife. She doesn’t sit with me at games - her and her parents are literally at the end of my row.

[Taylor Swift]

Wings or drumsticks??

These write ups are fantastic. I usually wont even bother reading other pre game stuff, always get more than enough info from here.

Tenders, my guy!

[TruePoint]

I think it is unrealistic to expect URI to be a tournament team every year, although that should be the goal to build that kind of program. For now we have to be opportunistic, which to me means that when you have an NCAA tournament roster then you have to cash in. I think this should be an NCAA tournament roster. I thought the 2019-20 team should be an NCAA team at about this time in 2018. I still think that. I wasn’t mad at last year’s team. But realistically we won’t have this caliber roster every year. So there is pressure from my perspective about not squandering opportunities and there are must win games.

[DevRam]

I think it is unrealistic to expect URI to be a tournament team every year, although that should be the goal to build that kind of program. For now we have to be opportunistic, which to me means that when you have an NCAA tournament roster then you have to cash in. I think this should be an NCAA tournament roster. I thought the 2019-20 team should be an NCAA team at about this time in 2018. I still think that. I wasn’t mad at last year’s team. But realistically we won’t have this caliber roster every year. So there is pressure from my perspective about not squandering opportunities and there are must win games.

Retweet

[PeterRamTime]

To me.

If we dont make the tournament this year, we have to make it next year or else I think we will have squandered what Dan Hurley built. Then it's back to another rebuild.

I think Cox is doing one hell of a job with this team right now.

With the eligibility issues.

Transfers.

Losing at Brown and Richmond then coming back and winning at VCU.

Then of course this latest Dowtin situation, pulling out a gutsy road win.

I feel confident in Cox and these players to make it out of this A-10 grind. We are developing some balls.

[RhodyKyle]

I think the hidden gem in blueman's rants was his evaluation of Keaney Blue, haha.

Keaney Blue, Inc., world's premier manufacturer of douche and hyperbole (tm).

Now that is a company with high corporate social responsibility!

[rambone 78]

Seriously, some of you should read other teams' message boards, especially game threads.

KB does not have a monopoly on crazy shit. From the wildly optimistic to the depths of despair.

However from what I'd read, our board does tend to be more critical of each other's takes than most.

[Rhody83]

I don’t think this roster is as good as TP thinks. They are half way thru the season. Go back and review the games at a high level and make note of how many good games they have played. I come up with Alabama, PC & VCU. I didn’t see M Tenn game.

The team has improved it defense over the last 4 games which is huge in the push to improve.
They still struggle offensively. They are a poor shooting team.
Cyril has digressed offensively. His inability to finish from two feet is a major problem.
For Rhody to improve we need 3 out of the top 4 players to perform well on offense each game. That has happened once or twice this year.

[DC_Rams]

I don’t think this roster is as good as TP thinks. They are half way thru the season. Go back and review the games at a high level and make note of how many good games they have played. I come up with Alabama, PC & VCU. I didn’t see M Tenn game.

The team has improved it defense over the last 4 games which is huge in the push to improve.
They still struggle offensively. They are a poor shooting team.
Cyril has digressed offensively. His inability to finish from two feet is a major problem.
For Rhody to improve we need 3 out of the top 4 players to perform well on offense each game. That has happened once or twice this year.

Doesn’t matter how we look offensively if we can slow the other team down enough to score more. That might be our M.O.

There will some random days where we will get hot, but more often than not, we trend towards “cold”.

We win mud fights...whatever it takes. Fuck style points, just win.

[rambone 78]

For us to win any game we need Fatts and/or Jeff to play well.

To beat good teams we need both on their game, along with one or two frontcourt players.

Any of our 8 rotational players can step up at any time. They've all proven that, but.....

Just no consistency from game to game. NCAA tourney caliber teams play well much more often than not.

Fatts has played well in more games than anyone else. The rest have been very sporadic.

And yes DC, we HAVE to play well defensively...if we do, we can hang with most teams, even the good ones.

Winning them is another story however.

When we play well we can beat any team in the A10 the rest of the way, except maybe Dayton.

Can we play well every game? That's a tough one.

[spookydog]

Seriously, some of you should read other teams' message boards

Agreed. There is a thread on the La Salle forum right now called "BJ update"
Let's just say I was sorely disappointed in it.

[steviep123]

What's funny is that in my 35 years of being a fan of Rhody hoops we have received maybe 5 total "at large" bids...yet now on this board every season is a disaster and not worth watching unless that is the end result, and every game is a must win as a result. I guess Dan did raise the roof here a bit but some of this is nauseating and when you hear the players talk they hint at none of this is what they think of, they are trying to get better every day, compete at the highest level and play 1 game at a time. I realize some of this is part of being a fan and part of being on this message board, but some of it is also a bit too much. Enjoy the season, these are 20 year old kids not robots. They may have a slip up whether they can afford to or not, and yet life will go on.

This is exactly the problem. EVERYONE needs to raise their standards. That was what Danny kept trying to do.

I mean you’re right, the whole ethos of this statement flies in the face of being a fan. It’s short for fanatic.

We can enjoy while having high expectations.

The philosophy that’s plagued this program FOREVER is this “rah rah this is family friendly fun - but we’re poor little cow town Rhode Island it’s just a game so we don’t need to compete with those “big” basketball programs anywhere outside of the state” horseshit.

Through literally every single era of basketball a coach has proven with results that this program can be great with the proper dedication from the fans and school.

Then for some reason people shrug when it’s over because they refuse to commit and just say “well we did it so that was fun, who wants to go birdwatching now?”

STOP.

Demand more from this program. It’s an insult to this team, these players, the coaching staff, and anyone who’s ever put forth any effort towards the betterment of basketball at URI.

Truly supporting and loving something or someone is understanding their capabilities and rooting for them to maximize them. Holding them accountable when they fall short.

Having great expectations of great people is the best gift ever.

This team is GOOD. They are capable of being great. Expect that of them. That’s what a fan would do.

It’d be shameful of us to expect any less of this team than they expect of themselves.

Stop shortchanging this team because you don’t like reading the emotions of people who really care.

This - 100%!

[steviep123]

I think it is unrealistic to expect URI to be a tournament team every year, although that should be the goal to build that kind of program. For now we have to be opportunistic, which to me means that when you have an NCAA tournament roster then you have to cash in. I think this should be an NCAA tournament roster. I thought the 2019-20 team should be an NCAA team at about this time in 2018. I still think that. I wasn’t mad at last year’s team. But realistically we won’t have this caliber roster every year. So there is pressure from my perspective about not squandering opportunities and there are must win games.

It is NOT unrealistic to expect URI to be a top 4 A10 team most if not all years. Rod used to say that we should model Xavier and Temple (when they were in the A10). Now he would say VCU and Dayton. That's a good model to follow and there is no real good reason not to. That's exactly what we should strive to be. Bare minimum a lock at least 2 out of every 5 years and on the bubble 2 or 3 of the other 5, with a possible reload somewhere. With the hopes that every once in a while we strike lightning in a bottle and make a good run.

[steviep123]

Btw, Boston area peeps - Buff's Pub in Newton has fantastic wings.

[Rhodymob05]

You think VCU/Dayton fans expect anything less then NCAA tournaments? Definitely not. I agree we have to be realistic, but the fan base breathes reason and encouragement into programs to expand and reach higher standards. You think Thor notices when we complain? Absolutely. If we stop caring and take it like a cheap whore then we would be Fordham or LaSalle. Expect more, to get more.

[DevRam]

For us to win any game we need Fatts and/or Jeff to play well.

To beat good teams we need both on their game, along with one or two frontcourt players.

Any of our 8 rotational players can step up at any time. They've all proven that, but.....

Just no consistency from game to game. NCAA tourney caliber teams play well much more often than not.

Fatts has played well in more games than anyone else. The rest have been very sporadic.

And yes DC, we HAVE to play well defensively...if we do, we can hang with most teams, even the good ones.

Winning them is another story however.

When we play well we can beat any team in the A10 the rest of the way, except maybe Dayton.

Can we play well every game? That's a tough one.

Agree with everything besides questioning if we can beat Dayton. Yes, it is definitely possible. We have the talent no question, just need to have one of those Jeff/Fatts games and/or Cyril to be a beast on the boards and getting putbacks. Dayton struggled against Kansas bigman ealier in the year proving to be one of the there few weak points. Cyril is a man child, hopefully, will be a menace.

[TruePoint]

I think it is unrealistic to expect URI to be a tournament team every year, although that should be the goal to build that kind of program. For now we have to be opportunistic, which to me means that when you have an NCAA tournament roster then you have to cash in. I think this should be an NCAA tournament roster. I thought the 2019-20 team should be an NCAA team at about this time in 2018. I still think that. I wasn’t mad at last year’s team. But realistically we won’t have this caliber roster every year. So there is pressure from my perspective about not squandering opportunities and there are must win games.

It is NOT unrealistic to expect URI to be a top 4 A10 team most if not all years. Rod used to say that we should model Xavier and Temple (when they were in the A10). Now he would say VCU and Dayton. That's a good model to follow and there is no real good reason not to. That's exactly what we should strive to be. Bare minimum a lock at least 2 out of every 5 years and on the bubble 2 or 3 of the other 5, with a possible reload somewhere. With the hopes that every once in a while we strike lightning in a bottle and make a good run.

I feel like maybe we are saying the same thing differently. I said in my post that it should be the goal of the program to build toward a point where not making the tournament is the exception rather than the other way around. But that’s a medium-to-long term goal, and will require some intervening steps. I think at present we are in a cycle that is going to require the occasional bridge year or transition year, like last year was. Bottom line is that in trying to build the program up to what we all hope it eventually becomes, it is vital to not let seasons where you have an NCAA caliber roster result in NIT trips. That is a setback. That is why losing to Brown isn’t just a thing that happens that we’ll forget about the next week like how Duke gets over losing to SFA. We are in a somewhat fragile stage here, and whether it is totally fair to the kids that are playing the games, those kinds of no-shows have real consequences to the trajectory of our program.

[rambone 78]

Yes we should demand that this program be the best it can be. Always.

There are many levels of caring in the fan base.

I'd like to think, despite our differences here, that all of us care about how this program does. A lot.

Maybe I post too much, but I think it shows how much I care.

[Billyboy78]

BTW, I was in some classes with Fascitelli forty some years ago. We weren't friends, but if I give him a call, maybe I can get him to build that practice facility. Do you think he'll listen? "Hey Mike, it's Billyboy78. What's up?"

[Rhody83]

[rambone 78]

Expectations versus reality.

Always a battle at URI.

Just hoping we'll dance or contend to dance every year won't get it done.

Thorr says the right things about what he HOPES we'll do.

Is enough being done to ensure we'll meet those hopes?

That's a big question right now.

We've taken a step back since Dan has left. Of course with a new coach that's not totally unexpected.

This team is good. Not great. How close actually are we to achieving our goals?

One thing about URI, what's going on behind the scenes tends to stay behind the scenes.

Transparency isn't a strong point with this administration.

I still have my doubts that this program has reached the VCU and Dayton level in this league, and if not will it ever?

That's the "big picture" view from here. Carry on.

[Running Ram]

I don’t think this roster is as good as TP thinks. They are half way thru the season. Go back and review the games at a high level and make note of how many good games they have played. I come up with Alabama, PC & VCU. I didn’t see M Tenn game.

The team has improved it defense over the last 4 games which is huge in the push to improve.
They still struggle offensively. They are a poor shooting team.
Cyril has digressed offensively. His inability to finish from two feet is a major problem.
For Rhody to improve we need 3 out of the top 4 players to perform well on offense each game. That has happened once or twice this year.

This is a little too much realism for some to digest.
I agree with the sentiment, does that make me a bad fan?
I was hoping that for Jeff and Cyril's senior seasons, with Fatts as a junior, our offense would look a little more efficient.
Not going to sugar coat my observational analysis, but am going to cling onto the positives and hope for the best to come out at all the right times. We are, after all, a Q1 team for a reason.

[rhodyfan3000]

I'll reserve my "realistic" takes for after the season.

I don't want to start an argument that is going to, in any way shape or form, distract this team.

Cox has these guys about as focused right now as they have been all year towards the goal, and it needs to stay that way for everyone's sake.

Then, after the final buzzer of the season, we can talk about everything, the good, the bad and the ugly, expectations, you name it.

[TruePoint]

I don’t think this roster is as good as TP thinks. They are half way thru the season. Go back and review the games at a high level and make note of how many good games they have played. I come up with Alabama, PC & VCU. I didn’t see M Tenn game.

The team has improved it defense over the last 4 games which is huge in the push to improve.
They still struggle offensively. They are a poor shooting team.
Cyril has digressed offensively. His inability to finish from two feet is a major problem.
For Rhody to improve we need 3 out of the top 4 players to perform well on offense each game. That has happened once or twice this year.

You’re saying the roster isn’t as good as I think it is by pointing out shortcomings with performance. But we agree that the performance has been less than we’d hope based on the roster makeup, so I’m not really sure where the disagreement is.

[steviep123]

I think it is unrealistic to expect URI to be a tournament team every year, although that should be the goal to build that kind of program. For now we have to be opportunistic, which to me means that when you have an NCAA tournament roster then you have to cash in. I think this should be an NCAA tournament roster. I thought the 2019-20 team should be an NCAA team at about this time in 2018. I still think that. I wasn’t mad at last year’s team. But realistically we won’t have this caliber roster every year. So there is pressure from my perspective about not squandering opportunities and there are must win games.

It is NOT unrealistic to expect URI to be a top 4 A10 team most if not all years. Rod used to say that we should model Xavier and Temple (when they were in the A10). Now he would say VCU and Dayton. That's a good model to follow and there is no real good reason not to. That's exactly what we should strive to be. Bare minimum a lock at least 2 out of every 5 years and on the bubble 2 or 3 of the other 5, with a possible reload somewhere. With the hopes that every once in a while we strike lightning in a bottle and make a good run.

I feel like maybe we are saying the same thing differently. I said in my post that it should be the goal of the program to build toward a point where not making the tournament is the exception rather than the other way around. But that’s a medium-to-long term goal, and will require some intervening steps. I think at present we are in a cycle that is going to require the occasional bridge year or transition year, like last year was. Bottom line is that in trying to build the program up to what we all hope it eventually becomes, it is vital to not let seasons where you have an NCAA caliber roster result in NIT trips. That is a setback. That is why losing to Brown isn’t just a thing that happens that we’ll forget about the next week like how Duke gets over losing to SFA. We are in a somewhat fragile stage here, and whether it is totally fair to the kids that are playing the games, those kinds of no-shows have real consequences to the trajectory of our program.

Fair points... we aren't there yet, but that should be the expectation.

[PeterRamTime]

Anyone think Cyril might have a nagging injury?

In the past when he has struggled it has been because hes had ankle issues and can't explode to the basket like he wants.

He for the most part seems fine, that just seems like a common occurance when he misses a lot of lay ups.

Nonetheless he is still drawing fouls and getting a lot of rebounds when hes out there, so he has been hurting the opponent nonetheless.

Also, his free throw shooting has to be the worst of his career right now.

I believe in him though. He can kick it up a notch.

[RF1]

Anyone think Cyril might have a nagging injury?

In the past when he has struggled it has been because hes had ankle issues and can't explode to the basket like he wants.

He for the most part seems fine, that just seems like a common occurance when he misses a lot of lay ups.

Nonetheless he is still drawing fouls and getting a lot of rebounds when hes out there, so he has been hurting the opponent nonetheless.

Also, his free throw shooting has to be the worst of his career right now.

I believe in him though. He can kick it up a notch.

I posted it elsewhere - Cyril's shooting percentages for field goals and free throws this season to date are the worst of his four year career at URI. He still however is tenacious on the boards and an intimidating presence in the post. Only his shooting seems to have been affected.

[Rhode_Island_Red]

Anyone think Cyril might have a nagging injury?

In the past when he has struggled it has been because hes had ankle issues and can't explode to the basket like he wants.

He for the most part seems fine, that just seems like a common occurance when he misses a lot of lay ups.

Nonetheless he is still drawing fouls and getting a lot of rebounds when hes out there, so he has been hurting the opponent nonetheless.

Also, his free throw shooting has to be the worst of his career right now.

I believe in him though. He can kick it up a notch.

Don Kaull said during (I think) the VCU game that Cyril didn't have his usual lift. Anyone else notice that?

[Running Ram]

Anyone think Cyril might have a nagging injury?

In the past when he has struggled it has been because hes had ankle issues and can't explode to the basket like he wants.

He for the most part seems fine, that just seems like a common occurance when he misses a lot of lay ups.

Nonetheless he is still drawing fouls and getting a lot of rebounds when hes out there, so he has been hurting the opponent nonetheless.

Also, his free throw shooting has to be the worst of his career right now.

I believe in him though. He can kick it up a notch.

Don Kaull said during (I think) the VCU game that Cyril didn't have his usual lift. Anyone else notice that?

He did, I listened to that game and heard him say it.

[RamStock]

You think VCU/Dayton fans expect anything less then NCAA tournaments? Definitely not. I agree we have to be realistic, but the fan base breathes reason and encouragement into programs to expand and reach higher standards. You think Thor notices when we complain? Absolutely. If we stop caring and take it like a cheap whore then we would be Fordham or LaSalle. Expect more, to get more.

Agree 100%. We need to be in the mix or make the tourney or the interest will be gone. Is it realistic to think URI could make the tournament three out of five years? I don’t think so. I take the loses as hard as everyone else and it makes my day or weekends when they win. It may be tough for some people to stomach the complaining, but it also works the other way when people are unrealistic and say they are still going to make the tournament after several bad losses or if we have no quality wins on a given year and we still deserve to make it because it is URI. This is the realistic state of Big time college sports with basketball and football. We have a much smaller margin for error than a PC because we don’t to make up bad loses with quality wins. PC could lose to the worst team in the Big East on a Tuesday and beat the best on Saturday.

[steviep123]

You think VCU/Dayton fans expect anything less then NCAA tournaments? Definitely not. I agree we have to be realistic, but the fan base breathes reason and encouragement into programs to expand and reach higher standards. You think Thor notices when we complain? Absolutely. If we stop caring and take it like a cheap whore then we would be Fordham or LaSalle. Expect more, to get more.

Agree 100%. We need to be in the mix or make the tourney or the interest will be gone. Is it realistic to think URI could make the tournament three out of five years? I don’t think so. I take the loses as hard as everyone else and it makes my day or weekends when they win. It may be tough for some people to stomach the complaining, but it also works the other way when people are unrealistic and say they are still going to make the tournament after several bad losses or if we have no quality wins on a given year and we still deserve to make it because it is URI. This is the realistic state of Big time college sports with basketball and football. We have a much smaller margin for error than a PC because we don’t to make up bad loses with quality wins. PC could lose to the worst team in the Big East on a Tuesday and beat the best on Saturday.

Well if they make it this year or next, that is 3 years out of five. In general it hasn't been that realistic since Harrick left (before that they went 3 straight years). Under Jerry D they were a disaster. Baron had a few years where they blew their shot with some late season collapses. The point is, we should expect to be able to get to the point in which we can expect 3 out of 5, with an NIT and a reload in the other 2. That should be the minimum. It currently isn't, but there's no reason why we can't get there. I know our margin of error is higher than a lot of teams, especially in the top conferences. This season we built a schedule that could help our margin for error, but we would have had to win at least one of WVU/Maryland/LSU.

[TruePoint]

Well the reason why this year is important is because of it is the difference between being a 3-out-of-4 (or -5) type of program currently or restarting the whole process; establishing Cox as a NCAA level coach while still having the benefit of some Hurley-era holdovers and proven NCAA tournament level players or leaving the question open as the roster becomes entirely his own and devoid of players with NCAA experience; and passing the torch from the last group with NCAA tournament experience with Jeff, Cyril and Fatts to the next group of Martin, Harris, Toppin, Walker and Long that will be tasked with leading the program there as upper classmen.

If somehow they didn’t make it this year but did next year, I wouldn’t be as worried but I’m not sure that is realistic. If they don’t make it this year I’m not sure how the roster next year could be better after losing Cyril and Jeff.

[DC_Rams]

Well the reason why this year is important is because of it is the difference between being a 3-out-of-4 (or -5) type of program currently or restarting the whole process; establishing Cox as a NCAA level coach while still having the benefit of some Hurley-era holdovers and proven NCAA tournament level players or leaving the question open as the roster becomes entirely his own and devoid of players with NCAA experience; and passing the torch from the last group with NCAA tournament experience with Jeff, Cyril and Fatts to the next group of Martin, Harris, Toppin, Walker and Long that will be tasked with leading the program there as upper classmen.

If somehow they didn’t make it this year but did next year, I wouldn’t be as worried but I’m not sure that is realistic. If they don’t make it this year I’m not sure how the roster next year could be better after losing Cyril and Jeff.

When seniors leave, the younger guys are forced to step up. Offenses will be created or catered to new guys. I believe Toppin’s, Walker and Martin’s averages will begin to trend upward. There will be more touches and opportunities for those guys to score within the flow on the offense. Right now, we rely a lot on Fatts and Jeff to create/produce scoring and/or opportunities.

Toppin will develop and mature and we will have a Senior in Sheppard to also step in. We really don’t know what we will really have just yet, but Dayton and VCU will also be reloading, so time will tell.

[TruePoint]

Fair enough, but we do know what we have this year and with this group I think coming up short of a tournament bid will be a disappointment. You never know what the future holds. I don’t want to count on next year.

[ramster]

I agree with you TP. With Dowtin and Langevine being Seniors this would be one of those years we could potentially get a NCAA Bid. Dowtin, Langevine, Martin and Russell are all potential All A10 Post Season Award candidates for 1st, 2nd or 3rd team. Players of this caliber and experience are not so common.

[reckless jake]

Fair enough, but we do know what we have this year and with this group I think coming up short of a tournament bid will be a disappointment. You never know what the future holds. I don’t want to count on next year.

+1

[theblueram]

Any guess on attendance tomorrow? Hoping for a solid crowd to push these guys to a 4 game win streak.

[PeterRamTime]

I agree with you TP. With Dowtin and Langevine being Seniors this would be one of those years we could potentially get a NCAA Bid. Dowtin, Langevine, Martin and Russell are all potential All A10 Post Season Award candidates for 1st, 2nd or 3rd team. Players of this caliber and experience are not so common.

Dowtin and Langevine should be able to lead this group to the NCAA tournament. If they dont it is absolutely a failure. Maybe not as bad considering the weird roster issues, but then again some of that has to be on Cox.

We already know we can beat VCU. ON THE ROAD even! With the group we have right now.

No reason we cant come out of this regular season in the A-10 with at least a 14-4 record. The two Dayton games are the hardest ones left.

Then we have Duquesne, VCU and SLU all at home, so that sets up very favorably.

Just have to stay focused, keep the energy up and we can make it happen and prove we are a program that is here to stay on top with Dayton and VCU.

Two programs that we generally beat anyway....