2/6 | UMass | 8:00PM (ESPN2)

[SmartyBarrett]

At the end of the game as the URI players left the court and headed for the tunnel I saw Russell seemed upset (I would hope all of the players and Coaches would be after than performance) and he punched a sign to his right by the end-line close to the end of the URI Bench.

Did anyone else see this? Did anyone tape the game or have a replay of this when Russell left the court?

Hope he didn't add a right hand injury to his list of injuries.

I don’t mind that at all. Nobody else seems to give a shit. I like the emotion.

Fatts’ frustration is obviously a combo of losing / injuries.

Love the emotion. No one should ever be questioning Fatts' heart and his desire to win.

That said, it really looked like the team completely gave up in the last five minutes.

[rambone 78]

Thorr and Dooley took a chance on Cox based on Dan's recommendation, and also that he wouldn't cost as much as an experienced HC.

Well it didn't work, and the sooner they realize it and do something, the better.

Of course with the current financial issues, nothing will happen after this season, unless Ryan and others step up and bail the school out, like they did with Baron.

I think we all know how next season will go, if nothing changes.

Yup, 3 more losses coming up...but really who cares?

[RhowdyRam02]

Anyone else lose a bit of respect for Cox after seeing this video? Like is this not worrying for any of you? That he is ok playing Antwan 9 minutes in the first half despite him being the best player on the court, but he will keep no shows like Betrand and Martin there??!?! fucking insane.

Honestly, this one minute is a fireable offense in professional sports or at a top college program. It shows a complete and total inability to assess in game situations and an inability to adjust his thinking on the fly. That it comes after a 12 point loss to UMass missing their best player is the cherry on the top of the sundae. This is his Dan Duquette after 2001 saying we spent more days in first place moment

[Blue Man]

Anyone else lose a bit of respect for Cox after seeing this video? Like is this not worrying for any of you? That he is ok playing Antwan 9 minutes in the first half despite him being the best player on the court, but he will keep no shows like Betrand and Martin there??!?! fucking insane.

Honestly, this one minute is a fireable offense in professional sports or at a top college program. It shows a complete and total inability to assess in game situations and an inability to adjust his thinking on the fly. That it comes after a 12 point loss to UMass missing their best player is the cherry on the top of the sundae. This is his Dan Duquette after 2001 saying we spent more days in first place moment

It’s. Year. THREE.

[RhowdyRam02]

The fact that the local media is asking tough questions of the URI coach for the first time that I can actually remember should speak volumes.

This is really bad.

This staff is over their heads. There’s a reason you hire guys with HC experience. It’s different when it’s all on you.

I can't really speak to how Morey normally is, but I know how Bill Koch, Steve McDonald, and Don Kaull normally are. Like you said, the way they were all talking tonight speaks volumes. I can't remember Bill ever being like he was tonight on Twitter. McDonald and Kaull were more circumspect but you could tell they didn't understand the coaching tonight. I can't remember ever hearing them talk like they did tonight, they normally go way out of their way to be positive

[rambone 78]

Cox knew Mitchell was going to be out well before the game...his comment about maybe they should have focused more on UMass's 3 pt. shooting because of that, reveals a complete failure of coaching.

A total lack of preparation resulting in a dumpster fire on the court.

[PeterRamTime]

Anyone else lose a bit of respect for Cox after seeing this video? Like is this not worrying for any of you? That he is ok playing Antwan 9 minutes in the first half despite him being the best player on the court, but he will keep no shows like Betrand and Martin there??!?! fucking insane.

That is extremely hard to watch.

[RhowdyRam02]

Anyone else lose a bit of respect for Cox after seeing this video? Like is this not worrying for any of you? That he is ok playing Antwan 9 minutes in the first half despite him being the best player on the court, but he will keep no shows like Betrand and Martin there??!?! fucking insane.

Honestly, this one minute is a fireable offense in professional sports or at a top college program. It shows a complete and total inability to assess in game situations and an inability to adjust his thinking on the fly. That it comes after a 12 point loss to UMass missing their best player is the cherry on the top of the sundae. This is his Dan Duquette after 2001 saying we spent more days in first place moment

It’s. Year. THREE.

And that's alarming. You'd expect a person in their first three years in a job to grow immensely from year one to year three. Morey called Cox' coaching robotic tonight, and that is an outstanding way of putting it. Cox is no better today than he was game one, and it's because he's completely robotic. He decided before his first game how he was going to handle game situations and he hasn't deviated since day 1. There's no feel, there's no acknowledgement of different situations, this is his rotation, this is how he calls time outs, this is how his teams play, role out the basketball and damn the torpedoes

[SmartyBarrett]

I know someone (Rhowdy?) used to track which assistant had the scout for particular games. Not sure how readily available that info is but would definitely be interested to know who had it tonight. Especially considering the comment that they prepped for Tre.

[Blue Man]

Anyone else lose a bit of respect for Cox after seeing this video? Like is this not worrying for any of you? That he is ok playing Antwan 9 minutes in the first half despite him being the best player on the court, but he will keep no shows like Betrand and Martin there??!?! fucking insane.

Honestly, this one minute is a fireable offense in professional sports or at a top college program. It shows a complete and total inability to assess in game situations and an inability to adjust his thinking on the fly. That it comes after a 12 point loss to UMass missing their best player is the cherry on the top of the sundae. This is his Dan Duquette after 2001 saying we spent more days in first place moment

I’m inclined to agree on the fireable offense part.

A) how do you not know how much one of your starters plays in a game? It’s FEBRUARY.

B) WHY DOES IT MATTER!?

Is that an admission that we don’t do adjustments during the game? That we just have a set plan in practice (that somehow doesn’t get changed when the #1 player is out, since the coach also admitted that).

He’s in over his head and it’s only getting worse.

If we lose out, and it honestly seems possible, I almost think you HAVE to move on despite all the context around needing a to give Cox 4 years in the landscape of college basketball.

[PeterRamTime]

Cox speaks like he is incredibly in his head. Its like he doesn't know how to express himself. Or its like he's afraid to be himself.

He might be losing confidence in himself.

Who knows. Its very bizarre and it seems hopeless.

I dont think many of us saw this level of train wreck coming.

[ramster]

Strange comment.
I would think Leggett would have earned the starting position (been thinking he deserved starting since back in December) but that the spot would be Betrands' position, NOT Russell's position.

Odd that Cox and Russell would think Leggett for Russell................

Should be:
Mitchell
Walker
Sheppard
Leggett
Russell

Not rocket surgery

[Blue Man]

Strange comment.
I would think Leggett would have earned the starting position (been thinking he deserved starting since back in December) but that the spot would be Betrands' position, NOT Russell's position.

Odd that Cox and Russell would think Leggett for Russell................

Should be:
Mitchell
Walker
Sheppard
Leggett
Russell

Not rocket surgery

WHO IS THE COACH ON THE TEAM!? WHO IS THE ADULT!?

Fatts has been done a disservice by not having a coach who could reign him in and help him be a part of a team instead of feeding his ego to play and score.

[RhowdyRam02]

I know someone (Rhowdy?) used to track which assistant had the scout for particular games. Not sure how readily available that info is but would definitely be interested to know who had it tonight. Especially considering the comment that they prepped for Tre.

I tried to keep track of it, normally it's just the guy that does the pregame interview on the radio broadcast. Even during the best of times, due to different reasons, I had trouble keeping a consistent game by game log, and I haven't been motivated for obvious reasons this year. It's unfortunate, because like you said, I would definitely be interested to know that information now. I'm going to try and make a point of doing that the rest of the year assuming this year is handled the same way with the radio interview even with Covid

[ramster]

Strange comment.
I would think Leggett would have earned the starting position (been thinking he deserved starting since back in December) but that the spot would be Betrands' position, NOT Russell's position.

Odd that Cox and Russell would think Leggett for Russell................

Should be:
Mitchell
Walker
Sheppard
Leggett
Russell

Not rocket surgery

WHO IS THE COACH ON THE TEAM!? WHO IS THE ADULT!?

Fatts has been done a disservice by not having a coach who could reign him in and help him be a part of a team instead of feeding his ego to play and score.

Been that way now for 3 years

[SmartyBarrett]

I know someone (Rhowdy?) used to track which assistant had the scout for particular games. Not sure how readily available that info is but would definitely be interested to know who had it tonight. Especially considering the comment that they prepped for Tre.

I tried to keep track of it, normally it's just the guy that does the pregame interview on the radio broadcast. Even during the best of times, due to different reasons, I had trouble keeping a consistent game by game log, and I haven't been motivated for obvious reasons this year. It's unfortunate, because like you said, I would definitely be interested to know that information now. I'm going to try and make a point of doing that the rest of the year assuming this year is handled the same way with the radio interview even with Covid

Agree, and thanks for the work for those of us (hi) too lazy to find out. Sometimes it's just throw-away info. But instances like tonight and a few others this year it's intriguing. Especially with doubts circling around assistant coaches and overall coaching in general.

[ramster]

The fact that the local media is asking tough questions of the URI coach for the first time that I can actually remember should speak volumes.

This is really bad.

This staff is over their heads. There’s a reason you hire guys with HC experience. It’s different when it’s all on you.

I can't really speak to how Morey normally is, but I know how Bill Koch, Steve McDonald, and Don Kaull normally are. Like you said, the way they were all talking tonight speaks volumes. I can't remember Bill ever being like he was tonight on Twitter. McDonald and Kaull were more circumspect but you could tell they didn't understand the coaching tonight. I can't remember ever hearing them talk like they did tonight, they normally go way out of their way to be positive

Actually Morey has questioned things in the past with Cox. He is the only reporter that I have seen do this until after tonight's games. You could tell that Cox was uncomfortable with the question and not used to being put on the spot. No RI Reporters typically do this. Cooley would get pissed as hell if any local reporters asked a question like Morey asked to night, and Cox was clearly caught off guard.
Good for Morey, and not surprising he did this. I hope he doesn't get pushed aside by both Cox and Cooley for asking the question that needed to be asked - with many more tough questions to hopefully follow.

[ramster]

Anyone else lose a bit of respect for Cox after seeing this video? Like is this not worrying for any of you? That he is ok playing Antwan 9 minutes in the first half despite him being the best player on the court, but he will keep no shows like Betrand and Martin there??!?! fucking insane.

Honestly, this one minute is a fireable offense in professional sports or at a top college program. It shows a complete and total inability to assess in game situations and an inability to adjust his thinking on the fly. That it comes after a 12 point loss to UMass missing their best player is the cherry on the top of the sundae. This is his Dan Duquette after 2001 saying we spent more days in first place moment

Many took the attitude of "Don't let the door hit you on the way out" for Martin and Toppin. Some said Malik Martin would be as good or better a replacement for Tyrese. Some said Toppin would never see the floor at Kentucky.
I know playing time was an issue for Toppin. I know Walker had a high respect and friendship for Toppin.
We lost two starters for this year.
As this season develops one wonders about the Martin/Toppin departures.............and one would have to wonder what happens after this season on the transfer front. Not a good night for Rhody Basketball.

Circle the wagons..........
Prepare for the A10 Tournament
Reduce the rotation for the A10 Tournament to:
Mitchell
Walker
Sheppard
Leggett
Russell

Bench depth is nowhere near what was expected.

[PeteRI]

The fact that the local media is asking tough questions of the URI coach for the first time that I can actually remember should speak volumes.

This is really bad.

This staff is over their heads. There’s a reason you hire guys with HC experience. It’s different when it’s all on you.

I can't really speak to how Morey normally is, but I know how Bill Koch, Steve McDonald, and Don Kaull normally are. Like you said, the way they were all talking tonight speaks volumes. I can't remember Bill ever being like he was tonight on Twitter. McDonald and Kaull were more circumspect but you could tell they didn't understand the coaching tonight. I can't remember ever hearing them talk like they did tonight, they normally go way out of their way to be positive

Actually Morey has questioned things in the past with Cox. He is the only reporter that I have seen do this until after tonight's games. You could tell that Cox was uncomfortable with the question and not used to being put on the spot. No RI Reporters typically do this. Cooley would get pissed as hell if any local reporters asked a question like Morey asked to night, and Cox was clearly caught off guard.
Good for Morey, and not surprising he did this. I hope he doesn't get pushed aside by both Cox and Cooley for asking the question that needed to be asked - with many more tough questions to hopefully follow.

Cox acted like Belichick - how dare you.question.his decisions? Problem is, Bill has earned his arrogance. David hasn't.

[Billyboy78]

I guarantee you the substitutions are predetermined. A guy could be 5 for 5 from the field, playing great defense and making plays all over the court. If he was scheduled to come out after 8 minutes, he's coming out no matter what is going on. The only thing that would change the timing of the substitutions is fouls. It's idiotic.

[JimSidd]

After watching all but two games this season, I think the thing I’m most shocked about is that Carey scored 26 points for Syracuse versus UCONN in one of first games as a freshman (although I also saw he had 6 turnovers). In watching him play this year, it’s amazing to think he did that.
I just read some of page 3 of the Carey thread (from the days before, the day of and a few days after his announcement). Wow, was the feeling about him different in those days. Some of the posts were from some of the same people posting in this thread. How things can change.

[Dino611]

Im numb to it. Get us to the A10 tourney already.

We’ll get smoked by 20+ whoever we play

[ramster]

from the UMASS Board....

Re: Game 11, 2020-21: @ Rhode Island (2/6)
Quote
Post by Minutemaniac74 » Sat Feb 06, 2021 11:13 pm

My two favorite moments from this game - (1) The bench going crazy after Gasperini's three; and (2) Fatts Russell flipping over a chair as he walks off the floor in disgust after the game.

[reef]

Cox is in over his head sorry nice guy but he needs to go

[rambone 78]

I guarantee you the substitutions are predetermined. A guy could be 5 for 5 from the field, playing great defense and making plays all over the court. If he was scheduled to come out after 8 minutes, he's coming out no matter what is going on. The only thing that would change the timing of the substitutions is fouls. It's idiotic.

I agree wholeheartedly.

To say it's idiotic is being kind.

I would also say, what are the assistants doing? Taking up space?

Changing a couple of them won't make a bit of difference. If the head man is clueless, the whole thing is clueless.

[NYGFan_Section208]

simple question on tonight's game, which team looked better prepared? Why?

Is it that hard to simply have someone stay in Carl Pierre's face NO MATTER WHAT.?

Did UMass have such dominant players tonight that you had to help and leave Pierre open?

This is 100% preparation!

I would love to know what the practices covered on Thurs and Friday and today's shoot around.

They have practices?

[section(105)]

I guarantee you the substitutions are predetermined. A guy could be 5 for 5 from the field, playing great defense and making plays all over the court. If he was scheduled to come out after 8 minutes, he's coming out no matter what is going on. The only thing that would change the timing of the substitutions is fouls. It's idiotic.

........I have been asking searching what is the Cox system/identify.......well I can end the search.....I will call it organized chaos.......that post game video, for me, says it all......cut the losses now, move on, the program will just continue a down hill slide......can’t support this for two more years......

[NYGFan_Section208]

I guarantee you the substitutions are predetermined. A guy could be 5 for 5 from the field, playing great defense and making plays all over the court. If he was scheduled to come out after 8 minutes, he's coming out no matter what is going on. The only thing that would change the timing of the substitutions is fouls. It's idiotic.

........I have been asking searching what is the Cox system/identify.......well I can end the search.....I will call it organized chaos.......that post game video, for me, says it all......cut the losses now, move on, the program will just continue a down hill slide......can’t support this for two more years......

It's only the chaos part, not really seeing the 'organized' part. Guessing there be significant transfer activity outta here this year...what's the over/under there 5.5? 6.5?

[URI_05]

We need to move on after this year. This is bad and getting worse, we can’t afford to waste another year watching this crap while our NCAA credits run down.

[section(105)]

I guarantee you the substitutions are predetermined. A guy could be 5 for 5 from the field, playing great defense and making plays all over the court. If he was scheduled to come out after 8 minutes, he's coming out no matter what is going on. The only thing that would change the timing of the substitutions is fouls. It's idiotic.

........I have been asking searching what is the Cox system/identify.......well I can end the search.....I will call it organized chaos.......that post game video, for me, says it all......cut the losses now, move on, the program will just continue a down hill slide......can’t support this for two more years......

It's only the chaos part, not really seeing the 'organized' part. Guessing there be significant transfer activity outta here this year...what's the over/under there 5.5? 6.5?

.......the organized part comes in the form of the apparent pre-programmed robotic subs in/out of limited minutes.......chaos is the result......and Coach apparently thinking the results will change.....with the same scheme......player movement out, 3-4 ?......for you Yankee fans......reminds me of The Jobba Rules.......

[steveystuds06]

[Blue Man]

BODIED

[NJRhodyFan]

I agree with everyone who says Cox has a predetermined substitution pattern. It was most glaring last night when he subbed in Carey and Betrand late in the second half when we desperately needed to put points on the board. I was actually screaming at the TV “Why??? Whyyyyy?!??”.

Carey and Betrand went a combined 0-7 from the field with 4 turnovers. This is after going a combined 1-6 with 2 turnovers the game before against Dayton. Those two shouldn’t be sniffing the court at critical points in a game. In fact they should barely be playing at all! At least Carey’s minutes have been reduced, but Cox is still stubbornly playing Betrand close to 20 minutes per game even though he contributes close to nothing when he’s on the court.

And don’t even get me started on Walker. He was an unstoppable beast last night, wasn’t in foul trouble, yet he only played 24 minutes. Four other guys played more minutes than him. How do you even defend that as a head coach?? Cox needs to get his head out of his ass ASAP. This team is slowly circling the drain and our fearless leader seems ill-prepared to stop the bleeding.

[KingstonLane]

This season I’ve wanted to give Cox the benefit of the doubt as it’s obvious to me bringing together a bunch of new faces is far from easy. The team showed flashes of promise, and clearly has not come close to being consistent.

There’s been a lot of question marks about in game decisions, and candidly as fans it’s tough to see the same thing over and over without results to show for it.

I do think the type/line of questioning from Morey last night was long overdue. The media has let fans down a good bit in letting coach skate by when things go awry. We got our first look into Cox’s brain last night and it did not look good. That being said while Morey was finally digging I think the question was a little too specific - in the sense Walkers minutes were not the reason we lost this game

It’s on Cox to explain this more eloquently (or fans have a right to be upset) but Walker playing another 5-10 minutes and trading more 2s for 3s still gets you the same result. The real issue with this team is we only have 5 guys that have proven they can contribute on any sort of regular basis and one of them is playing injured.

I said this in the last game thread but you need 10-20 points a night from DJ/Malik/AB//Carey. You got 3 last night on 1-12 shooting

[DeanDome88]

Coach Cox needs to make some changes to his rotations based on what is happening on the floor. I am not joining the crew calling for his firing but will not be defending his poor bench coaching. He needs to improve. What on earth does Walker have to do to get more playing time? The only one who stopped him last night was David Cox.

[OrangeRam]

Betrand, Martin, Carey... these guys are good ball players and are certainly capable of so much more, Fatts too. It's one word. Confidence.

Just amazing what Coach Riess has done, enough said.

[Rhodyhooopz]

DC what is your opinion on what is going on right now? Really want to hear it either way as you have been a long time supporter of Cox.

[RI_Bred]

Maury is the man, way to go with the tougher line of questioning. Although difficult to watch/listen to (almost cringeworthy), it gives us a bit of perspective on Cox's bizarre train of thought. So thanks for that.

What a sh!tshow, just wow.

[section(105)]

Betrand, Martin, Carey... these guys are good ball players and are certainly capable of so much more, Fatts too. It's one word. Confidence.

Just amazing what Coach Riess has done, enough said.

....I do not see AB or Martin making any significant impact at the A-10 level......few desperation minutes, nothing more......

[theblueram]

Turned the game off a couple minutes into the 2nd half. Reading this thread it seems it was a good choice. Can't remember the last time I turned a Rhody game off with a whole half to play.

[bigappleram]

Our coach lacks confidence. Our team follows that lead.
We have no identity and so roles are unclear. Throw 9-10 guys with varying levels of talent together without role definition and you get what we have. I’m not a blame the coach for everything guy, but the above is all the foundation of being an effective Cbb coach. At this point we have played more games and logged more practices than 75-80% of the programs out there yet have nothing tangible to show for it beyond the development of Makhel and a little from Ish (would be even further along with more PT which he deserves).

It’s not more complicated than this...

Starters: Mitchell, Walker, Shepp, Ish, Fatts

Bench:
DJ - if we get zoned give him PT...if Twan picks up 2 quick fouls or even if Makhel does and slide Twan to the small ball 5 spot. In our league you can get away with that in emergency situations. His job is to hit 3s on catch and shoot and play D (rebound, block shots). That’s it. Don’t put the ball on the floor. Don’t try to do too much offensively. Look for space and shoot it when open.

Harris - break glass in case of emergency. If Makhel gets early fouls and opponent is big at the 5. For 1-2 minutes here or there to spell Makhel or Twan. No extended time. Set picks, rebound and when he establishes good position on the block go to him.

Malik - for defensive matchups only, cannot pair him Betrand or Carey bc you are playing 3 on 5 offensively when you do. Rebound, cover their best wing/SF, be a garbage man on offense but nothing run to him and he should never dribble more than once.

Betrand and Carey - unplayable at this point. No confidence, don’t have 1 discernible skill that is helping you to win games right now. TO prone, not especially effective on D, hurt spacing bc not outside threats in the guard spot.

Net net all of our bench is “situational” at best, with clearly defined roles and guardrails of what you would accept and what you won’t. None of them have earned, or deserve consistent extended minutes. Betrand starting is loco. Walker coming out 4 minutes in for Malik is egregious. Game to game it differs and if they earn time in practice and perform in games you can start to give them more run. Until then it’s a 6 man rotation with 4 guys getting spot minutes (none of them more than 10).

Last night those 4 guys (Martin, Harris, Betrand, Carey) played 44 minutes. Shouldn’t be more than 30-32 minutes a night. Those extra 10-12 minutes can be given right to Walker and Ish and I will bet my life our chances of winning increase.

[Shinze88]

Betrand, Martin, Carey... these guys are good ball players and are certainly capable of so much more, Fatts too. It's one word. Confidence.

Just amazing what Coach Riess has done, enough said.

I was extremely impressed watching the lady Rams play when they were televised vs Davidson a few weeks ago. The team plays hard, smart and with tons of discipline. Coach Reiss has the program on a similar trajectory that Hurley did with the men. They do all the little things well and you can tell its making a big difference. She's taken over a program that has been dormant for year and has injected some life with a promising future.

Alot has been said here about how our guys are talented and should be playing better than what we've shown. Most of this has directly been placed (rightfully so) on the shoulders of Cox. I think this board in general severely overrates the "talent" on this team. No need to continue the bashing of our players, but we have guys who have just not lived up the hype they came with. Carey does have talent, he's shown flashes that suggest his ranking was somewhat legit, Cox has not been able to maximize this strengths which is driving to the hoop and scoring within 10 ft. He should never under any circumstance be asked to bring the ball up the court or run any offense in the half court. Betrand is a gunner and just seems to be overmatched at this level. DJ is a defensive liability and if he's not hitting 3's he has limited effectiveness. Nothing more to add on Jermaine, seems like a great kid and someone who you can really root for, but he's clearly a limited role player at this point and I guess I'll ask why has a top 100 talent not been able to show ANY improvement since stepping on campus? Has any player shown any improvement in their time here under Cox? Martin plays good defense, but is undersized and cant shoot or handle the ball, the better Martin is playing in Storrs for sure. We are destined to be a mid pack A10 program for the foreseeable future under the current leadership of this program under the next Hurley comes along. And of course, I'll still be at the Ryan Center to cheer on whoever is wearing a URI jersey.

[DeanDome88]

I'd like to see some plays run for DJ to get some open looks from 3 when he is in the game. Most of his 3 point shot attempts in recent games have been contested. We are not taking full advantage of his talent as a shooter. He is a active on defense and scrappy on the boards. I'm not claiming he is a star but we are not taking advantage of his skill set. This season has been very frustrating.

[McRam]

Anyone else lose a bit of respect for Cox after seeing this video? Like is this not worrying for any of you? That he is ok playing Antwan 9 minutes in the first half despite him being the best player on the court, but he will keep no shows like Betrand and Martin there??!?! fucking insane.

Honestly, this one minute is a fireable offense in professional sports or at a top college program. It shows a complete and total inability to assess in game situations and an inability to adjust his thinking on the fly. That it comes after a 12 point loss to UMass missing their best player is the cherry on the top of the sundae. This is his Dan Duquette after 2001 saying we spent more days in first place moment
[/quote

Could not agree more- this a beaten man who does not know what to do-- In any endeavor, If someone spoke this way with his "I dunno" and lack of eye contact , the compassionate thing would to take him out of his misery.

t

[McRam]

I keep thinking that there is a coach out there that will be fired or is available that would be able to come in and keep the key pieces in place for next year?

Minimize the damage- ACT NOW!!!!!!!!!!

[Rhody15]

Cox knew Mitchell was going to be out well before the game...his comment about maybe they should have focused more on UMass's 3 pt. shooting because of that, reveals a complete failure of coaching.

A total lack of preparation resulting in a dumpster fire on the court.

I actually read his comments 3 times to fully grasp what he was saying. How can everyone associated with both team know Mitchell would be out except our coach?

[Billyboy78]

Maybe Morey can ask Cox why he uses a timeout to kill our momentum every single game. Or why he doesn't use a timeout when the other team is on a big run. Maybe he can ask why Betrand is starting. Maybe he can ask why an injured Fatts is still playing in the last minute of a game when behind by 13 points. Maybe he can ask why both Betrand and Carey are playing with 4 minutes to go and down by 6. Maybe he can ask what his assistants input are during a game. There are a lot of questions Morey can now ask.

[RF1]

Another game that I am glad I did not watch. This season never got going in the right direction and is now accelerating fast into a train wreck. With the upcoming competition, very few probable wins remain. It is now looking pretty certain that this will be a losing campaign, the first such in seven seasons. Fortunately fans have not had to see it in person and have therefore not made the typical financial, time, and emotional investments.

The problem the program now faces is that its future does not look too promising. Due to Covid rules relaxation, this entire roster could return should it choose. I can't imagine anyone thinks that is a great prospect give how it has performed. The program looks to now be in a multi year rebuild mode. All the momentum that had been built up in the last six years with two NCAA runs looks to have been completely squandered away. In addition to that, the virus has changed fan's perspectives. I would think it gave many a new sense of priorities with URI hoops further down the list than before. Many fans also got used to not allocating a good chunk of time to driving to Kingston, watching the games, sitting in traffic afterwards trying to exit the lots, and then traveling back home. It was already going to be a challenge for URI to re-engage these fans next year getting them to buy tickets. Many are sure to reassess whether they will want to be part of large crowds given what has occurred. Many others will be less than enthused by the dismal performance of this season and not so very promising future. I unfortunately predict a big drop in attendance next year. We are now descending into a new URI men's basketball valley with no peaks in short sight.

[RF1]

That may have been the last game for UMass for some time.

[Blue Man]

Our coach lacks confidence. Our team follows that lead.
We have no identity and so roles are unclear. Throw 9-10 guys with varying levels of talent together without role definition and you get what we have. I’m not a blame the coach for everything guy, but the above is all the foundation of being an effective Cbb coach. At this point we have played more games and logged more practices than 75-80% of the programs out there yet have nothing tangible to show for it beyond the development of Makhel and a little from Ish (would be even further along with more PT which he deserves).

It’s not more complicated than this...

Starters: Mitchell, Walker, Shepp, Ish, Fatts

Bench:
DJ - if we get zoned give him PT...if Twan picks up 2 quick fouls or even if Makhel does and slide Twan to the small ball 5 spot. In our league you can get away with that in emergency situations. His job is to hit 3s on catch and shoot and play D (rebound, block shots). That’s it. Don’t put the ball on the floor. Don’t try to do too much offensively. Look for space and shoot it when open.

Harris - break glass in case of emergency. If Makhel gets early fouls and opponent is big at the 5. For 1-2 minutes here or there to spell Makhel or Twan. No extended time. Set picks, rebound and when he establishes good position on the block go to him.

Malik - for defensive matchups only, cannot pair him Betrand or Carey bc you are playing 3 on 5 offensively when you do. Rebound, cover their best wing/SF, be a garbage man on offense but nothing run to him and he should never dribble more than once.

Betrand and Carey - unplayable at this point. No confidence, don’t have 1 discernible skill that is helping you to win games right now. TO prone, not especially effective on D, hurt spacing bc not outside threats in the guard spot.

Net net all of our bench is “situational” at best, with clearly defined roles and guardrails of what you would accept and what you won’t. None of them have earned, or deserve consistent extended minutes. Betrand starting is loco. Walker coming out 4 minutes in for Malik is egregious. Game to game it differs and if they earn time in practice and perform in games you can start to give them more run. Until then it’s a 6 man rotation with 4 guys getting spot minutes (none of them more than 10).

Last night those 4 guys (Martin, Harris, Betrand, Carey) played 44 minutes. Shouldn’t be more than 30-32 minutes a night. Those extra 10-12 minutes can be given right to Walker and Ish and I will bet my life our chances of winning increase.

This is pretty spot on.

I think “lack of confidence” is one way to describe it - but really I think it’s just a long time assistant who was phenomenal in that role and never really fully grasped/respected the in-game decisions that happen in the top chair.

This team is missing an in-game coach. Cox admitting that he didn’t gameplan for Mitchell to be out is inexcusable. We knew for DAYS! HE DIDNT EVEN PLAY AGAINST FORDHAM ON WEDNESDAY.

This is like going on a multimillion dollar sales call and flat out telling your boss that you had no idea going in what the customer needed after losing the deal. Losing comes with basketball - but being unprepared and somehow getting indignant when people ask about your lack of preparation is flat out inexcusable.

This is year three. Admitting that you don’t know how to GAMEPLAN or make adjustments during the game goes far beyond the pale.

It’s amazing to see what Hurley built get squandered so quickly.