A10 Outlook for 21-22

[KingstonLane]

BAR, not totally surprised by Davidson's pick (BR) in the frontcourt.
Many analysts have Lee as an all A10 Player. At 6''7" he can really stretch the floor shooting 40% from 3pt. Also finished second on the team in scoring (13.5 pts) and assists.
Luca Brajkovic is very big 6'10" (250 lbs.) and averaged 11pts, also led the team in rebounding and FG%.
Sam Mennenga also big at 6'9" (245 lbs.) and started 20 of 21 games last season.

I am surprised Dayton wasn't picked higher, many have them as a top 5 A10 team.
Their frontcourt is also very impressive with Camara (top A10 transfer), Amzil, Nwokeji (scored 29 against us), and top freshman recruit Holmes.

I didn’t read the Blue Ribbon article itself, but it seems disingenuous to me to consider Lee a front court player. Brajkovic and mennenga are Davidson’s true bigs.

Lee had the least 2pt attempts of their starting 5 last year, and second to least rebounds. He’s a good 3 pt shooter who happens to be tall

KL, I think they are including wings as frontcourt players.
On Davidson's roster he is listed as both guard/forward.

I think our frontcourt has the talent and potential to be ranked right up there. They just need to prove it on the court on a consistent basis.

For sure, and I’m not going to get hung up on silly rankings - go prove why you’re the best.

That being said we have more traditional bigs which is hard to evaluate in the modern day game. We’ll see where it takes us, controlling the paint is important, but shooting is cool too

[SGreenwell]

I didn’t read the Blue Ribbon article itself, but it seems disingenuous to me to consider Lee a front court player. Brajkovic and mennenga are Davidson’s true bigs.

Lee had the least 2pt attempts of their starting 5 last year, and second to least rebounds. He’s a good 3 pt shooter who happens to be tall

KL, I think they are including wings as frontcourt players.
On Davidson's roster he is listed as both guard/forward.

I think our frontcourt has the talent and potential to be ranked right up there. They just need to prove it on the court on a consistent basis.

For sure, and I’m not going to get hung up on silly rankings - go prove why you’re the best.

That being said we have more traditional bigs which is hard to evaluate in the modern day game. We’ll see where it takes us, controlling the paint is important, but shooting is cool too

This is kind of where I'm at too. I think our frontcourt is good, but I'm not sure if we have an All-A10 level player there, or anywhere on the roster. It would probably require a large jump in production from Sheppard, Ish, the Mitchells or Walker. I think our roster has plenty of average to slightly above average players, but that usually translates to around a .500 record.

[ramster]

KL, I think they are including wings as frontcourt players.
On Davidson's roster he is listed as both guard/forward.

I think our frontcourt has the talent and potential to be ranked right up there. They just need to prove it on the court on a consistent basis.

For sure, and I’m not going to get hung up on silly rankings - go prove why you’re the best.

That being said we have more traditional bigs which is hard to evaluate in the modern day game. We’ll see where it takes us, controlling the paint is important, but shooting is cool too

This is kind of where I'm at too. I think our frontcourt is good, but I'm not sure if we have an All-A10 level player there, or anywhere on the roster. It would probably require a large jump in production from Sheppard, Ish, the Mitchells or Walker. I think our roster has plenty of average to slightly above average players, but that usually translates to around a .500 record.

So last season we finished 10-15 and 10th out of 14 A10 Teams. That was with Fatts Russell. So if we are a roster of "average to slightly above average players" then what attributes to the well below .500 record and 10th place in the conference? Coaching? or is the roster actually below average A10 players? or a combo of both?

You are what you record says you are.

[Jersey77]

For sure, and I’m not going to get hung up on silly rankings - go prove why you’re the best.

That being said we have more traditional bigs which is hard to evaluate in the modern day game. We’ll see where it takes us, controlling the paint is important, but shooting is cool too

This is kind of where I'm at too. I think our frontcourt is good, but I'm not sure if we have an All-A10 level player there, or anywhere on the roster. It would probably require a large jump in production from Sheppard, Ish, the Mitchells or Walker. I think our roster has plenty of average to slightly above average players, but that usually translates to around a .500 record.

So last season we finished 10-15 and 10th out of 14 A10 Teams. That was with Fatts Russell. So if we are a roster of "average to slightly above average players" then what attributes to the well below .500 record and 10th place in the conference? Coaching? or is the roster actually below average A10 players? or a combo of both?

You are what you record says you are.

I guess we will have a much better idea after this season, playing under normal conditions, a healthy Makhi, and a year together with all the new players.
I actually think our biggest gain is the addition of Bozeman.
I prefer to look ahead and try to stay optimistic about our future.

[SGreenwell]

For sure, and I’m not going to get hung up on silly rankings - go prove why you’re the best.

That being said we have more traditional bigs which is hard to evaluate in the modern day game. We’ll see where it takes us, controlling the paint is important, but shooting is cool too

This is kind of where I'm at too. I think our frontcourt is good, but I'm not sure if we have an All-A10 level player there, or anywhere on the roster. It would probably require a large jump in production from Sheppard, Ish, the Mitchells or Walker. I think our roster has plenty of average to slightly above average players, but that usually translates to around a .500 record.

So last season we finished 10-15 and 10th out of 14 A10 Teams. That was with Fatts Russell. So if we are a roster of "average to slightly above average players" then what attributes to the well below .500 record and 10th place in the conference? Coaching? or is the roster actually below average A10 players? or a combo of both?

You are what you record says you are.

Our points for and points against per game last year were 71.4 and 71.1, so, we were probably under .500 because of bad luck or poor coaching - I think either position is defensible. I suspect we'll be around a similar level this year. It wouldn't surprise me if they got close to 20 wins, because of a weak OOC schedule, or if they let bad teams linger around, and lose in "fluky ways." I think there is a semi-wide range of outcomes around the .500 level for the team, and they'll be close to .500 in conference play, and not warrant serious consideration for the NCAA tournament.

[ramster]

This is kind of where I'm at too. I think our frontcourt is good, but I'm not sure if we have an All-A10 level player there, or anywhere on the roster. It would probably require a large jump in production from Sheppard, Ish, the Mitchells or Walker. I think our roster has plenty of average to slightly above average players, but that usually translates to around a .500 record.

So last season we finished 10-15 and 10th out of 14 A10 Teams. That was with Fatts Russell. So if we are a roster of "average to slightly above average players" then what attributes to the well below .500 record and 10th place in the conference? Coaching? or is the roster actually below average A10 players? or a combo of both?

You are what you record says you are.

Our points for and points against per game last year were 71.4 and 71.1, so, we were probably under .500 because of bad luck or poor coaching - I think either position is defensible. I suspect we'll be around a similar level this year. It wouldn't surprise me if they got close to 20 wins, because of a weak OOC schedule, or if they let bad teams linger around, and lose in "fluky ways." I think there is a semi-wide range of outcomes around the .500 level for the team, and they'll be close to .500 in conference play, and not warrant serious consideration for the NCAA tournament.

We went 0-4 against UMASS and Duquesne
We beat a horrible St Joseph's team in OT when their best player Ryan Daly had to unexpectedly sit out with a hand injury. Had Daly played we likely lose that one and finish 6-11 in the A10.

While a few games could have gone the other way and instead of 7-10 we finish 8-9 or 9-8 is true it is also true that some games could have gone the other way and we finish 6-11 or 5-12.

At any rate, 2021-2022 is a make or break season for this Staff - most likely

[rjsuperfly66]

This is kind of where I'm at too. I think our frontcourt is good, but I'm not sure if we have an All-A10 level player there, or anywhere on the roster. It would probably require a large jump in production from Sheppard, Ish, the Mitchells or Walker. I think our roster has plenty of average to slightly above average players, but that usually translates to around a .500 record.

So last season we finished 10-15 and 10th out of 14 A10 Teams. That was with Fatts Russell. So if we are a roster of "average to slightly above average players" then what attributes to the well below .500 record and 10th place in the conference? Coaching? or is the roster actually below average A10 players? or a combo of both?

You are what you record says you are.

Our points for and points against per game last year were 71.4 and 71.1, so, we were probably under .500 because of bad luck or poor coaching - I think either position is defensible. I suspect we'll be around a similar level this year. It wouldn't surprise me if they got close to 20 wins, because of a weak OOC schedule, or if they let bad teams linger around, and lose in "fluky ways." I think there is a semi-wide range of outcomes around the .500 level for the team, and they'll be close to .500 in conference play, and not warrant serious consideration for the NCAA tournament.

I see an alternative universe for URI this year. I foresee a strong W/L record, but no real tournament consideration due to SOS.

On one side of the fan base you’ll see people blaming the cartel for their lack of consideration. On the other you’ll see people blaming the coach for SOS and had they played a better schedule they would have made the tournament. I also see a third, smaller minority who say Cox should be fired anyway because they would have lost more games had they played a more competitive schedule.

The great debate will rise as Cox does just enough to have fans feeling good about the direction of the arrow and gets a short-term extension which continues to split the fan base.

That’s my fan fiction for this season.

[theblueram]

So last season we finished 10-15 and 10th out of 14 A10 Teams. That was with Fatts Russell. So if we are a roster of "average to slightly above average players" then what attributes to the well below .500 record and 10th place in the conference? Coaching? or is the roster actually below average A10 players? or a combo of both?

You are what you record says you are.

Our points for and points against per game last year were 71.4 and 71.1, so, we were probably under .500 because of bad luck or poor coaching - I think either position is defensible. I suspect we'll be around a similar level this year. It wouldn't surprise me if they got close to 20 wins, because of a weak OOC schedule, or if they let bad teams linger around, and lose in "fluky ways." I think there is a semi-wide range of outcomes around the .500 level for the team, and they'll be close to .500 in conference play, and not warrant serious consideration for the NCAA tournament.

I see an alternative universe for URI this year. I foresee a strong W/L record, but no real tournament consideration due to SOS.

On one side of the fan base you’ll see people blaming the cartel for their lack of consideration. On the other you’ll see people blaming the coach for SOS and had they played a better schedule they would have made the tournament. I also see a third, smaller minority who say Cox should be fired anyway because they would have lost more games had they played a more competitive schedule.

The great debate will rise as Cox does just enough to have fans feeling good about the direction of the arrow and gets a short-term extension which continues to split the fan base.

That’s my fan fiction for this season.

Probably the most accurate post in a long time. Thanks RJ. You nailed it.

[RamStock]

For sure, and I’m not going to get hung up on silly rankings - go prove why you’re the best.

That being said we have more traditional bigs which is hard to evaluate in the modern day game. We’ll see where it takes us, controlling the paint is important, but shooting is cool too

This is kind of where I'm at too. I think our frontcourt is good, but I'm not sure if we have an All-A10 level player there, or anywhere on the roster. It would probably require a large jump in production from Sheppard, Ish, the Mitchells or Walker. I think our roster has plenty of average to slightly above average players, but that usually translates to around a .500 record.

So last season we finished 10-15 and 10th out of 14 A10 Teams. That was with Fatts Russell. So if we are a roster of "average to slightly above average players" then what attributes to the well below .500 record and 10th place in the conference? Coaching? or is the roster actually below average A10 players? or a combo of both?

You are what you record says you are.

I think we are lucky that we have such a soft schedule, but can see us losing to Bryant and many of the teams we don’t consider to be that great. I agree on the part of being average talent with no all A-10 quality players. I would say Ish would be the closest thing we have. Another year of not being in the mix for an NCAA berth will be tough for people stomach. This is a very important year for Cox

[Jersey77]

I think the debate on Cox will continue regardless, unless of course he either exceeds all expectations this season or the team completely falls on its face.
In both these cases most would either favor an extension or feel it is time to move on.
Though most likely, our fan base will probably continue to be divided on this issue again for 22-23.

Many here will probably disagree with me, but I feel there is enough quality opponents on our schedule to gauge how really good or bad we are.

[Rhody72]

Fatts was not much of a contributor last season. That was a big part of the problem. Certainly injuries were a factor for his less than expected performance. The team was built around him.

[ramster]

Fatts was not much of a contributor last season. That was a big part of the problem. Certainly injuries were a factor for his less than expected performance. The team was built around him.

• Fatts was 3rd team all A10 conference made up of 14 teams - not shabby

• 12th in A10 scoring

• 4th in A10 assists

• 4th in A10 steals

• 19th in A10 minutes. per game

Not much of a contributor??

[theblueram]

Fatts was not much of a contributor last season. That was a big part of the problem. Certainly injuries were a factor for his less than expected performance. The team was built around him.

https://tenor.com/view/headache-emoji-h ... f-16065111

[Rhody78]

Last in shooting and efficiency. He was horrible last year but good luck in Maryland!

[Rhody78]

Bottom Line he stunk and we stunk!

[Jersey77]

Fatts was not much of a contributor last season. That was a big part of the problem. Certainly injuries were a factor for his less than expected performance. The team was built around him.

• Fatts was 3rd team all A10 conference made up of 14 teams - not shabby

• 12th in A10 scoring

• 4th in A10 assists

• 4th in A10 steals

• 19th in A10 minutes. per game

Not much of a contributor??

He will thrive in Maryland this season.
He has a very solid cast around him, he will distribute, create with his speed, and disrupt with his quick hands. I look forward to watching him in the B10.

[RF1]

This source predicts Rhody will finish 10th in the A-10 right behind George Mason, Duquesne, and UMass.

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[steveystuds06]

This source predicts Rhody will finish 10th in the A-10 right behind George Mason, Duquesne, and UMass.

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Great write-up about our team. Since we have an easy A10 schedule I think 10th place is unlikely. If we do end up in 10th place then Cox is done.

[KingstonLane]

This source predicts Rhody will finish 10th in the A-10 right behind George Mason, Duquesne, and UMass.

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The blurb on URI is so dumb. The summary of his take is we won’t be good because we don’t have good 3pt shooting. Meanwhile he literally posts a graphic of the last 5 years of URI basketball stats and says we’ve never had good shooting even in the Hurley era.

[Jersey77]

This source predicts Rhody will finish 10th in the A-10 right behind George Mason, Duquesne, and UMass.

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Interesting prediction, and certainly not getting much respect from 3MW.
I would put Richmond tier 1 just below the Bonnies.
The next 3 is fair but I like VCU, SLU, and Dayton in that order.

Now is where it is a little surprising.
Duquesne is a total rebuild, GM lost 4 of their top 5 scorers but did well with transfers Schwartz and Cooper.
I think St. Joe's is much better than 13 and the bottom tier.

Tier 3, I like:
6. URI
7. Davidson
8/9 UMass or St. Joe's

Tier 4 - GW, GM, Duq, LaSalle
Bottom Tier - Fordham

All wild speculation of course.

They also predict Martin starting instead of EA, which wouldn't surprise me at all, but am okay with either depending on the competition.

[PeterRamTime]

This source predicts Rhody will finish 10th in the A-10 right behind George Mason, Duquesne, and UMass.

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How he can have Mason, Duquesne, Davidson and UMass all ahead of us when they all lost everything from average teams?

Davidson brings back Lee, but Collins and Grady was that team.

Tre Mitchell was UMass. Pierre was maybe their best guard.

Mason has a new coach and lost every player worth a damn to transfer.

Duquesne lost their entire team to transfers.

I mean yeah we looked pretty bad at times, but we are at least bringing back practically everybody, but an injured Fatts.

Not being a sunshine pumper. Just not seeing how these teams should be projected ahead of us. The Mitchell twins and Walker alone will crush them.

[SGreenwell]

This source predicts Rhody will finish 10th in the A-10 right behind George Mason, Duquesne, and UMass.

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The blurb on URI is so dumb. The summary of his take is we won’t be good because we don’t have good 3pt shooting. Meanwhile he literally posts a graphic of the last 5 years of URI basketball stats and says we’ve never had good shooting even in the Hurley era.

I mean, if you read the whole write-up, it makes sense. We had success in the Hurley years because the defense was better at forcing turnovers, and while the 3-point shooting wasn't great then either, the efficiency was slightly better. I also doubt that we were in the 6th percentile when it came to spot-up jumpers, which is a shocking stat and kind of points to the overall lack of shooting on the team.

If anything though, I think the write-up shows a cause for optimism, in that I didn't realize the on-off the court numbers with Fatts were so skewed. Fatts numbers were probably hurt a lot or a little by him playing through injuries, but still, a healthy combo of Sheppard, El-Amin and Ish taking most of the minutes at guards will help.

The other takeaway I had - Man, I wish they got Walker involved as much as possible in the offense. Maybe his efficiency would fall, but it seems like something you should take a shot on. From the 3MW write-up: "Walker is a bouncy athlete, and he was dominant on the offensive glass and in transition. The Rams rarely played through the roll man on offense out of pick-and-rolls, but Walker was devastating in such settings, racking up 1.4 PPP (93rd percentile nationally)."

[Jersey77]

Huge blow to VCU, Watkins was expected to be a significant contributor this season.

[ramster]

This source predicts Rhody will finish 10th in the A-10 right behind George Mason, Duquesne, and UMass.

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Interesting prediction, and certainly not getting much respect from 3MW.
I would put Richmond tier 1 just below the Bonnies.
The next 3 is fair but I like VCU, SLU, and Dayton in that order.

Now is where it is a little surprising.
Duquesne is a total rebuild, GM lost 4 of their top 5 scorers but did well with transfers Schwartz and Cooper.
I think St. Joe's is much better than 13 and the bottom tier.

Tier 3, I like:
6. URI
7. Davidson
8/9 UMass or St. Joe's

Tier 4 - GW, GM, Duq, LaSalle
Bottom Tier - Fordham

All wild speculation of course.

They also predict Martin starting instead of EA, which wouldn't surprise me at all, but am okay with either depending on the competition.

77,
Previously you have predicted URI 6th with a chance to finish for up to 4th place. 4th and 5th places are Tier 2 in this writers breakdown.
Would you then warrant URI in Tier 2?
Pretty weak to be Tier 3 Atlantic 10 in the 4th year of a 5 year contract imho.

[Jersey77]

This source predicts Rhody will finish 10th in the A-10 right behind George Mason, Duquesne, and UMass.

Atlantic 10 2021-22 Preview
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Interesting prediction, and certainly not getting much respect from 3MW.
I would put Richmond tier 1 just below the Bonnies.
The next 3 is fair but I like VCU, SLU, and Dayton in that order.

Now is where it is a little surprising.
Duquesne is a total rebuild, GM lost 4 of their top 5 scorers but did well with transfers Schwartz and Cooper.
I think St. Joe's is much better than 13 and the bottom tier.

Tier 3, I like:
6. URI
7. Davidson
8/9 UMass or St. Joe's

Tier 4 - GW, GM, Duq, LaSalle
Bottom Tier - Fordham

All wild speculation of course.

They also predict Martin starting instead of EA, which wouldn't surprise me at all, but am okay with either depending on the competition.

77,
Previously you have predicted URI 6th with a chance for up to 4th.
Would you then warrant URI in Tier 2?
Pretty weak to be Tier 3 Atlantic 10 in the 4th year of a 5 year contract imho.

Yes I still think 6, and possibly anywhere between 4-8.
Somehow I still see VCU, SLU, and Dayton maybe a notch above us.
Although now with the injury bug hitting VCU starters, first Ace and now Watkins, they could start slipping.

Ramster, however I do feel our roster has the potential and talent to exceed expectations. It is now up to the staff to make it happen.

[steveystuds06]

This source predicts Rhody will finish 10th in the A-10 right behind George Mason, Duquesne, and UMass.

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The blurb on URI is so dumb. The summary of his take is we won’t be good because we don’t have good 3pt shooting. Meanwhile he literally posts a graphic of the last 5 years of URI basketball stats and says we’ve never had good shooting even in the Hurley era.

Did you read everything he said? I thought he was spot on breaking down our roster and what we need to succeed this year.

[ramster]

This source predicts Rhody will finish 10th in the A-10 right behind George Mason, Duquesne, and UMass.

Atlantic 10 2021-22 Preview
https://www.three-man-weave.com/3mw/atl ... 22-preview


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The blurb on URI is so dumb. The summary of his take is we won’t be good because we don’t have good 3pt shooting. Meanwhile he literally posts a graphic of the last 5 years of URI basketball stats and says we’ve never had good shooting even in the Hurley era.

Did you read everything he said? I thought he was spot on breaking down our roster and what we need to succeed this year.

Maybe he didn't give enough credit to the Jermaine Harris "addition by subtraction"??

I agree with you steveystuds06. I thought the writer backed up his points quite well with statistics and logical thinking.

It's tough to read as a URI fan, but in reality this is a team with basically the same players returning from last season with either Martin or El-Amin taking the place of 3rd team All A10 Fatts Russell in the starting lineup. URI experiencing No issues with Covid last season was acknowledged by the writer but we still finished 10th. I can't honestly argue with a 10th place prediction - feels about right to me. That said, I certainly hope we finish Top 3 and get the NCAA Bid. Last season URI Women were picked to finish 11th in the Coaches Poll but finished 3rd so anything can happen.

[Jersey77]

The blurb on URI is so dumb. The summary of his take is we won’t be good because we don’t have good 3pt shooting. Meanwhile he literally posts a graphic of the last 5 years of URI basketball stats and says we’ve never had good shooting even in the Hurley era.

Did you read everything he said? I thought he was spot on breaking down our roster and what we need to succeed this year.

Maybe he didn't give enough credit to the Jermaine Harris "addition by subtraction"??

I agree with you steveystuds06. I thought the writer backed up his points quite well with statistics and logical thinking.

It's tough to read as a URI fan, but in reality this is a team with basically the same players returning from last season with either Martin or El-Amin taking the place of 3rd team All A10 Fatts Russell in the starting lineup. URI experiencing No issues with Covid last season was acknowledged by the writer but we still finished 10th. I can't honestly argue with a 10th place prediction - feels about right to me. That said, I certainly hope we finish Top 3 and get the NCAA Bid. Last season URI Women were picked to finish 11th in the Coaches Poll but finished 3rd so anything can happen.

Stevey/Ramster, Yes it is hard to his argue with his breakdown of us. Although I think a 10th finish and the bottom of the 3rd tier is a bit low.
I think we have a stronger roster than some of the teams they have ahead of us.
They are spot on identifying shooting and creating space as glaring weaknesses that we need to improve on. Plus overall defense has got to get better, which we are all aware of.

[Seawrightspostgame]

Our roster is chock full of talented prospects. We need some guys to be leaders and start winning.

[Rhody72]

Let's play the games. I suspect these prognosticators read the dumb ass posts on this board about how bad our team and coach are while the posts on other A10 Boards say predominantly positive things about their program. RIers are so negative about everything and don't appreciate what we have.

As for Blue Mans and Ramsters previous post, Fatts was picked pre-season to be first team A10 and candidate for POY. Post season awards tend to favor seniors. How any serious person can suggest that Fatt played up to expectations is beyond rational. I acknowledged that Fatts had injuries that effected his performance.

[ramster]

We finished in 10th place

[theblueram]

Our record was 10-15.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Our record was 10-15.

That's not "good"

[Rhodymob05]

I’ll eat my shoe if we finish 10th

[Rhody_NYCT]

Predictions are worthless. Just a little entertainment for us fanatics.

[reef]

I can’t see us finishing 10th and if we do Cox not gonna be here too long

I will guess 6th place for us

[Jersey77]

Predictions are worthless. Just a little entertainment for us fanatics.

Exactly, something for us to do in the offseason and material for discussion/debate.

[ramster]

Predictions are worthless. Just a little entertainment for us fanatics.

Exactly, something for us to do in the offseason and material for discussion/debate.

They are especially worthless when we don’t like what they say such as 10th place. When they say 3rd place they are not as worthless.

[section(105)]

…….we are going to be closer to 3rd than 10th…….staying positive……

[Jersey77]

…….we are going to be closer to 3rd than 10th…….staying positive……

Things to be positive about:
Return 5 of our top 6 scorers.
Outrebounded our A10 opponents by 6.4/ game last season and return our top 2 rebounders.
The addition of Bozeman to our staff.
A healthy Makhi back.
A full year together with the transfers and normal practice schedule.
Development of Ish after freshman season.
Shep returning with a year under his belt.

Hopefully EA and the other newcomers will more than offset the loss of Fatts.

I am not expecting miracles but looking forward to a fun season.
Trying to take the glass half full approach.

[SGreenwell]

…….we are going to be closer to 3rd than 10th…….staying positive……

So, sixth?

I jest. I don't think this is a team that'll be in serious NCAA consideration, but I do think another year of mostly playing with the same roster, and the addition of El-Amin, probably means they'll be closer to .500, whether that's a couple games better or a couple games worse.

[ramster]

…….we are going to be closer to 3rd than 10th…….staying positive……

Things to be positive about:
Return 5 of our top 6 scorers.
Outrebounded our A10 opponents by 6.4/ game last season and return our top 2 rebounders.
The addition of Bozeman to our staff.
A healthy Makhi back.
A full year together with the transfers and normal practice schedule.
Development of Ish after freshman season.
Shep returning with a year under his belt.

Hopefully EA and the other newcomers will more than offset the loss of Fatts.

I am not expecting miracles but looking forward to a fun season.
Trying to take the glass half full approach.

Some additional positives 77:

• No contract extension for David Cox put's pressure on this year. Pressure can play a good role - we all perform better when pushed by our boss

• Jermaine Harris addition by subtraction was mentioned by many last year - maybe they are right?

• Sheppard gets the full PG leadership role. Give him the reins - it's his team to lead and step up to the plate. He can dribble, defend, passes very well and has an excellent shot. This is his team now and his chance to really blossom.

• 4th year for David Cox - he continues to learn and develop

• Easiest OCC Schedule in 10 years. Chance to have a good record and gain team confidence among players, coaching staff and fans. Gain some momentum.

• Easiest A10 Schedule since Jim Baron since we finished 10th. We only play the Top 4 teams 1 time each. More opportunity for wins, gain confidence and build momentum heading in the A10 Tournament

• Injuries were incurred with Sheppard, Russell, Mitchell and Harris last season. Hope for better luck this season.

• Replacing Russell's poor shooting percentages with El-Amin and others to get more shooting opportunities. Russell's injuries also hurt his ability to play defense at his best ability

[Smokinjimit2]

We might play better than we did last year. The half court offense will run better with Harris gone. The transition offense won’t be as good without Fatts.

I see us as 9th place.

[ace]

I thought this was a good read about new coach Kim English and George Mason. It’s from The Athletic, so subscription required, but their stuff is always so good, I don’t mind paying it.



Do certain aspects of the job feel different when you’re a head coach? Is the day to day different?

“I’ll still recruit like I’m an assistant… So, I feel the same, I still feel like recruiting as an assistant. I still have my guys. I recruit my group of guys that I’m recruiting, that I’ve seen first or eval’d and I reached out to first and called.”

——————

This part stuck out to me, though. It’s what many assistants (including Cox) have said when they move up to a first time head coaching gig at the college level. I’ve had the chance to talk to a handful of guys who made the move and have followed the career paths of a bunch more. What they all figure out is that it’s just not possible, and it can often muddy the waters. It’s not about working harder or being smart enough. They really don’t know what it’s like to be the head guy until they’re doing it- the pressure, the additional roles, the general oversight, etc. I still think it was a great hire, though.

[SGreenwell]

We might play better than we did last year. The half court offense will run better with Harris gone. The transition offense won’t be as good without Fatts.

I see us as 9th place.

For all the comments about him though, Harris played a whopping 292 minutes last year - about 13.9. He would have played less if Makhi Mitchell had been healthy, and he only passed 20 minutes five times last year, and not once after Jan. 9. He was below average in his played minutes, but he was essentially the 8th or 9th man on the team, and ultimately didn't really factor much into the team's success or failure.

Not mentioned in the various write-ups I've seen so far on this year's team - Leggett and Sheppard *have* to play better on defense. Ish was dead last among regulars, with a DRTG of 104.6. Betrand was second to last at 103.9, and Sheppard was at 103.1. Fatts was 98.8 and Malik Martin was 100.1. El-Amin's defensive ratings are all over the place too. URI was 7th in defensive rating in the A-10 last year, so there is plenty of room for improvement on that side of the ball.

[ace]

We might play better than we did last year. The half court offense will run better with Harris gone. The transition offense won’t be as good without Fatts.

I see us as 9th place.

For all the comments about him though, Harris played a whopping 292 minutes last year - about 13.9. He would have played less if Makhi Mitchell had been healthy, and he only passed 20 minutes five times last year, and not once after Jan. 9. He was below average in his played minutes, but he was essentially the 8th or 9th man on the team, and ultimately didn't really factor much into the team's success or failure.

Not mentioned in the various write-ups I've seen so far on this year's team - Leggett and Sheppard *have* to play better on defense. Ish was dead last among regulars, with a DRTG of 104.6. Betrand was second to last at 103.9, and Sheppard was at 103.1. Fatts was 98.8 and Malik Martin was 100.1. El-Amin's defensive ratings are all over the place too. URI was 7th in defensive rating in the A-10 last year, so there is plenty of room for improvement on that side of the ball.

Will’s piece in Blue Ribbon touches on that. Now we need to see if the coaches are capable of teaching that and the players are willing to play smarter and harder on defense.

[adam914]

Great points on the defense. Good to see Cox calling that out to, it definitely needs to be a focus this season.

[Jersey77]

…….we are going to be closer to 3rd than 10th…….staying positive……

Things to be positive about:
Return 5 of our top 6 scorers.
Outrebounded our A10 opponents by 6.4/ game last season and return our top 2 rebounders.
The addition of Bozeman to our staff.
A healthy Makhi back.
A full year together with the transfers and normal practice schedule.
Development of Ish after freshman season.
Shep returning with a year under his belt.

Hopefully EA and the other newcomers will more than offset the loss of Fatts.

I am not expecting miracles but looking forward to a fun season.
Trying to take the glass half full approach.

Some additional positives 77:

• No contract extension for David Cox put's pressure on this year. Pressure can play a good role - we all perform better when pushed by our boss

• Jermaine Harris addition by subtraction was mentioned by many last year - maybe they are right?

• Sheppard gets the full PG leadership role. Give him the reins - it's his team to lead and step up to the plate. He can dribble, defend, passes very well and has an excellent shot. This is his team now and his chance to really blossom.

• 4th year for David Cox - he continues to learn and develop

• Easiest OCC Schedule in 10 years. Chance to have a good record and gain team confidence among players, coaching staff and fans. Gain some momentum.

• Easiest A10 Schedule since Jim Baron since we finished 10th. We only play the Top 4 teams 1 time each. More opportunity for wins, gain confidence and build momentum heading in the A10 Tournament

• Injuries were incurred with Sheppard, Russell, Mitchell and Harris last season. Hope for better luck this season.

• Replacing Russell's poor shooting percentages with El-Amin and others to get more shooting opportunities. Russell's injuries also hurt his ability to play defense at his best ability

Ramster all good points, very true, thanks for the help.
There is reason for some optimism, let's see what happens.

[Jersey77]

Bustin Brackets all Div, 1 HC Rankings.
Don't necessarily agree but interesting.



A10 Coach rankings:
49. Bob McKillop (Davidson)
58. Anthony Grant (Dayton)
85. Travis Ford (SLU)
93. Keith Dambrot (Duquesne)
97. Mark Schmidt (Bonnies)
115. Chris Mooney (Richmond)
130. Mike Rhoades (VCU)
175. David Cox (URI)
177. Matt McCall (UMAss)
190. Jamion Christian (GW)
267. Ashley Howard (LaSalle)
276. Billy Lange (St. Joes's)
304. Kim English (GM)
329. Kyle Neptune (Fordham).

[ramster]

Bustin Brackets all Div, 1 HC Rankings. I
Don't necessarily agree but interesting.



A10 Coach rankings:
49. Bob McKillop (Davidson)
58. Anthony Grant (Dayton)
85. Travis Ford (SLU)
93. Keith Dambrot (Duquesne)
97. Mark Schmidt (Bonnies)
115. Chris Mooney (Richmond)
130. Mike Rhoades (VCU)
175. David Cox (URI)
177. Matt McCall (UMAss)
190. Jamion Christian (GW)
267. Ashley Howard (LaSalle)
276. Billy Lange (St. Joes's)
304. Kim English (GM)
329. Kyle Neptune (Fordham).

Dan Hurley at #40
I remember when Hurls was in year 3 at URI and I said I’d take him over EC

The most overrated, overpaid at $4 million per year Coach for Life comes in at a way too high #51:

51. Ed Cooley (Providence) (Last year: 53)

Overall record: 286-204
After a decade on Al Skinner’s staffs, mostly at Boston College, Cooley got his own head coaching career started with a solid five year run at Fairfield. Since 2011, he’s roamed the sidelines at Providence and made quite an impact for the Friars. He led Providence to five straight NCAA Tournaments, a feat never before accomplished for the program. The last few seasons have been less impressive, but last year’s 13-13 wasn’t too bad.

13-13 not too bad