2/8 | VCU | 7:00PM (CBSSN)

[bigappleram]

The starting lineup and Thomas situation was so bad. Not playing Sheppard from the start against a ball pressure team in his hometown shows no feel for his players or the game. Thomas was a deer in headlights, like many FR would be, and when he looked up he saw 2 centers and 2 average ball handlers to help him with pressure. It was doomed from the start and after 2 minutes he puts in Sheppard. But why did it take throwing Thomas to the wolves to figure that out? Then fine you pull him, sit him down, let him watch for a few minutes and get a feel for the speed and length and then put him back in. You don't bench him. He was set up to fail and then punished. Forget coaching that is a colossal NO NO for anyone that manages people.

[PeterRamTime]

Did Thomas get injured? Saw he only had 3 min in the box score, but can't find any info on that anywhere.

He struggled against the VCU Press and had the ball stolen. Cox put Sheppard in and left him in

I thought Jeremy had a good game, he obviously made some shots, but I didn't realize Bassy sat the entire rest of the game.
That's messed up.
I'm not holding my breath for the situation to be fixed...

He's throwing shite on a wall and hoping it sticks

[ramster]

He struggled against the VCU Press and had the ball stolen. Cox put Sheppard in and left him in

I thought Jeremy had a good game, he obviously made some shots, but I didn't realize Bassy sat the entire rest of the game.
That's messed up.
I'm not holding my breath for the situation to be fixed...

He's throwing shite on a wall and hoping it sticks

Time to move on.
He can not do anything right, even if he does. Stop the insanity.

[SGreenwell]

The starting lineup and Thomas situation was so bad. Not playing Sheppard from the start against a ball pressure team in his hometown shows no feel for his players or the game. Thomas was a deer in headlights, like many FR would be, and when he looked up he saw 2 centers and 2 average ball handlers to help him with pressure. It was doomed from the start and after 2 minutes he puts in Sheppard. But why did it take throwing Thomas to the wolves to figure that out? Then fine you pull him, sit him down, let him watch for a few minutes and get a feel for the speed and length and then put him back in. You don't bench him. He was set up to fail and then punished. Forget coaching that is a colossal NO NO for anyone that manages people.

I kind of wondered if it was a disciplinary thing, but I figured if that was the case, it would have been mentioned in the post-game articles and posted on here. They were using Carey as the other guard at various points to bring the ball up, which seems like a not-so-great idea, but he did finish with four assists and "only" two turnovers. It was another bizarro, Baron-like game as far as minutes played, up and down the roster. Walker logged 17, El-Amin had 14, Thomas had 3, but Berry logged another DNP.

[ATPTourFan]

Yeah even the VCU fans are trashing that setup for being inaccessible for Shane. FWIW I find that Varsity App to work like dogshit when it works at all. This link should work in your computer or phones media player.

I'm no expert but this is definitely an infraction for ADA that Shane couldn't access?

Oh yeah for sure. This is their setup btw:


https://twitter.com/Rhody_Shane/status/ ... 5463667713

BTW, have we have had a time where the Rhody SID was on the radio doing the color analysis?

Recently, no. I would almost guarantee it's a "cost containment" decision. However, Shane also does a good job. He did MBB and FB games for WRIU back when he was a student.

VCU Athletic Director statement:

[rambone 78]

It's like Walker can't play more then 20 minutes no matter what.

We thought Baron was stubborn?

Cox must have a chart that he won't deviate from no matter the situation....which is totally stupid, but that's him.

[Rhody15]

It's like Walker can't play more then 20 minutes no matter what.

We thought Baron was stubborn?

Cox must have a chart that he won't deviate from no matter the situation....which is totally stupid, but that's him.

To be fair, Walker has cooled off recently and the twins have had better counting stats across the board, even if they are very frustrating to watch.

[RI_Bred]

It's AAU ball and the Mitchell twins look toxic because they are emotional young athletes that get worse when they have no structure.

Bring in the right coach and I believe they can be big for our quick rebound to relevance.

A better coach may help some. Mitchell's aren't that young, both 22 years old. Can you teach a relatively old dog new tricks?

[LoveThoseRams]

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/02/09/ ... newsletter

[theblueram]

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/02/09/ ... newsletter

That's horrible. Total violation of the ADA laws.

[steveystuds06]

It's like Walker can't play more then 20 minutes no matter what.

We thought Baron was stubborn?

Cox must have a chart that he won't deviate from no matter the situation....which is totally stupid, but that's him.

To be fair, Walker has cooled off recently and the twins have had better counting stats across the board, even if they are very frustrating to watch.

True, but he's not involved at all. Part of that is his fault, but we rarely seem to play through Walker.. Instead, we constantly force the ball to the twins. As a result, they take more shots and get a lot more touches. I think Walker would put up better stats if he's given Makhi's role. He played close to perfect basketball earlier in the year for many games, and he still didn't get the minutes he deserved. Cox has given Thomas a chance to start but not Walker? It's bullshit.. I think Walker is ready to move on and is focusing on his future. Hopefully with a better coach and a better role.

[ATPTourFan]

I'm no expert but this is definitely an infraction for ADA that Shane couldn't access?

Oh yeah for sure. This is their setup btw:


https://twitter.com/Rhody_Shane/status/ ... 5463667713

BTW, have we have had a time where the Rhody SID was on the radio doing the color analysis?

Recently, no. I would almost guarantee it's a "cost containment" decision. However, Shane also does a good job. He did MBB and FB games for WRIU back when he was a student.

VCU Athletic Director statement:

Some upsetting additional color on last night's situation, as Shane spoke to WTVR news in Virginia.

[Taylor Swift]

Ahh I gotta say Shane is one of the most sincere and kind people on that campus. It really upset me to see this and glad that it isn't being swept under the rug by anyone.

[theblueram]

I worked at a non profit that provided recreation and therapy for people with spinal cord injuries. Some were deeply involved in crafting the ADA laws that now exist. To have something like this happen is atrocious. I read the VCU board and they are just as appalled.

[UCH21377]

I see a whole team playing with zero confidence. Except the twins they are so confident they hang on rims when we are down 20. That’s all due to lack of role definition and coaching.

Just watch those hated Huskies. They play with determination and purpose. They play tough D and hit the offensive boards hard. that's their game. Marquette knew it but had nothing for it last night. I watched a good bit of that game instead of our train wreck. Tyrese with 18 and 15 in the win.

[RI_Bred]

I see a whole team playing with zero confidence. Except the twins they are so confident they hang on rims when we are down 20. That’s all due to lack of role definition and coaching.

Just watch those hated Huskies. They play with determination and purpose. They play tough D and hit the offensive boards hard. that's their game. Marquette knew it but had nothing for it last night. I watched a good bit of that game instead of our train wreck. Tyrese with 18 and 15 in the win.

I watched a good part of too. Non-stop toughness. Even when the offense is stale they just push and push. Hurley had it going at URI too. That's 100% directly related to the coach's style and acumen. All the great coaches instill that into their players. They want it. URI does not.

[rambone 78]

Cox is the opposite of Hurley.

Hurley...intense and driven.

Cox...would rather take a nap.

[Puck Frovidence]

To have something like this happen is atrocious. I read the VCU board and they are just as appalled.

Yes and I think if you look around at VCU Twitter a lot of people are pissed but not surprised. This seems to be another straw on the camel's back for them. I'd like to hope Rhody wouldn't let something like this happen (well certainly not after this current episode at least) but you do get the sense from VCU fans that they've dealt with a lot of the Big Talk/Small Time behavior that we deal with at URI. I think A10 schools in general fall in this difficult place where you're reaching to stand with the big boys, but a lot of time the budget, staff size and just general standards held by personnel is not on par. I get the sense that a lot of people who follow and even work with the VCU Athletics department have had it with their AD and certain University policies.

None of that is to say this is acceptable but in a sense I can certainly identify with VCU fans...even if I never thought I'd say that. It's a good reminder that tolerating casual shoddiness can actually culminate in serious problems.

[reef]

Cox is the opposite of Hurley.

Hurley...intense and driven.

Cox...would rather take a nap.

Agreed we basically went from a great coach to a below average coach , time to move on

[Puck Frovidence]

Ahh I gotta say Shane is one of the most sincere and kind people on that campus. It really upset me to see this and glad that it isn't being swept under the rug by anyone.

Absolutely, Shane is the man. Great guy and very on the ball. I'm not going to disparage anyone else but his promotion was absolutely a step in a positive direction for URI Athletics, personality aside, in terms of the commitment and professionalism he brings to the table. This is in spite of the current situation on the court, which they basically have no control of. In fact, I would also argue he is surprisingly candid/realistic about the team on the radio broadcast.

[Rhody15]

Cox is the opposite of Hurley.

Hurley...intense and driven.

Cox...would rather take a nap.

Agreed we basically went from a great coach to a below average coach , time to move on

Ya think?

I disagree with you, I definitely think we currently have a great coach, on the way to stardom.

[steviep123]

To have something like this happen is atrocious. I read the VCU board and they are just as appalled.

Yes and I think if you look around at VCU Twitter a lot of people are pissed but not surprised. This seems to be another straw on the camel's back for them. I'd like to hope Rhody wouldn't let something like this happen (well certainly not after this current episode at least) but you do get the sense from VCU fans that they've dealt with a lot of the Big Talk/Small Time behavior that we deal with at URI. I think A10 schools in general fall in this difficult place where you're reaching to stand with the big boys, but a lot of time the budget, staff size and just general standards held by personnel is not on par. I get the sense that a lot of people who follow and even work with the VCU Athletics department have had it with their AD and certain University policies.

None of that is to say this is acceptable but in a sense I can certainly identify with VCU fans...even if I never thought I'd say that. It's a good reminder that tolerating casual shoddiness can actually culminate in serious problems.

Last night (I think they do this after every games) the VCU fans did a twitter space and invited Rhody fans to talk about the incident. The VCU fans that run it were appalled and frankly pissed that this had happened to their credit. At one point or two, they were calling for the AD to be fired. A recording is here: