The Problem [was] URI. Not Who's In The Coaching Chair.

[theblueram]

Parlange got beers in seats immediately after he was on campus, then commits millions of dollars to basketball soon after that.

Big time stud.

Still blows my mind someone thought it was a good idea to have a 20x20 curtained off section to drink beer instead of in a seat like the rest of the world

Still blows my mind I can't by beer in Stop and Shop or a gas station.

[Rhody72]

The problem is the few fans who drink and then act irresponsibly who ruin it for the majority.

[Rhody15]

The problem is the few fans who drink and then act irresponsibly who ruin it for the majority.

Oh yea? Who ruined it this year?

Any fights? Anyone arrested? Any Technical fouls issued? Any game stoppage?

[Rhody Sody]

The problem is the few fans who drink and then act irresponsibly who ruin it for the majority.

Oh yea? Who ruined it this year?

Any fights? Anyone arrested? Any Technical fouls issued? Any game stoppage?

Definitely the tamest crowd yet even with the beer restrictions lifted

[theblueram]

The problem is the few fans who drink and then act irresponsibly who ruin it for the majority.

So you are one of those guys. So you you would prefer to suppress 95% of people for 5% of idiots? OK. Thought so.

[Blue Man]

Rhody72 has to either be Terry Hassett or Gary Busey.

[RhodyKyle]

Rhody72 has to either be Terry Hassett or Gary Busey.

Don't besmirch the great Gary Busey! That's Chet The Rocket Steadman!

[SandorClegane]

I feel like they’re going to have to sell beer at the Ryan center this year to partially fund Miller’s contract. MillerLite anyone…? Who’s with me????

[Rhody74]

I feel like they’re going to have to sell beer at the Ryan center this year to partially fund Miller’s contract. MillerLite anyone…? Who’s with me????

Not my favorite beer but I’m willing to drink it to celebrate.

[theblueram]

I feel like they’re going to have to sell beer at the Ryan center this year to partially fund Miller’s contract. MillerLite anyone…? Who’s with me????

It's all I drink. Started when I worked at the Tennis Hall of Fame when Miller Lite sponsored the Tournament there.

[Rhody15]

I feel like they’re going to have to sell beer at the Ryan center this year to partially fund Miller’s contract. MillerLite anyone…? Who’s with me????

They had a Miller Lite sponsorship for the last few years, had 16 oz tall boys. The pint glasses they gave away were sponsored by Miller Lite as well.

It went away this year however, and was replaced with Bud Light.

Wonder if that changes next season.

[Falcon]

Rhody 72 , aka Carl Koussa , a 5 decade s__t stirrer at URI . Please do not continue to encourage him by responding to his intentionally rediculous comments !

[reef]

I feel like they’re going to have to sell beer at the Ryan center this year to partially fund Miller’s contract. MillerLite anyone…? Who’s with me????

It's all I drink. Started when I worked at the Tennis Hall of Fame when Miller Lite sponsored the Tournament there.

I’m a Miller lite drinker as well enjoying 1 right now

[SandorClegane]

I feel like they’re going to have to sell beer at the Ryan center this year to partially fund Miller’s contract. MillerLite anyone…? Who’s with me????

It's all I drink. Started when I worked at the Tennis Hall of Fame when Miller Lite sponsored the Tournament there.

I’m a Miller lite drinker as well enjoying 1 right now

…doing our part to support the new coach. I like it.

[Jdrums#3]

This was a difficult thread to read when I first saw it posted. It rang with truth and it cut deep. Saw the struggles when I was a student in the early 80’s. Envied the PC and UConn programs for being one of the haves for years even. But, those days are gone! This is our coming out party! Our time! Our turn! Go Rhody!

And, thank you Thorr, President P, Boosters and KB!

[ramster]

This was a difficult thread to read when I first saw it posted. It rang with truth and it cut deep. Saw the struggles when I was a student in the early 80’s. Envied the PC and UConn programs for being one of the haves for years even. But, those days are gone! This is our coming out party! Our time! Our turn! Go Rhody!

And, thank you Thorr, President P, Boosters and KB!

I just wrote this in another thread as I hear some speaking favorably about PC and some hating on UMASS. It was way back in 1979 but it was no accident that URI and UMASS have struggled for success. Right after URI had the great success in 1978 in the NCAA Tournament.

Dave Gavitt screwed URI and UMASS in 1979 when he started the Big East as he refused to invite these 2 Schools. Gavitt wanted Rhode Island to himself and was royally pissed off that Sly Williams picked URI over PC after having committed to PC.

Gavitt invited UCONN, Boston College, PC and Holy Cross from New England. Imagine inviting Holy Cross and not UMASS or URI - tells you something about Gavitt and PC.

It's been an uphill battle ever since for URI and UMASS. Boston College left the BE for the ACC. UCONN left for the AAC and returned to the BE. UCONN really wanted in the ACC but couldn't swing it with BC having the geographical advantage first.

URI and UMASS have a long history in the Yankee Conference. It was too bad PC, UCONN and BC broke away from URI and UMASS.

[reef]

I had heard about Holy Cross , why did they decline the invitation??

[ramster]

I had heard about Holy Cross , why did they decline the invitation??

Academics

https://thebarkingcrow.com/holy-cross-w ... -big-east/

[reef]

Thanks Ramster really good find

[PeterRamTime]

Rhody 72 , aka Carl Koussa , a 5 decade s__t stirrer at URI . Please do not continue to encourage him by responding to his intentionally rediculous comments !

5 decade ay?

[ATPTourFan]

Falcon, that is certainly unconfirmed and I have no knowledge of it being true.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Parlange got beers in seats immediately after he was on campus, then commits millions of dollars to basketball soon after that.

Big time stud.

Still blows my mind someone thought it was a good idea to have a 20x20 curtained off section to drink beer instead of in a seat like the rest of the world

It was just a big cubicle....

[Jdrums#3]

Good background, Ramster. Thanks! DG stuck it to us. A petty move. I spent some of my young years around PC and Alumni Hall as I had extended family well connected to the school. Remember going to games in the Mullaney years and seeing the US Olympic team scrimmage there. Even spent a few summers at DG’s summer camp as a young aspiring player. Was a fan and
a Rhody fan back then, too!

My opinion of DG - though I didn’t know him personally - changed after his petty, crap move. But, he’s ancient history for me now. Good riddance.

When I chose to go to Rhody after high school, it caused a bit of a family stir with some of my uncles. They even jokingly questioned my sanity. But, I have no regrets at all. It worked out very well for me and I loved my time in Kingston. Made some life-long friends.

I still have extended family - all PC alumni - that are big PC fans. But, times change. Some of their kids have gone to Rhody and graduated. They love college basketball and, shoot, they even rooted hard for Rhody when Hurley had them in the tourney! Heck, I’m happy for them when PC does well. The horror. The horror. I even rooted for Bryant this season (I have a daughter who graduated from the school)! But, when they play Rhody, it’s time to rumble!

As a few poster’s posted before (maybe in another thread?), a rising tide lifts all boats. I am confident, with the huge commitment Rhody just made, that it will be Rhody doing most of the lifting in the future! The sleeping giant has awakened! Go Rhody!

[steviep123]

Good background, Ramster. Thanks! DG stuck it to us. A petty move. I spent some of my young years around PC and Alumni Hall as I had extended family well connected to the school. Remember going to games in the Mullaney years and seeing the US Olympic team scrimmage there. Even spent a few summers at DG’s summer camp as a young aspiring player. Was a fan and
a Rhody fan back then, too!

My opinion of DG - though I didn’t know him personally - changed after his petty, crap move. But, he’s ancient history for me now. Good riddance.

When I chose to go to Rhody after high school, it caused a bit of a family stir with some of my uncles. They even jokingly questioned my sanity. But, I have no regrets at all. It worked out very well for me and I loved my time in Kingston. Made some life-long friends.

I still have extended family - all PC alumni - that are big PC fans. But, times change. Some of their kids have gone to Rhody and graduated. They love college basketball and, shoot, they even rooted hard for Rhody when Hurley had them in the tourney! Heck, I’m happy for them when PC does well. The horror. The horror. I even rooted for Bryant this season (I have a daughter who graduated from the school)! But, when they play Rhody, it’s time to rumble!

As a few poster’s posted before (maybe in another thread?), a rising tide lifts all boats. I am confident, with the huge commitment Rhody just made, that it will be Rhody doing most of the lifting in the future! The sleeping giant has awakened! Go Rhody!

I have no problems with actual alums of PC that root for them - why wouldn't they. It's the "fans" that have zero connection to the school that root against the state university (again, I don't have a problem with non alums rooting for both - buy why would you want the state's flagship university to fail?). I remember a friend of my fathers giving me crap because I was wearing a Rhody shirt the day of the PC/URI game. My response was, "URI grad - class of '92 - why wouldn't I wear a Rhody shirt?- when did you graduate from PC?" My dad: "He's got you there...".

[Jdrums#3]

Agreed, Stevie. I never understood that mentality and still don’t to this day. Rhody is their flagship University, like you said, for crying out loud! It is a world class R&D institution! Has brilliant, successful alumni doing great work locally, nationally and around the globe! It is a pillar of economic development for the state! They all need to wake the hell up! I despise that crap attitude.

[Ramulous]

Rhody will never approach the sustained loyalty of non-alum fans of the friars. A lot of it was religious and ethnic. Most of that still remains. We need to win big….25 wins a year big….for many years to get to be at the friars fan level.

It saddens me to post this

[Jdrums#3]

Rhody will never approach the sustained loyalty of non-alum fans of the friars. A lot of it was religious and ethnic. Most of that still remains. We need to win big….25 wins a year big….for many years to get to be at the friars fan level.

It saddens me to post this

No question that it is an uphill battle, Ramulous. And, the reasons you outlined play a prominent role but, I think we can make some serious inroads over the next 5-10 years.

One solid disadvantage I think we have is in the Providence area corporate and professional market segment. PC work week games are easy access for that segment. PC is viewed like a pro sports team by that group and utilize the games for networking and client entertainment, etc.

I don’t know how, but we need to figure out a better way to make serious penetration into that segment. Certainly relevancy and winning (and sustaining it) will help with that process, no question. We took the first step today.

[Blue Man]

Would like to be clear. It is short-sighted and wholly incorrect to think the problem here lies at Thorr's feet or anywhere in the athletic department.

Thorr doesn't control the budget he gets from the school, the Foundation, the State, or the boosters. He is tasked with doing the best he can with what he's given. And what he's given is peanuts.

Like when he had to cut programs due to low funding in the late 00's. He made the decision to keep programs we could fully fund rather than hurt everyone by funding everyone partially. A first-class university athletics profile doesn't put their AD or athletic department in that position.

The state contributes the lowest percentage to it's flagship university budget of any New England state. The RIBGHE controls the purse strings. The school doesn't allocate a large percentage of funding to athletics etc, etc.

But again, with all those realities you need your big donors to step up. The "promises" were there had Hurley stayed, which means the money is there if the wind is right. But if they keep waiting for the "perfect" coach to come and "save" URI or make it the "Gonzaga of the East" we will continue to lag further and further behind, and that "perfect" coach will leave before the investments ever take shape.

Obviously our big donors have done a lot for URI - but these problems that we're listing could be handled with an additional $1M upfront, and maybe an extra $4M per year. (finish the facility, + 2M coach salary, +$750k assistant coach salary, +$1.25M charter flights).

Not chump change by any stretch, but you can't tell me with the amount of 2 and 3 comma net-worths that have ties to URI, that that number is unattainable.

But that's what it takes. Every school we say we want to compete with (VCU, Richmond, Dayton, St Louis) and our regional counterparts (PC, UConn), have boosters or a budget that support those initiatives.

Until there is a change in thinking at the state level, the Foundation level, or a big donor want's to make the Tom Ryan 2001 Ryan Center commitment...nothing will change no matter who our AD or coach is.

This is where you lose me a LITTLE bit. Like I get your point and there is a lot of truth to it, Thorr can't move mountains on his own and just pull money out of thin air, but a HUGE part of being an athletic director is fundraising. Making those connections and inspiring your donors/foundation (and to a lesser extent the state) is one of the most important parts of the job. I mean there is a department (Development) dedicated to this, so if we feel the fundraising is coming up short we can't completely absolve them of any part in that.

This is even a line directly from Thorr's bio on our website: "Bjorn's championship culture is also rooted in a philosophy in which everyone in the Rhode Island Athletics Department is a fundraiser and marketer."

So I would disagree that none of this lies at the feet of Thorr or the athletic department. I definitely would not say ALL of it lies with them, but at least some of it does.

I understand your POV, but our athletic department is also hamstrung on HOW we can accept money. This is kind of what I'm getting at.

The state/Foundation (I forget which) won't allow a major project to start on a "pledge" i.e. I couldn't win powerball and say "i'll give you 50 mil for a practice facility, go and start it" without writing the check first - a lot of other schools will. We require the donation first before we break ground on anything. Very tough to get big projects done that way.

But remember, this is the school that was still doing film study on FILM in 2012 until Hurley lost his shit and made them invest in digital.

A lot of donors aren't willing to part with their money without control over what is being built and the confirmation that it's being done to their specs/ideals/spent on exactly what they want.

I can go way down the rabbit hole to all our institutional failures - but I can promise you, there's absolutely no one better than Thorr, Garrett or the rest our our AD leadership. Absolutely no one else could do more with less based on what we're given.

My GOD this aged well.

The biggest change here, is that we finally have a president who gets it and trusts his people like Thorr.

It's not small what President Parlange did here. This is a huge departure from "the way things are done" at URI. We are finally big time because we finally have a president who listens and trust's his AD's vision for what will allow URI to make an impact nationally.

But as stated - no one better than Thorr, Garrett or the rest of our AD leadership. URI is finally running basketball in a way that's consistent with our expectations.

IS IT NOVEMBER YET?

[Rhody15]

I still cannot get over the fact how much Parlange put into this when he hasn't even been here for a year.

When success comes, Parlange is only going to want more of it, which means he'll be willing to go above and beyond what he's just done to get Archie.

[Blue Man]

I still cannot get over the fact how much Parlange put into this when he hasn't even been here for a year.

When success comes, Parlange is only going to want more of it, which means he'll be willing to go above and beyond what he's just done to get Archie.

The guy came in with his own goals to leave a stamp on URI. He put them on hold and invested in Thorr's vision, in the hope that this will pay off and he can work on his projects later.

Having a selfless president who wants to be a part of this community and contribute to it's greatness - rather than his own ego - is AMAZING. What a guy President Parlange is.

Getting the governor to commit to more support for the university, athletics and the bay campus, is insane. I feel like it isn't talked about enough, but Marc and Thorr working together is already the most successful president/athletic director relationship we've ever had - and that isn't the AD's fault.

What a huge institutional breath of fresh air Marc Parlange is. What a get.

What a time to be a Ram.

[Da_Process_Survivor]

I still cannot get over the fact how much Parlange put into this when he hasn't even been here for a year.

When success comes, Parlange is only going to want more of it, which means he'll be willing to go above and beyond what he's just done to get Archie.

The guy came in with his own goals to leave a stamp on URI. He put them on hold and invested in Thorr's vision, in the hope that this will pay off and he can work on his projects later.

Having a selfless president who wants to be a part of this community and contribute to it's greatness - rather than his own ego - is AMAZING. What a guy President Parlange is.

Getting the governor to commit to more support for the university, athletics and the bay campus, is insane. I feel like it isn't talked about enough, but Marc and Thorr working together is already the most successful president/athletic director relationship we've ever had - and that isn't the AD's fault.

What a huge institutional breath of fresh air Marc Parlange is. What a get.

What a time to be a Ram.

I wasn't a big Carothers fan when I was on campus, but looking back he did a lot of good for the school and the program (Skinner, Harrick, the Ryan Center).

To your point, to have a President that is arguably a bigger fan of athletics than we are is an amazing change

[theblueram]

I still cannot get over the fact how much Parlange put into this when he hasn't even been here for a year.

When success comes, Parlange is only going to want more of it, which means he'll be willing to go above and beyond what he's just done to get Archie.

The guy came in with his own goals to leave a stamp on URI. He put them on hold and invested in Thorr's vision, in the hope that this will pay off and he can work on his projects later.

Having a selfless president who wants to be a part of this community and contribute to it's greatness - rather than his own ego - is AMAZING. What a guy President Parlange is.

Getting the governor to commit to more support for the university, athletics and the bay campus, is insane. I feel like it isn't talked about enough, but Marc and Thorr working together is already the most successful president/athletic director relationship we've ever had - and that isn't the AD's fault.

What a huge institutional breath of fresh air Marc Parlange is. What a get.

What a time to be a Ram.

Also have to give credit to the person instrumental in the Parlange hire. Tom Ryan.

[ATPTourFan]

Can I change the thread title to past tense - WAS ?

[CamsRams]

I’ll keep saying it to my friends.

Having Archie is great but stepping up and paying him ~$10M, doubling the assistant coaches pool, more charters (we have to be getting close to 75% chartered games) and running the salaries thru the school budget is HUGE. Shows a new sense of commitment and combine that with having leaders that are approachable, committed from Gov, President Parlange and Thorr just keeps getting props for being an amazing AD - this is what we’ve been hoping for and what Hurley demanded. We’re there now. It’s a new bar.

Need to get practice facility moving and start heavily marketing our program & history. Get #’s in the rafters, have ceremonies for the 1988 and 1998 teams, get better merchandise, etc. Keep improving.

Pinch me.

[RhowdyRam02]

I still cannot get over the fact how much Parlange put into this when he hasn't even been here for a year.

When success comes, Parlange is only going to want more of it, which means he'll be willing to go above and beyond what he's just done to get Archie.

The guy came in with his own goals to leave a stamp on URI. He put them on hold and invested in Thorr's vision, in the hope that this will pay off and he can work on his projects later.

Having a selfless president who wants to be a part of this community and contribute to it's greatness - rather than his own ego - is AMAZING. What a guy President Parlange is.

Getting the governor to commit to more support for the university, athletics and the bay campus, is insane. I feel like it isn't talked about enough, but Marc and Thorr working together is already the most successful president/athletic director relationship we've ever had - and that isn't the AD's fault.

What a huge institutional breath of fresh air Marc Parlange is. What a get.

What a time to be a Ram.

I think this is a little unfair to Dooley. He worked with Thorr to keep Hurley as long as possible and ultimately it was the boosters that didn't step up soon/strong enough that helped him move to UConn. Then he refused to green light a criminal in Pitino, which I don't blame him for. Something tells me Dooley would have been just fine doing what he could to get Miller here if the timeline worked that way

[Da_Process_Survivor]

I’ll keep saying it to my friends.

Having Archie is great but stepping up and paying him ~$10M, doubling the assistant coaches pool, more charters (we have to be getting close to 75% chartered games) and running the salaries thru the school budget is HUGE. Shows a new sense of commitment and combine that with having leaders that are approachable, committed from Gov, President Parlange and Thorr just keeps getting props for being an amazing AD - this is what we’ve been hoping for and what Hurley demanded. We’re there now. It’s a new bar.

Need to get practice facility moving and start heavily marketing our program & history. Get #’s in the rafters, have ceremonies for the 1988 and 1998 teams, get better merchandise, etc. Keep improving.

Pinch me.

Good news is Thorr already confirmed the practice facility will be completed in 2023, and all but confirmed former greats will finally be honored this season.

[RhowdyRam02]

I still cannot get over the fact how much Parlange put into this when he hasn't even been here for a year.

When success comes, Parlange is only going to want more of it, which means he'll be willing to go above and beyond what he's just done to get Archie.

The guy came in with his own goals to leave a stamp on URI. He put them on hold and invested in Thorr's vision, in the hope that this will pay off and he can work on his projects later.

Having a selfless president who wants to be a part of this community and contribute to it's greatness - rather than his own ego - is AMAZING. What a guy President Parlange is.

Getting the governor to commit to more support for the university, athletics and the bay campus, is insane. I feel like it isn't talked about enough, but Marc and Thorr working together is already the most successful president/athletic director relationship we've ever had - and that isn't the AD's fault.

What a huge institutional breath of fresh air Marc Parlange is. What a get.

What a time to be a Ram.

I wasn't a big Carothers fan when I was on campus, but looking back he did a lot of good for the school and the program (Skinner, Harrick, the Ryan Center).

To your point, to have a President that is arguably a bigger fan of athletics than we are is an amazing change

I'm not sure how much Carothers did for basketball. Skinner was already here, so not sure how much credit he gets for that. He gets big credit for Harrick and Odom. He gets some credit for the Ryan Center, though that's a no-brainer when the finances line up the way they did. He gets massive negative credit for Jerry D. He gets some negative credit for hiring Baron. He gets massive negative credit for the massive CFL extension and for squandering the first decade plus of the Ryan Center. Overall that's not a great record. A couple of very high highs, but long very deep lows

[Bos8]

My GOD this aged well.

The biggest change here, is that we finally have a president who gets it and trusts his people like Thorr.

It's not small what President Parlange did here. This is a huge departure from "the way things are done" at URI. We are finally big time because we finally have a president who listens and trust's his AD's vision for what will allow URI to make an impact nationally.

But as stated - no one better than Thorr, Garrett or the rest of our AD leadership. URI is finally running basketball in a way that's consistent with our expectations.

IS IT NOVEMBER YET?

I think the Governor also helps. He was actively involved in coaching an AAU team while working in Cumberland. Great to have a hoops fan (and a URI one at that) in the Governor's chair.

[Da_Process_Survivor]

The guy came in with his own goals to leave a stamp on URI. He put them on hold and invested in Thorr's vision, in the hope that this will pay off and he can work on his projects later.

Having a selfless president who wants to be a part of this community and contribute to it's greatness - rather than his own ego - is AMAZING. What a guy President Parlange is.

Getting the governor to commit to more support for the university, athletics and the bay campus, is insane. I feel like it isn't talked about enough, but Marc and Thorr working together is already the most successful president/athletic director relationship we've ever had - and that isn't the AD's fault.

What a huge institutional breath of fresh air Marc Parlange is. What a get.

What a time to be a Ram.

I wasn't a big Carothers fan when I was on campus, but looking back he did a lot of good for the school and the program (Skinner, Harrick, the Ryan Center).

To your point, to have a President that is arguably a bigger fan of athletics than we are is an amazing change

I'm not sure how much Carothers did for basketball. Skinner was already here, so not sure how much credit he gets for that. He gets big credit for Harrick and Odom. He gets some credit for the Ryan Center, though that's a no-brainer when the finances line up the way they did. He gets massive negative credit for Jerry D. He gets some negative credit for hiring Baron. He gets massive negative credit for the massive CFL extension and for squandering the first decade plus of the Ryan Center. Overall that's not a great record. A couple of very high highs, but long very deep lows

The Ryan Center was planned, financed and built all under his tenure. He gets the credit for actually getting it done.

Baron is certainly a negative against him, but it ties into his overall blunder of taking "rebuilding the image of the school" too far. This was also the time where he went way over the top against any alcohol or partying to shed the party school image. He was wrong, but it makes sense he'd like the squeaky clean Baron on the heels of the Harrick sanctions.

Definitely seems like he went all in on basketball with Harrick and the RC, got burned by it and became completely gun shy as a result. Not to excuse the Baron Error

[Billyboy78]

I’ll keep saying it to my friends.

Having Archie is great but stepping up and paying him ~$10M, doubling the assistant coaches pool, more charters (we have to be getting close to 75% chartered games) and running the salaries thru the school budget is HUGE. Shows a new sense of commitment and combine that with having leaders that are approachable, committed from Gov, President Parlange and Thorr just keeps getting props for being an amazing AD - this is what we’ve been hoping for and what Hurley demanded. We’re there now. It’s a new bar.

Need to get practice facility moving and start heavily marketing our program & history. Get #’s in the rafters, have ceremonies for the 1988 and 1998 teams, get better merchandise, etc. Keep improving.

Pinch me.

Why do we keep leaving out the '78 team? Sly Williams, the greatest to ever wear Keaney Blue is still alive and well. Retire #35. Then #10 is next, absolutely.

[Da_Process_Survivor]

I’ll keep saying it to my friends.

Having Archie is great but stepping up and paying him ~$10M, doubling the assistant coaches pool, more charters (we have to be getting close to 75% chartered games) and running the salaries thru the school budget is HUGE. Shows a new sense of commitment and combine that with having leaders that are approachable, committed from Gov, President Parlange and Thorr just keeps getting props for being an amazing AD - this is what we’ve been hoping for and what Hurley demanded. We’re there now. It’s a new bar.

Need to get practice facility moving and start heavily marketing our program & history. Get #’s in the rafters, have ceremonies for the 1988 and 1998 teams, get better merchandise, etc. Keep improving.

Pinch me.

Why do we keep leaving out the '78 team? Sly Williams, the greatest to ever wear Keaney Blue is still alive and well. Retire #35. Then #10 is next, absolutely.

To add to it, I dont care that the gym next door has his name on it, Frank Keaney needs his name somewhere prominent in the Ryan Center. For instance, on the court itself.

[adam914]

This is where you lose me a LITTLE bit. Like I get your point and there is a lot of truth to it, Thorr can't move mountains on his own and just pull money out of thin air, but a HUGE part of being an athletic director is fundraising. Making those connections and inspiring your donors/foundation (and to a lesser extent the state) is one of the most important parts of the job. I mean there is a department (Development) dedicated to this, so if we feel the fundraising is coming up short we can't completely absolve them of any part in that.

This is even a line directly from Thorr's bio on our website: "Bjorn's championship culture is also rooted in a philosophy in which everyone in the Rhode Island Athletics Department is a fundraiser and marketer."

So I would disagree that none of this lies at the feet of Thorr or the athletic department. I definitely would not say ALL of it lies with them, but at least some of it does.

I understand your POV, but our athletic department is also hamstrung on HOW we can accept money. This is kind of what I'm getting at.

The state/Foundation (I forget which) won't allow a major project to start on a "pledge" i.e. I couldn't win powerball and say "i'll give you 50 mil for a practice facility, go and start it" without writing the check first - a lot of other schools will. We require the donation first before we break ground on anything. Very tough to get big projects done that way.

But remember, this is the school that was still doing film study on FILM in 2012 until Hurley lost his shit and made them invest in digital.

A lot of donors aren't willing to part with their money without control over what is being built and the confirmation that it's being done to their specs/ideals/spent on exactly what they want.

I can go way down the rabbit hole to all our institutional failures - but I can promise you, there's absolutely no one better than Thorr, Garrett or the rest our our AD leadership. Absolutely no one else could do more with less based on what we're given.

My GOD this aged well.

The biggest change here, is that we finally have a president who gets it and trusts his people like Thorr.

It's not small what President Parlange did here. This is a huge departure from "the way things are done" at URI. We are finally big time because we finally have a president who listens and trust's his AD's vision for what will allow URI to make an impact nationally.

But as stated - no one better than Thorr, Garrett or the rest of our AD leadership. URI is finally running basketball in a way that's consistent with our expectations.

IS IT NOVEMBER YET?

Yeah, one of the biggest things that continues to stand out to me during all of these interviews etc. is the commitment from Parlange. Like I said in the original post, part of the ADs job is to persuade all of the other players in the situation to make the commitments necessary to take us to the next level, and Thorr clearly pulled that off with Parlange in very short order. Impressive job all around for everyone involved.

[URI96]

I’ll keep saying it to my friends.

Having Archie is great but stepping up and paying him ~$10M, doubling the assistant coaches pool, more charters (we have to be getting close to 75% chartered games) and running the salaries thru the school budget is HUGE. Shows a new sense of commitment and combine that with having leaders that are approachable, committed from Gov, President Parlange and Thorr just keeps getting props for being an amazing AD - this is what we’ve been hoping for and what Hurley demanded. We’re there now. It’s a new bar.

Need to get practice facility moving and start heavily marketing our program & history. Get #’s in the rafters, have ceremonies for the 1988 and 1998 teams, get better merchandise, etc. Keep improving.

Pinch me.

Why do we keep leaving out the '78 team? Sly Williams, the greatest to ever wear Keaney Blue is still alive and well. Retire #35. Then #10 is next, absolutely.

We can’t retire everyone’s number. There are only 36 numbers that can be used in college hoops. Put them in the rafters for sure (like a ring of honor) but most of these numbers need to remain in play

[Billyboy78]

I’ll keep saying it to my friends.

Having Archie is great but stepping up and paying him ~$10M, doubling the assistant coaches pool, more charters (we have to be getting close to 75% chartered games) and running the salaries thru the school budget is HUGE. Shows a new sense of commitment and combine that with having leaders that are approachable, committed from Gov, President Parlange and Thorr just keeps getting props for being an amazing AD - this is what we’ve been hoping for and what Hurley demanded. We’re there now. It’s a new bar.

Need to get practice facility moving and start heavily marketing our program & history. Get #’s in the rafters, have ceremonies for the 1988 and 1998 teams, get better merchandise, etc. Keep improving.

Pinch me.

Why do we keep leaving out the '78 team? Sly Williams, the greatest to ever wear Keaney Blue is still alive and well. Retire #35. Then #10 is next, absolutely.

We can’t retire everyone’s number. There are only 36 numbers that can be used in college hoops. Put them in the rafters for sure (like a ring of honor) but most of these numbers need to remain in play

So, pick 7 or 8 now and retire them. That's from a period of close to 100 years. That leaves plenty of room for a few more to be retired in the future. I'd be ok with a ring of honor type thing also. I just want something!

[phipsiGD'11]

Bob Carothers does not get credit for anything good. End of story.

[Taylor Swift]

The problem is the few fans who drink and then act irresponsibly who ruin it for the majority.

Yea, a 40 year old drinking an adult beverage at a game is a HUGE sign of being irresponsible.

[PlayMikeMotenMore]

Why do we keep leaving out the '78 team? Sly Williams, the greatest to ever wear Keaney Blue is still alive and well. Retire #35. Then #10 is next, absolutely.

We can’t retire everyone’s number. There are only 36 numbers that can be used in college hoops. Put them in the rafters for sure (like a ring of honor) but most of these numbers need to remain in play

So, pick 7 or 8 now and retire them. That's from a period of close to 100 years. That leaves plenty of room for a few more to be retired in the future. I'd be ok with a ring of honor type thing also. I just want something!

Agree on the fix. To honor all-time great players, you raise their number to the rafters. So it's always there...always honored...and everyone sees it when they're in the building. You don't have to retire the number. For example, you can raise "#21 Owens" to the rafters for Pappy Owens. And then in another 10-20 years, raise another banner that says "#21 Wheeler." It doesn't diminish the #21 if some future URI player selects that number to wear. In fact, I see it as a good thing...as they have a lot to live up to. (Kind of like #44 at Syracuse football.)

At URI, retired numbers could be reserved for All-Americans...i.e. Sly's #35. But it's rare, rare to retire a number on the college level. Not enough numbers to go around, eventually you run out.

[Billyboy78]

We can’t retire everyone’s number. There are only 36 numbers that can be used in college hoops. Put them in the rafters for sure (like a ring of honor) but most of these numbers need to remain in play

So, pick 7 or 8 now and retire them. That's from a period of close to 100 years. That leaves plenty of room for a few more to be retired in the future. I'd be ok with a ring of honor type thing also. I just want something!

Agree on the fix. To honor all-time great players, you raise their number to the rafters. So it's always there...always honored...and everyone sees it when they're in the building. You don't have to retire the number. For example, you can raise "#21 Owens" to the rafters for Pappy Owens. And then in another 10-20 years, raise another banner that says "#21 Wheeler." It doesn't diminish the #21 if some future URI player selects that number to wear. In fact, I see it as a good thing...as they have a lot to live up to. (Kind of like #44 at Syracuse football.)

At URI, retired numbers could be reserved for All-Americans...i.e. Sly's #35. But it's rare, rare to retire a number on the college level. Not enough numbers to go around, eventually you run out.

I'd be happy with #3, #10 ,#35 and something for Frank Keaney. Retire those. Then we have a bunch more that could go to the rafters.

[Jdrums#3]

I still cannot get over the fact how much Parlange put into this when he hasn't even been here for a year.

When success comes, Parlange is only going to want more of it, which means he'll be willing to go above and beyond what he's just done to get Archie.

The guy came in with his own goals to leave a stamp on URI. He put them on hold and invested in Thorr's vision, in the hope that this will pay off and he can work on his projects later.

Having a selfless president who wants to be a part of this community and contribute to it's greatness - rather than his own ego - is AMAZING. What a guy President Parlange is.

Getting the governor to commit to more support for the university, athletics and the bay campus, is insane. I feel like it isn't talked about enough, but Marc and Thorr working together is already the most successful president/athletic director relationship we've ever had - and that isn't the AD's fault.

What a huge institutional breath of fresh air Marc Parlange is. What a get.

What a time to be a Ram.

I think this is a little unfair to Dooley. He worked with Thorr to keep Hurley as long as possible and ultimately it was the boosters that didn't step up soon/strong enough that helped him move to UConn. Then he refused to green light a criminal in Pitino, which I don't blame him for. Something tells me Dooley would have been just fine doing what he could to get Miller here if the timeline worked that way

I also think Pres Dooley did an excellent job. Very happy he was our President!

I think though - and I have no inside info, it’s just my observation being around the Rhody community - that his priority was education and R&D infrastructure and resources first. And, that’s okay. He got us to a much better place in those areas and now it’s time to adjust focus. A successful, winning basketball program will help all the other sports and help - indirectly - the next phase of educational / R&D infrastructure and resources. Just my two cents.

On fundraising…That’s a full time profession. I have family that have done it on the college level. It’s a lot of work and you need to be committed to the craft. I admire Thor’s and his staff’s attitude to take it on but they need a professional, full time
development team in their corner.

Go Rhody!

[ATPTourFan]

Just do away with the numbers aspect. Get their names up there!