Mitchells, Berry, Walker, Ayo-Faleye, Betrand in 2022 portal / transferring

[hrstrat57]

What is the source of the story that players were not told Cox was let go?

[ramster]

What is the source of the story that players were not told Cox was let go?

Sebastian Thomas podcast. He talks about how Malik told him that he had heard about David Cox being fired. Good listen.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Not a big deal...and not ideal. But, that's bidness. I would not expect Thorr to communicate with the players prior to telling DC. And once DC knew, everyone knew anyway within 5 minutes it seems. It's not like the players are a consultative partner in the coaching biz... For people unhappy with how it played out, what would have been "better"?

[ramster]

Not a big deal...and not ideal. But, that's bidness. I would not expect Thorr to communicate with the players prior to telling DC. And once DC knew, everyone knew anyway within 5 minutes it seems. It's not like the players are a consultative partner in the coaching biz... For people unhappy with how it played out, what would have been "better"?

1. Inform the head coach.
2. Meet with the assistant coaches.
3. Meet with the student-athletes.
4. The president places personal phone calls to the chair of the board of trustees (or the superintendent calls the school board) and selected other influential stakeholders.
5. Conduct press conference or inform the press.

[TruePoint]

I imagine that being told you’re being let go from your job is probably a pretty upsetting experience and that you might need a couple minutes to gather your thoughts. In this case, though, your mandate is to be first and foremost a leader and sort of caretaker for young men and so I’d expect a person in DC’s position to send a group text to his players immediately after getting the news - specifically because everyone knows how this all works and that it will be public probably in a matter of minutes and you want to get that news from your coach or his boss if you’re a player. Especially when you consider that DC had to have known it was coming and had done a lot of the processing of it prior to getting the official word. Having said that, the real true harm here is minimal and it’s really about practicing “good form.”

I had a boss get fired once and he didn’t tell us. I later found out that they turned his email access off immediately and escorted him out of the building - told him they’d send his office contents to him in a box. I found out because my emails to him that morning were being returned to me as undeliverable so I started reaching out to his bosses after a while. An official word from the top didn’t come until the very end of the day, at which point the rumor mill had taken care of it. It was annoying and I actually did end up leaving that job shortly afterwards - not specifically because of that but it certainly didn’t help. So I weirdly relate to all of this discussion but I also think it isn’t the absolute end of the world.

[ramster]

In researching the firing of basketball head coaches it looks like it’s not the outgoing HC who delivers the news to the players and staff. The HC may not agree with the firing, may want to contest it, etc. should floor the steps I noted above from researching. The AD tells HC, then AD tells AC’s and support staff, then AD tells players.

[Blue Man]

Comparing a coach being fired to a corporate firing is a bit disingenuous. It's a form of publicly viewed and available entertainment. I've never read a message board about my own job commented by outsiders.

It's part of the deal.

[ramster]

The steps for firing I found by researching firing a college basketball coach.

[ATPTourFan]

So back to the transfers....

I don't know if the twins know what committed really means, as they haven't stayed at any one school for more than a couple years.

[Da_Process_Survivor]

Not a big deal...and not ideal. But, that's bidness. I would not expect Thorr to communicate with the players prior to telling DC. And once DC knew, everyone knew anyway within 5 minutes it seems. It's not like the players are a consultative partner in the coaching biz... For people unhappy with how it played out, what would have been "better"?

1. Inform the head coach.
2. Meet with the assistant coaches.
3. Meet with the student-athletes.
4. The president places personal phone calls to the chair of the board of trustees (or the superintendent calls the school board) and selected other influential stakeholders.
5. Conduct press conference or inform the press.

Which I'm sure they did, what you're missing is the fact that leaks to the media occur before step 1 is even completed...

As far as the twins are concerned...

[ATPTourFan]

!	Message from: ATPTourFan
	Back on topic, please!

[TruePoint]

Comparing a coach being fired to a corporate firing is a bit disingenuous. It's a form of publicly viewed and available entertainment. I've never read a message board about my own job commented by outsiders.

It's part of the deal.

Not sure if this is response to me or not, but my anecdote about my experience in having a boss fired wasn’t to make the point that college basketball and a normal workplace are the same and should follow the same protocols. My point was only to compare my experience to that of the players from the standpoint of “it’s kind of weird that nobody thought to say anything to us about it,” but that at the end of the day it isn’t the end of the world. The procedures for executing the firing are necessarily different, but in terms of the human relationships between a coach and his players and a boss and his managers, there are a lot of similarities and if anything I’d say the differences that exist give a coach an even greater duty of care for his players than a boss for his team at work.

[TruePoint]

!	Message from: ATPTourFan
	Back on topic, please!

Sorry. No mas from me.

[Billyboy78]

So back to the transfers....

I don't know if the twins know what committed really means, as they haven't stayed at any one school for more than a couple years.

And they say they are 100% committed! I'd say maybe 25% committed, tops.

[SmartyBarrett]

Have we gotten confirmation that Ileri has officially exited the portal yet? Sure sounds like he's back based on Archie's presser yesterday and I see him listed on Iggy's roster... I guess he (Ileri) doesn't have to make it official but I'd love to see some sort of pump-up tweet like Malik and Ish put out.

[Jersey77]

Have we gotten confirmation that Ileri has officially exited the portal yet? Sure sounds like he's back based on Archie's presser yesterday and I see him listed on Iggy's roster... I guess he (Ileri) doesn't have to make it official but I'd love to see some sort of pump-up tweet like Malik and Ish put out.

In Koch's tweet he mentions Miller said he has spoken with him (Ileri) about remaining.
Probably not set in stone yet about his return, seems it will happen but nothing official yet.

[Rhody83]

Betrand committed to Rider.

[Billyboy78]

Betrand committed to Rider.

110% !!!!

[steviep123]

Betrand committed to Rider.

I don't know much about Rider, but that's kind of a head scratcher.

[PowderBlueButBetter]

Have we gotten confirmation that Ileri has officially exited the portal yet? Sure sounds like he's back based on Archie's presser yesterday and I see him listed on Iggy's roster... I guess he (Ileri) doesn't have to make it official but I'd love to see some sort of pump-up tweet like Malik and Ish put out.

In Koch's tweet he mentions Miller said he has spoken with him (Ileri) about remaining.
Probably not set in stone yet about his return, seems it will happen but nothing official yet.

He's the only one of the transfers that is practicing with the team and Miller said they were in talks about him saying. Feels like he is going to stay, but i guess he wants to keep his options open

[reef]

Betrand committed to Rider.

Seems like a decent spot drops down a level so I would think he should get plenty of playing time

[Rhody15]

Betrand committed to Rider.

I don't know much about Rider, but that's kind of a head scratcher.

Not really a head scratcher.

He produced at a lower conference, did shitty in the A10 and has been hurt for a whole year.

Only makes sense to go to a similar conference to the CAA where he had success.

[steveystuds06]

Betrand committed to Rider.

I don't know much about Rider, but that's kind of a head scratcher.

Not really a head scratcher.

He produced at a lower conference, did shitty in the A10 and has been hurt for a whole year.

Only makes sense to go to a similar conference to the CAA where he had success.

Yup. This was a low major roster. We didn't finish 10th and 11th because we had a bunch of guys ready to transfer to that next level. Betrand is exactly where he belongs after a serious injury like that. I wish him the best.

[Billyboy78]

[TruePoint]

When you’re right you’re right, even if you’re KMac.

[rhodyrudder]

So does this mean they're not getting drafted by the Bucks?

[Jdrums#3]

Maybe at the end of the 3rd round, RR. The Bucks have the last two picks in that round…per my NBA draft insider, Frank Leaks.

[PeterRamTime]

So back to the transfers....

I don't know if the twins know what committed really means, as they haven't stayed at any one school for more than a couple years.

And they say they are 100% committed! I'd say maybe 25% committed, tops.

How many times did they transfer high schools?

[RamStock]

Have we gotten confirmation that Ileri has officially exited the portal yet? Sure sounds like he's back based on Archie's presser yesterday and I see him listed on Iggy's roster... I guess he (Ileri) doesn't have to make it official but I'd love to see some sort of pump-up tweet like Malik and Ish put out.

In Koch's tweet he mentions Miller said he has spoken with him (Ileri) about remaining.
Probably not set in stone yet about his return, seems it will happen but nothing official yet.

He's the only one of the transfers that is practicing with the team and Miller said they were in talks about him saying. Feels like he is going to stay, but i guess he wants to keep his options open

I get that we have a lot of scholarships available, but do we really want lleri to stay? I can’t see him contributing at all. He seems like a good candidate for a smaller division 1 school. That would probably be best for both parties.

[RhowdyRam02]

If he wants to stay and he's comfortable with the role Archie gives him I see no reason to throw him out. Even if you don't see him contributing there will always be guys at the end of the bench that don't play much

[PowderBlueButBetter]

In Koch's tweet he mentions Miller said he has spoken with him (Ileri) about remaining.
Probably not set in stone yet about his return, seems it will happen but nothing official yet.

He's the only one of the transfers that is practicing with the team and Miller said they were in talks about him saying. Feels like he is going to stay, but i guess he wants to keep his options open

I get that we have a lot of scholarships available, but do we really want lleri to stay? I can’t see him contributing at all. He seems like a good candidate for a smaller division 1 school. That would probably be best for both parties.

Doesn't really matter what "we" want. From his point of view, currently he is only competing with Samb for minutes next season so i understand why he is keeping his options open to possibly stay

[Billyboy78]

In Koch's tweet he mentions Miller said he has spoken with him (Ileri) about remaining.
Probably not set in stone yet about his return, seems it will happen but nothing official yet.

He's the only one of the transfers that is practicing with the team and Miller said they were in talks about him saying. Feels like he is going to stay, but i guess he wants to keep his options open

I get that we have a lot of scholarships available, but do we really want lleri to stay? I can’t see him contributing at all. He seems like a good candidate for a smaller division 1 school. That would probably be best for both parties.

How much have you seen him play?

[SGreenwell]

If he wants to stay and he's comfortable with the role Archie gives him I see no reason to throw him out. Even if you don't see him contributing there will always be guys at the end of the bench that don't play much

This is my mindset as well. On a good team, you're usually only playing seven to maybe nine guys regularly. You still need a couple at the end of the bench to be good practice players, substitutions for foul problems, or injury replacements. He's also shown some potential in his brief bits of playing time, so if he decides to stay, eh, that's preferable to me for this year, vs. Archie having to dip into like his fifth or sixth recruiting option during an abbreviated recruiting season for him.

[rhodylaw]

If he wants to stay and he's comfortable with the role Archie gives him I see no reason to throw him out. Even if you don't see him contributing there will always be guys at the end of the bench that don't play much

He has a shot to play here, particularly next year. Even if we bring in a couple bigs he and Samb will be able to compete for some minutes because I doubt we will be land 2-3 high level bigs this year. Still massive upside with Ileri as well, he is the kind of player that basketball skill needs to grow to match athleticism.

[RamStock]

He's the only one of the transfers that is practicing with the team and Miller said they were in talks about him saying. Feels like he is going to stay, but i guess he wants to keep his options open

I get that we have a lot of scholarships available, but do we really want lleri to stay? I can’t see him contributing at all. He seems like a good candidate for a smaller division 1 school. That would probably be best for both parties.

How much have you seen him play?

Not a lot. Probably the same amount that you have. He is very thin and raw, I just feel that if he was a difference maker that he would have been able to crack a very poor team last year. I hope he turns out to be a good player and if Archie wants him I'm sure that he thinks that he has some skills. There are not many players that want to stay in a program to be the 12th or 13th man, but if he is happy with that then that will work. The players Cox has brought in just don't seem to be of a great talent level the last few years. Whether he stays or not isn't going to be much of a factor in our rebuild so whatever happens.

[Billyboy78]

I get that we have a lot of scholarships available, but do we really want lleri to stay? I can’t see him contributing at all. He seems like a good candidate for a smaller division 1 school. That would probably be best for both parties.

How much have you seen him play?

Not a lot. Probably the same amount that you have. He is very thin and raw, I just feel that if he was a difference maker that he would have been able to crack a very poor team last year. I hope he turns out to be a good player and if Archie wants him I'm sure that he thinks that he has some skills. There are not many players that want to stay in a program to be the 12th or 13th man, but if he is happy with that then that will work. The players Cox has brought in just don't seem to be of a great talent level the last few years. Whether he stays or not isn't going to be much of a factor in our rebuild so whatever happens.

Well, he's not thin. He is lean and strong. Do you have confidence that he was developed by our former staff? He's extremely athletic with very long arns. I'd love to see how this new staff can develop him.

[giovanni]

Archie wants him or is interested in having him stay. But we have our board coaches rejecting Archie's assessment or views already. Hopefully Archie reads this board so he'll have an idea of what he should do

[RamStock]

How much have you seen him play?

Not a lot. Probably the same amount that you have. He is very thin and raw, I just feel that if he was a difference maker that he would have been able to crack a very poor team last year. I hope he turns out to be a good player and if Archie wants him I'm sure that he thinks that he has some skills. There are not many players that want to stay in a program to be the 12th or 13th man, but if he is happy with that then that will work. The players Cox has brought in just don't seem to be of a great talent level the last few years. Whether he stays or not isn't going to be much of a factor in our rebuild so whatever happens.

Well, he's not thin. He is lean and strong. Do you have confidence that he was developed by our former staff? He's extremely athletic with very long arns. I'd love to see how this new staff can develop him.

Of course I had no confidence in the former staff. I also had very little confidence in their ability to recruit. For years anytime a player committed to URI we had the tendency to overate the player and talk about what they would bring to the program. It can’t hurt to have him if he is content with limited playing time. I am just happy that we have Archie and a new staff so we will see what happens.

[Billyboy78]

Here's Ileri's scouting report coming out of high school.

At 6-foot-7 with explosive athleticism and a strong body, he doesn’t just have good measurements, he plays with sheer force. He has the capability of making momentum changing plays in the open floor, he can drive through contact in the half-court, and he has the upside to be a versatile defender.
Where he needs to improve is with regard to his skill-set. He has to be able to shoot the ball consistently and provide a valid threat for opposing defenses to account for behind the arc. He also just needs time to adjust to high-level competition, and the physicality and speed (both mental and physical) of play. Both will be completely unprecedented for him given his experiences to date, even more so than most incoming freshmen.

In short, Ayo-Faleye is a going to require patience and an opportunity to keep developing, but given the growth he’s shown just within the last year, there’s no reason to expect that process won’t continue. He may not be ready to contribute next season, but the reality is that the Rams won’t need him to. This commitment is about the long-term future, and if he continues to evolve along the same trajectory, we will look back and credit the recruiting ingenuity of Cox and his staff for this creative late addition to the 2020 class.

[Blue Man]

Archie wants him or is interested in having him stay. But we have our board coaches rejecting Archie's assessment or views already. Hopefully Archie reads this board so he'll have an idea of what he should do

Yeah I really don't get how anyone can question ANYTHING Archie does or wants to do when it comes to a player or coach.

His methods are proven. He's the best/most experienced coach we've ever, EVER brought into this program. (Harrick was a reclamation project with violations).

This isn't like a "prove it to the fanbase" type guy that we're used to getting. Some up-and-comer who we're getting on the rise as a stepping stone. We're operating as a big time program and we went and got a big time coach, with big time experience and big time winning at this level and above.

Every comment on this board should pretty much be - yup, I trust Archie. This year is gonna be fun.

The questioning with Dave Cox was warranted, as he was a first time coach where he was figuring everything out. That's not the case now. If Arch wants a player to stay? I want the player to stay. The staff he hired? Probably the best top-to-bottom we've ever had (not for nothing it's the most we've ever paid, so funny how that works). The player development opening? I want whoever Arch wants.

We're about to go on a fun ride. Enjoy!

[rhodylaw]

I get that we have a lot of scholarships available, but do we really want lleri to stay? I can’t see him contributing at all. He seems like a good candidate for a smaller division 1 school. That would probably be best for both parties.

How much have you seen him play?

Not a lot. Probably the same amount that you have. He is very thin and raw, I just feel that if he was a difference maker that he would have been able to crack a very poor team last year. I hope he turns out to be a good player and if Archie wants him I'm sure that he thinks that he has some skills. There are not many players that want to stay in a program to be the 12th or 13th man, but if he is happy with that then that will work. The players Cox has brought in just don't seem to be of a great talent level the last few years. Whether he stays or not isn't going to be much of a factor in our rebuild so whatever happens.

I don’t think talent evaluation was really the issue with Cox, it was developing that talent and managing the program. Transfers out to UConn, Kentucky, MD and now Arkansas. Antwan could clearly play. There was a lot of talent lost. He struck out on Jermaine Harris.

[Big Rhody Guy]

Also as far as cracking the rotation there really was not an opportunity for a younger big man to get in the lineup around Malik, Twan and the Twins. While they were far from perfect and we all would have liked to have seen the minutes be distributed a little differently these were our 4 best players. Unless you shift Malik to only playing the 3 there was no way for IAF, or Samb if he was not redshirted, to get any burn.

[Jdrums#3]

A nice possibility, 78, from your post a few back. That is, if he agrees to stay with Rhody and Archie (I’m not sure if him staying is official yet).

I know, with me anyway, all the portal transferring madness has made me undervalue players that have the potential to develop into solid contributors two to three years down the road. I guess it’s maybe an unintended consequence from my excitement with portal possibilities. But actually, there’s still room for them in the college game. I hope he puts the work in, gets the coaching (I have high confidence in the coaching) and it works out here for the player.

[Jersey77]

Also as far as cracking the rotation there really was not an opportunity for a younger big man to get in the lineup around Malik, Twan and the Twins. While they were far from perfect and we all would have liked to have seen the minutes be distributed a little differently these were our 4 best players. Unless you shift Malik to only playing the 3 there was no way IAF, or Samb if he was not redshirted, to get any burn.

If Ileri stays, I am sure Archie see some potential in him.

Besides Woodward is considered an excellent player development coach, especially with the wings.
Rhoden credits Woodward with his development as one of the top wings in the BE.

[steveystuds06]

How much have you seen him play?

Not a lot. Probably the same amount that you have. He is very thin and raw, I just feel that if he was a difference maker that he would have been able to crack a very poor team last year. I hope he turns out to be a good player and if Archie wants him I'm sure that he thinks that he has some skills. There are not many players that want to stay in a program to be the 12th or 13th man, but if he is happy with that then that will work. The players Cox has brought in just don't seem to be of a great talent level the last few years. Whether he stays or not isn't going to be much of a factor in our rebuild so whatever happens.

I don’t think talent evaluation was really the issue with Cox, it was developing that talent and managing the program. Transfers out to UConn, Kentucky, MD and now Arkansas. Antwan could clearly play. There was a lot of talent lost. He struck out on Jermaine Harris.

Ehh I think we lacked talent. He was landing better talent when we still had our buzz from Dan. It kept getting worse and worse. Our two likely commits this upcoming season were both low major players who ended up going to low major programs. Twan is a solid bench piece but he's not a starter on a top A10 team. We had arguably the worst backcourt in the conference last season. I think Dave can identify talent but he was no longer getting the talent we needed to compete with the top of the A10.

[reef]

Ilieri seemed to be pretty active when he was thrown in there , let’s see what other bigs and wings we get in the mix

[Billyboy78]

Ilieri seemed to be pretty active when he was thrown in there , let’s see what other bigs and wings we get in the mix

That might be why he hasn't taken his name out of the portal yet. He's waiting to see who is coming in.

[Rhody72]

Yeah I really don't get how anyone can question ANYTHING Archie does or wants to do when it comes to a player or coach.

His methods are proven. He's the best/most experienced coach we've ever, EVER brought into this program. (Harrick was a reclamation project with violations).

Jack Kraft?

[bigappleram]

Archie wants him or is interested in having him stay. But we have our board coaches rejecting Archie's assessment or views already. Hopefully Archie reads this board so he'll have an idea of what he should do

Yeah I really don't get how anyone can question ANYTHING Archie does or wants to do when it comes to a player or coach.

His methods are proven. He's the best/most experienced coach we've ever, EVER brought into this program. (Harrick was a reclamation project with violations).

This isn't like a "prove it to the fanbase" type guy that we're used to getting. Some up-and-comer who we're getting on the rise as a stepping stone. We're operating as a big time program and we went and got a big time coach, with big time experience and big time winning at this level and above.

Every comment on this board should pretty much be - yup, I trust Archie. This year is gonna be fun.

The questioning with Dave Cox was warranted, as he was a first time coach where he was figuring everything out. That's not the case now. If Arch wants a player to stay? I want the player to stay. The staff he hired? Probably the best top-to-bottom we've ever had (not for nothing it's the most we've ever paid, so funny how that works). The player development opening? I want whoever Arch wants.

We're about to go on a fun ride. Enjoy!

Dude I'm all in on archie and standing in line for fan club entry.

And I will agree that Archie is probably the most important hire we have ever made, both due to his track record and also due to the commitment made to him by the university and what that means.

However, violations aside, Jim Harrick was 12 months removed from winning a national championship after a highly successful tenure at one of the bluebloods of the sport. He has almost a .700 career winning percentage and was a very very very good basketball coach. When we hired him Dickie V slid down the student section and ESPN descended on our school, the #1 recruit in the country signed on, we were on national TV, in big tournaments and nationally relevant almost overnight. Dan got us close to that but the attention and visibility we had in those 2 years was pretty much unmatched and still is. He also coached the most successful season in the modern era of the program. Net net he was a very good hire.

[Billyboy78]

Archie wants him or is interested in having him stay. But we have our board coaches rejecting Archie's assessment or views already. Hopefully Archie reads this board so he'll have an idea of what he should do

Yeah I really don't get how anyone can question ANYTHING Archie does or wants to do when it comes to a player or coach.

His methods are proven. He's the best/most experienced coach we've ever, EVER brought into this program. (Harrick was a reclamation project with violations).

This isn't like a "prove it to the fanbase" type guy that we're used to getting. Some up-and-comer who we're getting on the rise as a stepping stone. We're operating as a big time program and we went and got a big time coach, with big time experience and big time winning at this level and above.

Every comment on this board should pretty much be - yup, I trust Archie. This year is gonna be fun.

The questioning with Dave Cox was warranted, as he was a first time coach where he was figuring everything out. That's not the case now. If Arch wants a player to stay? I want the player to stay. The staff he hired? Probably the best top-to-bottom we've ever had (not for nothing it's the most we've ever paid, so funny how that works). The player development opening? I want whoever Arch wants.

We're about to go on a fun ride. Enjoy!

Dude I'm all in on archie and standing in line for fan club entry.

And I will agree that Archie is probably the most important hire we have ever made, both due to his track record and also due to the commitment made to him by the university and what that means.

However, violations aside, Jim Harrick was 12 months removed from winning a national championship after a highly successful tenure at one of the bluebloods of the sport. He has almost a .700 career winning percentage and was a very very very good basketball coach. When we hired him Dickie V slid down the student section and ESPN descended on our school, the #1 recruit in the country signed on, we were on national TV, in big tournaments and nationally relevant almost overnight. Dan got us close to that but the attention and visibility we had in those 2 years was pretty much unmatched and still is. He also coached the most successful season in the modern era of the program. Net net he was a very good hire.

I brought up Kraft before too. 12 years with Villanova before he came here. 6 NCAAs and 5 NITs in those 12 years, including getting to the national championship game a little more than 2 years before he came here. Yes, they lost to UCLA in the championship game, but everyone did in those Wooden years. This was the season after Alcindor/Jabbar left and Walton was a frosh when frosh couldn't play. We were terrible before Kraft came here and got to the NCAAs in his 4th year (when the field was 32), losing to Duke (who else).