Open scrimmage

[RhodyRams916]

Who impressed you guys the most? I really liked what I saw from Freeman and Weston. Bassy made some nice passes as well.

[Rhody74]

I’m interested in who the starting gives were.

[Rhody74]

Bill Koch covered it in Twitter:

[steveystuds06]

I filmed a lot, so I’ll be uploading some clips later tonight.

Some quick observations

1. Bray is an absolute stud. He’s special
2. Brandon Weston has so much upside. I haven’t been this excited about a players potential since EC…

[theblueram]

I'll second Stevey. Bray and Weston stood out.

[KingstonLane]

Bill Koch covered it in Twitter:

I wasn’t able to attend, but have quite a few questions and concerns about the team for this year.

Foumena healthy enough to play today, and stuffed the stat sheet but going to red shirt? Especially odd with other lack of front court depth.

Ish seemed to be highly inefficient off the box score. Bassy still struggling from 3. Carey hurt and Lou sick. Depth will be tested early

Positives of course seem to be Bray and Westin. Build around them as cornerstones.

[RhodyRams916]

I filmed a lot, so I’ll be uploading some clips later tonight.

Some quick observations

1. Bray is an absolute stud. He’s special
2. Brandon Weston has so much upside. I haven’t been this excited about a players potential since EC…

Both of those guys were really fun to watch.

[reef]

I filmed a lot, so I’ll be uploading some clips later tonight.

Some quick observations

1. Bray is an absolute stud. He’s special
2. Brandon Weston has so much upside. I haven’t been this excited about a players potential since EC…

Nice reports seems like we have 2 good building blocks there

[Donrxer79]

Not much to really take away from the scrimmage. No Carey, no Hutch. I really liked the bigs, not sure how they will be against actual competition but at least they can actually run and know they are not guards. Freeman and Weston can really play and people will soon forget about Leggett and Thomas. The potential is there.

[Rhody_NYCT]

Not much to really take away from the scrimmage. No Carey, no Hutch. I really liked the bigs, not sure how they will be against actual competition but at least they can actually run and know they are not guards. Freeman and Weston can really play and people will soon forget about Leggett and Thomas. The potential is there.

Happy to hear the great things about Freeman and Weston, but regardless of who starts, depth is something we are going to need.

[theblueram]

I thought Weston looked more suited as a guard rather than a forward. But, it was a scrimmage so not sure.

[ramster]

View of the new court. End of game. Players heading off the floor.

BCD75AFA-F04A-44A2-B457-0DA383E62318.jpeg

58FE5459-F7C8-4EE9-A297-3CD2D32ED27A.jpeg

[SandorClegane]

Do they publish stats or a box score for an inter squad scrimmage?

[adam914]

Box score is below. Happy to hear the positive reports on Weston. I'm all in on this kid, he's gonna be huge here.

[The Dude]

Braylon, Thomas, and Weston looked impressive! Samb and Tchikou looked like they have nice upside and were solid/decent.
Parnell Pierre played ok...nothing flashy, but quietly did his thing.
Malik Martin didn't look bad, but didn't look great.
Leggett still looks a bit lost from last year. He is struggling mightily with his shooting. It was obvious he has lost some confidence and much of what is wrong with his game appears to be mental, in my opinion. I give the kid a little credit. He keeps pushing hard to try and make smart decisions and keeps trying to pick moments for himself where he can hit a shot, but they just aren't falling.
Stewart is a guy with good size that looks like he can consistently hit a 3pt shot "from the top of the arc", but outside of that he looks like he has a ways to go before he can contribute in other areas in any meaningful way.
The rest of the team appears to need a lot of work. There is plenty of potential and flashes of talent, but there is a ton of work to do and it's to be expected with a young team with a lot of guys that are playing together for the first time. Some guys were also injured and didn't play.

If I were to pick who I would start for URI today, based on who I saw (not including guys that didn't play)(not Archie, but who "I" would start), it would be:
If going with 2 guards, 2 forwards, & a center:
Braylon
Weston
Samb (or Martin)
Tchikou
Foumena
I'd have Thomas sub for Braylon to help keep the foot on the gas offensively.

If going with 3 guards & 2 forwards:
Braylon
Thomas
Weston
Samb (or Martin)
Tchikou

If going with 2 guards & 3 forwards:
Braylon
Weston
Samb
Tchikou
Martin

Braylon & Weston are definitely starting in my opinion. Those two and Thomas will fun to watch this season, in my opinion.
The box score stats are very misleading.

[steveystuds06]

It felt good to be back in the Ryan Center with some real buzz. The scrimmage was only two 10-minute halves.

Check out some highlights here. You can hear me screaming after every play, so I apologize.



My thoughts

1. Malik Martin - Our leader. He's very poised. He took intelligent shots and seemed to be stronger compared to last year. He got to the rim and finished. It seemed like he wanted the other guys to take some shots and get comfortable. He's going to be a big piece of this team.

2. Bray - Man, this kid got wherever he wanted whenever he wanted. Incredibly quick first step. High IQ, nice runner, has range and is a playmaker. STUD.

3. Ish - I'm hoping it was a bad day because he looked bad. A couple of air balls. Didn't finish at the rim. It wasn't pleasant. I know he's better than what we saw today.

4. Foumena- Foumena is raw, but he has all the tools to be an all-A10 big in this league. I loved how he crashed the boards, especially on the offensive end. Nice touch around the rim. He had two pretty assists. I'm a little confused about why he would be redshirting because he already looks like our best big man.

5. Tchikou - He had some highlight blocks and a couple of nice steals. His defense is ahead of his offense. I'm surprised by how ready he is on the defensive end. He battles for the boards, and he is going to thrive in the fast break. His touch around the rim and post-game needs work, but he may have the highest upside on the team.

6. Samb - Bassy would have had about six more assists if Samb didn't miss so many easy layups. I'm apprehensive if he is our backup big man. At the very least, we need our bigs to finish easy layups after our guards make an excellent play. I liked that he hit his free throws and ran the floor well.

7. Rory - Rory had a couple of 3s go in and out. He's an intelligent player. I would have liked to see him go in the post a little, but he stayed near the perimeter. I thought he would have issues on the defensive end, but I didn't see him struggle much. Remember how often the twins would throw a dumb pass, force a shot, or do an illegal screen? Rory doesn't do that. He plays efficient basketball, and it's a breath of fresh air to have a big man that seems to value every possession.

8. Bassy - Many people continue to count this kid out, but I don't see how Archie can keep him off the floor. If you look at the box score, you would think he had a bad game, but I thought he stood out. He was lightning quick on the fast break, and he had some beautiful passes that led to a big man going to the free throw line, or they missed an easy layup. He and Bray on the fast break will be a blast. I like the idea of him coming in to run our second unit.

9 -Pierre- This kid looked like he belonged. He was certainly better than Ish was. He had a couple of nice 3s and has a lovely handle.

10 - Weston - Last but not least, my man Brandon Weston!!! This kid is a high-major player. PERIOD. I loved his ability to pick his spots. One word to describe his game is versatility. He can do everything on the offensive end, and he could be a great defensive player. He has A10 POY upside. He'll have his growing pains, but he is an incredible pickup by Archie and this staff.

I enjoyed how fast this team plays.. Our offense is designed to utilize Bray in the pick-and-roll. We move the ball much better than in previous seasons and play efficient basketball. Bray will have the ball a lot and will be the quarterback of this team. I spoke to Jalen Carey after the game, and he told me he didn't play because he injured his groin. Carey said if it were a real game, he would have played. I'm interested to see what he looks like in this offense. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Foumena ends up playing this season because we need him. We will have plenty of growing pains, but we have a lot to be excited about.

Go, Rhody!!

[Jdrums#3]

Great stuff! Thanks for all the reports, pictures and video, everyone. Much appreciated!

Excited to get the season rolling. Go Rhody!

[Jdrums#3]

It felt good to be back in the Ryan Center with some real buzz. The scrimmage was only two 10-minute halves.

Check out some highlights here. You can hear me screaming after every play, so I apologize.



My thoughts

1. Malik Martin - Our leader. He's very poised. He took intelligent shots and seemed to be stronger compared to last year. He got to the rim and finished. It seemed like he wanted the other guys to take some shots and get comfortable. He's going to be a big piece of this team.

2. Bray - Man, this kid got wherever he wanted whenever he wanted. Incredibly quick first step. High IQ, nice runner, has range and is a playmaker. STUD.

3. Ish - I'm hoping it was a bad day because he looked bad. A couple of air balls. Didn't finish at the rim. It wasn't pleasant. I know he's better than what we saw today.

4. Foumena- Foumena is raw, but he has all the tools to be an all-A10 big in this league. I loved how he crashed the boards, especially on the offensive end. Nice touch around the rim. He had two pretty assists. I'm a little confused about why he would be redshirting because he already looks like our best big man.

5. Tchikou - He had some highlight blocks and a couple of nice steals. His defense is ahead of his offense. I'm surprised by how ready he is on the defensive end. He battles for the boards, and he is going to thrive in the fast break. His touch around the rim and post-game needs work, but he may have the highest upside on the team.

6. Samb - Bassy would have had about six more assists if Samb didn't miss so many easy layups. I'm apprehensive if he is our backup big man. At the very least, we need our bigs to finish easy layups after our guards make an excellent play. I liked that he hit his free throws and ran the floor well.

7. Rory - Rory had a couple of 3s go in and out. He's an intelligent player. I would have liked to see him go in the post a little, but he stayed near the perimeter. I thought he would have issues on the defensive end, but I didn't see him struggle much. Remember how often the twins would throw a dumb pass, force a shot, or do an illegal screen? Rory doesn't do that. He plays efficient basketball, and it's a breath of fresh air to have a big man that seems to value every possession.

8. Bassy - Many people continue to count this kid out, but I don't see how Archie can keep him off the floor. If you look at the box score, you would think he had a bad game, but I thought he stood out. He was lightning quick on the fast break, and he had some beautiful passes that led to a big man going to the free throw line, or they missed an easy layup. He and Bray on the fast break will be a blast. I like the idea of him coming in to run our second unit.

9 -Pierre- This kid looked like he belonged. He was certainly better than Ish was. He had a couple of nice 3s and has a lovely handle.

10 - Weston - Last but not least, my man Brandon Weston!!! This kid is a high-major player. PERIOD. I loved his ability to pick his spots. One word to describe his game is versatility. He can do everything on the offensive end, and he could be a great defensive player. He has A10 POY upside. He'll have his growing pains, but he is an incredible pickup by Archie and this staff.

I enjoyed how fast this team plays.. Our offense is designed to utilize Bray in the pick-and-roll. We move the ball much better than in previous seasons and play efficient basketball. Bray will have the ball a lot and will be the quarterback of this team. I spoke to Jalen Carey after the game, and he told me he didn't play because he injured his groin. Carey said if it were a real game, he would have played. I'm interested to see what he looks like in this offense. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Foumena ends up playing this season because we need him. We will have plenty of growing pains, but we have a lot to be excited about.

Go, Rhody!!

Just watched the whole video, Stevey. Felt like I was there. Great job and thank you.

[Iggy1979]

Reports on Ish are the most disappointing. I think I see him as a TJ : Tough defense, high energy, occasional offense.

[Dino611]

With every day I go by and hear nothing official from the team, the more and more I think Foumena isn’t going to redshirt this year, Vault might’ve jumped the gun again…….

[RhodyRams916]

With every day I go by and hear nothing official from the team, the more and more I think Foumena isn’t going to redshirt this year, Vault might’ve jumped the gun again…….

It would be a mistake redshirting him this year. He looked fine out there.

[KingstonLane]

With every day I go by and hear nothing official from the team, the more and more I think Foumena isn’t going to redshirt this year, Vault might’ve jumped the gun again…….

Foumena has acknowledged it himself

Doesn’t make sense though. Surprised no one asked Archie today when given the chance

[Billyboy78]

Archie said he wants the RC full for the Quinnipiac game. He's going to be very disappointed. The hangover from the past 4 years is still in effect. I'm hoping we get 5000.

[Rhodymob05]

Nice event today. Some quick thoughts.

Weston is good, period. Tichikou is athletic and will be great with his size. Our guards are slashers , good up and down for fast breaks. This team has great size. Like many have stated, it’s very odd to see Foumena play and redshirt , he looked fine and could very well be a great contributor. Very confusing situation, but can’t wait for the season.

[reef]

From the video looks like Bassy will help us , definitely can see him getting 10-20 minutes a game and play in tandem with Bray when we go small

[Rhody72]

In a real game our opponent will have a plan to attack us on offense and guard us on defense. I think opponents will attempt to force us into a half-court game on offense and defense. Good teams will have no problem against us and we will impose our transition game on weaker teams. The match up will determine the playing minutes various players get. In competitive games it will come down to our outside shooting and rebounding. We will not dominate inside. We will get 7-9 wins in A10 play based on what I saw in the scrimmage.

[ace]

Archie said he wants the RC full for the Quinnipiac game. He's going to be very disappointed. The hangover from the past 4 years is still in effect. I'm hoping we get 5000.

Attendance is going to be a bit of a push-pull situation for a while. Archie’s likely going to want more people there than the number who actually show up. His hiring is a BFD, but I don’t think that translates to higher attendance quite yet. Win and people will come, but the coaches and players would like more people there to build momentum and interest. They’ll get there again.

I know Pierre is a walk-on but good for him for contributing. I agree the situation with Foumena is strange. If he’s playing in the scrimmage, it’s not a health thing. I know he was late getting to campus because he had to finish up some school stuff. Is he the academic/partial qualifier kind of redshirt? I imagine there are going to be a few key announcements that won’t be made until November 7th.

Seems like Freeman and Weston are the building blocks, Malik is the heart and soul, and the rest are question marks of varying degrees.

[section(105)]

Archie said he wants the RC full for the Quinnipiac game. He's going to be very disappointed. The hangover from the past 4 years is still in effect. I'm hoping we get 5000.

Yes agreed, wonder if someone told Archie that shaking the trees in the dorms is needed to building student interest…..

[Rhody74]

Archie said he wants the RC full for the Quinnipiac game. He's going to be very disappointed. The hangover from the past 4 years is still in effect. I'm hoping we get 5000.

Yes agreed, wonder if someone told Archie that shaking the trees in the dorms is needed to building student interest…..

Free pizza has worked in the past.

[Jersey77]

It felt good to be back in the Ryan Center with some real buzz. The scrimmage was only two 10-minute halves.

Check out some highlights here. You can hear me screaming after every play, so I apologize.



My thoughts

1. Malik Martin - Our leader. He's very poised. He took intelligent shots and seemed to be stronger compared to last year. He got to the rim and finished. It seemed like he wanted the other guys to take some shots and get comfortable. He's going to be a big piece of this team.

2. Bray - Man, this kid got wherever he wanted whenever he wanted. Incredibly quick first step. High IQ, nice runner, has range and is a playmaker. STUD.

3. Ish - I'm hoping it was a bad day because he looked bad. A couple of air balls. Didn't finish at the rim. It wasn't pleasant. I know he's better than what we saw today.

4. Foumena- Foumena is raw, but he has all the tools to be an all-A10 big in this league. I loved how he crashed the boards, especially on the offensive end. Nice touch around the rim. He had two pretty assists. I'm a little confused about why he would be redshirting because he already looks like our best big man.

5. Tchikou - He had some highlight blocks and a couple of nice steals. His defense is ahead of his offense. I'm surprised by how ready he is on the defensive end. He battles for the boards, and he is going to thrive in the fast break. His touch around the rim and post-game needs work, but he may have the highest upside on the team.

6. Samb - Bassy would have had about six more assists if Samb didn't miss so many easy layups. I'm apprehensive if he is our backup big man. At the very least, we need our bigs to finish easy layups after our guards make an excellent play. I liked that he hit his free throws and ran the floor well.

7. Rory - Rory had a couple of 3s go in and out. He's an intelligent player. I would have liked to see him go in the post a little, but he stayed near the perimeter. I thought he would have issues on the defensive end, but I didn't see him struggle much. Remember how often the twins would throw a dumb pass, force a shot, or do an illegal screen? Rory doesn't do that. He plays efficient basketball, and it's a breath of fresh air to have a big man that seems to value every possession.

8. Bassy - Many people continue to count this kid out, but I don't see how Archie can keep him off the floor. If you look at the box score, you would think he had a bad game, but I thought he stood out. He was lightning quick on the fast break, and he had some beautiful passes that led to a big man going to the free throw line, or they missed an easy layup. He and Bray on the fast break will be a blast. I like the idea of him coming in to run our second unit.

9 -Pierre- This kid looked like he belonged. He was certainly better than Ish was. He had a couple of nice 3s and has a lovely handle.

10 - Weston - Last but not least, my man Brandon Weston!!! This kid is a high-major player. PERIOD. I loved his ability to pick his spots. One word to describe his game is versatility. He can do everything on the offensive end, and he could be a great defensive player. He has A10 POY upside. He'll have his growing pains, but he is an incredible pickup by Archie and this staff.

I enjoyed how fast this team plays.. Our offense is designed to utilize Bray in the pick-and-roll. We move the ball much better than in previous seasons and play efficient basketball. Bray will have the ball a lot and will be the quarterback of this team. I spoke to Jalen Carey after the game, and he told me he didn't play because he injured his groin. Carey said if it were a real game, he would have played. I'm interested to see what he looks like in this offense. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Foumena ends up playing this season because we need him. We will have plenty of growing pains, but we have a lot to be excited about.

Go, Rhody!!

Thanks Stevey for the video and your impression, along with everyone else's.

This team will be a work in progress but looking forward to watching them grow and come together.

[section(105)]

My take away from the video was lots of missed shots, slow steady growth is still what I expect, mid to lower mid pack of conference.

[Jersey77]

Yes, overall shooting was pretty bad, hopefully just nerves.
FG 33-88, 3PT 5-26.

On the bright side FT pretty good 11-12.

[KingstonLane]

Was there ever any comments on why we didnt play a public exhibition game?

Secret closed door scrimmages don’t produce the same nerves

[section(105)]

Yes, exactly, would love to have seen one of those, even with the over matched opponent, helps me with my eyeball test. I guess Archie had his reasons why not.

[bigappleram]

Hearing Bilau will make an impact once healthy (conference play).

[bigappleram]

Near .500 would be a good season IMO. League is deeper than previous years and there will be a lot of decent teams in that mid tier.

[Rhodymob05]

Shooting was ok, but lots of promising attributes on display. I expect something special to develop with this squad, especially when healthy.

[Jersey77]

Hearing Bilau will make an impact once healthy (conference play).

Maybe BAR, it will take time for him to catch up and get game ready.

But because this team has so much inexperience in the frontcourt any big coming in can have an impact.
Doesn't mean that he will be that good against any of the experienced talented bigs in the A10.

I think the potential is there, so I guess we will see, the same with Alex and Foumena.

[Billyboy78]

Did anybody get their season ticket holder gift? I didn't see it anywhere?

[ramster]

2nd floor. End of court - North End.
3 from ticketing were sitting there.
Drink cup - insulated
Similar to Football Gift

[Billyboy78]

2nd floor. End of court - North End.
3 from ticketing were sitting there.
Drink cup - insulated
Similar to Football Gift

Ok, I didn't go upstairs.

[section(105)]

So nice to be thinking and talking Rhody hoops again…….go Rhody

[steveystuds06]

In a real game our opponent will have a plan to attack us on offense and guard us on defense.

I literally spit out my coffee when I read this the first time. Very funny…

[SGreenwell]

In a real game our opponent will have a plan to attack us on offense and guard us on defense.

I literally spit out my coffee when I read this the first time. Very funny…

"I think the team that scores the most points today has a great chance of winning this game." - John Madden

[Rhody15]

Would like to know how someone here heard Stewart was “really good.”

Rory didn’t look like he’d make much of an impact for us this season, albeit it was a 20 minute scrimmage.

Freeman and Weston heads and shoulders above everyone else.

[steveystuds06]

Would like to know how someone here heard Stewart was "really good."

Rory didn't look like he'd make much of an impact for us this season, albeit it was a 20 minute scrimmage.

Freeman and Weston heads and shoulders above everyone else.

I agree. Very good is a stretch.. He didn't stand out, but he also didnt' stand out in a bad way. I thought he had some nice passes, set proper screens, took the right shot, and did the little things that don't show in the box score, and it's nice to see that from a freshman. We had two big men that forced everything and were turnover machines last year...Rory will have some games where he gets hot, so I'm sure he'll impact us that way. Let's hope it's against PC...I think he could be a nice rotation piece off the bench. Tchikou and Foumena have the most significant upside.

[RhodyKyle]

My take away from the video was lots of missed shots, slow steady growth is still what I expect, mid to lower mid pack of conference.

Not sure if you were there but before the scrimmage, Archie said they already had an intense practice earlier in the day. The misses were all short and looked, to me, like a result of tired legs.

[steveystuds06]

Yes, overall shooting was pretty bad, hopefully just nerves.
FG 33-88, 3PT 5-26.

On the bright side FT pretty good 11-12.

They settled down in the second half. The first half was UGLY. I wish we had Connor this year. I think about all the open 3s that Bray created for guys like Ish, and I picture Connor taking those shots, and there is no way he'll miss them like our guys did yesterday.

[Rhodymob05]

Would like to know how someone here heard Stewart was “really good.”

Rory didn’t look like he’d make much of an impact for us this season, albeit it was a 20 minute scrimmage.

Freeman and Weston heads and shoulders above everyone else.

He showed some nice range and had good size for a shooter. He’s also a freshman and will adjust.

[theblueram]

Yes, overall shooting was pretty bad, hopefully just nerves.
FG 33-88, 3PT 5-26.

On the bright side FT pretty good 11-12.

They settled down in the second half. The first half was UGLY. I wish we had Connor this year. I think about all the open 3s that Bray created for guys like Ish, and I picture Connor taking those shots, and there is no way he'll miss them like our guys did yesterday.

Yeah I think if you saw a stat split between 1st and 2nd, it would be night and day. I'd like to see the lineup differences as well. One thing I did like..... The bigs immediately hand off the ball after a rebound. No more beachball bouncing up the court by a big.