URI 2023 Transfers - Who Will Stay and Who Will Go?

[Jersey77]

#NotADoctor, but I'm hopeful that Bilau can be back by second semester next season. Whether he's effective or not is TBD... ACLs are tough.

The injury issues are a concern first the shoulder and then the ACL, much worse.

If a player closes out their career because of medical concerns prior to graduating, they can stay enrolled with the school picking up their costs, without the team losing an available scholarship roster spot.
Not saying that will be the case with Bilau, just pointing it out.

[steveystuds06]

We have no rebounders. Get some people who like to grab boards. None of our big men are rebounders.

Tyson Brown

[Iggy1979]

I would add Bilau to Blue Man's list, which means 3 open spots. One G, one wing, one big, at last two of them scorers.

[PeterRamTime]

#NotADoctor, but I'm hopeful that Bilau can be back by second semester next season. Whether he's effective or not is TBD... ACLs are tough.

People keep recovering from ACL's faster than ever these days.

Its definitely different for a guy whose 6'10 though I'm sure.

But I can think of several NFL players that have come back earlier than a year. For instance Hendon Hooker (6'4) tore his ACL late November, had surgery in December and said on Jan 30th he expects to be running by late March.

[Jdrums#3]

And that's what sucks. Any time we recruit a high school kid who ends up being good, there's a pretty good chance he's going to leave. Ish is the latest example. If Foumena comes in next season and is REALLY good, there's a pretty good chance he'll leave. The likelihood of recruiting a high school kid who ends up being really good and staying here for 4 years is now very low. I hate it.

It appears it could trend that way, 78, and that is a hurdle we (Rhody coaches) need to figure out how to overcome.

For me, it raises a conundrum because their is an financial expense associated with recruiting high school/prep recruits and a finite resource of time. Therefore, I wonder if there is a better way to spend the time and money or a change in how both are allocated. I don’t have an opinion on that yet.

[Jdrums#3]

And that's what sucks. Any time we recruit a high school kid who ends up being good, there's a pretty good chance he's going to leave. Ish is the latest example. If Foumena comes in next season and is REALLY good, there's a pretty good chance he'll leave. The likelihood of recruiting a high school kid who ends up being really good and staying here for 4 years is now very low. I hate it.

Disagree with this. Great coaches will be able to retain good players. It will be tougher but the good ones will do it most of the time.

The relationship with the kid will still matter. Can you get them to their highest potential/next level (pros), can they win & play on a bigger stage with you and lastly the NIL factor. Right now the 'winning' part is a tough sell. For now.

Bar, I agree to a point, but, I think to the kids coming in to college out of HS and prep, 4 yrs in one place is a long time. I think the temptation to play elsewhere (diff conf, culture, deep tourney dancing opp, tradition, climate, resources, NIL) despite attachment to a HC and/or HC ability, is significant by year 3 and 4.

That said, I think this current staff is fully capable of holding the line on transfers out of the program when the program is back to competing for NCAAT bids - which I expect the program to be in a few years.

Good stuff!

[RhodyRams916]

News is that URI is likely to get Dre Davis. Junior guard at seton hall has two years of eligibility left. 6'6" guard Averages 10 ppg and 3 rebounds and shooting splits are 49/36/85.

Seton Hall's season is over (unless they get into the NIT)... Let's see if this pans out. I find it unlikely we're getting Davis. Had a monster game vs PC recently.

[reef]

Yeah not sure who this Matt is who said it’s likely we get him but most here in the know seem to think that’s a pipe dream

[RhodyRams916]

Yeah not sure who this Matt is who said it’s likely we get him but most here in the know seem to think that’s a pipe dream

I hate when people say shit just to say shit. Why get our hopes up? Just be quiet until you know for sure he's coming here.

[McRam]

The 5 spot is overvalued on this board. How many offensively dominant true 5 men have we had? Ever? Not many. We need rebounding, defense and dunking from the 5. A Bonzie Colson type is just fine for an A10 team. Bilau had the ability to be that type but not sure what he will be post injury. No opinion on Foumena yet.

IMO we moreso need/are looking for a productive 4 man. A 6'8ish guy who can play inside and out. Score and rebound. We are already attached to 3-4 Jucos/Grad transfers that fit that profile. I assume that's a priority, along with PG and some scoring wings.

Any top tier a10:team has a competent center. Fordham does, Dayton does, St. Louis does, vcu does, George Mason does, Davidson does. The bottom dwellers often are often overmatched at that position.

A competent center means he can score on a pick and roll, get some tough rebounds and be good enough defensively to not have to dbl team every time. Clearly Frenchie and Samb can’t. Rory is too weak defensively to be a starter. And Bilou is a question mark. Archie has no choice, he needs to get a competent center for next years team.

[SandorClegane]

I agree with Blue Mans earlier take.

My forecasts…
1) WINGS: Weston makes a huge jump in year 2. Archie had training wheels on him this year coming off two major injuries. He has potential to be a stud.
2) BIGS: I have high hopes for Fomena. Looks like he has the skills to develop into the most player we’ve been searching for since Hass.
3) GUARDS: Without retaining Ish, we’re in the midst of another rebuild in my opinion. For PG, we need a facilitator.

I think everyone agrees we need some big time transfers. However, I think we could build on these 3.

[McRam]

I'm not going to begin to speculate on who will or will not be here next year. Obviously Malik is done as this is his last year. I hope Ish stays as he's our obvious best player. I'm confused on Carey because I thought this was also his last year of eligibility but who knows with the free covid year, etc.

Other than that, I hope all that remain take a huge step forward and the incoming freshmen and anyone else that transfers in is an upgrade on what we have.

Since u mentioned Malik, isn’t it ironic for all the bashers of Malik and his shooting woes, that he turned out to have a better fg% and a better 3pt % than Ish for the season. ?

[bigappleram]

The 5 spot is overvalued on this board. How many offensively dominant true 5 men have we had? Ever? Not many. We need rebounding, defense and dunking from the 5. A Bonzie Colson type is just fine for an A10 team. Bilau had the ability to be that type but not sure what he will be post injury. No opinion on Foumena yet.

IMO we moreso need/are looking for a productive 4 man. A 6'8ish guy who can play inside and out. Score and rebound. We are already attached to 3-4 Jucos/Grad transfers that fit that profile. I assume that's a priority, along with PG and some scoring wings.

Any top tier a10:team has a competent center. Fordham does, Dayton does, St. Louis does, vcu does, George Mason does, Davidson does. The bottom dwellers often are often overmatched at that position.

A competent center means he can score on a pick and roll, get some tough rebounds and be good enough defensively to not have to dbl team every time. Clearly Frenchie and Samb can’t. Rory is too weak defensively to be a starter. And Bilou is a question mark. Archie has no choice, he needs to get a competent center for next years team.

I would agree competent is needed. Holmes at UD and Oduro at GMU are more than competent. Bilau would have been suitable but now with injury who knows.

[rhodylaw]

We also need leaders. Maybe Malik wasn't the most talented player, but he was a leader. If Ish leaves, who would that be? It would be very hard for a transfer or frosh to come in and be a leader right away.

It’s Thomas - kid grinds, seems to do everything asked. He is the leader of this team with Ish going forward.

[section(105)]

The 5 spot is overvalued on this board. How many offensively dominant true 5 men have we had? Ever? Not many. We need rebounding, defense and dunking from the 5. A Bonzie Colson type is just fine for an A10 team. Bilau had the ability to be that type but not sure what he will be post injury. No opinion on Foumena yet.

IMO we moreso need/are looking for a productive 4 man. A 6'8ish guy who can play inside and out. Score and rebound. We are already attached to 3-4 Jucos/Grad transfers that fit that profile. I assume that's a priority, along with PG and some scoring wings.

Any top tier a10:team has a competent center. Fordham does, Dayton does, St. Louis does, vcu does, George Mason does, Davidson does. The bottom dwellers often are often overmatched at that position.



A competent center means he can score on a pick and roll, get some tough rebounds and be good enough defensively to not have to dbl team every time. Clearly Frenchie and Samb can’t. Rory is too weak defensively to be a starter. And Bilou is a question mark. Archie has no choice, he needs to get a competent center for next years team.

Yes, exactly, thanks. I have been saying this for quite some time.and May I add to that skill set, offensive low post moves, footwork, drop steps, back to basket catch moves to get shot or pass to a Buffalo wing……

[KingstonLane]

I think the easiest way to think about this is "what are our goals" and "who will get us there?"

For example, if the goal is to be an NCAA team next year, you need to find 4 other starters to pair with Ish. We simply don't have a roster capable of making a run, even in this depleted and terrible conference...as we've seen.

If the goal is to be an NCAA team in 2 years (hoping Ish stays for a full 5), then I think this is a lineup you could work with

1) starter: ___________________, backup: Sebastian Thomas, 3rd option: Cam Estevez
2) starter: Ish Leggett, backup: Connor Dubsky, 3rd option: _________________
3) starter: Brandon Weston, backup: Lou Hutchinson, 3rd option: _________________
4) starter: Rory Stewart, backup: Alex Tchikou, 3rd option: ________________
5) starter: ________________, backup: Jeremy Foumena, 3rd option: _____________

As far I'm concerned, we desperately need a starting PG and starting big.

Bassy wants to be here, Archie looks to value him, and even though I don't believe he's an A10 player - I'm not Archie and the kid at least sacked up and tried to grind out the rest of the year. But if he's anything more than a 10-15mpg backup, we're screwed.

I think Weston is going to have an explosive 2nd year. I think he'll start and I think he'll develop into something special over the next 12 months.

Rory came on strong as of late. It'll be nice if we have more firepower in the offense and you can use him to stretch the defense to the 3 point line. That'll open up more for Ish.

Alex showed flashes, but it's clear he's not a 5. He's a 4. Him and Rory could be very dangerous in a 20/20 or 24/16 type split at this position going forward.

That leaves us with the 5. Samb can't play at this level, that much we know and I'd expect him to go elsewhere.

Foumena is by all accounts going to be great, but we all know freshman take a while, and freshman bigs are longer. This is where we need a starter.

Based on his injury history I don't think we'll see Bilau again as much as that sucks.

Let's hope we land a juco big and a transfer PG. That plus some offseason growth and maturity from Weston/Hutch/Rory/Alex and I think we'll have a lot of fun next year.

I agree for the most part Blue Man, but aside from a seasoned PG and big, we need to find some confident dependable shooters, hopefully with a high basketball IQ.
That is something our teams have been lacking for quite a while.

Well ideally the PG you bring in can also shoot. That paired with Ish, Rory and some growth in Weston’s shot are your shooters. Dubsky if he can defend is another shooter off the bench.

[Rhody72]

I'm not saying "NO" to any new player who can be better than what we got at his position today. We don't have the luxury of having tunnel vision on any position. I'll take a 1 star player in order to get a 4 star player as a package. We need any talented player we can get at any position.

[DeanDome88]

I think the easiest way to think about this is "what are our goals" and "who will get us there?"

For example, if the goal is to be an NCAA team next year, you need to find 4 other starters to pair with Ish. We simply don't have a roster capable of making a run, even in this depleted and terrible conference...as we've seen.

If the goal is to be an NCAA team in 2 years (hoping Ish stays for a full 5), then I think this is a lineup you could work with

1) starter: ___________________, backup: Sebastian Thomas, 3rd option: Cam Estevez
2) starter: Ish Leggett, backup: Connor Dubsky, 3rd option: _________________
3) starter: Brandon Weston, backup: Lou Hutchinson, 3rd option: _________________
4) starter: Rory Stewart, backup: Alex Tchikou, 3rd option: ________________
5) starter: ________________, backup: Jeremy Foumena, 3rd option: _____________

As far I'm concerned, we desperately need a starting PG and starting big.

Bassy wants to be here, Archie looks to value him, and even though I don't believe he's an A10 player - I'm not Archie and the kid at least sacked up and tried to grind out the rest of the year. But if he's anything more than a 10-15mpg backup, we're screwed.

I think Weston is going to have an explosive 2nd year. I think he'll start and I think he'll develop into something special over the next 12 months.

Rory came on strong as of late. It'll be nice if we have more firepower in the offense and you can use him to stretch the defense to the 3 point line. That'll open up more for Ish.

Alex showed flashes, but it's clear he's not a 5. He's a 4. Him and Rory could be very dangerous in a 20/20 or 24/16 type split at this position going forward.

That leaves us with the 5. Samb can't play at this level, that much we know and I'd expect him to go elsewhere.

Foumena is by all accounts going to be great, but we all know freshman take a while, and freshman bigs are longer. This is where we need a starter.

Based on his injury history I don't think we'll see Bilau again as much as that sucks.

Let's hope we land a juco big and a transfer PG. That plus some offseason growth and maturity from Weston/Hutch/Rory/Alex and I think we'll have a lot of fun next year.

I agree for the most part Blue Man, but aside from a seasoned PG and big, we need to find some confident dependable shooters, hopefully with a high basketball IQ.
That is something our teams have been lacking for quite a while.

Well ideally the PG you bring in can also shoot. That paired with Ish, Rory and some growth in Weston’s shot are your shooters. Dubsky if he can defend is another shooter off the bench.

Weston has only shot it well from the free throw line so far.

[reef]

I love the potential Weston has just hope he puts in the gym time to work on his game , he definitely can take that freshman to sophomore leap

[RJRam]

We need 2 studs! One at PG and one in the front court, either forward or center. 2 guys that can win the close games. We are lacking in that category. Ish is a warrior, but has not yet shown the ability to win the close games. Throw in a couple of good role players and voila! Then, we will be good.

[reef]

Give me 2 studs regardless of the position !!

[RJRam]

Give me 2 studs regardless of the position !!

Not as good. Especially with the mediocrity that our players have demonstrated. Spread out the studs to spread out the defense. It's an easy game.

[rhodylocal]

The 5 spot is overvalued on this board. How many offensively dominant true 5 men have we had? Ever? Not many. We need rebounding, defense and dunking from the 5. A Bonzie Colson type is just fine for an A10 team. Bilau had the ability to be that type but not sure what he will be post injury. No opinion on Foumena yet.

IMO we moreso need/are looking for a productive 4 man. A 6'8ish guy who can play inside and out. Score and rebound. We are already attached to 3-4 Jucos/Grad transfers that fit that profile. I assume that's a priority, along with PG and some scoring wings.

Any top tier a10:team has a competent center. Fordham does, Dayton does, St. Louis does, vcu does, George Mason does, Davidson does. The bottom dwellers often are often overmatched at that position.

A competent center means he can score on a pick and roll, get some tough rebounds and be good enough defensively to not have to dbl team every time. Clearly Frenchie and Samb can’t. Rory is too weak defensively to be a starter. And Bilou is a question mark. Archie has no choice, he needs to get a competent center for next years team.

I would agree competent is needed. Holmes at UD and Oduro at GMU are more than competent. Bilau would have been suitable but now with injury who knows.

Didn't Bilau have a decent game against the bigs in the Providence game? Hope he can come back from injury and continue where he left off because he showed some flashes of being more than suitable.

[RhodyRams916]

Any top tier a10:team has a competent center. Fordham does, Dayton does, St. Louis does, vcu does, George Mason does, Davidson does. The bottom dwellers often are often overmatched at that position.

A competent center means he can score on a pick and roll, get some tough rebounds and be good enough defensively to not have to dbl team every time. Clearly Frenchie and Samb can’t. Rory is too weak defensively to be a starter. And Bilou is a question mark. Archie has no choice, he needs to get a competent center for next years team.

I would agree competent is needed. Holmes at UD and Oduro at GMU are more than competent. Bilau would have been suitable but now with injury who knows.

Didn't Bilau have a decent game against the bigs in the Providence game? Hope he can come back from injury and continue where he left off because he showed some flashes of being more than suitable.

Yes, he did play well vs PC. Also showed he can make some threes.

[NYGFan_Section208]

We also need leaders. Maybe Malik wasn't the most talented player, but he was a leader. If Ish leaves, who would that be? It would be very hard for a transfer or frosh to come in and be a leader right away.

It’s Thomas - kid grinds, seems to do everything asked. He is the leader of this team with Ish going forward.

If Thomas is "the leader" of this team...ever....then. sadly, we have not seen the worst of it...

[Rhodymob05]

I think you can be a leader and not be the top guy.

[RamStock]

We also need leaders. Maybe Malik wasn't the most talented player, but he was a leader. If Ish leaves, who would that be? It would be very hard for a transfer or frosh to come in and be a leader right away.

It’s Thomas - kid grinds, seems to do everything asked. He is the leader of this team with Ish going forward.

If Thomas is "the leader" of this team...ever....then. sadly, we have not seen the worst of it...

It will be a long, long season. If this team is looking to make the tourney Thomas is a complimentary player at best. He might be a good kid who plays hard, but he isn’t talented enough to be playing over 12 minutes a game.

[Billyboy78]

I'm talking about leaders in the locker room. Why can't Bassy be that? TJ was a leader and was far from being the best player on the team. You can still be a leader off of the court.

[steveystuds06]

My predictions of who will leave

1. Samb

2. Alex

3. Ish

Hope i'm wrong.

[steveystuds06]

Any top tier a10:team has a competent center. Fordham does, Dayton does, St. Louis does, vcu does, George Mason does, Davidson does. The bottom dwellers often are often overmatched at that position.

A competent center means he can score on a pick and roll, get some tough rebounds and be good enough defensively to not have to dbl team every time. Clearly Frenchie and Samb can’t. Rory is too weak defensively to be a starter. And Bilou is a question mark. Archie has no choice, he needs to get a competent center for next years team.

I would agree competent is needed. Holmes at UD and Oduro at GMU are more than competent. Bilau would have been suitable but now with injury who knows.

Didn't Bilau have a decent game against the bigs in the Providence game? Hope he can come back from injury and continue where he left off because he showed some flashes of being more than suitable.

He had a great game. He was our best big man by a mile last year. But the injury is serious. I feel bad for the kid, but I don't think we will see him play much next year. I hope i'm wrong about that as well..

[LoveThoseRams]

Interesting IG post by Jalen just today. Compilation of photos of him in URI games/uniform. The title was "Home" with a ram emoji??? Comments to him were prayers and fingers crossed?

[adam914]

My predictions of who will leave

1. Samb

2. Alex

3. Ish

Hope i'm wrong.

Yikes, I hope so to stevey! For #2 and #3 especially! That'd be tough.

[PeterRamTime]

My predictions of who will leave

1. Samb

2. Alex

3. Ish

Hope i'm wrong.

You basing Ish leaving on a hunch because some P5 will come calling?

[Jdrums#3]

I hope it’s only a hunch, PRT. Would hate to see Ish leave.

I would be okay with big T staying, even with us adding another big because I am not sure about Bilau coming back or being close to 100% until mid-season.

[PeterRamTime]

I hope it’s only a hunch, PRT. Would hate to see Ish leave.

I would be okay with big T staying, even with us adding another big because I am not sure about Bilau coming back or being close to 100% until mid-season.

I feel like he wouldn't leave. It would make more sense for him to go for his 5th year

[Jersey77]

I hope it’s only a hunch, PRT. Would hate to see Ish leave.

I would be okay with big T staying, even with us adding another big because I am not sure about Bilau coming back or being close to 100% until mid-season.

I feel like he wouldn't leave. It would make more sense for him to go for his 5th year

He may not want to stay in school 5-years and figures this may be his best opportunity to move up.
Can't blame him if he wants a chance to play post-season or get more exposure.

But yes of course we all want him to stay, Archie's biggest recruiting effort will be to try and keep him.

[PeterRamTime]

I hope it’s only a hunch, PRT. Would hate to see Ish leave.

I would be okay with big T staying, even with us adding another big because I am not sure about Bilau coming back or being close to 100% until mid-season.

I feel like he wouldn't leave. It would make more sense for him to go for his 5th year

He may not want to stay in school 5-years and figures this may be his best opportunity to move up.
Can't blame him if he wants a chance to play post-season or get more exposure.

But yes of course we all want him to stay, Archie's biggest recruiting effort will be to try and keep him.

It just seems like a lot of players have been using their covid year to go somewhere else.

[reef]

Yeah who really knows what Ish is thinking ?? We all hope he stays but until we find out we just have to hope

[CamsRams]

My predictions of who will leave

1. Samb

2. Alex

3. Ish

Hope i'm wrong.

Stevey - do you have any Intel or is it just a guess?

[Cameron_Dollar]

My predictions of who will leave

1. Samb

2. Alex

3. Ish

Hope i'm wrong.

Stevey - do you have any Intel or is it just a guess?

If there is available NIL money, I would think it should be used to keep Leggett. There will certainly be other programs that would be willing to have their booster group ante up.

[Rhody72]

If a top player want to leave he should have told Archie already about his intentions. To enter the portal to measure interest is destructive to the program.

[jcru]

Absolutely on that one.

That's why, I am hopeful that Steveystuds's list is just 1 and 2.

Because if it is 3 as well, we should have heard about it by now.

[bigappleram]

Absolutely on that one.

That's why, I am hopeful that Steveystuds's list is just 1 and 2.

Because if it is 3 as well, we should have heard about it by now.

Undergrad portal opens tomorrow. That is when the fireworks will begin. Nothing will surprise me and I advise everyone to take that approach.
The Portal giveth and the Portal taketh away.

[Dino611]

Time to watch Archie’s Twitter following count tmrw

[jcru]

understood

I won't be surprised by really anything, I don't think. If fact, if he stays I might be more surprised than not.

[PeterRamTime]

Time to watch Archie’s Twitter following count tmrw

Hmm

[PeterRamTime]

Time to watch Archie’s Twitter following count tmrw

Well nothing has changed thus far

[NYGFan_Section208]

Absolutely on that one.

That's why, I am hopeful that Steveystuds's list is just 1 and 2.

Because if it is 3 as well, we should have heard about it by now.

Undergrad portal opens tomorrow. That is when the fireworks will begin. Nothing will surprise me and I advise everyone to take that approach.
The Portal giveth and the Portal taketh away.

Um....hopefully!

[RamIt!]

Legget gone. Entering portal

[steveystuds06]

My predictions of who will leave

1. Samb

2. Alex

3. Ish

Hope i'm wrong.

You basing Ish leaving on a hunch because some P5 will come calling?

Wasn’t a hunch…. I just didn’t want to post it on here until it became official