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

[Dino611]

I’ll agree and wait for Ace’s opinion on Khalif situation but this is who I was told the staff was on the offensive pushing for a visit this weekend

[DeanDome88]

What are chances Ish comes back?

I think he's gone. Hope i'm wrong

I agree Stevie, his family pretty much said that to us at the A10s. Said that it was taking a big toll on his body being the only one playing hard and tough, also said they weren't impressed with the "coaching" and that he was very disappointed to not receive any mentions in the A10 awards. I think he had already made his decision by then.

Ish improved considerably under the "coaching". Perhaps they have a problem with his communication style? Ish going hard after loose balls is perhaps his best trait as a basketball player. If I was Malik Martin I'd probably be annoyed by those comments. He played as tough as anyone.

[Rhody15]

I think he's gone. Hope i'm wrong

I agree Stevie, his family pretty much said that to us at the A10s. Said that it was taking a big toll on his body being the only one playing hard and tough, also said they weren't impressed with the "coaching" and that he was very disappointed to not receive any mentions in the A10 awards. I think he had already made his decision by then.

Ish improved considerably under the "coaching". Perhaps they have a problem with his communication style? Ish going hard after loose balls is perhaps his best trait as a basketball player. If I was Malik Martin I'd probably be annoyed by those comments. He played as tough as anyone.

I’m sorry but if his parents and him thought he was the only one playing hard, then they weren’t watching the games whatsoever or know what “playing hard” means.

Malik, Thomas, Alex all played hard.

Maybe not the most talented, but besides the home UMass game, I didn’t think there was any issue of the team playing hard.

There was just no talent.

[bigappleram]

He may be. For our sake I hope it’s not a negative impact. Bc that same thing could have been said about Bray.

[steveystuds06]

Khalif battle is a DUDE. This board should be ecstatic we’re getting him on a visit.

Spare me the attitude problems. This isn’t Brayon Freeman averaging 10ppg. This is a kid who would be a pre season favorite for A10 POY

Go look at this kids game log from this past season and tell me you don’t want him on this team

21 points vs Villanova
26 vs Richmond
22 vs Lasalle
27 vs VCU
24 vs Houston (#1 seed in the NCAA tourney)

These guys don’t grow on trees

I was very excited when I heard he was visiting a few days ago. I’m amazed that we have people saying they don’t want him. Incredible.

[rhodysurf]

We have post bray trust issues lol

[steveystuds06]

We have post bray trust issues lol

I get that but this kid is a stud. I want him. The likely outcome is he goes to a high major though

[KingstonLane]

We have post bray trust issues lol

I get that but this kid is a stud. I want him. The likely outcome is he goes to a high major though

Exactly. Show me one college kid that doesn’t have an attitude problem and I’ll show you nine that do.

Would be a treat to watch someone that talented play for us again

[steveystuds06]

What are chances Ish comes back?

I think he's gone. Hope i'm wrong

I agree Stevie, his family pretty much said that to us at the A10s. Said that it was taking a big toll on his body being the only one playing hard and tough, also said they weren't impressed with the "coaching" and that he was very disappointed to not receive any mentions in the A10 awards. I think he had already made his decision by then.

Did you read this 15 and NYG? You guys busted my balls yesterday when I said Ish was upset he didn’t get all conference

But ya I agree…the more I think about it the more I think he was gone regardless of being all conference…

[Dino611]

I think he's gone. Hope i'm wrong

I agree Stevie, his family pretty much said that to us at the A10s. Said that it was taking a big toll on his body being the only one playing hard and tough, also said they weren't impressed with the "coaching" and that he was very disappointed to not receive any mentions in the A10 awards. I think he had already made his decision by then.

Did you read this 15 and NYG? You guys busted my balls yesterday when I said Ish was upset he didn’t get all conference

But ya I agree…the more I think about it the more I think he was gone regardless of being all conference…

It was very obvious he was upset and so are we, we know how stupid the voters are in the A10 when it comes to awards, one person with a brain cell can go look at Ish’s Twitter and see he retweeted 6-7 people about how they were saying it was disgrace that he didn’t make 3rd team

[jcru]

Freeman was fine with Archine, UNTIL his insufferable family got involved.

Everything is so extreme with you guys. He's just like this, he's just like that. This is a legit NBA talent, a true two guard that can hit any shot on the floor. Freeman was a hack in comparison.

[Billyboy78]

Freeman was fine with Archine, UNTIL his insufferable family got involved.

Everything is so extreme with you guys. He's just like this, he's just like that. This is a legit NBA talent, a true two guard that can hit any shot on the floor. Freeman was a hack in comparison.

And he's 6'5"

[bigappleram]

Famous coach saying “you can’t coach effort or attitude.”
Ultimately I’ll trust this staff to make the right call but if you don’t see red flags you are blinded bc he can get some buckets.

Cmon he’s not an NBA prospect. He’s 23 years old and next year will be his 5th year of college. If he’s an nba prospect he would go to the draft now. He’s a prolific scorer with a spotty reputation.

[steveystuds06]

It basically all but guarantees no sooner than a 4 year rebuild.

Many posters disagreed when I said the same a year ago.

No we disagreed when you said we should extend Cox

[jcru]

I see some red flags.

I also see a consistent 20-21 ppg, mostly threes and 12 foot jumpers, and FTs, to replace the 17 ppg that just left town.

I don't even care if it is a one year rental. This one player can vault us into the top half of the Conference. As for Archie, I think it is unfair to evaluate him based on one thing with Freeman. He was working with Freeman. Archie has a solid reputation of being a player's coach, he's not going to give Battle the hook for going 0-4 to start the game.

[reef]

Famous coach saying “you can’t coach effort or attitude.”
Ultimately I’ll trust this staff to make the right call but if you don’t see red flags you are blinded bc he can get some buckets.

Cmon he’s not an NBA prospect. He’s 23 years old and next year will be his 5th year of college. If he’s an nba prospect he would go to the draft now. He’s a prolific scorer with a spotty reputation.

Yeah I’ll trust the staff on this also , he sounds like an amazing talent so if Arch wants him them I am on board if he passes then onto the next

[UCH21377]

There's this...
https://www.inquirer.com/college-sports ... 30303.html

This article mentions him as a fourth year sophomore. Does he have 2 years of eligibility? Would bringing him in help recruit Ish back or push him more away?

Isn’t”fourth year sophomore” a red flag?

[RhodyRams916]

There's this...
https://www.inquirer.com/college-sports ... 30303.html

This article mentions him as a fourth year sophomore. Does he have 2 years of eligibility? Would bringing him in help recruit Ish back or push him more away?

Isn’t”fourth year sophomore” a red flag?

Moving closer to home (Temple) is a red flag? Getting injured is a red flag? What? Can you all stop speculating so much on what happened at Temple? We don’t know the whole story.

He would instantly make our team better with a few other additions.

[Dino611]

This article mentions him as a fourth year sophomore. Does he have 2 years of eligibility? Would bringing him in help recruit Ish back or push him more away?

Isn’t”fourth year sophomore” a red flag?

Moving closer to home (Temple) is a red flag? Getting injured is a red flag? What? Can you all stop speculating so much on what happened at Temple? We don’t know the whole story.

He would instantly make our team better with a few other additions.

100% agree here, he does have some baggage but that’s why all of us are waiting for Ace’s opinion because she probably knows the best on this whole board of what’s going on here, and yes he would make our team instantly better, it’s great he’s visiting here but idk if he’ll end up coming, have more of a chance landing Pride here

[jcru]

Imagine having a backcourt named "Battle & Pride" ?

[bigappleram]

Blinded by Buckets…I’ll trust the staff.

I’m surprised we haven’t been linked to any PG’s as of yet.
Huge huge position of need. Hopefully we have of some lead guards soon.

[Billyboy78]

There's this...
https://www.inquirer.com/college-sports ... 30303.html

This article mentions him as a fourth year sophomore. Does he have 2 years of eligibility? Would bringing him in help recruit Ish back or push him more away?

Isn’t”fourth year sophomore” a red flag?

One medical redshirt year after his foot injury and the COVID year.

[bigappleram]

Between Battle and Pride they took 700 shots last season.
Good luck making that work. In my guess we’re hoping to land 1 of them in the Battle, Pride, Timberlake grouping. Conway seems to be a significant step back from those 3. But all are perimeter scorers.

Fit is so impt. That is the part that Cooley has mastered. Targeting not necessarily the most talented or the guy with the biggest stats but guys that fit together and compliment each other. It’s really important.

[Iggy1979]

Other than Carey I don't see others leaving.
Surprisingly there's no list of schools that have contacted Ish.

[Dino611]

Between Battle and Pride they took 700 shots last season.
Good luck making that work. In my guess we’re hoping to land 1 of them in the Battle, Pride, Timberlake grouping. Conway seems to be a significant step back from those 3. But all are perimeter scorers.

Fit is so impt. That is the part that Cooley has mastered. Targeting not necessarily the most talented or the guy with the biggest stats but guys that fit together and compliment each other. It’s really important.

It’s one or the other not both let’s be real they all play the same position…

Also said last week that Conway is a break in case of emergency glass just in case we don’t get our top targets

[Dino611]

Blinded by Buckets…I’ll trust the staff.

I’m surprised we haven’t been linked to any PG’s as of yet.
Huge huge position of need. Hopefully we have of some lead guards soon.

Agreed BAR, I know Sanders is coming here, but at the same time he’s a combo guard so I don’t see him being the glorified savior of being our go to PG that’s going to make a huge difference next year

[rhodylaw]

I agree Stevie, his family pretty much said that to us at the A10s. Said that it was taking a big toll on his body being the only one playing hard and tough, also said they weren't impressed with the "coaching" and that he was very disappointed to not receive any mentions in the A10 awards. I think he had already made his decision by then.

Ish improved considerably under the "coaching". Perhaps they have a problem with his communication style? Ish going hard after loose balls is perhaps his best trait as a basketball player. If I was Malik Martin I'd probably be annoyed by those comments. He played as tough as anyone.

I’m sorry but if his parents and him thought he was the only one playing hard, then they weren’t watching the games whatsoever or know what “playing hard” means.

Malik, Thomas, Alex all played hard.

Maybe not the most talented, but besides the home UMass game, I didn’t think there was any issue of the team playing hard.

There was just no talent.

Agree with the thought that toughness is Ish’s best attribute - it is THE thing that makes him a higher level D1 player. I think that fits very well into what Archie Miller is known for, but the results were not there with the rest of the team this year.

[section(105)]

I will be disappointed if next season we open with more familiar faces than unfamiliar faces.

[jcru]

This.

No one should be excited about a 9-22 team bringing back everyone but Ish and Carey.

Good luck selling that, wouldn't want to be on the marketing team.

[KingstonLane]

Between Battle and Pride they took 700 shots last season.
Good luck making that work. In my guess we’re hoping to land 1 of them in the Battle, Pride, Timberlake grouping. Conway seems to be a significant step back from those 3. But all are perimeter scorers.

Fit is so impt. That is the part that Cooley has mastered. Targeting not necessarily the most talented or the guy with the biggest stats but guys that fit together and compliment each other. It’s really important.

Leggett and Bray also combined for 700 shots last season, and that’s without Bray playing every game.

Don’t see the shot totals being an issue at all. I think it’s just more likely we either get one or the other for different reasons

[bigappleram]

We NEED a PG.

[section(105)]

We NEED a PG.

Yep, opening the season with Bassey starting and getting major minutes will not get it done.

[SGreenwell]

Other than Carey I don't see others leaving.
Surprisingly there's no list of schools that have contacted Ish.

... that he has leaked. That just makes me think he has a destination in mind already, whether its the obvious connection at Maryland or some other school. It's also still early in the process, and the NCAA tournament teams - excluding Arkansas - don't seem to be in as high drive with the transfer market as other teams. (I also kind of wonder how interested he would be in a reunion with Cox. He didn't end up transferring from URI when Cox got fired, and then had a career year with Miller.)

[jcru]

It would be nice of 35-40% of those 700 shots fell down.

I know who I would choose between Ish/Carey and Battle/Pride.

[jcru]

If we get a new PG, can we ship Thomas off to America East where he probably should have gone in the first place?

[KingstonLane]

There’s only ~500 or so players in the portal so far

There were ~1600 last year.

Lots of time to go

[jcru]

I'd rather see a two guard and a swing guard taking 700 shots, than watch all of those ugly passes into the paint we had this year that got picked off so easily.

[Rhode_Island_Red]

Fit is so impt. That is the part that Cooley has mastered. Targeting not necessarily the most talented or the guy with the biggest stats but guys that fit together and compliment each other. It’s really important.

"Fit" was part of Al Skinner's genius. He knew how to mix in guys like Chad Thomas, Rafael Solis and Mike Brown who maybe weren't the most talented (though Brown could legitimately play four positions). I'll give him a pass on the malignancy that was Eric Leslie.

[NYGFan_Section208]

We have post bray trust issues lol

TOTALLY. That's why I asked if there were red flags before Bray came. If there were not, and we ended up getting what we got...and the coach decided he didn't want that kind of 'tude....on a guy that came with NO flags ...why would we want a guy that is pre-flagged already? Might as well make a push to get Bray back? (Understood that battle is more of a talent, but Bray has more than enough talent for this team, too)

[jcru]

Bray can't come back because of what his family did. Not because of anything Bray himself did.

[SGreenwell]

My mindset is that at URI, you have to be willing to take a chance on guys with some baggage. Our most famous one was Lamar Odom, and that worked out OK for us. I don't think you can have a whole team full of "challenging" guys to coach, but one or two? Sure. Plenty of examples in the NBA of malcontents who nonetheless responded well to particular coaches or situations. Battle's baggage seems to be the pretty routine "didn't get along with a coach," who is now fired and mostly seemed to get the job because he was an alum and a former NBA player.

[RhodyRams916]

We have post bray trust issues lol

TOTALLY. That's why I asked if there were red flags before Bray came. If there were not, and we ended up getting what we got...and the coach decided he didn't want that kind of 'tude....on a guy that came with NO flags ...why would we want a guy that is pre-flagged already? Might as well make a push to get Bray back? (Understood that battle is more of a talent, but Bray has more than enough talent for this team, too)

Bray is not coming back lol. You don’t get kicked off the team and then brought back.

[SGreenwell]

Bray can't come back because of what his family did. Not because of anything Bray himself did.

I kind of doubt this is the case. Frankly, if you can't handle a helicopter family in the year 2023, you probably got out of coaching roughly around the time of Bobby Knight getting fired from Indiana. I suspect it is more likely that Freeman agrees with much of what his family / family member is putting out there.

[RhodyRams916]

My mindset is that at URI, you have to be willing to take a chance on guys with some baggage. Our most famous one was Lamar Odom, and that worked out OK for us. I don't think you can have a whole team full of "challenging" guys to coach, but one or two? Sure. Plenty of examples in the NBA of malcontents who nonetheless responded well to particular coaches or situations. Battle's baggage seems to be the pretty routine "didn't get along with a coach," who is now fired and mostly seemed to get the job because he was an alum and a former NBA player.

I also saw that he only started 8 games this season (which seems crazy considering how good he is). I wonder if that was a prime reason they didn’t get along.

[jcru]

I'm sure Archie was giving Bray tough love all season, and it was going just fine. That's why when Bray had to leave the team because of what his FAMILY did, he seemed so lost, sitting in the stands, and didn't seem to understand what had changed. Because he was used to getting the opportunity to redeem himself when he messed up, but there was no coming back from that. Even outbursts like "pulling me is disrespectful" are fine, so long as they are said and hashed out behind closed doors, not for public consumption with his family members egging him on. That's why he's gone. His master plan to corner Archie from behind the bench at a game in D.C. blew up in his face. He crossed the line that cannot be crossed.

As far as I know, Battle has no such family issues. Doesn't seem to post his inner most feelings on social media. Sure, wants to play 40 mins and get the ball in every important situation, but that goes along with his position. Bray was not a two guard. He was a "run into the paint amongst 3-4 opposing players and try to weave your way to the basket" guard. His shooting ability was limited.

[RhodyRams916]

I'm sure Archie was giving Bray tough love all season, and it was going just fine. That's why when Bray had to leave the team because of what his FAMILY did, he seemed so lost, sitting in the stands, and didn't seem to understand what had changed. Because he was used to getting the opportunity to redeem himself when he messed up, but there was no coming back from that. Even outbursts like "pulling me is disrespectful" are fine, so long as they are said and hashed out behind closed doors, not for public consumption with his family members egging him on. That's why he's gone. His master plan to corner Archie from behind the bench at a game in D.C. blew up in his face. He crossed the line that cannot be crossed.

As far as I know, Battle has no such family issues. Doesn't seem to post his inner most feelings on social media. Sure, wants to play 40 mins and get the ball in every important situation, but that goes along with his position. Bray was not a two guard. He was a "run into the paint amongst 3-4 opposing players and try to weave your way to the basket" guard. His shooting ability was limited.

Also about Battle, take a look at his recent comment on Temple's insta. Could've really been something just between him and the coach and not his teammates. I don't think we should write someone off like him yet. Once again, 24 pts against Houston, one of the best teams in the country!

[RhodyRams916]

89% FT shooter too... That's really damn good.

[bigappleram]

Agreed you have to take guys with baggage as many have it. But not all baggage is created equal. Lamar never had 1 ding for being a selfish player, pouty, insubordinate to coaches. He was a misguided young phenom. Antwan Walker had baggage; he got in a fight with another student. No big deal. Stan got in trouble with the law and wanted more PT; again can be overlooked. Kuran may be the closest recent comp (besides Bray) bc one of his transgressions was negative social media post against the coach. And he was a model citizen under Dan.

Huge difference here tho and while not all baggage is equal. Winning cures a lot of ills. Adversity makes diamonds or burst pipes. These types of players when blended with other alphas and on a good team can work. On a struggling team almost certain to face adversity? It almost always works out like Bray. I’ll trust the staff but remain leery of Battle.

[jcru]

That Houston game was crazy. When his teammates were lost, this kid's confidence was on overdrive.

[jcru]

Fair enough.