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

[Rhody15]

Archie Miller is a far superior basketball coach than David Cox.

As far as the other assessment: first year was a lot of quick fixes. Ishmael's parents reportedly complaining that Ish had to do everything by himself out there, ie. not a lot of talent surrounding him. That probably worsened after the Bray departure. Lost their best post player to injury, JUCO Bilau. Two other frontcourt players, Alex and Rory were shown to not be true post players, ie. not rebounders. And one very talented player never showed up, and another former 4* player Weston seemed to lack focus, and another athletic player who just entered the portal this past week seemed to be more interested in making high light reel plays than Archie's offense, and probably should have red shirted which was the original plan. And probably their best big man prospect was red shirted.

So, fast forward to year two:

So far, four players. Estevez looks like a very solid long term PG recruit, hopefully he stays for a long time if it translates to this level. Dubsky looks like a stud outside shooter. House is Bray 2.0 and should fill that role very well. And Brown is probably the best post player recruit this team has had since Dan got Hassan Martin.

So, right now, things are looking pretty good recruiting wise for year two.

Add to that Foumena, who is coming off the red shirt. Weston who will probably be given one more go of it to see if he can demonstrate the potential that scouts saw in him when they gave him that lofty rating. And Rory as a spot shooter off the bench. Basically everything that could be salvaged from the first recruiting class.

year two is looking pretty good, but of course, recruiting is only as good as the last player and the next player, so they have to keep that going, and keep winning the recruiting battles for the best players they can find. And not settle for a mediocre player. I think that would be a mistake, not to mention draw a lot of criticism at this stage of the rebuilding process.

Good take, I see things the same. I’m a eternal optimist tho. Assume Miller is continuing to recruit Leggett, certainly a key piece to retain. Stealth train continues but results seem to be improving.

Go Rhody

Both commits so far this season have been from kids we’ve known were offered and recruited. Not exactly stealth and under the radar.

Give me known commodities over the “stealth” recruiting we had last year when we got minimal talent because nobody else was recruiting them.

[jcru]

When I say we need one more frontcourt player that could compliment Brown, I'm referring to someone already playing at a very high level, so a JUCO or grad transfer, who could play side by side with Brown down low in the pack line. If we simply cannot get another player like that, I mean, two frontcourt players like that in the same recruiting season might be too lofty a goal for Rhody, given our history, then don't bother.

Don't just get a body to get someone, if that person is not available or gets grabbed by another team, then focus on the backcourt.

We have Brown. We have Foumena. Then we have a lot of questions. Rory is staying. I'm not sure about Alex, I guess that would depend on the result of the statement above, and it remains to be seen if we have Bilau for one more year, given his injury. If we cannot get a player that is going to be better than what we already have returning, then there is not point right now.

[rhodylaw]

In my professional opinion Ish should come back next year - he will again be able to put up stats and should have some tougher players around him and hopefully a few more shooters. If it doesn’t work out again he will have a 5th year transfer option.

[Jersey77]

In my professional opinion Ish should come back next year - he will again be able to put up stats and should have some tougher players around him and hopefully a few more shooters. If it doesn’t work out again he will have a 5th year transfer option.

This year may be his best opportunity to leave. He is coming off a strong season and why not strike while the iron is hot for him. A lot can happen next season including possible injury. Besides having 2 years left can be a plus for some teams. But still, I hope he reconsiders and stays.

[jcru]

I guess it depends on who Archie gets in free agency.

House pretty much takes up the role vacated by Bray.

If we get someone like Pride, I think those two successfully replace all of the minutes taken by Bray and Carey.

If they get someone beyond that, you are basically replacing Leggett's or Bassy's minutes, so at that might influence Leggett returning.

I mean, if by some miracle they landed Battle, then there really wouldn't be any reason for Leggett to return. The writing would be on the wall.

Sans that, if Leggett intends to come back, maybe a scenario would be like: get Pride, get Conway, the shooter from VMI (unless Louisville takes him first) and call it a day. Leggett comes back. That would be three more players. and still would leave some of the minutes that were taken by Bassy for Estevez or another PG prospect.

[Jersey77]

I guess it depends on who Archie gets in free agency.

House pretty much takes up the role vacated by Bray.

If we get someone like Pride, I think those two successfully replace all of the minutes taken by Bray and Carey.

If they get someone beyond that, you are basically replacing Leggett's or Bassy's minutes, so at that might influence Leggett returning.

I mean, if by some miracle they landed Battle, then there really wouldn't be any reason for Leggett to return. The writing would be on the wall.

Sans that, if Leggett intends to come back, maybe a scenario would be like: get Pride, get Conway, the shooter from VMI (unless Louisville takes him first) and call it a day. Leggett comes back. That would be three more players. and still would leave some of the minutes that were taken by Bassy for Estevez or another PG prospect.

I actually think House is more of a replacement for Ish or Carey. The original plan for Bray was to takeover at PG.

[bigappleram]

We still need a PG. That isn’t House.

[jcru]

No I wasn't saying that, probably because I didn't consider Bray to be much of a PG.

[jcru]

Bray's 2 modes: 1. drive the lane. 2. attempt ridiculous bad pass in traffic and have it picked off

Well, to his defense, that was most of the team. Everyone thinks they can throw a pass to the one obscure player in the paint amongst 3-4 bad guys. 1 out of 10 times, it works.

[bigappleram]

It’s been quiet on the Ish and Bray front.
I’d make a guess Bray ends up at Bryant. Who knows with Ish.

[Blue Man]

It’s been quiet on the Ish and Bray front.
I’d make a guess Bray ends up at Bryant. Who knows with Ish.

I think Ish is checking out his options as he should. He deserves to be on a winner.

But if you get another legit piece I could see him coming back if we look like a winner

[Rhody72]

For now I'll say, if Ish returns we will be better than last year in conference but below .500. OOC we will schedule weak competition, so our W/L will be better and pink hats will be happy. House and Brown are 1 and 2 year rentals I believe. The holes are growing for future years.

[DevRam]

For now I'll say, if Ish returns we will be better than last year in conference but below .500. OOC we will schedule weak competition, so our W/L will be better and pink hats will be happy. House and Brown are 1 and 2 year rentals I believe. The holes are growing for future years.

What an incredible take with 5 roster spots still open. Bravo.

[jcru]

I would welcome an Ish return. But we would still need one more grad transfer for the backcourt.

That would give us:

Ishmael
House
Grad Transfer
Estevez
Dubsky

Someone like Pride could address this and provide shooting ability at the same time.

Estevez is a good looking PG in clips. Relying on a freshman player to run the offense is something people frown upon, but we have had players who did that in the past.

And yet, Tammi will probably be doing just that, next year, with her team, with Sophia Vital.

Of course that does invite some growing pains, even Tyson Wheeler had them in freshman year, but you might as well rip the band aide off ASAP if you are going to go that route.

Otherwise they need to address this in the next couple of months.

[Jdrums#3]

Regarding freshman PG’s, classify me as not totally against but certainly, I am hesitant

[bigappleram]

I’m not counting on either FR to be impactful in their first season. Ideally they can develop as the 7th or 8th or 9th guy on depth chart.

[PeterRamTime]

It’s been quiet on the Ish and Bray front.
I’d make a guess Bray ends up at Bryant. Who knows with Ish.

I think Ish is checking out his options as he should. He deserves to be on a winner.

But if you get another legit piece I could see him coming back if we look like a winner

Maybe land Pride and Keegan and we'll be in business.

[luke]

Dayton has often had great freshmen point guards over recent years including Schoocie Smith , Jalen Crutcher and most recently and current
point guard Malachi smith . So if Cam Estevez is up to the level of any of those Dayton PGs then they will be absolutely fine .

[Rhody72]

What an incredible take with 5 roster spots still open. Bravo.

I;m not optimistic on getting talent this time of year. Look what happened last year

[bigappleram]

What an incredible take with 5 roster spots still open. Bravo.

I;m not optimistic on getting talent this time of year. Look what happened last year

The thing about those 1,500 transfers is you can’t sign them during November when they are playing games. So “this time of year” is now when you recruit. It’s the transfer window.

[Rhody72]

The thing about those 1,500 transfers is you can’t sign them during November when they are playing games. So “this time of year” is now when you recruit. It’s the transfer window.

Only losers wait for the portal to open to recruit transfers. Players looking to transfer are talking during the season to their AAU coaches who are talking to college coaches about a landing spot. Only the deal goes down when the portal opens. Again, look at last year.

[reef]

It’s still way too early , we got 2 starters signed by April 1st , I think by the end of April we will be in decent shape

[Dino611]

The thing about those 1,500 transfers is you can’t sign them during November when they are playing games. So “this time of year” is now when you recruit. It’s the transfer window.

Only losers wait for the portal to open to recruit transfers. Players looking to transfer are talking during the season to their AAU coaches who are talking to college coaches about a landing spot. Only the deal goes down when the portal opens. Again, look at last year.

This is the dumbest take I’ve heard on this board / forum all time

All of the transfers aren’t “done deals” when they enter the portal

[RamStock]

It’s still way too early , we got 2 starters signed by April 1st , I think by the end of April we will be in decent shape

I don’t think anybody is questioning whether we will fill up the 13 scholarships as even last year I think they ended up signing 14, but most of the players were not quality talent and it shows with the roster we are stuck with. I think people are looking for the staff to move the needle. As we sit today we have a worst 3 point shooting team than last year and no point guard. Will Archie address this? I think he has to. How many more years can we operate with some of the worst shooting teams in the country in todays college basketball world.

[steveystuds06]

I guess it depends on who Archie gets in free agency.

House pretty much takes up the role vacated by Bray.

If we get someone like Pride, I think those two successfully replace all of the minutes taken by Bray and Carey.

If they get someone beyond that, you are basically replacing Leggett's or Bassy's minutes, so at that might influence Leggett returning.

I mean, if by some miracle they landed Battle, then there really wouldn't be any reason for Leggett to return. The writing would be on the wall.

Sans that, if Leggett intends to come back, maybe a scenario would be like: get Pride, get Conway, the shooter from VMI (unless Louisville takes him first) and call it a day. Leggett comes back. That would be three more players. and still would leave some of the minutes that were taken by Bassy for Estevez or another PG prospect.

I actually think House is more of a replacement for Ish or Carey. The original plan for Bray was to takeover at PG.

Ya House is very similar to Ish. Not a great shooter but he gets to the line and finishes well. He’s a stronggg player. I’m totally confused on why some people were acting like Josh Rivera was the next Obi Toppin and this kid is being questioned on if he’s a starter.. House is a starter..

We desperately need a point guard. That’s my only worry right now and it’s been pretty quiet.

[steveystuds06]

It’s still way too early. We got 2 starters signed by April 1st , I think by the end of April we will be in decent shape

I don’t think anybody is questioning whether we will fill up the 13 scholarships as even last year I think they ended up signing 14, but most of the players were not quality talent and it shows with the roster we are stuck with. I think people are looking for the staff to move the needle. As we sit today we have a worst 3 point shooting team than last year and no point guard. Will Archie address this? I think he has to. How many more years can we operate with some of the worst shooting teams in the country in todays college basketball world.

He’s bringing in two freshmen known as strong 3 pt shooters. Especially Connor. I want the best players we can get and then build the roster to its strengths. If it’s shooters, OK. If it’s not fine… If it’s between someone like Ish and House, that can score in various ways and get to the line compared to someone like Shep and EA, who would disappear in many games unless they shot the three well. Give me Ish/House 100% of the time.

We have two good gets on paper so far, and the typical negative people here are finding ways to be negative. I'm sure Archie knows we need a point guard with some range. Let’s see how this roster is filled out. So far, I’m happy with our two recent commitments

[bigappleram]

The thing about those 1,500 transfers is you can’t sign them during November when they are playing games. So “this time of year” is now when you recruit. It’s the transfer window.

Only losers wait for the portal to open to recruit transfers. Players looking to transfer are talking during the season to their AAU coaches who are talking to college coaches about a landing spot. Only the deal goes down when the portal opens. Again, look at last year.

You say some dumb stuff but then you double down on it which is noble.

[Obadiah]

No question Archie Miller had a rough first year in Kingston and under that circumstance, certain people are going to jump in and sow doubts. I have no real problem with the comments of Rhody72 who is entitled to his opinion. All of us have a critical side, myself included, but what makes Rhody72 get under the skin of many here is his basic fatalistic view which runs through much of what he offers up. I'm not a big admirer of fatalism as a value, and if you want to reach for an approach that has more dignity associated with it, look no further than the URI seal.... and find hope.

[PeterRamTime]

I guess it depends on who Archie gets in free agency.

House pretty much takes up the role vacated by Bray.

If we get someone like Pride, I think those two successfully replace all of the minutes taken by Bray and Carey.

If they get someone beyond that, you are basically replacing Leggett's or Bassy's minutes, so at that might influence Leggett returning.

I mean, if by some miracle they landed Battle, then there really wouldn't be any reason for Leggett to return. The writing would be on the wall.

Sans that, if Leggett intends to come back, maybe a scenario would be like: get Pride, get Conway, the shooter from VMI (unless Louisville takes him first) and call it a day. Leggett comes back. That would be three more players. and still would leave some of the minutes that were taken by Bassy for Estevez or another PG prospect.

I actually think House is more of a replacement for Ish or Carey. The original plan for Bray was to takeover at PG.

Ya House is very similar to Ish. Not a great shooter but he gets to the line and finishes well. He’s a stronggg player. I’m totally confused on why some people were acting like Josh Rivera was the next Obi Toppin and this kid is being questioned on if he’s a starter.. House is a starter..

We desperately need a point guard. That’s my only worry right now and it’s been pretty quiet.

Yeah House is a much bigger get than Rivera would have been

[Rhody72]

You say some dumb stuff but then you double down on it which is noble.

You are naive.

[Rhody72]

No question Archie Miller had a rough first year in Kingston and under that circumstance, certain people are going to jump in and sow doubts. I have no real problem with the comments of Rhody72 who is entitled to his opinion. All of us have a critical side, myself included, but what makes Rhody72 get under the skin of many here is his basic fatalistic view which runs through much of what he offers up. I'm not a big admirer of fatalism as a value, and if you want to reach for an approach that has more dignity associated with it, look no further than the URI seal.... and find hope.

Fatalistic? I'm still optimistically predicting that URI makes the NCAAT in year 4 (2025-26). I'll root for URI to win every game until then and beyond. I'd like to hear your case for dancing any sooner. I'm trying to be realistic.

[jcru]

Ya House is very similar to Ish. Not a great shooter but he gets to the line and finishes well. He’s a stronggg player. I’m totally confused on why some people were acting like Josh Rivera was the next Obi Toppin and this kid is being questioned on if he’s a starter.. House is a starter..

We desperately need a point guard. That’s my only worry right now and it’s been pretty quiet.

Classic URI Fan Fuzzy Memories.

What I said:

"Rivera's body and athleticism reminds of a shorter JACOB TOBBIN."

"River could be the most athletic player we've had since JACOB TOBBIN."

In a completely different conversation:

"I don't think we'll be saying 'Why oh why didn't he pick Rhody' like we did with Bones Hyland and Obi Tobbin."

...

Less than one week later...

you: "I'm totally confused on why some people were acting like Josh Rivera was the next Obi Toppin."

3 months from now:

"JCRU said 'Drink Bleach'"

[steveystuds06]

Ya House is very similar to Ish. Not a great shooter but he gets to the line and finishes well. He’s a stronggg player. I’m totally confused on why some people were acting like Josh Rivera was the next Obi Toppin and this kid is being questioned on if he’s a starter.. House is a starter..

We desperately need a point guard. That’s my only worry right now and it’s been pretty quiet.

Classic URI Fan Fuzzy Memories.

What I said:

"Rivera's body and athleticism reminds of a shorter JACOB TOBBIN."

"River could be the most athletic player we've had since JACOB TOBBIN."

In a completely different conversation:

"I don't think we'll be saying 'Why oh why didn't he pick Rhody' like we did with Bones Hyland and Obi Tobbin."

...

Less than one week later...

you: "I'm totally confused on why some people were acting like Josh Rivera was the next Obi Toppin."

3 months from now:

"JCRU said 'Drink Bleach'"

Umm I have no idea what post you’re talking about… I didn’t say you or anyone actually said that he will be Obi Toppin… After he committed to Fordham we had a bunch of responses as if this kid was some massive loss and I was and still am confused. He could be great. He could also be an average A10 player. Too early to tell.

[RamStock]

Ya House is very similar to Ish. Not a great shooter but he gets to the line and finishes well. He’s a stronggg player. I’m totally confused on why some people were acting like Josh Rivera was the next Obi Toppin and this kid is being questioned on if he’s a starter.. House is a starter..

We desperately need a point guard. That’s my only worry right now and it’s been pretty quiet.

Classic URI Fan Fuzzy Memories.

What I said:

"Rivera's body and athleticism reminds of a shorter JACOB TOBBIN."

"River could be the most athletic player we've had since JACOB TOBBIN."

In a completely different conversation:

"I don't think we'll be saying 'Why oh why didn't he pick Rhody' like we did with Bones Hyland and Obi Tobbin."

...

Less than one week later...

you: "I'm totally confused on why some people were acting like Josh Rivera was the next Obi Toppin."

3 months from now:

"JCRU said 'Drink Bleach'"

Isn’t this the standard formula for many people on the board? If they come to URI they are a McDonalds All American, but if they go somewhere else they weren’t that good anyway. I get that some of us are on the negative or more wait see side which is annoying, but the same goes for when people hype the great signing by Archie Miller on players they have never seen play. Highlights are meant to show players best moments. I think with the new college transfer turnover it is impossible to determine how good a team will be year to year good or bad.

[section(105)]

Well said.

[RIFan]

Look we signed 8 new players for last season and only 1 was an impact player and he got kicked off the team. A few had flashes, the one with the most then got hurt. But none really trended up and had like a great last 10 games that you can point to and say next years he’s going to make a big jump and be a starter. So I think a healthy dose of skepticism is warranted here. What are the odds of having 8 new players and not 1 being really good? Some teams had a ton of new players and went to the NCAA.

[steveystuds06]

Ya House is very similar to Ish. Not a great shooter but he gets to the line and finishes well. He’s a stronggg player. I’m totally confused on why some people were acting like Josh Rivera was the next Obi Toppin and this kid is being questioned on if he’s a starter.. House is a starter..

We desperately need a point guard. That’s my only worry right now and it’s been pretty quiet.

Classic URI Fan Fuzzy Memories.

What I said:

"Rivera's body and athleticism reminds of a shorter JACOB TOBBIN."

"River could be the most athletic player we've had since JACOB TOBBIN."

In a completely different conversation:

"I don't think we'll be saying 'Why oh why didn't he pick Rhody' like we did with Bones Hyland and Obi Tobbin."

...

Less than one week later...

you: "I'm totally confused on why some people were acting like Josh Rivera was the next Obi Toppin."

3 months from now:

"JCRU said 'Drink Bleach'"

Isn’t this the standard formula for many people on the board? If they come to URI they are a McDonalds All American, but if they go somewhere else they weren’t that good anyway. I get that some of us are on the negative or more wait see side which is annoying, but the same goes for when people hype the great signing by Archie Miller on players they have never seen play. Highlights are meant to show players best moments. I think with the new college transfer turnover it is impossible to determine how good a team will be year to year good or bad.

There isn't one person that said our two new recruits are all americans. Not one. I don't even think anyone said that they are going to be ALL A10 players, never mind all American. There is a wait-and-see approach that most have. Then there is being negative about every little thing and assuming the worst. For example, the day we landed Tyson Brown, you assumed he wouldn't make an impact because, according to you, Jucos don't work out. I find that to be ridiculous. It's a case-by-case situation. Or claiming that none of our players can develop into solid pieces and everyone should transfer. Another ridiculous comment.. There aren't a lot of people that are that negative, but we have a few, and those are the people I'm talking about.


How do you know we haven't seen any of these players play? I know for a fact multiple fans on this message board have watched our incoming recruits in live games and not just highlight tapes. All we can do as a fanbase is watch live games, look up stats, articles, scouting reports, and watch highlights of these recruits. So when a player has good stats, looks strong in live games, and has a reputation as a good player, there is nothing wrong with having some excitement and hope. I don't think we have landed our "star" player yet. I think we landed two A10-level starters, an upgrade to our roster last year. I also believe Weston is ready to jump, and Rory will be a nice piece. It's a good start and an improvement from last year, but we need more.

[steveystuds06]

Look we signed 8 new players for last season and only 1 was an impact player and he got kicked off the team. A few had flashes, the one with the most then got hurt. But none really trended up and had like a great last 10 games that you can point to and say next years he’s going to make a big jump and be a starter. So I think a healthy dose of skepticism is warranted here. What are the odds of having 8 new players and not 1 being really good? Some teams had a ton of new players and went to the NCAA.

Last year was always going to be the toughest class.. Then Bray didn't work out. Ant didnt' show. Our best big man got hurt. Our big man with the highest upside had to redshirt. It sucked. It was a horrible year. I have a lot more faith in this incoming class. KJ and Archie had a full season to recruit. I think next year's class could be even better, but I would be shocked if Archie doesn't land better players this year. I think he already has.

I think Rory looked better late in the year. He shot the ball much better from 3. I think Weston was coming into his own as well. I expect both players to be more consistent and make a jump this year.

[Jersey77]

Classic URI Fan Fuzzy Memories.

What I said:

"Rivera's body and athleticism reminds of a shorter JACOB TOBBIN."

"River could be the most athletic player we've had since JACOB TOBBIN."

In a completely different conversation:

"I don't think we'll be saying 'Why oh why didn't he pick Rhody' like we did with Bones Hyland and Obi Tobbin."

...

Less than one week later...

you: "I'm totally confused on why some people were acting like Josh Rivera was the next Obi Toppin."

3 months from now:

"JCRU said 'Drink Bleach'"

Isn’t this the standard formula for many people on the board? If they come to URI they are a McDonalds All American, but if they go somewhere else they weren’t that good anyway. I get that some of us are on the negative or more wait see side which is annoying, but the same goes for when people hype the great signing by Archie Miller on players they have never seen play. Highlights are meant to show players best moments. I think with the new college transfer turnover it is impossible to determine how good a team will be year to year good or bad.

There isn't one person that said our two new recruits are all americans. Not one. I don't even think anyone said that they are going to be ALL A10 players, never mind all American. There is a wait-and-see approach that most have. Then there is being negative about every little thing and assuming the worst. For example, the day we landed Tyson Brown, you assumed he wouldn't make an impact because, according to you, Jucos don't work out. I find that to be ridiculous. It's a case-by-case situation. Or claiming that none of our players can develop into solid pieces and everyone should transfer. Another ridiculous comment.. There aren't a lot of people that are that negative, but we have a few, and those are the people I'm talking about.


How do you know we haven't seen any of these players play? I know for a fact multiple fans on this message board have watched our incoming recruits in live games and not just highlight tapes. All we can do as a fanbase is watch live games, look up stats, articles, scouting reports, and watch highlights of these recruits. So when a player has good stats, looks strong in live games, and has a reputation as a good player, there is nothing wrong with having some excitement and hope. I don't think we have landed our "star" player yet. I think we landed two A10-level starters, an upgrade to our roster last year. I also believe Weston is ready to jump, and Rory will be a nice piece. It's a good start and an improvement from last year, but we need more.

Stevey you beat me to the response.
I am a little behind, vacationing at PGA National in Florida.

But yes exactly, Archie had a short time to recruit for last season, and I am not as down on some of the players he brought in as many here are.
Weston and Rory were both freshman and Foumena hasn't even played yet.
Bilau had the injury issues and Alex has athleticism, length, but still very raw.

I am a wait and see how they develop before I pass judgement.

Still very much looking forward to seeing how Archie fills out the roster.
I am good with House and Brown as a starting point along with recruits Cam and Dubs.

[SGreenwell]

Look we signed 8 new players for last season and only 1 was an impact player and he got kicked off the team. A few had flashes, the one with the most then got hurt. But none really trended up and had like a great last 10 games that you can point to and say next years he’s going to make a big jump and be a starter. So I think a healthy dose of skepticism is warranted here. What are the odds of having 8 new players and not 1 being really good? Some teams had a ton of new players and went to the NCAA.

I think this is all true, but its mitigated a bit in my mind because Miller was essentially out of the game for a year. Yes, I'm positive he was aware of trends happening in the game during the 2021-22 season, but it's not like he was scouting players or establishing connections with HS coaches and transfer pipelines. I'm not going to be in "worried" territory unless this coming year (2023-24) also results in like eight new players, and we came away with zero or one regulars. Right now, we're looking at a range of five to eight new players - Freeman, Martin, Thomas, Samb and Hutchinson definitely seem to be gone, Carey and Leggett seem very low odds to return, and Ant Harris, who friggin' knows? (He's neither confirmed that he's going to URI, or announced that he's seeking a new school, so he remains an eternal source of mystery.)

[jcru]

Stevie, you said "I can't understand how people were acting like Rivera was going to be Obi Toppin"

I just told you, 1. it wasn't people (pleural) and 2. it was ME, and I wasn't acting like that at all

You guys can't read. It's fine, it's not the first time it's happen on this site or the previous message boards.

No one thought Rivera was going to be Obi Toppin. Just slightly impressed with his athleticism was all.

[Obadiah]

Look we signed 8 new players for last season and only 1 was an impact player and he got kicked off the team. A few had flashes, the one with the most then got hurt. But none really trended up and had like a great last 10 games that you can point to and say next years he’s going to make a big jump and be a starter. So I think a healthy dose of skepticism is warranted here. What are the odds of having 8 new players and not 1 being really good? Some teams had a ton of new players and went to the NCAA.

Very good perspective and does explain my concern over Archie and his staff in their assessment of talent. If you judge a D-1 team by the number and quality of its possessions, the 2022-23 URI team was pretty pathetic. But Archie was coming off a one year absence from coaching so he and his staff understandably had to scramble. This coming season will be a better test. No matter the level of talent next year, the team has to show progress as the season evolves.

[jcru]

There isn't one person that said our two new recruits are all americans. Not one. I don't even think anyone said that they are going to be ALL A10 players, never mind all American. There is a wait-and-see approach that most have. Then there is being negative about every little thing and assuming the worst. For example, the day we landed Tyson Brown, you assumed he wouldn't make an impact because, according to you, Jucos don't work out. I find that to be ridiculous. It's a case-by-case situation. Or claiming that none of our players can develop into solid pieces and everyone should transfer. Another ridiculous comment.. There aren't a lot of people that are that negative, but we have a few, and those are the people I'm talking about.

I have to agree with this one, RamStock. That comment was teetering on Rhody72 level off the wall. JUCOs don't work out. I imagine their success ratio isn't much different than any other category of recruit that we are going after. The higher they are rated, the more likelihood they will be fine, or pretty good, which is the same with all of them.

[jcru]

I think the difference is apparent this year. Last year, no matter who he signed, we just went with it. It was like "yeah, I have no idea who this player is, but I trust Archie! wooo!"

I don't think that is going to happen this time around. Each one of these signings is being much more scritinized.

[RIFan]

I think the 2 transfers are more vetted, but I’m not sure about the 2 frosh, they are near complete unknown quantities and I have no idea what to expect.

[RamStock]

Classic URI Fan Fuzzy Memories.

What I said:

"Rivera's body and athleticism reminds of a shorter JACOB TOBBIN."

"River could be the most athletic player we've had since JACOB TOBBIN."

In a completely different conversation:

"I don't think we'll be saying 'Why oh why didn't he pick Rhody' like we did with Bones Hyland and Obi Tobbin."

...

Less than one week later...

you: "I'm totally confused on why some people were acting like Josh Rivera was the next Obi Toppin."

3 months from now:

"JCRU said 'Drink Bleach'"

Isn’t this the standard formula for many people on the board? If they come to URI they are a McDonalds All American, but if they go somewhere else they weren’t that good anyway. I get that some of us are on the negative or more wait see side which is annoying, but the same goes for when people hype the great signing by Archie Miller on players they have never seen play. Highlights are meant to show players best moments. I think with the new college transfer turnover it is impossible to determine how good a team will be year to year good or bad.

There isn't one person that said our two new recruits are all americans. Not one. I don't even think anyone said that they are going to be ALL A10 players, never mind all American. There is a wait-and-see approach that most have. Then there is being negative about every little thing and assuming the worst. For example, the day we landed Tyson Brown, you assumed he wouldn't make an impact because, according to you, Jucos don't work out. I find that to be ridiculous. It's a case-by-case situation. Or claiming that none of our players can develop into solid pieces and everyone should transfer. Another ridiculous comment.. There aren't a lot of people that are that negative, but we have a few, and those are the people I'm talking about.


How do you know we haven't seen any of these players play? I know for a fact multiple fans on this message board have watched our incoming recruits in live games and not just highlight tapes. All we can do as a fanbase is watch live games, look up stats, articles, scouting reports, and watch highlights of these recruits. So when a player has good stats, looks strong in live games, and has a reputation as a good player, there is nothing wrong with having some excitement and hope. I don't think we have landed our "star" player yet. I think we landed two A10-level starters, an upgrade to our roster last year. I also believe Weston is ready to jump, and Rory will be a nice piece. It's a good start and an improvement from last year, but we need more.

Steve,

First off I said that I have never seen Tyson Brown play which I noted. I never said he wouldn’t be good, just said getting a juco to me didn't excite me as much as getting a player who played at this level. I just don’t get where we go with “we just landed a star” attitude when almost everyone on the board has not watched him play other than some highlights against lower end competition. I get it some jucos work out and some don’t. When Rory and Hutchinson got signed they were top players that were going to make a big difference and turn the program around in your opinion. Is it fair to say that Hutchinson couldn’t get minutes on a 9 win team and he was overrated by many people. It is difficult for freshman to make an impact, but he played on a dumpster fire of a team and still wasn’t given time. I have hope for Weston, but not so much with Rory as he is slow and can’t defend with his attribute being shooting-which actually makes him a player they could use off the bench. I think it is also fair to question Archie as he has not been stellar on the players he brought in. Obviously this is a big off season and he will sign shooters and a point guard or it be another bad season for sure. I think House is somewhere in between Freeman and Carey with a much better attitude than Freeman from what I have read on him.

[jcru]

My 6 year old in class today, first grade. They are learning pleural words today. His teacher just sent this to my wife and I:



fan(s) ram(s)

lol

[RamStock]

There isn't one person that said our two new recruits are all americans. Not one. I don't even think anyone said that they are going to be ALL A10 players, never mind all American. There is a wait-and-see approach that most have. Then there is being negative about every little thing and assuming the worst. For example, the day we landed Tyson Brown, you assumed he wouldn't make an impact because, according to you, Jucos don't work out. I find that to be ridiculous. It's a case-by-case situation. Or claiming that none of our players can develop into solid pieces and everyone should transfer. Another ridiculous comment.. There aren't a lot of people that are that negative, but we have a few, and those are the people I'm talking about.

I have to agree with this one, RamStock. That comment was teetering on Rhody72 level off the wall. JUCOs don't work out. I imagine their success ratio isn't much different than any other category of recruit that we are going after. The higher they are rated, the more likelihood they will be fine, or pretty good, which is the same with all of them.

To be fair I said I didn’t like Jucos which is partially because no one watches basketball at that level. I didn’t said they never work out and definitely never said Brown wouldn’t be good. There are jucos that make huge impacts, but they are usually with the power 5 schools. In my mind if he guy is averaging 12/9 at that level he might be more of and 8 and 6.5 which is no doubt serviceable and would help the front court. I think he will be an improvement over Alex without watching more than a few highlights. If Archie had hit on anyone last year I might not be as quick to question his signings/transfers. It just blows my mind when people say trust Archie and we will be good when we are good.

[jcru]

Ok, that is fair.

[Billyboy78]

I don't think people were flipping out because we didn't get Rivera. I think it was more about losing a recruiting battle to Fordham. It could have been any recruit. If our staff wanted a kid (any kid) badly (and we don't know that for sure either) , and we lost him to Fordham, that's not a good thing.