Men's Basketball Transfer Carousel and Portal - 2024-25

[Billyboy78]

Looks like he knows Cam

Two players who 'liked' his announcement are Cam and Ways.

[Dino611]

No one better celebrate this Lawrence transfer. Just because he’s a borderline B1G starter who played well against good B1G competition and represents a lot of things we missed on the court last year doesn’t mean we can be happy.

The staff didn’t let this message board know what they were doing, so it doesn’t count.

No celebrating! None!

It was reported he was visiting and interested.

This wasn’t an out of the blue signing.

Will be interesting to see if this starts a domino effect of kids on the team (Luis) deciding to leave.

It will be ways before anyone else

[SGreenwell]

I've made a thread in the recruiting forum for him:

viewtopic.php?t=10044

[Iggy1979]

So, if we get Lawrence, how long before Hammond decommits?

6 guards averaged 15 or minutes a game last year. No reason for anyone to leave or decommit.

[Billyboy78]

So, if we get Lawrence, how long before Hammond decommits?

6 guards averaged 15 or minutes a game last year. No reason for anyone to leave or decommit.

Are we still after Diggy Coit?

[NYGFan_Section208]

I just find it pathetic/funny in a said way/hopeless all we’ve had this offseason are multiple players leaving, coach leaving, and ZERO incoming transfers.

Archie is not doing things on fans' timeline. Lets see what the staff and roster looks like when it's done.

Potential benefits to waiting. Still more players to hit the portal and some of the better players still to come.

Available playing time is a good selling point. Agree to judge Archie and his Staff once complete - plenty of time to go. Patience is a virtue.

That's hilarious...college student-athletes - on scholarship - waiting for their last checks so they can hit the trail. That's just freekn awesome.

[Joe95]

So, if we get Lawrence, how long before Hammond decommits?

6 guards averaged 15 or minutes a game last year. No reason for anyone to leave or decommit.

Are we still after Diggy Coit?

Ben Hammond was nice knowing ya

[ElmCityRhody]

Archie is not doing things on fans' timeline. Lets see what the staff and roster looks like when it's done.

Potential benefits to waiting. Still more players to hit the portal and some of the better players still to come.

Available playing time is a good selling point. Agree to judge Archie and his Staff once complete - plenty of time to go. Patience is a virtue.

That's hilarious...college student-athletes - on scholarship - waiting for their last checks so they can hit the trail. That's just freekn awesome.

PONZI SCHEME

I WILL NEVER GIVE MONEY

NEVER

[Rhody15]

Reason 4849488327 I’ll never get excited for recruits this day and age.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Awesome! Unlike guys like Weston and Alex this kid has actually made an impact at the high major he's coming from. Great job by Archie. We finally get some good news.

Never seen him play, from all the posts, sounds awesome. From trying to read the enthusiasm gauge, I hope th he's clearly going to be a better player than an incoming Hammond, and that they won't be competing for playing time. Would expect Lawrence to be much better?

ETA...holy cow timing

[ElmCityRhody]

And why I will never ever pay

What a joke

[NYGFan_Section208]

Lost Hammond...gained Lawrence. Will take it every single day of the week.

[Rhodymob05]

Wtf man

Edit - he was too short anyways!

[Rams99]

He was always going to be loyal to KJ. Keep it moving and turn the page. Frees up a ton of money to spend on someone else.

[Jdrums#3]

So, if we get Lawrence, how long before Hammond decommits?

6 guards averaged 15 or minutes a game last year. No reason for anyone to leave or decommit.

Are we still after Diggy Coit?

I thought I saw a tweet here earlier today about him attracting more interest from P5’s ?

If that is the case, he will probably slide out of our reach. But also, having just landed Lawrence, perhaps our priority is shifting to the front court now ?

[rhodyfan3]

The hits just keep coming. No exciting incoming freshman any longer. KJ gone. Zero buzz. Sure we got the one transfer, but it just feels like a drop in the ocean.

[Rhody Sody]

Reason 4849488327 I’ll never get excited for recruits this day and age.

Totally against the character he portrays in all write ups. Unfortunately, that’s common now. Not many people in the college game have the stones to be a man anymore and actually stick to a team when a team takes a chance on them. Sad state that we live in but I’m excited for Jamarques. I kind of figured that Hammond might be gone after a year because i expect him to be a stud so I guess Jamarques is better in the long haul for us because we might get 2 years.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Potential benefits to waiting. Still more players to hit the portal and some of the better players still to come.

Available playing time is a good selling point. Agree to judge Archie and his Staff once complete - plenty of time to go. Patience is a virtue.

That's hilarious...college student-athletes - on scholarship - waiting for their last checks so they can hit the trail. That's just freekn awesome.

PONZI SCHEME

I WILL NEVER GIVE MONEY

NEVER

That's what you're looking at as a contributor...paying for a guy that's taking up a roster spot with no intention of staying. Sure...dudes that you want gone take up roster spots all the time...now you could be paying them, too.

[KevanBoyles]

Looks like Archie saw this coming with the Recruitment of Lawrence.

[BleedBlue87]

Brutal hit to lose Ben but this is the game now.

[RF1]

Reason 4849488327 I’ll never get excited for recruits this day and age.

Well that sucks.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Looks like Archie saw this coming with the Recruitment of Lawrence.

I didn't really understand (still don't) the excitement over an undersized freshman point guard to come in and play a key role. He may turn into a star someday, but chances are slim to none it's happening as a freshman. It's mostly a year to year game now. There's no reason I can see not to have an experienced PG running the show every year now. I mean, why wouldn't you?

[NYGFan_Section208]

Looks like Archie saw this coming with the Recruitment of Lawrence.

I hope Arch thinks he made it happen, not that he was 'prepared for it to happen.' Upgrade every position/player whenever you can

[RamStock]

The hits just keep coming. No exciting incoming freshman any longer. KJ gone. Zero buzz. Sure we got the one transfer, but it just feels like a drop in the ocean.

This sport is such a joke now. Hammonds was the one guy that created buzz and had a chance to be something special. We are stuck with a bunch of 5 year seniors that can’t win and just aren’t that good. This blows. We will end up with a bunch of other average to below average transfers. I can’t believe people would waste a dime on paying players for this team. Does Archie ever see anything coming or try to stop valuable players from leaving.

[steviep123]

Seems RV has an axe to grind

[NYGFan_Section208]

Seems RV has an axe to grind

Y'think he contributes to the NIL that he took his handle from?

[Rhodymob05]

He ain’t even hiding it anymore lol

[bigappleram]

He never was hiding it. And any fans that fuel it are also enemies of the state designation.

[Jdrums#3]

Archie must have really hurt Vaults feelings.

Imho, Vault brings no value to me as a fan and brings no value to the program.

[steviep123]

[The Dude]

I don't like the direction college basketball and sports around the nation is head in...or even the country for that matter. It's all the same. It's all greed, which tends to lead to corruption. Anyone remember how Rome fell?
Devaluing education. the money grab mantra, betting on anything & everything, & "nationally" televising high school sports (not just locally) is not what I'd view as things moving in a positive direction. A chunk of this country doesn't even know who the President is half of the time, but I bet they all know who Kim Kardashian and Bronny James are. The youth of today is surrounded by lies (television actors like to call it "misinformation", but it's lies and half truths...let's call a spade a spade) and are ill equipped to decipher who's telling them the truth and who isn't. Many kids and adults alike are so reliant on their phone they've become anxiety ridden, narcissistic, mindless zombies that can't think critically or function well without it. It's all the same shit sandwich. I don't think I will ever donate to anything relating to the NIL. I have much more important things I can think of where the money would be better utilized than a college sports team if I'm being completely honest. I'm not knocking anyone who does, but it's just not for me at this point in time. College sports programs, from a national perspective, have become too bloated anyway, in my opinion. Tuition fees are sky high and college sports has become a game of trying to keep up with the Joneses so to speak.
If I had a free ride to a school and had the opportunity to get my degree for free I would've been over the moon about it. I wouldn't have to worry about the potential for student loan debt or paying out of pocket.
Brawndo it's what plants crave.

[steveystuds06]

I didn’t think Hammond was coming so I’m not surprised. I won’t form an opinion until I see the final roster. Lawerence was a great get. I wish Hammond the best.

What a fucking waste of time watching him play…. College basketball sucks.

At least I get to see my Lakers get swept by the Nuggets now.

[reef]

Again, props to the staff on getting Lawrence.
I really didn't think we get a PG transfer this good in the portal.

I liked him immediately once I saw him play as a freshman.

He had some huge games against top teams.\

This praise from Tom Izzo.
“The Lawrence kid is going to be a hell of a player,” Izzo said. “We couldn’t guard him.”

Now that he committed, I thought I would copy this from my earlier post on him.

https://huskers.com/sports/mens-basketb ... s-lawrence

23-24- " Averaged 9.5 points per game while shooting 55 percent from the field and 52 percent from 3-point range over his last 11 games • Finished with nine points, two assists and a pair of steals vs. No. 13 Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals • Came off the bench for 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting against Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament • Tied for team-high honors with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting and a team-high five assists at Ohio State • Reached double figures with 11 points, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, in the win over Minnesota • Enjoyed his best game as a Husker at Indiana with a career-high 19 points, including 5-of-5 from 3-point range, six rebounds and five assists •

22-23- "He closed the year playing his best basketball with four straight double-figure games and averaging 13.3 points on 53 percent shooting, including 46 percent from 3-point range, along with 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. The stretch featured a pair of 15-point games against Michigan State and Iowa when he earned Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week accolades. Against MSU, he hit 7-of-10 shots from the field, while he sank a career-high five 3-pointers and added a season-best four assists in the win at Iowa."

Nice get by the staff ! Love the praise from Izzo and he contributed on an NCAA Tournament team !

[PCFriars]

Seems RV has an axe to grind

How many contradictions can you fit into 280 characters? This literally makes no sense.

[AndreBerryLover33]

Hey everyone thanks for having me on the board. I’ve been reading for almost a decade but never felt the need to post until now. The recruiting of mostly point guards on top of the Kenny Johnson rumors in the air showed both that Kenny was gone and that Hammond was obviously never showing up. Not sure how it could have been more obvious because this team needs wing players and big men.

[Jdrums#3]

I don't like the direction college basketball and sports around the nation is head in...or even the country for that matter. It's all the same. It's all greed, which tends to lead to corruption. Anyone remember how Rome fell?
Devaluing education. the money grab mantra, betting on anything & everything, & "nationally" televising high school sports (not just locally) is not what I'd view as things moving in a positive direction. A chunk of this country doesn't even know who the President is half of the time, but I bet they all know who Kim Kardashian and Bronny James are. The youth of today is surrounded by lies (television actors like to call it "misinformation", but it's lies and half truths...let's call a spade a spade) and are ill equipped to decipher who's telling them the truth and who isn't. Many kids and adults alike are so reliant on their phone they've become anxiety ridden, narcissistic, mindless zombies that can't think critically or function well without it. It's all the same shit sandwich. I don't think I will ever donate to anything relating to the NIL. I have much more important things I can think of where the money would be better utilized than a college sports team if I'm being completely honest. I'm not knocking anyone who does, but it's just not for me at this point in time. College sports programs, from a national perspective, have become too bloated anyway, in my opinion. Tuition fees are sky high and college sports has become a game of trying to keep up with the Joneses so to speak.
If I had a free ride to a school and had the opportunity to get my degree for free I would've been over the moon about it. I wouldn't have to worry about the potential for student loan debt or paying out of pocket.
Brawndo it's what plants crave.

Thoughtful and thought provoking post, TheDude. As my life winds down I reflect back on it more - including the times where I lost sight of the things that truly matter. I am thankful those periods of blindness were only temporary.

Carry on, my fellow Rhody fan.

[PeterRamTime]

Wow and he grew up there and was a lifelong fan

Still hits the portal

Good lord.

[ramster]

Archie must have really hurt Vaults feelings.

Imho, Vault brings no value to me as a fan and brings no value to the program.

True Jdrums#3, but I’ll take it a step further and say Rhody Vault brings negative value to the program. What he puts out on URI MBB is heavily biased against the team and coach. He does not disclose his sources (unless he is wrong as in the guarantee Tre Mitchell is coming to URI - then he blames his source who he never gave credit to in the 1st place). He makes it sound like he is at the games and practices but 99%+ of the time he is in Canada.
As BAR and BlueMan say he is an enemy of the state…..it’s been that way since Miller started and getting progressively worse.

[ramster]

I didn’t think Hammond was coming so I’m not surprised. I won’t form an opinion until I see the final roster. Lawerence was a great get. I wish Hammond the best.

What a fucking waste of time watching him play…. College basketball sucks.

At least I get to see my Lakers get swept by the Nuggets now.

Stevey,
I didn’t think Hammond was coming either so I expected this shoe to drop regardless of whether Johnson was here or elsewhere.

I moved towards 90% or more doubtful over a month ago when I read Bar’s post in which he got only 1 response here from Rams99.

Bigappleram
Re: '24 VA PG Ben Hammond (URI signed LOI)
Post 1 month ago

Was Ben sighted at any of our games this year? The ones in DC (GMU or GW)?

Rams99
Re: '24 VA PG Ben Hammond (URI signed LOI)
Post 1 month ago

I believe he was at the men’s scrimmage before the season at the Ryan Center.


Got me thinking about not a single appearance at a URI game including GW, George Mason, VCU, games in Philly, NYC, A10 Tournament……..

Paul VI played high prestigious tournaments at Isle of Palms in Ft Myers, became very highly ranked up to Top 10, then Top 5, then Ranked #1 more and more attention came to Paul VI. Some games Nationally televised.

Writing was on the wall, sometimes you just have to read the wall which isn’t always easy being a devoted fan. Combine this with the current MBB environment of massive player movement……..

On the plus side, better Hammond decommitted now versus at some time between now and September. Portal is still open and plenty of players available and more players to enter the portal.

[rambone 78]

The staff should just forget about recruiting high level freshmen. They aren't going to stay here for more than 1 year if they do come.

Concentrate on players like Lawrence who already have solid D1 experience and have a much better chance of staying here for 2, or maybe 3 years.

Mid majors like URI really have no other choice nowadays.

[LoveThoseRams]

Hey everyone thanks for having me on the board. I’ve been reading for almost a decade but never felt the need to post until now. The recruiting of mostly point guards on top of the Kenny Johnson rumors in the air showed both that Kenny was gone and that Hammond was obviously never showing up. Not sure how it could have been more obvious because this team needs wing players and big men.

Welcome to the madness!

[RhodyBB91]

How much NIl does this free up losing Ben

[section(105)]

When posting about Ben early on, I used “if” he comes here……he was iffy at best.

[ramster]

When posting about Ben early on, I used “if” he comes here……he was iffy at best.

And the “iffy at best” became even iffier as his Senior Year at Paul VI progressed.

[RhowdyRam02]

Archie must have really hurt Vaults feelings.

Imho, Vault brings no value to me as a fan and brings no value to the program.

There was one point where he added value, but that time has long since past and now he's actively hurting the program he claims to love, all because Archie never kissed the ring.

I mean phenomenal NIL for the A10? Talk about absolutely clueless. I think we'll get there with Stone, but it absolutely wasn't phenomenal before

[rambone 78]

He needed to blow up AFTER he came here, not before.

When that happened, we were doomed.

[hrstrat57]

D1 college basketball has zero to do with college. I guess it’s marketing-not really sure what it is.

What I do know is the message sent to young “student” athletes is twisted. Get all you can for yourself and honor no commitments. What a fantastic education.

I’ll keep buying season tix because it’s cheap entertainment and I’m 5 minutes away from the RC. Other than that I’ll probably let the rest of y’all and our 1% alumni fund this mess.

[RamStock]

I don't like the direction college basketball and sports around the nation is head in...or even the country for that matter. It's all the same. It's all greed, which tends to lead to corruption. Anyone remember how Rome fell?
Devaluing education. the money grab mantra, betting on anything & everything, & "nationally" televising high school sports (not just locally) is not what I'd view as things moving in a positive direction. A chunk of this country doesn't even know who the President is half of the time, but I bet they all know who Kim Kardashian and Bronny James are. The youth of today is surrounded by lies (television actors like to call it "misinformation", but it's lies and half truths...let's call a spade a spade) and are ill equipped to decipher who's telling them the truth and who isn't. Many kids and adults alike are so reliant on their phone they've become anxiety ridden, narcissistic, mindless zombies that can't think critically or function well without it. It's all the same shit sandwich. I don't think I will ever donate to anything relating to the NIL. I have much more important things I can think of where the money would be better utilized than a college sports team if I'm being completely honest. I'm not knocking anyone who does, but it's just not for me at this point in time. College sports programs, from a national perspective, have become too bloated anyway, in my opinion. Tuition fees are sky high and college sports has become a game of trying to keep up with the Joneses so to speak.
If I had a free ride to a school and had the opportunity to get my degree for free I would've been over the moon about it. I wouldn't have to worry about the potential for student loan debt or paying out of pocket.
Brawndo it's what plants crave.

Well said. I am at the point that I really don’t care what happens with college sports and minimal interest on what URI does this off season or next year. Waste of time to ever try and recruit freshman that are actually good

[section(105)]

D1 college basketball has zero to do with college. I guess it’s marketing-not really sure what it is.

What I do know is the message sent to young “student” athletes is twisted. Get all you can for yourself and honor no commitments. What a fantastic education.

I’ll keep buying season tix because it’s cheap entertainment and I’m 5 minutes away from the RC. Other than that I’ll probably let the rest of y’all and our 1% alumni fund this mess.

Yep, 1000%

[rambone 78]

True 98% of the money going to the collective is coming from the few very well heeled donors.