Game #11: @Detroit - Sunday Dec 7, 2pm

[theblueram]

Gbd, you say Hurley is not a great coach. What are you basing this on? He's been coaching D1 for 4 fucking years. Shit, Cooley then is a dinosaur since he's been in D1 for how long? Has Cooley ever been to the big dance as a head coach. He's been at pc almost as long as Hurley has been in D1. I question your motive, your posts and your name.

If you have been reading my posts (and I wouldn't blame you if you haven't), I have been consistent in saying he hasn't done anything to deserve that type of label. That is something earned in my mind. And the last 1.5 years hasn't shown me he can build a staff or install a winning system. Now, there are always learning curves and he is still a young guy with smarts and energy. But, that doesn't guarantee anything. And, I have been shouted down by a few for that crazy thought. If DH has done anything to prove he is a great coach, I am all ears. His players and system have shown very little improvement. His end game coaching is very iffy.

Hurley wasn't hired based on experience. He was brought in on potential. If the admin was hiring based on experience he wouldn't have gotten a sniff. He has done more for our program in 15 months than our last "coach" did in 12 years. If Cooley is such a great coach, why didn't pc hire him when he was an assistant at URI? Wanted to wait till he got seasoned at Fairfield? Please.

[rodfromcranston]

Thank you Blue Ram.
You're seeing what I am.
TP, if that's how you view things, that I take every disagreement
personally, then that's your problem
You called me "passive aggresssive", because I threw a sarcastic dig your way in a post, debating Iggy.
I never mince around and get straight to the point. Nobody who reads this board ever doubts where I stand.
This one poster has had a clear agenda from his first post to his last post, and submits this, ad nauseum.
He's pissed off most of the posters here. Enough is enough of this broken record.
Yes, I know, we shouldn't tell posters how to think, freedom of speech, and blah, blah, blah....
As far as players go, if posters critique that players game, and don't get personal or abusive.
that's what this board, or meeting people at half time or post game to discuss what we see, is about.
You on the other hand, have stated that you view it as an attack on a student-athlete.
I see those student athletes as living a collegiate life most regular students could only dream about.
Trips, hotels, first class travel, planned meals, designated tutors, everything paid for, and much more.
Two points of view.

[Seawrightspostgame]

I used to be passtheball for a short time and something else before that. I just forgot the passwords. There are a few people here that know me also. They just don't post that much.

[theblueram]

I used to be passtheball for a short time and something else before that. I just forgot the passwords. There are a few people here that know me also. They just don't post that much.

Random thoughts by SPG. Love it.

[bigappleram]

who knows if he's great....but i am dam sure positive he is good, and i am positive he was a great hire. how will that turn out, who knows. but he was a good college PG, college assistant, very successful HC coach for close to a decade, in 2 years took Wagner from complete obscurity to 26 wins, and from the age of 2 has been schooled by one of the most iconic figures in the sport. those are the facts. you like numbers, the numbers overwhelmingly favor him becoming a great coach vs becoming a bad one.

i am not making my judgment after 40 games, with 100% of them played without the players he thought he would be playing with.

as someone who has bickered with a few on this board i find the above thread, hilarious, awesome and an instant classic

GBG, i agree with you that 3's off the dribble generally are not a great look, but for an open Div 1 starting 2G they are very make-able shots. did you see the two prayers the kid from Colorado threw in this weekend, you going to question the coach that all he could get for last shots are 25-40 footers? the kid made the shot, coach looks good, all is well (not only the end of game shot, the end of 1st half off-the-dribble 3 the same kid hit). I agree that I would rather see a higher percentage look, but I still challenge you to find better options with what we have, let me lay them out for you --

EC slashing to the hoop. Umm yeah quickly people are realizing he wants to go left every time, and they are making it much tougher for him. Check his fg % of late

Gil on the low blocks. Probably our best bet, but Gil has been anything but reliable. Our current #1 option seems to be high pick/roll w/Gil and X, that means there is the option for it to end up with Gil moving towards the hoop versus a jumper. You fail to point that out.

Iffy on the post? Umm no

Hassan on an alley-oop? tough to call a lob to end a game.

Biggie trying to break his man down and create in the lane? you gonna bet your life on that?

Anyone else you even want to consider?

What are the other "we need a basket" options. We don't have a classic catch and shoot guard, X is amongst two guys we have that can take their man off the dribble (EC being the other) and score. In a late game situation you need players to make plays, not plays to make players. You don't often see a last shot look that is open or easy, this isnt Hoosiers (despite the previous mentions) where you call a picket fence and fool the other team. I just am curious what your play call would be in that situation? Who do you want to run the play through, what is your #1 option. For me, I would want X, EC and Gil try to play a 3 man game...and that basically is what we do. The only thing I agree with you about X is the assists and turnovers. He is way too careless with the ball and does not make the extra pass enough.

As far as the rest of our offense goes, I disagree with your overriding point. We are getting a helluva lot more shots inside than last year. Look at the numbers for PC, I think we had 34 points in the paint or more. We are getting better shots, we are just missing them. I have seen every minute of every game either live or on TV and I would venture to guess we have missed 30 layups or shots within 2 feet. At least 5 missed dunks I can recall off top of head. Numerous and-1 opportunities. Make 50% of them and everyone's mood here is different and your argument holds much less weight. If you just look at the numbers you cant see any of this, and I agree with the consensus that your identity and agenda is a mystery and rather strange.

[rambone 78]

I wanted to add something to my last post.

What I am talking about, concerning Hurley's performance so far, has to do with ON COURT issues.

Off the court, Dan gets A's all across the board. What he's done for this program in a very short time, is nothing short of amazing. He's taken it from the dregs of the A10, to solidly mid pack or better, with the school's help of course.

No complaints there at all.

[TruePoint]

Thank you Blue Ram.
You're seeing what I am.
TP, if that's how you view things, that I take every disagreement
personally, then that's your problem
You called me "passive aggresssive", because I threw a sarcastic dig your way in a post, debating Iggy.
I never mince around and get straight to the point. Nobody who reads this board ever doubts where I stand.
This one poster has had a clear agenda from his first post to his last post, and submits this, ad nauseum.
He's pissed off most of the posters here. Enough is enough of this broken record.
Yes, I know, we shouldn't tell posters how to think, freedom of speech, and blah, blah, blah....
As far as players go, if posters critique that players game, and don't get personal or abusive.
that's what this board, or meeting people at half time or post game to discuss what we see, is about.
You on the other hand, have stated that you view it as an attack on a student-athlete.
I see those student athletes as living a collegiate life most regular students could only dream about.
Trips, hotels, first class travel, planned meals, designated tutors, everything paid for, and much more.
Two points of view.

1. I agree with blueram's post here, too. For the record. You won't find a bigger Hurley supporter on this board or anywhere else.

2. I don't disagree with you that Biruta's defense has to improve for this team to be any good. That is clear to me. You are incorrect that I see "critiquing a player's game as an attack on a student-athlete." I think just about any basketball-related criticism is fair game, and I have made my share of it this season. What I commented to you about this morning was "beating a dead horse," meaning that I think what you were saying was fair but continuing to say it over and over again was unnecessary and bordering on piling on.

3. There is no doubt that these players live a very different life than most of their peers in school. But that is probably a bad thing, IMO, and it doesn't make them any less of kids (in some cases teenagers). I don't think that playing a sport in school should open you up to the same kind of stuff that many pro athletes deal with.

[theblueram]

Is Gbd-GBG or is SPG-Gbd-g or rfc or a914 is jcrew/cru or that flywilliams66-guy or DH-in-HD??????????????
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~ina22/SSHB-1.htm

Ha. Bressler the d wasn't a typo.

[brady1]

I think Hurley will be fine.

He's a couple buckets away from us being 8-3 and most thinking we are on the upswing.

I'm disappointed in X this year the guys shooting .334 from the field and .269 from 3pt land. YUCK! I expected much more.

I do think he can turn it around and this team needs him to. Right now I have no confidence in him taking the last shot we remember the ones he's missed or has not gotten off at the end of the games but watch some tapes he usually wastes the last shot of the first half also. I do blame Hurley for awful plays at the end of the half's hopefully it's a priority during this time off.

GO RHODY!

[ramfan85]

Is Gbd-GBG or is SPG-Gbd-g or rfc or a914 is jcrew/cru or that flywilliams66-guy or DH-in-HD??????????????
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~ina22/SSHB-1.htm

Ha. Bressler the d wasn't a typo.

I think I just took my eye test for my new license....

[Sweep The Leg]

I think Hurley will be fine.

He's a couple buckets away from us being 8-3 and most thinking we are on the upswing.

I'm disappointed in X this year the guys shooting .334 from the field and .269 from 3pt land. YUCK! I expected much more.

I do think he can turn it around and this team needs him to. Right now I have no confidence in him taking the last shot we remember the ones he's missed or has not gotten off at the end of the games but watch some tapes he usually wastes the last shot of the first half also. I do blame Hurley for awful plays at the end of the half's hopefully it's a priority during this time off.

GO RHODY!

There is something wrong with X's release. There is a wierd spin to it, not a normal rotation. I've seen it with jumpers and foul shots. It's spinning side to side, not up and down.

[luke]

My thoughts on Coach Hurley. I may be a biased NJ guy, but guys this guy knows basketball and talent. It is going to take a little more time for him to turn this thing around. The loss of some players has resulted in a slight delay in the turn around, but it is coming. If anyone read comments on Dayton the last two seasons regarding Archie Miller you would have noticed their fans were none too happy with the direction of the team. This year you don't see any flyers fans complaining. They have turned the corner. Miller has had an extra year to accomplish it, so it may be next season or the season after that URI does the same assuming Hurley stays. It is clear that the first thing Dan has to do is to somehow get them a boost of confidence. Maybe they get a little lucky, whatever. Rod, you mentioned Biruta having his hands down. That indicates to me that he may be tired. That is usually a sign of being tired. Maybe his year out has left him not quite in full basketball shape yet, and without Aamon and Hare he has to stay out there. And when you are tired, defense is so difficult, especially when you are always behind in games. Just my observations and opinions. I haven't given up. Yes they suck right now guys, but a turn around is coming. I would love to see it start against UNH.

[rodfromcranston]

Nice post, Luke.

"we remember the ones he's missed "
Guess you forgot the game tying 3 at Auburn to send that game into OT.
Guess you forgot the last second 3 pointer vs. Dayton to win the game?
Amazing how, "what have you done lately?" some fans are, with even
shorter memories to match.

[Sweep The Leg]

My thoughts on Coach Hurley. I may be a biased NJ guy, but guys this guy knows basketball and talent. It is going to take a little more time for him to turn this thing around. The loss of some players has resulted in a slight delay in the turn around, but it is coming. If anyone read comments on Dayton the last two seasons regarding Archie Miller you would have noticed their fans were none too happy with the direction of the team. This year you don't see any flyers fans complaining. They have turned the corner. Miller has had an extra year to accomplish it, so it may be next season or the season after that URI does the same assuming Hurley stays. It is clear that the first thing Dan has to do is to somehow get them a boost of confidence. Maybe they get a little lucky, whatever. Rod, you mentioned Biruta having his hands down. That indicates to me that he may be tired. That is usually a sign of being tired. Maybe his year out has left him not quite in full basketball shape yet, and without Aamon and Hare he has to stay out there. And when you are tired, defense is so difficult, especially when you are always behind in games. Just my observations and opinions. I haven't given up. Yes they suck right now guys, but a turn around is coming. I would love to see it start against UNH.

Maybe Biruta can't be as aggressive on defense because there is nobody on the bench they can go to if he's in foul trouble. O is constantly in foul trouble and Mike hasn't been available since the AZ game. So, you have to play not to foul, that means no battling for low post positioning on both ends and not trying to recover if a player gets a step on you.

Still doesn't excuse the transition defense.

[Sweep The Leg]

Nice post, Luke.

"we remember the ones he's missed "
Guess you forgot the game tying 3 at Auburn to send that game into OT.
Guess you forgot the last second 3 pointer vs. Dayton to win the game?
Amazing how, "what have you done lately?" some fans are, with even
shorter memories to match.

I think X is a bit overrated. Solid player with some highlight moments and incredible shots to be sure. But, I think he's better at circus shots than wide open looks. I stated this before, some players cannot hit shots when they an open look because they think about. I think X is one of those guys. He has passed up open looks from 3 to drive into traffic unsuccessfully.

He was much better last year as his shooting mechanics as altered. You can see it.

Do I think he's garbage? Hell no.. But, I want my start shooting guard to shoot much better from the floor and the line. That's what all conference players do.

[Gonebarongone]

Right. A Division 1 level shooting guard has taken almost 600 shots in just over a year. It goes without saying that he would have some pretty good moments. It's about distinguishing between process and outcome. I was reading Grantland the other day and came across this paragraph on Rudy Gay...

The current version of Gay is basically a harmful player. He used 30 percent of Toronto’s possessions with a shot, turnover, or drawn foul — a gargantuan usage rate reserved for the league’s biggest scoring stars. He’s also shooting 38.8 percent for the season. That is a historically rare combination of shot chucking and brick laying. Only three players in league history have used more than 30 percent of their team’s possessions while shooting below 40 percent: Jerry Stackhouse, Baron Davis, and Allen Iverson (twice). This is irresponsible offensive play. Those other guys could at least point to heaps of free throws or solid assist numbers. Gay can point to neither, in part because he has never been an intuitive passer who can read the floor at NBA speed.

...that's essentially been my stance here on X. Is Gay a bad player? No. Guy is one of the most talented players on the planet. But, he is being miscast as a guy who should get star usage. I'm pretty sure Gay has hit huge shots in HS, college, and pros. The question isn't about that. Those are outcomes. The question is what do we do the next game. And the game after that. And the game after that. Now, several people have posted something to the effect of "well, who else is going to get those shots. SOMEONE has to shoot it". And, that's fair, it's not like this roster is full of elite scorers. I just don't think that's a reason to keep doing something that we know by now is a horrible way to run an offense. Coaching is about putting your team in a position to win.

[Keaney.Blue]

Can we please put this narrative that Hurley isn't a good coach 11 games into his second season at URI to bed? How many of us have actually been close enough to the program, or even have enough knowledge of how a college basketball program is run (no offense) to even be able to make an informed and educated judgement? I'm grateful that we have a message board to use as an outlet to share our mutual interest in URI basketball, but some of the posts on this site border on satire.

I don't want to come off as patronizing, I think there are a lot of extremely knowledgeable fans here and I'm not a basketball guru. But please stop spouting off ill-informed opinions based on an incomplete grasp of the game and pass them off as fact. Gil is not as bad as he's made out to be on this board. X has had to shoulder the scoring burden and has seen a dip in his efficiency as a result, he hasn't regressed. He's also dealing with an injury. Dan is a seasoned coach, a tireless worker and an ambassador for this program. I agree that he oversold this season, but anyone who couldn't foresee a year of adjustment with this many newcomers arriving was ignoring reality.

The truth is that we have an apathetic and reactionary fanbase. Dan knew that and was trying to get fans excited. What happens? We have a disappointing start and fans are ready to jump ship and questioning his leadership.

I wish I could write more but work beckons

[Gonebarongone]

The narrative should be that the jury is out and the early returns are inconclusive. No blanket statements should be made either way. It's just as reactionary to say he is a good coach. His leadership, energy, enthusiasm, recruiting (even with a shaky 2014) are positives. His staffing, game management, system, and player development are uncertain if you are being kind. No reason not to talk about the data points as the roll in. Have to be honest both ways.

[rodfromcranston]

URI has a core of fans that has been pretty steady over the years. I see some of the same faces that
I did decades ago. That's a good thing.
Then you have a lot of out of state alums, due to the demographics of the school's
enrollment. With few exceptions, those people don't go to the games.
You have a lot of in state alums who, while they went to URI for expedient reasons, are either
not sports fans, or are PC fans, who could care less about the program.
So, who do you want to reach to expand the fanbase?
The general public.
Well, what will accomplish this? Simply one thing.
Consistent winning. Period.
Those of us who have lived and died with this program, realize that there have been several
instances, where URI was close to doing so.
In each instance, a coach left, for one reason or another, and the cycle ended.
So to, did average fan interest.
The only thing that will bring people to the Ryan Center for more than the "marquee" games is
solid winning, over a decent period of time.
Hurley, Thorr, and Dooley see the big picture, and know what must be done.
They've come a long way from Al's trailor office, or the ripped up couch with its insides coming out,
that Harrick inherited.
The upgrades, partially forced by Dan, will enable this program to compete on an equal footing
with non BCS schools, going forward.
This means infrastructure as well as items like dedicated tutors for player academics.
There is much progress going on behind the scenes.
For the time being, the future is slow on the court.
That will change.
For the first time in memory, we have a University President, AD, and Head Coach working toward
the same goal.
That goal being, to make University of Rhode Island Basketball, consistently winning and relevant.
Rome wasn't built in a day.

[TruePoint]

I think each of the last three posts are fair and, to the extent they don't contradict each other, pretty accurate. It would be terribly shortsighted to judge the job Dan Hurley is doing at URI based on the loss at Detroit, or even based on the 14-26 record he has compiled so far. This program was so broken and so behind that he could be 2-38 right now and still improving the program based solely on things we don't see by watching the games. On the other hand, the team on the court really hasn't done anything to make Hurley immune to criticism. I might be confident that he will get the on-court situation fixed eventually (and probably sooner than later), but if someone else isn't convinced of that I don't really have any incontrovertible proof to put in their face. The reality is that the on-court product has a lot of improving to do, and it isn't just Ws and Ls. Maybe some of that is the roster, but if these players don't get better then some of that has to be on the coach, too. He hand picked much of the current roster and any coach take responsibility for the development of the guys on his team.

[Iggy1979]

Some great posts in this thread.
Luke: great comparison to Archie Miller and Dayton
Brady: "He's a couple buckets away from us being 8-3 and most thinking we are on the upswing." Agreed.
BAR: "The numbers overwhelmingly favor him becoming a great coach vs becoming a bad one." Agreed.
Blue Ram: "He has done more for our program in 15 months than our last "coach" did in 12 years." Agreed.
KB: "Dan is a seasoned coach, a tireless worker and an ambassador for this program. I agree that he oversold this season, but anyone who couldn't foresee a year of adjustment with this many newcomers arriving was ignoring reality." Agreed.

[Obadiah]

Iggy, your last quote doesn't square with reality that this board was very optimistic and did not see the year of adjustment you referenced.

[rhodylaw]

I think we learned last year that X is a streaky scorer - he will get on a hot streak and carry this team at some point this year. Let's hope it happens at Barclays

[Gonebarongone]

who knows if he's great....but i am dam sure positive he is good, and i am positive he was a great hire. how will that turn out, who knows. but he was a good college PG, college assistant, very successful HC coach for close to a decade, in 2 years took Wagner from complete obscurity to 26 wins, and from the age of 2 has been schooled by one of the most iconic figures in the sport. those are the facts. you like numbers, the numbers overwhelmingly favor him becoming a great coach vs becoming a bad one. Agree it was a home run hire. Disagree on calling him good. Too soon. Please stop with Daddy being an icon.

i am not making my judgment after 40 games, with 100% of them played without the players he thought he would be playing with.

as someone who has bickered with a few on this board i find the above thread, hilarious, awesome and an instant classic

GBG, i agree with you that 3's off the dribble generally are not a great look, but for an open Div 1 starting 2G they are very make-able shots. did you see the two prayers the kid from Colorado threw in this weekend, you going to question the coach that all he could get for last shots are 25-40 footers? the kid made the shot, coach looks good, all is well (not only the end of game shot, the end of 1st half off-the-dribble 3 the same kid hit). I agree that I would rather see a higher percentage look, but I still challenge you to find better options with what we have, let me lay them out for you --

EC slashing to the hoop. Umm yeah quickly people are realizing he wants to go left every time, and they are making it much tougher for him. Check his fg % of late Would definitely take EC going to the hoop over X's shot. Freaking Cotton can only go right but he seems to still get to the rim against the entire Big East

Gil on the low blocks. Probably our best bet, but Gil has been anything but reliable. Our current #1 option seems to be high pick/roll w/Gil and X, that means there is the option for it to end up with Gil moving towards the hoop versus a jumper. You fail to point that out. Would have liked to have seen Gil touch it at least once in some fashion, pick and roll or otherwise. My main gripe is that the shot came with a ton of time left on the shot clock

Iffy on the post? Umm no Agreed

Hassan on an alley-oop? tough to call a lob to end a game. agree

Biggie trying to break his man down and create in the lane? you gonna bet your life on that?straw man argument. Wouldn't bet my life on X making a three of the dribble, either. But, I would take Biggie trying to get into the lane.

Anyone else you even want to consider?While I wouldn't be crazy about him even a wide open three, it is the time and context that bother me more

What are the other "we need a basket" options. We don't have a classic catch and shoot guard, X is amongst two guys we have that can take their man off the dribble (EC being the other) and score. In a late game situation you need players to make plays, not plays to make players. You don't often see a last shot look that is open or easy, this isnt Hoosiers (despite the previous mentions) where you call a picket fence and fool the other team. I just am curious what your play call would be in that situation? Who do you want to run the play through, what is your #1 option. For me, I would want X, EC and Gil try to play a 3 man game...and that basically is what we do. The only thing I agree with you about X is the assists and turnovers. He is way too careless with the ball and does not make the extra pass enough.

As far as the rest of our offense goes, I disagree with your overriding point. We are getting a helluva lot more shots inside than last year. Look at the numbers for PC, I think we had 34 points in the paint or more. We are getting better shots, we are just missing them. I have seen every minute of every game either live or on TV and I would venture to guess we have missed 30 layups or shots within 2 feet. At least 5 missed dunks I can recall off top of head. Numerous and-1 opportunities. Make 50% of them and everyone's mood here is different and your argument holds much less weight. If you just look at the numbers you cant see any of this, and I agree with the consensus that your identity and agenda is a mystery and rather strange.someone has to explain this agenda theme to me. What could possibly be gained from message board posting other than sharing opinions. We don't agree. What's the problem?

[rambone 78]

The only thing I'll add to the conversation is, going forward we will see how good Dan and staff are at talent evaluation and development.

Who they recruit, how they develop, and how good they become, will be the ultimate measuring stick of Dan's time here.

All the behind the scenes stuff, well we know that's all good, the foundation's in place for a strong program for years to come.

[Ramtastico]

URI has a core of fans that has been pretty steady over the years. I see some of the same faces that
I did decades ago. That's a good thing.
Then you have a lot of out of state alums, due to the demographics of the school's
enrollment. With few exceptions, those people don't go to the games.
You have a lot of in state alums who, while they went to URI for expedient reasons, are either
not sports fans, or are PC fans, who could care less about the program.
So, who do you want to reach to expand the fanbase?
The general public.
Well, what will accomplish this? Simply one thing.
Consistent winning. Period.
Those of us who have lived and died with this program, realize that there have been several
instances, where URI was close to doing so.
In each instance, a coach left, for one reason or another, and the cycle ended.
So to, did average fan interest.
The only thing that will bring people to the Ryan Center for more than the "marquee" games is
solid winning, over a decent period of time.
Hurley, Thorr, and Dooley see the big picture, and know what must be done.
They've come a long way from Al's trailor office, or the ripped up couch with its insides coming out,
that Harrick inherited.
The upgrades, partially forced by Dan, will enable this program to compete on an equal footing
with non BCS schools, going forward.
This means infrastructure as well as items like dedicated tutors for player academics.
There is much progress going on behind the scenes.
For the time being, the future is slow on the court.
That will change.
For the first time in memory, we have a University President, AD, and Head Coach working toward
the same goal.
That goal being, to make University of Rhode Island Basketball, consistently winning and relevant.
Rome wasn't built in a day.

Rod, I want to go on official record that I agree with everything you say here! Merry Christmas to all.

[rodfromcranston]

Thank you, very much. Merry Christmas to you and yours, Ramtastico!

[ChiPhiRhody03]

take it ease folks. This season has been/continues to be a stepping stone. Dan's doing a fine job given the circumstances he's inherited/had to deal with. The boys just need to play up to their skill levels, which they have not done so far. Give it time. Nothing really matters until A10 play anyway. In short, chill out people.

[ATPTourFan]

Some great posts in this thread.
Luke: great comparison to Archie Miller and Dayton
Brady: "He's a couple buckets away from us being 8-3 and most thinking we are on the upswing." Agreed.
BAR: "The numbers overwhelmingly favor him becoming a great coach vs becoming a bad one." Agreed.
Blue Ram: "He has done more for our program in 15 months than our last "coach" did in 12 years." Agreed.
KB: "Dan is a seasoned coach, a tireless worker and an ambassador for this program. I agree that he oversold this season, but anyone who couldn't foresee a year of adjustment with this many newcomers arriving was ignoring reality." Agreed.

Thanks, Iggy, for posting this. Totally Agree as well.

Also agree with Rod's long post above.

[luke]

Rod, I love your passion. You are on this board all the time offering your heart felt opinions, so I appreciate your well informed posts every day. And guys like ATP, Rambone,Iggy, Obidiah, bigappleram, Ace, Truepoint make it fun to come on this site because they care so much. I have seen some improvement in the way the team has played at least defensively. I have to believe that some more shots will start to go in because they are getting very good shots including the last shot in the Detroit game. There are fewer forced shots this year, and often at point blank range. Basketball is such a psychological game that just like failure, success snowballs. Not to be belaboring the Dayton situation, but they would have lost their first game if not for a 3 point buzzer beater that got them rolling. Here's to hoping URI can get a break to get them going.

[CT Rhody]

I also concur, I like Rod's positivity as well. I was bad with the lack of transition defense and hustle against Detriot but I soon realized it's only one game and the following day I was already looking at the positive not the negatives. We need a shooter for next years team so hopefully we can land one.

[rambone 78]

I think most of us are OK with the big picture here.

It's the game-to-game frustrations that get the better of us sometimes.

[rodfromcranston]

Thanks for the kind words, Luke, CT, Ramtastico and ATP.

[jcru]

But please stop spouting off ill-informed opinions based on an incomplete grasp of the game and pass them off as fact. Gil is not as bad as he's made out to be on this board.

Incomplete grasp? Speak for yourself. I watched every game except Maine and Lowell, I'll let others be the judge of my "grasp", thank you very much.

Gil has some major holes in his game. There is definitely a motivation factor and an emotional component there as well. Just as we saw with Nikola Malesevic, who occasionally (if once a game in the crucial waning moments is considered 'occasional') would forget himself, his responsibility to the rest of the team, and just go after the man he was defending and draw a technical foul. When Gil was playing Providence in front of a packed house and his "peers" we didn't see any let up on the defensive end. The team travels to Detroit, Michigan, and in the 5 minutes that ultimately decided the game, he decided he wasn't going to defend the other team's center at all.

Now, you can say, maybe Gil is not playing in his ideal position. Maybe if we had more frontcourt options, Gil wouldn't draw the assignment of the other team's center. He clearly doesn't like that assignment. Gil would obviously (to anyone with eyeballs) not appear to enjoy the bodying up and contact underneath the basket that comes with guarding the other team's big man.


Gil is a 4th year junior who is 6'8" and 245 lbs and muscular. I'm sorry we're asking too much of him. Maybe there is someone smaller on the team who is a little hungrier perhaps that we could stick under there.

However, Dan made no mention of this situation to the press (should we question Dan's "grasp"?) Even if you close your eyes to what happened on game day, the problem is going to be staring you in the face when you go to watch the game film over and over again. almost like two hands coming out of the monitor grabbing you by the throat.

What is the solution to what was witnessed on Sun?

[Billyboy78]

I'm pretty sure I have at least a slight grasp of the game.

[rambone 78]

Hopefully Dan has addressed these issues with Gil. What else can he do? We have no other option at center, since O doesn't play major minutes due to fouls.

Aaman should be back by the UNH game. At least there will be more flexibility with the added depth. Of course, against NH there shouldn't be any issues inside, but you never know.

P.S. Happy Xmas to all on here, and Rod, you are the man. It's fun going 'round and 'round with you, always entertaining for sure. You are the walking encyclopedia of URI hoops!

Someday I might even get to meet you, maybe on the 22nd?

[theblueram]

I think most of us are OK with the big picture here.

It's the game-to-game frustrations that get the better of us sometimes.

I agree with this. I think we have the talent on the team and I think they should be playing better than they are. I've said it before I think it is a confidence issue. These guys are missing bunnies and free throws. I bet in practice they nail it. Game time they get like deer in the headlights. You can't coach confidence. It comes from within. These guys need to get over this.

And I heard a great line today. We don't need shooters. We need makers.

[rambone 78]

In practice, they are playing against each other. Little or no pressure.

In the games that count, that pressure is far greater.

They've got to cross that line somehow, and do it in front of crowds, at home and on the road.

Hopefully the light will come on, and soon.

[Mittenman]

Hey RoadyJay thanks for the shot out! You are a great fan and fun to be around. The U of D game made me sick. I sat in front of a U of D fan and every time they scored he would yell, in this high pitched voice, "That was easy". I wanted to return the favor to him after the game but we had to win in order for me to do that. Hope to see you in Brooklyn.

[Rhody72]

I'm not optimistic about the future development of Gil and JR and Biggie; what you see is what you are going to get. I see a brighter future for Hassan and EC.

The impatience with DH has some similarities to the fan reaction for JD but for entirely different reasons. With JD, there were high expectations following two years to the NCAAs; with DH he et al set high expectations. In both cases there have been disappointing results. The jury isn't out on DH; at least with me.

[rodfromcranston]

Oh, come on!
Minnis and Reischel are sophomores.
Nobody improves as upper classmen?
Trying to compare Jerry D, who had no coaching experience and was a baby sitter,
who graduated from Clown College,
to hard working, Man With A Plan Dan, is ridiculous!

[section(105)]

although their (Gil, JR, biggie) current level of play is not what I was expecting, their development and the overall team progress will still be an upward trend under DH, my instant need to get this program on a fast track(this years GW?)is something I just have to simmer down.....

[Obadiah]

Sorry, 72, I don't agree with your JD points. I had no high expectations with JD whatsoever and when I saw the team he assembled and coached get demolished by Tulsa at the PCC in the opening game of his first season, I knew URI was headed to oblivion. As I recall that year we lost many games by huge margins. As we did the following year also. Dan has shown better than that sorry performance already!

Confused by your last sentence; " The jury isn't out on DH." or do you mean the jury is still out on DH????

[rambone 78]

My God. You can't compare JD to DH.

Even though Dan may not turn out to be the Second Coming as we all thought, he's miles better than that doofus.

Even Rod can agree with me on that one.

[Hal Kopp]

URI BB is a microcosm of FB=there are too many transfers and frosh playing on this team.
Translates into they are disorganized and don't score enough points !!

"Deep Throat" aka "The Kingston Insider"

[rambone 78]

Well, HK, disorganized they are.

When will they get organized? We should see some improvement after the break.

How much? That's the question.

[rodfromcranston]

Except with basketball, you have a long term plan, upgrading facilities, and
a past history of making a splash on the national scene.
We play in a nice arena. We are a D-1 program.
Football? Not even close.

[Hal Kopp]

Rod,sounds complicated.
Let's brag on BB if they ever get back to the NCAA's.

[neil]

I'll throw my two cents in...
The expectations that we had at the start of the year was somewhat based on how much better we will be with the freshmen and the transfers. I think we got caught up in too many of the positives. We were told that Biggy was a shut down defensive player, but not much was said about his offensive skills and foul shooting. We knew that Biruta was averaging close to 10 points a game at Rutgers but maybe we didn't follow through with his defensive skills. Was Reichelle going to be the player who was given numerous minutes to shut down an opponents wings players? What I'm trying to say is that these kids are hard working players but were they truly impact players from their former schools? We have certain players who play great defense (TJ) and average offense, and others who are the opposite. We have young players who need to get minutes to figure out what it means to play consistenly at the D-1 level. EC and Hassan will get there, and get there quickly. Coach needs to figure out how to use the roster and maybe realize that the talent is not as great as it was expected to be. I do think we can win the next couple of games and turn the season around. But sadly it does appear that I will be sitting on the couch again in late March on a Sunday listening to other a-10 teams
names announced. I will continue to dream... Go Rhody!

[Ramulous]

I'm with Neil.....I believe EC will be an impact player later this year...or worst case scenario next year....

....Hassan has great potential yet to be harnessed....

....all the others have flaws to their games which prevent them from being of tremendous impact.....now and maybe ever....

.....we need to progress as a hard-working team while 2 more impact players are brought in each recruiting year....we cannot swing and miss on recruits who get here and cannot provide impact.......Butler seems to be a swing and miss......the Big O is more miss than hit at this point but would be a serviceable role player in the future...

...I would be more optimistic about the future had we signed Terrell early....our scholarships are too valuable at this time to mis-judge talent...