KeaneyBlue - The URI Basketball Forum

hrstat-tell me more about the fund for mens hockey? How can i donate?
Will not give a red cent for a womens team.

Dunno Hal we got a two year old thread here with lots of discussion that pops up on any URI Hockey search as s result - and we got crickets here from "blue line committee " or frankly anybody in the "know" surrounding Ram hockey.

I am completely out of touch now.

Hello / anybody / Bueller? @URIhockey ?

Crickets

Also I don't really see how we could move the men's club team to NCAA level and leave the ladies behind....

So I had a nice conversation this weekend with a guy who is part of Rhody Hockey medical staff. Wasting no time I asked if they were going D1. He said they really want to as a program but money is a big big factor. That coupled with he says is "not a priority with current AD". He said they have in fact been approached by Hockey East and leading the charge is BC, UConn, and....PC! With Notre Dame leaving HE, a bus trip to Kingston to them is so much better on their budgets than to Indiana! I had him laughing when I replied with plus easy wins for those teams for the first several years. He said price tag to go D1 was about 2.3mil which includes 1mil entrance fee to HE. He said they have had discussions with Thor but he wants to focus on football. He did say if Hockey could raise the money, he'd support but in the future. Then there is also the issue of Boss not being suitable. HE & ACHA wants 4000 seat minimum. I asked about title IX and he said the issue is just scholarships. No additional women's teams would be necessarily needed, School would just have to increase same number of schollys across its current women's sports if it didn't want to add a new team. They said if they received a donation like baseball originally received to redo Beck, they'd be well on their way. I'm not even a hockey fan and talking to him got me ready to hand him money lol.

That is interesting re title IX not requiring the women's team to be added.

Great post GansettRam74

Keep it coming.

Sounds like it is Thorr, football and money in the way. Would Augustine want to ride the jump to D1? Great coach, runs a class program.

I asked that too bc I've heard Augustine was against it and he said no he'd be for it sooner rather than later bc he's not getting any younger. My guess is he'd see it through the transition, coach a few years while finding a successor who would be able to take Program higher up the HE ladder.

Hopefully I am wrong, but it looks like another disappointing basketball season is coming to a typical end. Are the glory days of URI basketball over, just like people on this board say the glory days of URI football are over? I would never say so, but people on this board want to drop football because of the quality of play, and I know basketball has had a better last 16 years than URI football. However, all those people on this board who say 'drop football, put all the money into basketball or drop down into the NEC conference for football', shouldn't maybe we drop basketball or move to the NEC for basketball if you use that logic? Because I think we all expected a lot more from URI basketball when we built the Ryan Center, and invested in the coach everyone wanted, and in a way basketball has been more of not living up to expectation than football which has the bottom of the barrel in facilities in all college football. And I repeat, I don't agree with that logic, but that is the logic many use on the board for football.

OB I couldn't have said it better. While dropping basketball is blasphemy, perhaps letting Hurley go and using most of the money he's paid toward hockey would get the ball...err puck sliding!

I was hoping bb would somehow scratch out 20wins and someone would take a run at DH allowing URI to take a chance on a Preston Murphy staff.

Would free up considerable athletic dept cash - maybe enough to buy into D1. If PC is actually supportive of competing with URI in this market by welcoming Rhody into HE perhaps that could actually happen. Their building does not seat 4K and they are national champs!

In my mind I had felt PC would fight allowing URI in HE as we would compete for talent. Nice to hear it appears I am wrong.

Unfortunately I'm not seeing a 20 win season pathway this year for hoops so a deep NIT run which could shine a favorable spotlight on Hurley is not going to happen.

Thorr has to understand that he needs an alternate buzz in his department for alumni to get excited about. Baseball has been nice but Hockey East membership would be huge front page news.

Let's go Rhody!!

Can we please stop mentioning whats going on with basketball and football in the same way. There is absolutely no comparison.

Right. One is underperforming high expectations at the highest level of competition. One is historically terrible at a much lower level.

Guys there is no interest among big money donors for hockey. It's a fringe sport no one cares. It's like someone or two people continually beating a drum for URI to pick up lacrosse. WHO CARES!

You're flat out wrong. Mackal Field house was built with money that was supposed to be used to build an on campus rink. Boss Arena was built due to funds from big donors. The club team survives and thrives in large part due to donations.

RR2, I love your passion young man. But it's a fringe sport and no one cares. People in power, not just Thorr ,really don't care.

REVERSE THE CURSE!

GO RHODY!

Maybe URI should drop men's hoops and start men's hockey. Might get to the NCAA Tournament sooner that route.

Lacrosse is an up and coming sport with kids, and in this area. URI is short sighted in not exploring fielding mens and womens lacrosse teams.

Playoff Ram hockey tonight at da Boss!!

hrstrat57 wrote:http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/1971 ... -add-teams

Good find, good article, thanks for finding and posting

Note from article about URI:

▪ Rhode Island: The Rams have an arena, Brad Boss Ice Arena, and compete in the Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL). Every state university in New England has hockey except URI.

Ain't happening with current AD

Men's basketball wags the dog at URI. Everything else comes in 3rd or 4thll

Nice article I came across on supporting college club teams. I have to say, I was impressed with the crowd when I went to their game after our basketball game against St. Bonaventure this year.

http://www.inhockey.net/news_article/sh ... id=2881393

A great article. Could be carried over to the reason most non scholarship sports fill their roster. The article says why all should be playing sports.
Does anyone know if the athletic dept. gives any support to the hockey team?