KeaneyBlue - The URI Basketball Forum

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 12:29 pm**

I would like to see a policy change for the rafters and recognizing our great players and teams.....

....immediately unretire all retired numbers.....

....have individual banners with the names of all our great players without numbers.....

...put initials, in small letters in a badge, like "TW" on the current jersey that Tyson Wheeler played in.....for example....

.....put up banners for regular season conference champions.....but not for teams that win the conference tournament....

....of course put up banners for any NCAA tournament appearance with the round that we reached....

....start putting up the banners for the players next season starting with the likes of Jiggy Williamson, Sly Williams, Tyson Wheeler, Silk Owens, Tommy Garrick, Kenny Green, etc.......

.....take down any non-player individual banner......

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 12:34 pm**

For years I have been saying to hang banners for past men and women’s players/coaches.
I was always told that’s what the hall of fame plaques around the Ryan center is for.

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 12:37 pm**

Why no banners for winning the conference tournament?

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 1:01 pm**

There is a movement afoot in the offseason to have Frank Keaney recognized in some way in the rafters. It's ridiculous that we went from having the gym named for him to not having him represented in the arena at all.

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 1:07 pm**

.......take down the Carothers one now.......

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 1:31 pm**

Rhodysk wrote:For years I have been saying to hang banners for past men and women’s players/coaches.
I was always told that’s what the hall of fame plaques around the Ryan center is for.

Who the hell can find all those plaques? Have you seen some of the random places they're hung? Recognize basketball players and coaches where it makes most sense -- in the arena.

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 3:50 pm**

There is some concern among people that 3 banners for individuals are hanging there.....why are they any better than others who came before or after??

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 4:10 pm**

I would take down the Carothers banner. That's the only banner I would take down.

Keaney should have a banner. You make the basketball hall of fame, you should be honored.

I'd like to keep retired numbers a rare honor, like the Red Sox used to treat it. I would have the criteria be Hall of fame entrance or all American honoree, something like that. I believe this criteria adds three banners for men's basketball players.

I would have banners for all of our previous regular season conference championships

I would try to figure out a higher honor for our URI hall of famers that is better than a plaque on the wall but not as rarefied as a banner

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 4:20 pm**

Leave player banners there that are already there....

Sooner or later you run out of numbers......leave the uniform numbers in play.....it could motivate the player wearing it to live up to lofty standards....so for Michelle Washington you leave her name, add the years she played here, and on uniform #3 you add a patch that says "MW"...hopefully some numbers will have 4 or 5 patches on them eventually...

Banners for conference championships denote sustained excellence over an entire season......it belongs up there....along with an NCAA tournament banner....

....Banners for winning the conference tournament denotes excellence for a long weekend....not worthy of a banner....but the NCAA tournament berth it earned gets it's own banner anyway....

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 4:37 pm**

Ramulous wrote:There is some concern among people that 3 banners for individuals are hanging there.....why are they any better than others who came before or after??

Especially Michelle Washington who I'm sure is a fine person and was a good player, but of whom I've literally never heard one word from anyone. The only reason I even know a person named Michelle Washington existed is because there is a banner with her name on it in the Ryan. How this person could have a banner and not Tyson Wheeler, Cuttino Mobley, Tommy Garrick, Sly, Jiggy, etc.? It is preposterous.

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 4:47 pm**

I'll bring the matches for the Carothers banner.

Demon rum, begone!

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 5:36 pm**

Cutino Mobley and Odom should have their names in the rafters.

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 5:38 pm**

Jimmy Baron as well.... best 3 point shooter to ever put on a Rhody uniform. No one is even close in my opinion.

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 5:40 pm**

A lot us us talk about Sly, Silk, Tyson etc., players that we have seen. I remember a lot of great players from when I was a kid too. Steve Chubin, Steve Rowell, John Fultz, Art Stephenson. There are also many others who I never saw, but have heard about who were great players...Bill Von Weyhe, Stan Stutz and of course, Ernie Calverly. Some of these players from way back led the entire nation in scoring playing under Keaney. There are so many that deserve recognition. Is there a list of former men's players who are in the URI Hall of Fame somewhere?

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 8:20 pm**

TruePoint wrote:There is a movement afoot in the offseason to have Frank Keaney recognized in some way in the rafters. It's ridiculous that we went from having the gym named for him to not having him represented in the arena at all.

Keaney Court?

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 8:24 pm**

.......maybe what is needed is just a URI Basketball Hall of Regonition/Ring of Honor type concept..........the classes of all athletes inductees and their plaques on the walls of the RC corridors are for all URI Athletics Hall of Fame.......as it should be.....including basketball......it does seem some type of basketball specific needs attention......didn’t we have the 50 best players named recognition or something like that not that long ago?......but where that is documented and memorized is unknown......Rod, help us here......

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 8:39 pm**

section(105) wrote:.......maybe what is needed is just a URI Basketball Hall of Regonition/Ring of Honor type concept..........the classes of all athletes inductees and their plaques on the walls of the RC corridors are for all URI Athletics Hall of Fame.......as it should be.....including basketball......it does seem some type of basketball specific needs attention......didn’t we have the 50 best players named recognition or something like that not that long ago?......but where that is documented and memorized is unknown......Rod, help us here......

.......as far as the Keaney RC recognition wasn’t there a lame(opinion)type of carrying some Keaney basketball by a Keaney relative from Keaney gym into RC, with Jim Baron in the ceremony....?.......

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 8:54 pm**

.....I recall we have plowed this ground before with unknown results......but the fact remains URI Athletics needs to do something more to have in the arena itself some recognition of great players.....the debate over criteria to be recognized remains to be an issue.......as much as we love this one/that one and history often conflict......someone back a while I think had a modern day era defined as Keaney Gym to present......and pre Keaney Gym era......

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 9:01 pm**

section(105) wrote:.....I recall we have plowed this ground before with unknown results......but the fact remains URI Athletics needs to do something more to have in the arena itself some recognition of great players.....the debate over criteria to be recognized remains to be an issue.......as much as we love this one/that one and history often conflict......someone back a while I think had a modern day era defined as Keaney Gym to present......and pre Keaney Gym era......

There are no doubters though.

Sly, Silk, Garrick, Tyson, Mobley, Odom, Jimmy, Will Daniels.

Future ones in EC and Terrell.

For how to honor Keaney, pretty simple. Rename the court the Frank Keaney Court and find something else for Alex & Ani to sponsor.

Or for honoring past players, they can expand the trophy case to have old photos and the jerseys of those players. Make the entire corner a HOF area

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 9:12 pm**

Calverley
Rowell
Fultz
Stephenson
Chubin
Jiggy
Sly
Kenny Green
Silk
Tommy Garrick
Tyson
Cat Mobley
Jimmy Baron
Will Daniels

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 9:37 pm**

I like the ring of honor concept as you can honor more guys that way

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 10:09 pm**

Not that we need to copy UConn but one thing they do well is the ring of honor list above the stands on either end of the Gampel Pavilion. The individual banners have the player's name on top with number below. I suppose you could make the name larger without a number for coaches/other contributors.

Posted: **Sat Feb 24, 2018 11:14 pm**

I would add a graduate of the university to the requirements. I respect Davidson a lot for being unwilling to hang a banner for Curry, until he comes back and finishes his degree

Posted: **Sun Feb 25, 2018 8:57 am**

urirx wrote:I would add a graduate of the university to the requirements. I respect Davidson a lot for being unwilling to hang a banner for Curry, until he comes back and finishes his degree

That's the reason Sly is not in the URI Hall of Fame. He's the greatest player to ever wear Keaney Blue. He didn't graduate because he was a 1st round NBA draft pick after his junior year. I don't think that should be held against him. He should be there.

Posted: **Sun Feb 25, 2018 9:11 am**

There should be something for the 1946 team as well.

People forget they played in the national championship game that year against Kentucky.

It was a huge coaching match up of Keaney vs Rupp. Kentucky escaped with the title 46-45

Posted: **Sun Feb 25, 2018 9:37 am**

Guys we haven't seen that are all time URI greats.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Stutz ...Led the nation in scoring 3 times and played in the NBA for the Knicks and the Bullets
http://www.gorhody.com/information/hall ... l?view=bio
Ron Marozzi is another one.
This is fantastic book for anyone who is interested in the history of our basketball program. The Keaney years and teams were fascinating...at least to me. Everyone knows about Ernie Calverly. There were many other greats back then too.
http://www.powells.com/book/runnin-rams-9780738510705

Posted: **Sun Feb 25, 2018 10:09 am**

ramfan85 wrote:It's hard to read this thread and not think about our friend, Rod. He would have been all over this discussion with names we all either forgot to mention or didn't even know about.
The difficult part of honoring past.players is to identify where to draw the line.
If they're "officially" in the HOF, it's one thing. But, there were so many players that's were very good and deserving of being considered.

Posted: **Sun Feb 25, 2018 10:40 am**

I would also have a banner for Frank Keaney with the words "Father of the Fast Break" beneath his name....

Posted: **Sun Feb 25, 2018 11:21 am**

steviep123 wrote:
TruePoint wrote:There is a movement afoot in the offseason to have Frank Keaney recognized in some way in the rafters. It's ridiculous that we went from having the gym named for him to not having him represented in the arena at all.
Keaney Court?

They sold the court naming rights to Alex & Ani. This won't fly.

Posted: **Sun Feb 25, 2018 11:26 am**

TruePoint wrote:
Ramulous wrote:There is some concern among people that 3 banners for individuals are hanging there.....why are they any better than others who came before or after??
Especially Michelle Washington who I'm sure is a fine person and was a good player, but of whom I've literally never heard one word from anyone. The only reason I even know a person named Michelle Washington existed is because there is a banner with her name on it in the Ryan. How this person could have a banner and not Tyson Wheeler, Cuttino Mobley, Tommy Garrick, Sly, Jiggy, etc.? It is preposterous.

Why "especially"? Because she didn't play for the men? Washington is first all time in points (1900+) and rebounds (1100+). She passed away in 1993. Easily the best player we ever had here.

Posted: **Sun Feb 25, 2018 11:33 am**

No, because I've never heard of her beyond her name being in the rafters. It's pretty insulting to all the great players who have played for this program that put it on the map over the years.

I don't think anyone is angling to rename the court. Just put a Frank Keaney banner in the rafters. It makes no sense that there isn't one already.

Posted: **Sun Feb 25, 2018 2:54 pm**

I have no problem with Michelle's name being up there.....

Posted: **Sun Feb 25, 2018 4:03 pm**

I don't either. What I have a problem with is all the great players that have played here who's names/numbers are not up there.

Posted: **Sun Feb 25, 2018 4:49 pm**

Exactly the feedback I am getting TruePoint.....several of our former players have told me this....

Posted: **Mon Feb 26, 2018 7:43 am**

TruePoint wrote:
Ramulous wrote:There is some concern among people that 3 banners for individuals are hanging there.....why are they any better than others who came before or after??
Especially Michelle Washington who I'm sure is a fine person and was a good player, but of whom I've literally never heard one word from anyone. The only reason I even know a person named Michelle Washington existed is because there is a banner with her name on it in the Ryan. How this person could have a banner and not Tyson Wheeler, Cuttino Mobley, Tommy Garrick, Sly, Jiggy, etc.? It is preposterous.

Michelle was an incredible player and a really great person. Her name and number deserve to be up there. Her life was cut way too short. Sometimes before you say things you may want to look up facts about them.

Posted: **Mon Feb 26, 2018 7:59 am**

You're missing the point. I'm not saying that she doesn't deserve to be up there, I'm saying there are a dozen people that deserve to be up there more. If by whatever criteria you're using Tyson Wheeler and Tommy Garrick and Sly Williams and Steve Chubin don't deserve to be up there, then nobody does and certainly not Michelle Williams. But my point isn't take her banner down, it's put the other ones up. I'm not taking a shot at her, I'm taking a shot at whatever thought process (or lack thereof) that has her as one of only two people to ever put on a basketball jersey at URI to have a banner in the rafters.

Posted: **Mon Feb 26, 2018 8:11 am**

At least call the greatest women’s basketball player in University of Rhode Island history by her correct name. And I’d hardly call her retired Jersey in the rafters preposterous.
It’s not like it came down to Michelle Washington and Sly Williams and they picked Michelle.
Agree with rhodyhoopz, at least do a bit of reading especially if you know little or nothing about the person.

Posted: **Mon Feb 26, 2018 8:24 am**

You're missing the point also. You're making an argument that has nothing to do with what I'm saying.

Posted: **Mon Feb 26, 2018 9:01 am**

TP I think we all agree that more should be up there but you should just stop comparing them to why Michelle is up there.

Posted: **Mon Feb 26, 2018 2:24 pm**

I can't speak for all but as for me she definitely belongs up there.....so does Ernie Calverly......I don't think President Carothers belongs up there, however.......

....all our GREAT players belong up there.....

But for me no retiring of numbers.....

Posted: **Mon Feb 26, 2018 2:50 pm**

Agreed with Ramulous. Michelle Washington and Calverley both belong up there along with Frank Keaney and many others. If we are sticking purely to basketball, then in my opinion, that last should include the likes of Silk, Garrick, and Green from the 88 team, Wheeler and Mobley from the 98 team and Jiggy, and Sly from 78. Plus some obvious others. I only really go back to the mid 80s. I barely remember the 78 team being good, so anything before that. When I have more time, I'll think of some criteria to base this all off of and come up with a list of names that should be recognized. Anything before the 80s will be on stats alone as I never saw them play. But I agree in not retiring numbers because there are only 101 numbers (1 thru 99, plus 0 and 00). I don't want to see triple digits or decimals.

Posted: **Mon Feb 26, 2018 3:24 pm**

St. Andrews in Barrington has banners up all over the walls in their gym with their former top players. Andre has one. I think we could at least do something like that.

Posted: **Mon Feb 26, 2018 3:35 pm**

Speaking of banners, I hate the fact that all the duct work hides all the banners from a good chunk of the fans. I'm not sure what can be done about it, but it's been a pet-peeve since the building opened.

Posted: **Mon Feb 26, 2018 3:43 pm**

........I think there are less than 101 numbers available, because the digits above five are not permitted on uniforms in NCAA.....example 38; the refs must be able to use fingers on each hand to show the foul committed by that player......any refs here that can verify...?

Posted: **Mon Feb 26, 2018 3:59 pm**

Ramulous wrote:I would like to see a policy change for the rafters and recognizing our great players and teams.....

....immediately unretire all retired numbers.....

....have individual banners with the names of all our great players without numbers.....

...put initials, in small letters in a badge, like "TW" on the current jersey that Tyson Wheeler played in.....for example....

.....put up banners for regular season conference champions.....but not for teams that win the conference tournament....

....of course put up banners for any NCAA tournament appearance with the round that we reached....

....start putting up the banners for the players next season starting with the likes of Jiggy Williamson, Sly Williams, Tyson Wheeler, Silk Owens, Tommy Garrick, Kenny Green, etc.......

.....take down any non-player individual banner......

Unretiring retired numbers is a bad idea.

URI basketball did not start in the '70s.

Posted: **Mon Feb 26, 2018 4:15 pm**

section(105) wrote:........I think there are less than 101 numbers available, because the digits above five are not permitted on uniforms in NCAA.....example 38; the refs must be able to use fingers on each hand to show the foul committed by that player......any refs here that can verify...?

Uniform numbers can only include digits 0 through 5. That means there are only 37 combinations -- 36 if you say 0 and 00 are the same.

Another deserving name: Horace "Pappy" Owens '83.

Posted: **Mon Feb 26, 2018 4:31 pm**

Rhode_Island_Red wrote:
section(105) wrote:........I think there are less than 101 numbers available, because the digits above five are not permitted on uniforms in NCAA.....example 38; the refs must be able to use fingers on each hand to show the foul committed by that player......any refs here that can verify...?
Uniform numbers can only include digits 0 through 5. That means there are only 37 combinations -- 36 if you say 0 and 00 are the same.

Another deserving name: Horace "Pappy" Owens '83.

I didn't realize you couldn't have a digit over 5. But that's stupid. If it's for refs, then they can just (for example) hold up a 3 in one hand, then a 5 and 3 in each hand for 38.

Posted: **Mon Feb 26, 2018 4:34 pm**

steviep123 wrote:
Rhode_Island_Red wrote:
section(105) wrote:........I think there are less than 101 numbers available, because the digits above five are not permitted on uniforms in NCAA.....example 38; the refs must be able to use fingers on each hand to show the foul committed by that player......any refs here that can verify...?
Uniform numbers can only include digits 0 through 5. That means there are only 37 combinations -- 36 if you say 0 and 00 are the same.

Another deserving name: Horace "Pappy" Owens '83.
I didn't realize you couldn't have a digit over 5. But that's stupid. If it's for refs, then they can just (for example) hold up a 3 in one hand, then a 5 and 3 in each hand for 38.

These are refs we're talking about. They have trouble making correct calls. Don't bring math into this.

Posted: **Mon Feb 26, 2018 4:39 pm**

steviep123 wrote:
Rhode_Island_Red wrote:
section(105) wrote:........I think there are less than 101 numbers available, because the digits above five are not permitted on uniforms in NCAA.....example 38; the refs must be able to use fingers on each hand to show the foul committed by that player......any refs here that can verify...?
Uniform numbers can only include digits 0 through 5. That means there are only 37 combinations -- 36 if you say 0 and 00 are the same.

Another deserving name: Horace "Pappy" Owens '83.
I didn't realize you couldn't have a digit over 5. But that's stupid. If it's for refs, then they can just (for example) hold up a 3 in one hand, then a 5 and 3 in each hand for 38.

Yep, it's true: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/31/spor ... -hand.html

“In this day and age, it’s hard to believe that they’re still clinging to a rule based on fingers,” said Paul Lukas, editor of the website Uni Watch, which tracks aesthetic trends in sports. “I hate to trot out such a shopworn cliché as ‘If we can put a man on the moon,’ but it does seem to apply here.”

"We want to be able to signal the numbers once, using a maximum of two hands, ” Adams said.

So, I didn't notice, but since the NBA allows all numbers...those refs must have more than two hands? Going to have to take a closer look at that...

Posted: **Mon Feb 26, 2018 5:01 pm**

.......the NBA is very different on so many levels......

KeaneyBlue - The URI Basketball Forum

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