KeaneyBlue - The URI Basketball Forum

Apparently the Offensive Coordinator, Defensive Coordinator, OLine and RB coaches are being dismissed. This is surely a Thorr directive and certainly confirms that he gave Fleming a 3 year extension last year. This is something but not enough. Fleming also needs to be dismissed. He was given a fair chance and did not get the job done.

Wow.

Wasn’t Fleming’s son the OC?

3 year extension? How could something like that go unannounced?
I thought these contracts were open to public knowledge since a state job?

They need to increase the pay for the staff if they want to get better.

Especially the OC and DC, whoever the new guys will be.

Watching the team this year you knew they needed wholesale coaching changes. The extension for Fleming saved him so the assistants had to go.

Rekstis and Miceli have been with Fleming since the start.

Brian wrote: ↑4 years ago Screenshot_20191210-203623.png

So is this the “new” staff listing? Finalized?

Can't be if 4 of them are being let go.

Something needed to be done.

At least it tells us that Thorr is willing to shake things up.

That picture is last year's staff, so it would be W Fleming, Rekstis, Micieli, and Wheeler let go if that rumor is correct?

So Flemming stays but we let 1st year coaches go?

ramster wrote: ↑4 years ago

Brian wrote: ↑4 years ago Screenshot_20191210-203623.png

So is this the “new” staff listing? Finalized?

No, last year

Rhode Island (FCS): In addition to offensive coordinator Will Fleming (see below), sources tell FootballScoop the following coaches will not return: Pete Rekstis (defensive coordinator), Josh Lott (defensive line) and Jim Miceli (running backs). Sources tell FootballScoop head coach Jim Fleming does not anticipate any other coaches leaving his staff.

Rhode Island (FCS): Sources tell FootballScoop Rhode Island offensive coordinator Will Fleming has left the staff. The position is open. We also understand that head coach Jim Fleming is also making additional moves on his staff. Expect additional positions to open. The Rams went 2-10 (0-8) this season.

https://footballscoop.com/the-scoop/

The change at OC has been long overdue.

These changes only matter if we replace them with quality assistants. If we don't put the resources forward to fill them with qualified CAA level assistants then it won't matter. Glad changes were made, but still need to see what happens going forward.

rhodyfan3 wrote: ↑4 years ago The change at OC has been long overdue.

These changes only matter if we replace them with quality assistants. If we don't put the resources forward to fill them with qualified CAA level assistants then it won't matter. Glad changes were made, but still need to see what happens going forward.

Amen to that!

Who knows, maybe its the right move to keep Jimbo. Its certainly a significant shakeup.

Fleming has recruited well in certain areas.

He needs to step up his game when it comes to defensive talent.

Biggest priority imo.

This news has not broken on any local news outlet from what I can tell.

4 assistant coaches are let go including the head coaches son, and there is nothing out there? Seems really strange.

URI football isn't big news on any level.

rhodyfan3 wrote: ↑4 years ago This news has not broken on any local news outlet from what I can tell.

4 assistant coaches are let go including the head coaches son, and there is nothing out there? Seems really strange.

Nothing on URI Football Site either. Nothing out officially in any outlet.

ramster wrote: ↑4 years ago

rhodyfan3 wrote: ↑4 years ago This news has not broken on any local news outlet from what I can tell.

4 assistant coaches are let go including the head coaches son, and there is nothing out there? Seems really strange.

Nothing on URI Football Site either. Nothing out officially in any outlet.

Deep State FCS Football

Probably won't be any news on this until replacements are hired.

That will likely take a while, due to the always present state hiring rules.

But couldn’t they announce the departures?

Maybe that depends on after their contracts expire?

We don't know whether they expired or were they fired?

rambone 78 wrote: ↑4 years ago Maybe that depends on after their contracts expire?

We don't know whether they expired or were they fired?

It has been my understanding that most assistant coaches in the URI athletic department are on one year contracts.

Communication has not been a hallmark of Fleming's tenure. When he was first hired there were announcements for all the assistant coaches with the exception of the DC who had been dismissed from his previous coaching job for conduct issues. Never communicated firing his first OC. Never communicated when he hired his son as new OC. I think Thorr expected Fleming to resign when forced to dismiss these coaches. If this is indeed the case, weak move by Thorr.

I don’t think he thought Fleming would resign. This happens all the time, especially in college. Different sport, but we’ve killed a lot of time on this board discussing a similar situation at UMass this past offseason for basketball. Hopefully Fleming doesn’t hire a shiny suited doofus high school coach to run the offense.

Is there any more proof of an underachieving season than this...

CAA had 19 guys recognized on the 2019 HERO FCS All America team.
JMU had the most guys make the team - 10 in total.
Albany and Rhody tied for 2nd in the league each with 3 guys earning the award.
JMU and Albany make the playoffs. We don't win a game. Something ain't right.

Ginnetti and the DL regressed under Lott, so he had to go.

Patrick Murphy appears to be the new offensive coordinator. He spent the last two seasons in the same position at Holy Cross

New Defensive Coordinator to be announced




Coaching Experience
2018-19: Nebraska, Defensive Quality Control
2016-17: UCF, Defensive Graduate Assistant
2015: Yale, Defensive Assistant
2014: Southern Connecticut State, Assistant Coach (Defensive Backs/Special Teams/Recruiting Coordinator)
2013: Salve Regina, Assistant Coach (Cornerbacks)

https://huskers.com/sports/football/ros ... ooper/1990

Well he certainly comes in with experience at a legendary program. Interesting he started at Salve Regina, maybe he’s a local. Also the UCF job is a connection with Fleming?

So he’s never actually ran a defense? So are we really putting the money needed into football to be successful?

Since he worked with Fleming for a while was probably the reason he's coming here.

He also is likely to be paid on the cheap....it's what URI does with their assistants, both basketball and football.

Doesn't move the needle whatsoever imo.

Rhodymob05 wrote: ↑4 years ago Well he certainly comes in with experience at a legendary program. Interesting he started at Salve Regina, maybe he’s a local. Also the UCF job is a connection with Fleming?

He played at Southern Connecticut so probably my safe to assume he’s from the northeast.

got to be an improvement

Rhodymob05 wrote: ↑4 years ago Well he certainly comes in with experience at a legendary program. Interesting he started at Salve Regina, maybe he’s a local. Also the UCF job is a connection with Fleming?

He wasn’t at UCF when Fleming was at UCF

I have zero issue bringing in young guys and giving them their break. Chances are if you’re 55 years old and a coordinator at an FCS school, you’ve washed out a few times for one reason or another.

Rhody15 wrote: ↑4 years ago

Rhodymob05 wrote: ↑4 years ago Well he certainly comes in with experience at a legendary program. Interesting he started at Salve Regina, maybe he’s a local. Also the UCF job is a connection with Fleming?

He played at Southern Connecticut so probably my safe to assume he’s from the northeast.

He's from Berlin, CT

What's the connection to Fleming? As far as I can tell, they've never crossed paths at any stop. Cooper was at UCF with Scott Frost, who wasn't hired until after Fleming was already here. I'm not against the hire, just pointing out that it seems like there's no history of Fleming and Cooper working together.

Sometimes a person applies for a job and interviews for it and is impressive, and the employer decides to hire that person despite the fact that they haven’t previously worked together. Happens kind of a lot in most walks of life.

Does there need to be a connection?
URI has a job opening or 2 or 3.
Guy has ties to New England plus coached in RI.
He has experience with Defense at a program the level of Nebraska
He might simply be applying to the job opening and things aligned for both sides to be a win win
No need to spend too much time over analyzing.

I know how hiring & interview processes work - my post was in response to the couple of posts above mine that mentioned a connection between the two and them working together in the past. Was curious about it, so I looked it up and didn't see anytime where their careers had overlapped in the same place.

And, to answer ramster, no there doesn't need to be a connection and, in this case, it's probably not the worst thing to bring in a set of eyes from outside the program with a fresh perspective, especially when the fresh set of eyes come from a school like Nebraska and is a coach who has been a part of an extremely successful run at UCF.

Agreed. It was said that Cooper and Fleming were together at UCF and I corrected that because they were not there at the same time

Interesting move by Murphy. Leaving Holy Cross - a team that is on the rise under Coach Chesney, to take the same position in what is likely to be Fleming's last year. Not sure what the money difference is for an OC at Holy Cross v URI? Do you think being URI's next head coach was discussed?

Uncle Ed wrote: ↑4 years ago Interesting move by Murphy. Leaving Holy Cross - a team that is on the rise under Coach Chesney, to take the same position in what is likely to be Fleming's last year. Not sure what the money difference is for an OC at Holy Cross v URI? Do you think being URI's next head coach was discussed?

I wish the athletic department wasn't so secretive, they still haven't announced Fleming will be back though we know he will be, but the rumor is he signed a three year deal and it doesn't start until this coming season. Would they really fire him with two years remaining on the contract? Maybe they wrote in school friendly buy out provisions on this one? Hell, will they officially announce he's coming back?

Hes definitely coming back. I've noticed him sitting at the back press row table with Thorr past couple home games

I may be alone in liking Fleming, but I think he’s recruited well but hasn’t had the staff on gameday to win. Some of that is on him, for sure, but I’m hopeful that if they hit on one or both of the coordinator hires that they can turn a corner. This team was not that far away last year on a game-by-game basis, even though the record was horrifying.