‘22 RI PG Sebastian Thomas (URI ---> Albany ---> URI)

[steveystuds06]

Even though I start almost every post about Bassy by saying I like Bassy, I get accused of bashing him because I don't think he gets is anywhere near where we want to be. So where do we finish with him as our PG? Somewhere between 8-12? We are happy about that in year 3 of Archie? I've heard things like the practice facility is a 'game changer' and that Rhody Excellence will get us much better recruits and get us back in contention for an A10 title. What happened? When does that start to happen? We're nowhere near that. So, we improve a little this year from last and now Bassy, House and Green at minimum are gone for year 4 and we start all over again. How is this good? Are we really setting the bar that low now?

8-12?

Have you watched a second of him at Albany?

Do you know who Jamarques Lawrence is?

It wouldn't be "Bassy" getting us where we want us to go it would be the "Team"

I'm guessing if we land a wing player and a big it won't matter how good they are because no one will watch replays of their games or highlights and they'll just continue with their doom and gloom bs.

I was being kind at 8-12. Our big problem last year was defense. How has that improved? We blocked very few shots last year. Only 3 guys had double figures in blocks for the entire season. All 3 of them are gone. Of our returning players, the leaders from last year are tied......with 8! Fuchs and House. Just awful. We have zero defensive presence in the paint. We actually had one player last year who played hard on defense and was often assigned the other team's best player. He's gone too. So, if you look at our roster now and compare it to last year's, looking at it from what was our biggest problem, we might actually be worse.We'll see what they add at the 4 and 5 positions. They'd better be good. Yes, I know who Jamarques Lawrence is. Is his addition going to drastically change what we were last year, which was one of the worst defenses in the country?

Yes, our defense sucked. Farrell is a fantastic defender, but Idk if he's ready to play next year. Typically, when you have some key returning players, your team's defense will naturally improve. They had an entire year and will have this offseason to learn Archie's system. Landing a perimeter defender like Lawerence will help as well.

Archie is well aware that we need to land a defensive minded big and wing. I would be very surprised if he didn't land at least two more players that are good defenders. Even if those players are limited on offense. I like that Archie is taking his time and considering all options. Until we see the final roster, I'm going to have a positive outlook that he will build a good team. I think our current roster would be a middle-of-the-pack A10 team, which is an improvement. Yes I know we all want bids but I just want to see this team get out of the bottom of the A10.

[Billyboy78]

8-12?

Have you watched a second of him at Albany?

Do you know who Jamarques Lawrence is?

It wouldn't be "Bassy" getting us where we want us to go it would be the "Team"

I'm guessing if we land a wing player and a big it won't matter how good they are because no one will watch replays of their games or highlights and they'll just continue with their doom and gloom bs.

I was being kind at 8-12. Our big problem last year was defense. How has that improved? We blocked very few shots last year. Only 3 guys had double figures in blocks for the entire season. All 3 of them are gone. Of our returning players, the leaders from last year are tied......with 8! Fuchs and House. Just awful. We have zero defensive presence in the paint. We actually had one player last year who played hard on defense and was often assigned the other team's best player. He's gone too. So, if you look at our roster now and compare it to last year's, looking at it from what was our biggest problem, we might actually be worse.We'll see what they add at the 4 and 5 positions. They'd better be good. Yes, I know who Jamarques Lawrence is. Is his addition going to drastically change what we were last year, which was one of the worst defenses in the country?

Well obviously we would struggle if we didn't go and get other bigs to help Fuchs.

I would for sure join the doom and gloom crew if we don't add another big! I think Bassy, Lawrence, a Sr House, Sr Green and Soph Fuchs is easily a better starting 5.

But yeah, if they don't get the big transfers right we will once again struggle inside. Fuchs is good, but I have doubts about his defensive abilities. It was very easy for other bigs to get shots over him and Tyson.

Hoping for a 6'10+ big guy and a wing gut who can play D and shoot!

That's what I'm saying. We'd better get at least 2, maybe 3 good players at the 4 and 5. And they don't have to big scorers. That would be a bonus. Good rebounders, good defenders, at least 1 rim protector . Right now, if you put our roster in their natural positions, we have:

PG:2
SG:3
SF:2
PF:0
C: 1

Some are saying we need to only add role players. I think we need to add impact players, at least defensively, at the 4 and 5.
I see Green as a 3. Yes, he can play some 4, but not with Fuchs, who is 6'7" (?)

[Jdrums#3]

Good points earlier from 78, PRT and Stevey regarding our D. I am concerned about the D.

We need to coach up the players here now to be smarter on D, give better effort on D and we need to add another viable big that can protect the rim.

As someone rightly posted yesterday - sorry for forgetting the poster- we have to improve a lot on D to be a good team next season.

[PeterRamTime]

I was being kind at 8-12. Our big problem last year was defense. How has that improved? We blocked very few shots last year. Only 3 guys had double figures in blocks for the entire season. All 3 of them are gone. Of our returning players, the leaders from last year are tied......with 8! Fuchs and House. Just awful. We have zero defensive presence in the paint. We actually had one player last year who played hard on defense and was often assigned the other team's best player. He's gone too. So, if you look at our roster now and compare it to last year's, looking at it from what was our biggest problem, we might actually be worse.We'll see what they add at the 4 and 5 positions. They'd better be good. Yes, I know who Jamarques Lawrence is. Is his addition going to drastically change what we were last year, which was one of the worst defenses in the country?

Well obviously we would struggle if we didn't go and get other bigs to help Fuchs.

I would for sure join the doom and gloom crew if we don't add another big! I think Bassy, Lawrence, a Sr House, Sr Green and Soph Fuchs is easily a better starting 5.

But yeah, if they don't get the big transfers right we will once again struggle inside. Fuchs is good, but I have doubts about his defensive abilities. It was very easy for other bigs to get shots over him and Tyson.

Hoping for a 6'10+ big guy and a wing gut who can play D and shoot!

That's what I'm saying. We'd better get at least 2, maybe 3 good players at the 4 and 5. And they don't have to big scorers. That would be a bonus. Good rebounders, good defenders, at least 1 rim protector . Right now, if you put our roster in their natural positions, we have:

PG:2
SG:3
SF:2
PF:0
C: 1

Some are saying we need to only add role players. I think we need to add impact players, at least defensively, at the 4 and 5.
I see Green as a 3. Yes, he can play some 4, but not with Fuchs, who is 6'7" (?)

Fuchs is listed at 6'9. I'd say he's a solid 6'8 in reality.

Green can definitely play the 4 in the A-10. He didn't seem to have problems scoring inside.

The Greek UConn guy and the guy out of Green Bay we targeted last week look like they can play the 3 or 4 (maybe) so it looks like we are adding someone like that.

And hey if Farrell could at least give us what Weston gave us then that would be nice. Should be possible.

I think adding a true center that is a legit 6'10+ fixes a lot of our problems though. I'm just biased against undersized 5 men like Fuchs. We have run into soooo many mismatches over the years with our undersized bigs.

[Billyboy78]

Well obviously we would struggle if we didn't go and get other bigs to help Fuchs.

I would for sure join the doom and gloom crew if we don't add another big! I think Bassy, Lawrence, a Sr House, Sr Green and Soph Fuchs is easily a better starting 5.

But yeah, if they don't get the big transfers right we will once again struggle inside. Fuchs is good, but I have doubts about his defensive abilities. It was very easy for other bigs to get shots over him and Tyson.

Hoping for a 6'10+ big guy and a wing gut who can play D and shoot!

That's what I'm saying. We'd better get at least 2, maybe 3 good players at the 4 and 5. And they don't have to big scorers. That would be a bonus. Good rebounders, good defenders, at least 1 rim protector . Right now, if you put our roster in their natural positions, we have:

PG:2
SG:3
SF:2
PF:0
C: 1

Some are saying we need to only add role players. I think we need to add impact players, at least defensively, at the 4 and 5.
I see Green as a 3. Yes, he can play some 4, but not with Fuchs, who is 6'7" (?)

Fuchs is listed at 6'9. I'd say he's a solid 6'8 in reality.

Green can definitely play the 4 in the A-10. He didn't seem to have problems scoring inside.

The Greek UConn guy and the guy out of Green Bay we targeted last week look like they can play the 3 or 4 (maybe) so it looks like we are adding someone like that.

And hey if Farrell could at least give us what Weston gave us then that would be nice. Should be possible.

I think adding a true center that is a legit 6'10+ fixes a lot of our problems though. I'm just biased against undersized 5 men like Fuchs. We have run into soooo many mismatches over the years with our undersized bigs.

The Greek kid is listed as a guard.

[PeterRamTime]

That's what I'm saying. We'd better get at least 2, maybe 3 good players at the 4 and 5. And they don't have to big scorers. That would be a bonus. Good rebounders, good defenders, at least 1 rim protector . Right now, if you put our roster in their natural positions, we have:

PG:2
SG:3
SF:2
PF:0
C: 1

Some are saying we need to only add role players. I think we need to add impact players, at least defensively, at the 4 and 5.
I see Green as a 3. Yes, he can play some 4, but not with Fuchs, who is 6'7" (?)

Fuchs is listed at 6'9. I'd say he's a solid 6'8 in reality.

Green can definitely play the 4 in the A-10. He didn't seem to have problems scoring inside.

The Greek UConn guy and the guy out of Green Bay we targeted last week look like they can play the 3 or 4 (maybe) so it looks like we are adding someone like that.

And hey if Farrell could at least give us what Weston gave us then that would be nice. Should be possible.

I think adding a true center that is a legit 6'10+ fixes a lot of our problems though. I'm just biased against undersized 5 men like Fuchs. We have run into soooo many mismatches over the years with our undersized bigs.

The Greek kid is listed as a guard.

Yeah but he's 6'8. I'd figure he'd inevidently be matched up with with some bigger guys on the wing/inside by virtue of being 6'8.

[ramster]

Fuchs is listed at 6'9. I'd say he's a solid 6'8 in reality.

Green can definitely play the 4 in the A-10. He didn't seem to have problems scoring inside.

The Greek UConn guy and the guy out of Green Bay we targeted last week look like they can play the 3 or 4 (maybe) so it looks like we are adding someone like that.

And hey if Farrell could at least give us what Weston gave us then that would be nice. Should be possible.

I think adding a true center that is a legit 6'10+ fixes a lot of our problems though. I'm just biased against undersized 5 men like Fuchs. We have run into soooo many mismatches over the years with our undersized bigs.

The Greek kid is listed as a guard.

Yeah but he's 6'8. I'd figure he'd inevidently be matched up with with some bigger guys on the wing/inside by virtue of being 6'8.

Fuchs is 6’9” not 6’7”
Sit at floor level and compare Fuchs to Foumena, Brown, Green, Stewart and Bilau he fits with their listed heights. So if 1 is exaggerated then they all are. It’s all relative.

Fuchs goes not jump well, in fact he lost a lot of jump balls to start games. Green does not jump well either. Could part of the jumping limitations be due to Fuchs ankle injury and part of Green having leg, knee or ankle issues? Don’t know.

This team needs to add 1 or 2 alpha guys. Players who can contend for All A10 Conference recognition on top of what is a decent base to build from.

[PeterRamTime]

The Greek kid is listed as a guard.

Yeah but he's 6'8. I'd figure he'd inevidently be matched up with with some bigger guys on the wing/inside by virtue of being 6'8.

Fuchs is 6’9” not 6’7”
Sit at floor level and compare Fuchs to Foumena, Brown, Green, Stewart and Bilau he fits with their listed heights. So if 1 is exaggerated then they all are. It’s all relative.

Fuchs goes not jump well, in fact he lost a lot of jump balls to start games. Green does not jump well either. Could part of the jumping limitations be due to Fuchs ankle injury and part of Green having leg, knee or ankle issues? Don’t know.

This team needs to add 1 or 2 alpha guys. Players who can contend for All A10 Conference recognition on top of what is a decent base to build from.

That's why I said 6"8

I pretty much assume all players are at least about 1 inch shorter than their listed height.

[Billyboy78]

The Greek kid is listed as a guard.

Yeah but he's 6'8. I'd figure he'd inevidently be matched up with with some bigger guys on the wing/inside by virtue of being 6'8.

Fuchs is 6’9” not 6’7”
Sit at floor level and compare Fuchs to Foumena, Brown, Green, Stewart and Bilau he fits with their listed heights. So if 1 is exaggerated then they all are. It’s all relative.

Fuchs goes not jump well, in fact he lost a lot of jump balls to start games. Green does not jump well either. Could part of the jumping limitations be due to Fuchs ankle injury and part of Green having leg, knee or ankle issues? Don’t know.

This team needs to add 1 or 2 alpha guys. Players who can contend for All A10 Conference recognition on top of what is a decent base to build from.

He must have grown since we signed him.

https://www.providencejournal.com/story ... 258434007/

[Jdrums#3]

Yeah but he's 6'8. I'd figure he'd inevidently be matched up with with some bigger guys on the wing/inside by virtue of being 6'8.

Fuchs is 6’9” not 6’7”
Sit at floor level and compare Fuchs to Foumena, Brown, Green, Stewart and Bilau he fits with their listed heights. So if 1 is exaggerated then they all are. It’s all relative.

Fuchs goes not jump well, in fact he lost a lot of jump balls to start games. Green does not jump well either. Could part of the jumping limitations be due to Fuchs ankle injury and part of Green having leg, knee or ankle issues? Don’t know.

This team needs to add 1 or 2 alpha guys. Players who can contend for All A10 Conference recognition on top of what is a decent base to build from.

He must have grown since we signed him.

https://www.providencejournal.com/story ... 258434007/

I can’t say enough good things about that URI fertilizer. Good for the grass, too.

[Billyboy78]

Fuchs is 6’9” not 6’7”
Sit at floor level and compare Fuchs to Foumena, Brown, Green, Stewart and Bilau he fits with their listed heights. So if 1 is exaggerated then they all are. It’s all relative.

Fuchs goes not jump well, in fact he lost a lot of jump balls to start games. Green does not jump well either. Could part of the jumping limitations be due to Fuchs ankle injury and part of Green having leg, knee or ankle issues? Don’t know.

This team needs to add 1 or 2 alpha guys. Players who can contend for All A10 Conference recognition on top of what is a decent base to build from.

He must have grown since we signed him.

https://www.providencejournal.com/story ... 258434007/

I can’t say enough good things about that URI fertilizer. Good for the grass, too.

It's the cheeseburgers from Hope Dining Hall (if that's even still there).

[steveystuds06]

Well obviously we would struggle if we didn't go and get other bigs to help Fuchs.

I would for sure join the doom and gloom crew if we don't add another big! I think Bassy, Lawrence, a Sr House, Sr Green and Soph Fuchs is easily a better starting 5.

But yeah, if they don't get the big transfers right we will once again struggle inside. Fuchs is good, but I have doubts about his defensive abilities. It was very easy for other bigs to get shots over him and Tyson.

Hoping for a 6'10+ big guy and a wing gut who can play D and shoot!

That's what I'm saying. We'd better get at least 2, maybe 3 good players at the 4 and 5. And they don't have to big scorers. That would be a bonus. Good rebounders, good defenders, at least 1 rim protector . Right now, if you put our roster in their natural positions, we have:

PG:2
SG:3
SF:2
PF:0
C: 1

Some are saying we need to only add role players. I think we need to add impact players, at least defensively, at the 4 and 5.
I see Green as a 3. Yes, he can play some 4, but not with Fuchs, who is 6'7" (?)

Fuchs is listed at 6'9. I'd say he's a solid 6'8 in reality.

Green can definitely play the 4 in the A-10. He didn't seem to have problems scoring inside.

The Greek UConn guy and the guy out of Green Bay we targeted last week look like they can play the 3 or 4 (maybe) so it looks like we are adding someone like that.

And hey if Farrell could at least give us what Weston gave us then that would be nice. Should be possible.

I think adding a true center that is a legit 6'10+ fixes a lot of our problems though. I'm just biased against undersized 5 men like Fuchs. We have run into soooo many mismatches over the years with our undersized bigs.

I just don't see many talented 6'10+ bigs coming to us right now..I think our best shot to really land an impactful big is to go with one of those undersized but play big players like Ard, Seawright, Cyril, and Hass... I feel like any big we land that's 6'11 will be a project. We shall see.

[Jdrums#3]

That's what I'm saying. We'd better get at least 2, maybe 3 good players at the 4 and 5. And they don't have to big scorers. That would be a bonus. Good rebounders, good defenders, at least 1 rim protector . Right now, if you put our roster in their natural positions, we have:

PG:2
SG:3
SF:2
PF:0
C: 1

Some are saying we need to only add role players. I think we need to add impact players, at least defensively, at the 4 and 5.
I see Green as a 3. Yes, he can play some 4, but not with Fuchs, who is 6'7" (?)

Fuchs is listed at 6'9. I'd say he's a solid 6'8 in reality.

Green can definitely play the 4 in the A-10. He didn't seem to have problems scoring inside.

The Greek UConn guy and the guy out of Green Bay we targeted last week look like they can play the 3 or 4 (maybe) so it looks like we are adding someone like that.

And hey if Farrell could at least give us what Weston gave us then that would be nice. Should be possible.

I think adding a true center that is a legit 6'10+ fixes a lot of our problems though. I'm just biased against undersized 5 men like Fuchs. We have run into soooo many mismatches over the years with our undersized bigs.

I just don't see many talented 6'10+ bigs coming to us right now..I think our best shot to really land an impactful big is to go with one of those undersized but play big players like Ard, Seawright, Cyril, and Hass... I feel like any big we land that's 6'11 will be a project. We shall see.

Personally, Stevey, I can live with that type - the type we have had success with in the past: tough, physical, no fear, can play D at a high level, score around the hoop. A lunch pale player in the front court. I’d be happy.

Stevey, do you think bringing in a big from overseas is still a possibility or is it too late ?

[ramster]

Yeah but he's 6'8. I'd figure he'd inevidently be matched up with with some bigger guys on the wing/inside by virtue of being 6'8.

Fuchs is 6’9” not 6’7”
Sit at floor level and compare Fuchs to Foumena, Brown, Green, Stewart and Bilau he fits with their listed heights. So if 1 is exaggerated then they all are. It’s all relative.

Fuchs goes not jump well, in fact he lost a lot of jump balls to start games. Green does not jump well either. Could part of the jumping limitations be due to Fuchs ankle injury and part of Green having leg, knee or ankle issues? Don’t know.

This team needs to add 1 or 2 alpha guys. Players who can contend for All A10 Conference recognition on top of what is a decent base to build from.

He must have grown since we signed him.

https://www.providencejournal.com/story ... 258434007/

So you take the ProJo over the URI roster info that is shared with all Of D1? What makes the ProJo right at 6’8” still higher than your 6’7”?
It’s still an inch higher that your 6’7” declaration
And again, it’s all relative. Sitting at courtside the differences in height between Fuchs, Green, Foumena, Brown, Bilau and Stewart all appear to make sense when standing near one another.

And if you think Fuchs is exaggerated then wouldn’t all the players be following that pattern on the roster? In opposition teams too.
And believe me there is no way Hammond is 5’11” not even remotely close.

[Billyboy78]

Just have Bassy call his buddy Miranda. We have more NIL money? Use it on him.

[Billyboy78]

Fuchs is 6’9” not 6’7”
Sit at floor level and compare Fuchs to Foumena, Brown, Green, Stewart and Bilau he fits with their listed heights. So if 1 is exaggerated then they all are. It’s all relative.

Fuchs goes not jump well, in fact he lost a lot of jump balls to start games. Green does not jump well either. Could part of the jumping limitations be due to Fuchs ankle injury and part of Green having leg, knee or ankle issues? Don’t know.

This team needs to add 1 or 2 alpha guys. Players who can contend for All A10 Conference recognition on top of what is a decent base to build from.

He must have grown since we signed him.

https://www.providencejournal.com/story ... 258434007/

So you take the ProJo over the URI roster info that is shared with all Of D1? What makes the ProJo right at 6’8” still higher than your 6’7”?
It’s still an inch higher that your 6’7” declaration
And again, it’s all relative. Sitting at courtside the differences in height between Fuchs, Green, Foumena, Brown, Bilau and Stewart all appear to make sense when standing near one another.

And if you think Fuchs is exaggerated then wouldn’t all the players be following that pattern on the roster? In opposition teams too.
And believe me there is no way Hammond is 5’11” not even remotely close.

Where do you think Koch got the 6'8" from. You think he just guessed? Anyway, who cares. I still think Green at the 4 and Fuchs at the 5 together is too small. That was my point anyway.

[ramster]

He must have grown since we signed him.

https://www.providencejournal.com/story ... 258434007/

So you take the ProJo over the URI roster info that is shared with all Of D1? What makes the ProJo right at 6’8” still higher than your 6’7”?
It’s still an inch higher that your 6’7” declaration
And again, it’s all relative. Sitting at courtside the differences in height between Fuchs, Green, Foumena, Brown, Bilau and Stewart all appear to make sense when standing near one another.

And if you think Fuchs is exaggerated then wouldn’t all the players be following that pattern on the roster? In opposition teams too.
And believe me there is no way Hammond is 5’11” not even remotely close.

Where do you think Koch got the 6'8" from. You think he just guessed? Anyway, who cares. I still think Green at the 4 and Fuchs at the 5 together is too small. That was my point anyway.

I did not say Koch guessed. I don’t know where he got it.
I also don’t know where you got that Thomas is a horrendous shooter but the facts prove otherwise.

Fuchs and Green heights can be debated but the real issue inside is that neither one jumps well. Both give strong effort and both were very frustrated at times last year when opposition guards easily got by their URI defensive guards and Fuchs or Green had to pick them up and sometimes pick up unnecessary fouls (had the guards done their jobs better)

As I said the worst defensive player I’ve ever seen at URI (talking starters now) was Brayon Freeman. Absolutely the worst. Miller saw it, addressed it and along with his attitude tossed him. Even at lowly Coastal Carolina Freeman played just a handful of games (after being made eligible by the Court ordered no sit out ruling).
The 2nd worst starter I’ve ever seen at URI was Zek Montgomery. Expectations were high on him but Miller moved on Montgomery too removing him from the starting line up.
Both guys Kenny Johnson recruits who came in with big hype but the defense was just awful.

I think of these 2 players, Miller being very clear on his views about the defense the 2nd half of this season, Miller calling the defense F- and being his fault late in the season and Miller saying he wanted to go in a different direction with his next Assistant Coach hire.

[ramster]

Good points earlier from 78, PRT and Stevey regarding our D. I am concerned about the D.

We need to coach up the players here now to be smarter on D, give better effort on D and we need to add another viable big that can protect the rim.

As someone rightly posted yesterday - sorry for forgetting the poster- we have to improve a lot on D to be a good team next season.

Jdrums#3,

2 points:

Point 1. Ironic how we beat Central Connecticut State by 11, beat Fairfield by 13 and beat Wagner by 16, all 3 games at Ryan Center to start the season 3-0 and that Wagner thread had comments like we are back, RV, Chris Disano, Bill Koch and plenty of posters here saying no way would URI be bottom tier. The prognosticators were all wrong. We react positively beating low mid majors.
But then it means nothing what Thomas did at that level of competition.

Point 2. There was not an overabundance of complaining about defense the 1st half of the season. Most complaints were about which big should start, FT shooting quality, 3P shooting quality, turnovers, distribution of minutes across 10 players…..
Miller stated complaining about defense back in late January, then February and March. He said once the defense was F-
This made defense a common, hot topic in KB spearheaded by Miller himself. Miller is building a roster of players who will listen to him, have good body language, play unselfishly, play with effort and energy, shoot FT’s better, shoot 3FG’s better and most importantly be coachable.
I think he is off to a good start.

[Billyboy78]

So you take the ProJo over the URI roster info that is shared with all Of D1? What makes the ProJo right at 6’8” still higher than your 6’7”?
It’s still an inch higher that your 6’7” declaration
And again, it’s all relative. Sitting at courtside the differences in height between Fuchs, Green, Foumena, Brown, Bilau and Stewart all appear to make sense when standing near one another.

And if you think Fuchs is exaggerated then wouldn’t all the players be following that pattern on the roster? In opposition teams too.
And believe me there is no way Hammond is 5’11” not even remotely close.

Where do you think Koch got the 6'8" from. You think he just guessed? Anyway, who cares. I still think Green at the 4 and Fuchs at the 5 together is too small. That was my point anyway.

I did not say Koch guessed. I don’t know where he got it.
I also don’t know where you got that Thomas is a horrendous shooter but the facts prove otherwise.

Fuchs and Green heights can be debated but the real issue inside is that neither one jumps well. Both give strong effort and both were very frustrated at times last year when opposition guards easily got by their URI defensive guards and Fuchs or Green had to pick them up and sometimes pick up unnecessary fouls (had the guards done their jobs better)

As I said the worst defensive player I’ve ever seen at URI (talking starters now) was Brayon Freeman. Absolutely the worst. Miller saw it, addressed it and along with his attitude tossed him. Even at lowly Coastal Carolina Freeman played just a handful of games (after being made eligible by the Court ordered no sit out ruling).
The 2nd worst starter I’ve ever seen at URI was Zek Montgomery. Expectations were high on him but Miller moved on Montgomery too removing him from the starting line up.
Both guys Kenny Johnson recruits who came in with big hype but the defense was just awful.

I think of these 2 players, Miller being very clear on his views about the defense the 2nd half of this season, Miller calling the defense F- and being his fault late in the season and Miller saying he wanted to go in a different direction with his next Assistant Coach hire.

FG% of 43 and 3 pt % of 29 isn't good. Maybe you think it is. He took 28 shots in the game he got 41. If he's doing that here, we're in big trouble.

[PeterRamTime]

That's what I'm saying. We'd better get at least 2, maybe 3 good players at the 4 and 5. And they don't have to big scorers. That would be a bonus. Good rebounders, good defenders, at least 1 rim protector . Right now, if you put our roster in their natural positions, we have:

PG:2
SG:3
SF:2
PF:0
C: 1

Some are saying we need to only add role players. I think we need to add impact players, at least defensively, at the 4 and 5.
I see Green as a 3. Yes, he can play some 4, but not with Fuchs, who is 6'7" (?)

Fuchs is listed at 6'9. I'd say he's a solid 6'8 in reality.

Green can definitely play the 4 in the A-10. He didn't seem to have problems scoring inside.

The Greek UConn guy and the guy out of Green Bay we targeted last week look like they can play the 3 or 4 (maybe) so it looks like we are adding someone like that.

And hey if Farrell could at least give us what Weston gave us then that would be nice. Should be possible.

I think adding a true center that is a legit 6'10+ fixes a lot of our problems though. I'm just biased against undersized 5 men like Fuchs. We have run into soooo many mismatches over the years with our undersized bigs.

I just don't see many talented 6'10+ bigs coming to us right now..I think our best shot to really land an impactful big is to go with one of those undersized but play big players like Ard, Seawright, Cyril, and Hass... I feel like any big we land that's 6'11 will be a project. We shall see.

Idk

Fou was good (when he didn't go rogue) Bilau was good, but he was made of glass.

Our peers have gotten 6'10+ guys that are plenty good. I didn't think we'd get anyone as good as JLaw...hopefully we can get one.

What's weird to me is Cam Manyawu is the only big guy we know we have contacted. A little odd that over a month has gon by and that's the only news we've gotten on that front.

[ramster]

Where do you think Koch got the 6'8" from. You think he just guessed? Anyway, who cares. I still think Green at the 4 and Fuchs at the 5 together is too small. That was my point anyway.

I did not say Koch guessed. I don’t know where he got it.
I also don’t know where you got that Thomas is a horrendous shooter but the facts prove otherwise.

Fuchs and Green heights can be debated but the real issue inside is that neither one jumps well. Both give strong effort and both were very frustrated at times last year when opposition guards easily got by their URI defensive guards and Fuchs or Green had to pick them up and sometimes pick up unnecessary fouls (had the guards done their jobs better)

As I said the worst defensive player I’ve ever seen at URI (talking starters now) was Brayon Freeman. Absolutely the worst. Miller saw it, addressed it and along with his attitude tossed him. Even at lowly Coastal Carolina Freeman played just a handful of games (after being made eligible by the Court ordered no sit out ruling).
The 2nd worst starter I’ve ever seen at URI was Zek Montgomery. Expectations were high on him but Miller moved on Montgomery too removing him from the starting line up.
Both guys Kenny Johnson recruits who came in with big hype but the defense was just awful.

I think of these 2 players, Miller being very clear on his views about the defense the 2nd half of this season, Miller calling the defense F- and being his fault late in the season and Miller saying he wanted to go in a different direction with his next Assistant Coach hire.

FG% of 43 and 3 pt % of 29 isn't good. Maybe you think it is. He took 28 shots in the game he got 41. If he's doing that here, we're in big trouble.

You said Thomas was a horrendous shooter.
Stats show Thomas 1st among the 6 guards (I agree Green is more guard than 4 - but then most (not all) here wanted a 4 guard lineup anyway)

Thomas 1st in 2FG 50%, 1st in FT 77.5% (or do they have a shorter length in Albany’s conference for FT’s?) and just behind Kortright at 29.4% in 3FG’s

If he is a horrendous shooter or isn’t good then the data from this year doesn’t support that.

My guess is that his FT% increases slightly and odds are his 3FG% improves with more practices and flows the trend he has shown in FT’s and 2FGs

Also noted in watching his complete games that Thomas made Tyler Bertram a better shooter from 3FG by dinging him open with good, crisp passes and passing the ball back out to the 3P line after driving the lane. Bertram was a former URI recruiting target.

House and Montgomery could have benefited more this season from a guard who could penetrate and pass back out to the perimeter.



2FG%
Thomas 168-336= 50%
Lawrence 45-92= 48.9%
Montgomery 107-249= 43.0%
House 158-350= 45.1%
Kortright 110-252= 43.7%
Green 56-123= 45.5%

FT%
Thomas 141-182= 77.5%
Lawrence 37-48= 77.1%
Montgomery 56-80= 70.0%
House 93-138= 67.4%
Kortright 74-111= 66.7%
Green 60-91= 65.9%

3FG%
Green 33-76= 43.4%
Lawrence 36-101= 35.6%
House 42-127= 33.1%
Montgomery 28-89= 31.5%
Kortright 27-91= 29.7%
Thomas 50-170= 29.4%

[Billyboy78]

I did not say Koch guessed. I don’t know where he got it.
I also don’t know where you got that Thomas is a horrendous shooter but the facts prove otherwise.

Fuchs and Green heights can be debated but the real issue inside is that neither one jumps well. Both give strong effort and both were very frustrated at times last year when opposition guards easily got by their URI defensive guards and Fuchs or Green had to pick them up and sometimes pick up unnecessary fouls (had the guards done their jobs better)

As I said the worst defensive player I’ve ever seen at URI (talking starters now) was Brayon Freeman. Absolutely the worst. Miller saw it, addressed it and along with his attitude tossed him. Even at lowly Coastal Carolina Freeman played just a handful of games (after being made eligible by the Court ordered no sit out ruling).
The 2nd worst starter I’ve ever seen at URI was Zek Montgomery. Expectations were high on him but Miller moved on Montgomery too removing him from the starting line up.
Both guys Kenny Johnson recruits who came in with big hype but the defense was just awful.

I think of these 2 players, Miller being very clear on his views about the defense the 2nd half of this season, Miller calling the defense F- and being his fault late in the season and Miller saying he wanted to go in a different direction with his next Assistant Coach hire.

FG% of 43 and 3 pt % of 29 isn't good. Maybe you think it is. He took 28 shots in the game he got 41. If he's doing that here, we're in big trouble.

You said Thomas was a horrendous shooter.
Stats show Thomas 1st among the 6 guards (I agree Green is more guard than 4 - but then most (not all) here wanted a 4 guard lineup anyway)

Thomas 1st in 2FG 50%, 1st in FT 77.5% (or do they have a shorter length in Albany’s conference for FT’s?) and just behind Kortright at 29.4% in 3FG’s

If he is a horrendous shooter or isn’t good then the data from this year doesn’t support that.

My guess is that his FT% increases slightly and odds are his 3FG% improves with more practices and flows the trend he has shown in FT’s and 2FGs

Also noted in watching his complete games that Thomas made Tyler Bertram a better shooter from 3FG by dinging him open with good, crisp passes and passing the ball back out to the 3P line after driving the lane. Bertram was a former URI recruiting target.

House and Montgomery could have benefited more this season from a guard who could penetrate and pass back out to the perimeter.



2FG%
Thomas 168-336= 50%
Lawrence 45-92= 48.9%
Montgomery 107-249= 43.0%
House 158-350= 45.1%
Kortright 110-252= 43.7%
Green 56-123= 45.5%

FT%
Thomas 141-182= 77.5%
Lawrence 37-48= 77.1%
Montgomery 56-80= 70.0%
House 93-138= 67.4%
Kortright 74-111= 66.7%
Green 60-91= 65.9%

3FG%
Green 33-76= 43.4%
Lawrence 36-101= 35.6%
House 42-127= 33.1%
Montgomery 28-89= 31.5%
Kortright 27-91= 29.7%
Thomas 50-170= 29.4%

The problem is, he took 170 three point shots this year and only made 29%. That's 43 more three point attempts than anyone on our team. Jaden House took 127. No one else on our team took 100. As I've said, I like Bassy, but his role on this team can't be jacking up threes. I hope that's not what Archie meant when he told Bassy he could play more freely here than he did before. I want him to be more of a true PG than a scoring PG and a volume shooter here.

[Jdrums#3]

Good points earlier from 78, PRT and Stevey regarding our D. I am concerned about the D.

We need to coach up the players here now to be smarter on D, give better effort on D and we need to add another viable big that can protect the rim.

As someone rightly posted yesterday - sorry for forgetting the poster- we have to improve a lot on D to be a good team next season.

Jdrums#3,

2 points:

Point 1. Ironic how we beat Central Connecticut State by 11, beat Fairfield by 13 and beat Wagner by 16, all 3 games at Ryan Center to start the season 3-0 and that Wagner thread had comments like we are back, RV, Chris Disano, Bill Koch and plenty of posters here saying no way would URI be bottom tier. The prognosticators were all wrong. We react positively beating low mid majors.
But then it means nothing what Thomas did at that level of competition.

Point 2. There was not an overabundance of complaining about defense the 1st half of the season. Most complaints were about which big should start, FT shooting quality, 3P shooting quality, turnovers, distribution of minutes across 10 players…..
Miller stated complaining about defense back in late January, then February and March. He said once the defense was F-
This made defense a common, hot topic in KB spearheaded by Miller himself. Miller is building a roster of players who will listen to him, have good body language, play unselfishly, play with effort and energy, shoot FT’s better, shoot 3FG’s better and most importantly be coachable.
I think he is off to a good start.

Good points, Ramster.

Speaking for myself, I expect consistent inconsistency here due to the emotions involved in being a fan. It is ironic when compared to objectivity but not a point of emphasis for me. When one considers that it had been and has been a rough few years for us, I expect most wins to be celebrated more until they become more common place.

Your 2nd point is also a good one. Although, and I will include myself, I expect more fans to focus on offense. Every once in a while, I will snap out of my focus on O, though. For example, I think Scott B had an interview with Abu Bakr last preseason and asked for questions ahead of time. If I remember correctly, I asked him to ask Abu how our D was shaping up?

I think most here recognize how important D is to winning basketball but it just tends to get overlooked or undervalued until it’s an obvious problem or an obvious strength.

[ramster]

Good points earlier from 78, PRT and Stevey regarding our D. I am concerned about the D.

We need to coach up the players here now to be smarter on D, give better effort on D and we need to add another viable big that can protect the rim.

As someone rightly posted yesterday - sorry for forgetting the poster- we have to improve a lot on D to be a good team next season.

Jdrums#3,

2 points:

Point 1. Ironic how we beat Central Connecticut State by 11, beat Fairfield by 13 and beat Wagner by 16, all 3 games at Ryan Center to start the season 3-0 and that Wagner thread had comments like we are back, RV, Chris Disano, Bill Koch and plenty of posters here saying no way would URI be bottom tier. The prognosticators were all wrong. We react positively beating low mid majors.
But then it means nothing what Thomas did at that level of competition.

Point 2. There was not an overabundance of complaining about defense the 1st half of the season. Most complaints were about which big should start, FT shooting quality, 3P shooting quality, turnovers, distribution of minutes across 10 players…..
Miller stated complaining about defense back in late January, then February and March. He said once the defense was F-
This made defense a common, hot topic in KB spearheaded by Miller himself. Miller is building a roster of players who will listen to him, have good body language, play unselfishly, play with effort and energy, shoot FT’s better, shoot 3FG’s better and most importantly be coachable.
I think he is off to a good start.

Good points, Ramster.

Speaking for myself, I expect consistent inconsistency here due to the emotions involved in being a fan. It is ironic but not a point of emphasis for me. When one considers that it had been and has been a rough few years for us, I expect most wins to be celebrated more until they become more common place.

Your 2nd point is also a good one. Although, and I will include myself, I expect more fans to focus on offense. Every once in a while, I will snap out of my focus on O, though. For example, I think Scott B had an interview with Abu Bakr last preseason and asked for questions ahead of time. If I remember correctly, I asked him to ask Abu how our D was shaping up?

I think most here recognize how important D is to winning basketball but it just tends to get overlooked or undervalued until it’s an obvious problem or an obvious strength.

Yes
It’s more fun to watch breakaway dunks. 3P shots.
Defense is not something fans watch so much and if televised the camera is most often on the ball and not watching boxing out, defense off the ball.
And in the packline you don’t always know who is to blame for breakdowns.

I watched live every A10 game in Brooklyn. Most impressive to me was the Duquesne defense. Dae Dae Grant, Jake DiMichelle and Jimmy Clark III played defense with 1 or both arms in the air. I saw them deflect balls on passes that I never would have thought they had a chance to reach. Their defense was not just about effort but they had good instincts, excellent timing, good anticipation and outstanding quickness. Their defense was a cut above every other of the 14 A10 teams.
We joke about walk-ons but Freshman Jake DiMichelle was a preferred walk on for Keith Dambrot this year. Dambrot credits the inserting of DiMichelle into the starting lineup midway thru the season as a key to the Duquesne turnaround and success. DiMichelle was a steady, calming, confident player in between the talented, fast and sometimes wild Grand and Clark. It was hard to tell who the Point Guard was among the 3 guys. DiMichelle made many clutch shots and clutch rebounds and clutch passes in Brooklyn.

[Billyboy78]

I guess I'm old school. I love defense. There was nothing more beautiful than watching Bill Russell block a shot which led to an easy basket by the Celtics.

[Jdrums#3]

Ramster, I like your description of Duq’s D which you watched in person - especially the instincts, timing and anticipation aspects.

Some players are naturally gifted with those traits.

[McRam]

We will see how Bassy does with drives and pass out to hopefully open shooters. Of course, there could very well be less collapses on Bassy as his ability to finish with the bigger A10 inside players might be problematical.

As for defense, a big deficiency for us last year was the lack of a rim protector. It is very hard to play aggressive, pressure defense when there is no real help on the inside. Didn’t Duquesne started to play really well when the freshman Dixon started to play many more minutes. (And had many more blocks)

[NYGFan_Section208]

Good points earlier from 78, PRT and Stevey regarding our D. I am concerned about the D.

We need to coach up the players here now to be smarter on D, give better effort on D and we need to add another viable big that can protect the rim.

As someone rightly posted yesterday - sorry for forgetting the poster- we have to improve a lot on D to be a good team next season.

Jdrums#3,

2 points:

Point 1. Ironic how we beat Central Connecticut State by 11, beat Fairfield by 13 and beat Wagner by 16, all 3 games at Ryan Center to start the season 3-0 and that Wagner thread had comments like we are back, RV, Chris Disano, Bill Koch and plenty of posters here saying no way would URI be bottom tier. The prognosticators were all wrong. We react positively beating low mid majors.
But then it means nothing what Thomas did at that level of competition.

Point 2. There was not an overabundance of complaining about defense the 1st half of the season. Most complaints were about which big should start, FT shooting quality, 3P shooting quality, turnovers, distribution of minutes across 10 players…..
Miller stated complaining about defense back in late January, then February and March. He said once the defense was F-
This made defense a common, hot topic in KB spearheaded by Miller himself. Miller is building a roster of players who will listen to him, have good body language, play unselfishly, play with effort and energy, shoot FT’s better, shoot 3FG’s better and most importantly be coachable.
I think he is off to a good start.

I hope so...I have never seen a team just throw in the towel*, full team, across the roster, multiple games, like last year. No wonder there's people not re-upping their tix.

*at least that's what the body language looked like

[steveystuds06]

Where do you think Koch got the 6'8" from. You think he just guessed? Anyway, who cares. I still think Green at the 4 and Fuchs at the 5 together is too small. That was my point anyway.

I did not say Koch guessed. I don’t know where he got it.
I also don’t know where you got that Thomas is a horrendous shooter but the facts prove otherwise.

Fuchs and Green heights can be debated but the real issue inside is that neither one jumps well. Both give strong effort and both were very frustrated at times last year when opposition guards easily got by their URI defensive guards and Fuchs or Green had to pick them up and sometimes pick up unnecessary fouls (had the guards done their jobs better)

As I said the worst defensive player I’ve ever seen at URI (talking starters now) was Brayon Freeman. Absolutely the worst. Miller saw it, addressed it and along with his attitude tossed him. Even at lowly Coastal Carolina Freeman played just a handful of games (after being made eligible by the Court ordered no sit out ruling).
The 2nd worst starter I’ve ever seen at URI was Zek Montgomery. Expectations were high on him but Miller moved on Montgomery too removing him from the starting line up.
Both guys Kenny Johnson recruits who came in with big hype but the defense was just awful.

I think of these 2 players, Miller being very clear on his views about the defense the 2nd half of this season, Miller calling the defense F- and being his fault late in the season and Miller saying he wanted to go in a different direction with his next Assistant Coach hire.

FG% of 43 and 3 pt % of 29 isn't good. Maybe you think it is. He took 28 shots in the game he got 41. If he's doing that here, we're in big trouble.

I've seen this posted by a few people. A FG percentage of 43% is not as poor as you and others are making it out to be. While shooting around 29-30% from 3 is below average, the hope is that he takes fewer threes this year and doesn't need to take as many tough shots as he did at Albany. A 43% shooting percentage is quite solid.

Here are some examples of former players' field goal percentages

Ish's junior year: 43%
Jeremy Sheppard senior year: 38%
Fatts Russell's final year at Rhody: 33%
Jeff Dowtin's senior year: 42%
Tyrese Martin sophomore year: 43%
EC Matthews' senior year: 42%
Jared Terrell's senior year: 42%
Jarvis Garrett's senior year: 40%

Did you feel like all those players were horrible shooters and scorers? I don't. No, I'm not saying Bassy is as good as some of our all-time greats, but the numbers don't lie. He has become a better scorer, and his shooting numbers have improved. That's a fact.

Additionally, Bassy was 15/28 when he dropped 42 points. That's a great game, if you ask me. While he won't need to shoot that much at Rhody, it doesn't change the fact that dropping 42 points is very impressive.

[Blue Man]

I did not say Koch guessed. I don’t know where he got it.
I also don’t know where you got that Thomas is a horrendous shooter but the facts prove otherwise.

Fuchs and Green heights can be debated but the real issue inside is that neither one jumps well. Both give strong effort and both were very frustrated at times last year when opposition guards easily got by their URI defensive guards and Fuchs or Green had to pick them up and sometimes pick up unnecessary fouls (had the guards done their jobs better)

As I said the worst defensive player I’ve ever seen at URI (talking starters now) was Brayon Freeman. Absolutely the worst. Miller saw it, addressed it and along with his attitude tossed him. Even at lowly Coastal Carolina Freeman played just a handful of games (after being made eligible by the Court ordered no sit out ruling).
The 2nd worst starter I’ve ever seen at URI was Zek Montgomery. Expectations were high on him but Miller moved on Montgomery too removing him from the starting line up.
Both guys Kenny Johnson recruits who came in with big hype but the defense was just awful.

I think of these 2 players, Miller being very clear on his views about the defense the 2nd half of this season, Miller calling the defense F- and being his fault late in the season and Miller saying he wanted to go in a different direction with his next Assistant Coach hire.

FG% of 43 and 3 pt % of 29 isn't good. Maybe you think it is. He took 28 shots in the game he got 41. If he's doing that here, we're in big trouble.

I've seen this posted by a few people. A FG percentage of 43% is not as poor as you and others are making it out to be. While shooting around 29-30% from 3 is below average, the hope is that he takes fewer threes this year and doesn't need to take as many tough shots as he did at Albany. A 43% shooting percentage is quite solid.

Here are some examples of former players' field goal percentages

Ish's junior year: 43%
Jeremy Sheppard senior year: 38%
Fatts Russell's final year at Rhody: 33%
Jeff Dowtin's senior year: 42%
Tyrese Martin sophomore year: 43%
EC Matthews' senior year: 42%
Jared Terrell's senior year: 42%
Jarvis Garrett's senior year: 40%

Did you feel like all those players were horrible shooters and scorers? I don't. No, I'm not saying Bassy is as good as some of our all-time greats, but the numbers don't lie. He has become a better scorer, and his shooting numbers have improved. That's a fact.

Additionally, Bassy was 15/28 when he dropped 42 points. That's a great game, if you ask me. While he won't need to shoot that much at Rhody, it doesn't change the fact that dropping 42 points is very impressive.

Fatts was 12/24 when he dropped 41 against St Joes. From a shooting % Bassy was better.

Most players are shooting a lot if they're going for 40+.

Again, I clearly wasn't the pom-pom waver for Bassy, but it does feel like people are intentionally trying to be as miserable as possible this offseason and are putting that context on every signing.

Players get better. Older players get better. It's foolish to bring up 2 years ago as the ceiling for Thomas.

Bassy won't be asked to do too much here but be a PG. He'll be at most the 4th scoring option on the floor behind Lawrence, House, and Green.

[PeterRamTime]

FG% of 43 and 3 pt % of 29 isn't good. Maybe you think it is. He took 28 shots in the game he got 41. If he's doing that here, we're in big trouble.

I've seen this posted by a few people. A FG percentage of 43% is not as poor as you and others are making it out to be. While shooting around 29-30% from 3 is below average, the hope is that he takes fewer threes this year and doesn't need to take as many tough shots as he did at Albany. A 43% shooting percentage is quite solid.

Here are some examples of former players' field goal percentages

Ish's junior year: 43%
Jeremy Sheppard senior year: 38%
Fatts Russell's final year at Rhody: 33%
Jeff Dowtin's senior year: 42%
Tyrese Martin sophomore year: 43%
EC Matthews' senior year: 42%
Jared Terrell's senior year: 42%
Jarvis Garrett's senior year: 40%

Did you feel like all those players were horrible shooters and scorers? I don't. No, I'm not saying Bassy is as good as some of our all-time greats, but the numbers don't lie. He has become a better scorer, and his shooting numbers have improved. That's a fact.

Additionally, Bassy was 15/28 when he dropped 42 points. That's a great game, if you ask me. While he won't need to shoot that much at Rhody, it doesn't change the fact that dropping 42 points is very impressive.

Fatts was 12/24 when he dropped 41 against St Joes. From a shooting % Bassy was better.

Most players are shooting a lot if they're going for 40+.

Again, I clearly wasn't the pom-pom waver for Bassy, but it does feel like people are intentionally trying to be as miserable as possible this offseason and are putting that context on every signing.

Players get better. Older players get better. It's foolish to bring up 2 years ago as the ceiling for Thomas.

Bassy won't be asked to do too much here but be a PG. He'll be at most the 4th scoring option on the floor behind Lawrence, House, and Green.

Nope!
Him putting up 30, 30, 31, 32 and 42 were just total flukes! He's hopeless in the mighty A10! No possible way he will compliment the players around him!

All evidence to the contrary is null and void!

[reef]

FG% of 43 and 3 pt % of 29 isn't good. Maybe you think it is. He took 28 shots in the game he got 41. If he's doing that here, we're in big trouble.

I've seen this posted by a few people. A FG percentage of 43% is not as poor as you and others are making it out to be. While shooting around 29-30% from 3 is below average, the hope is that he takes fewer threes this year and doesn't need to take as many tough shots as he did at Albany. A 43% shooting percentage is quite solid.

Here are some examples of former players' field goal percentages

Ish's junior year: 43%
Jeremy Sheppard senior year: 38%
Fatts Russell's final year at Rhody: 33%
Jeff Dowtin's senior year: 42%
Tyrese Martin sophomore year: 43%
EC Matthews' senior year: 42%
Jared Terrell's senior year: 42%
Jarvis Garrett's senior year: 40%

Did you feel like all those players were horrible shooters and scorers? I don't. No, I'm not saying Bassy is as good as some of our all-time greats, but the numbers don't lie. He has become a better scorer, and his shooting numbers have improved. That's a fact.

Additionally, Bassy was 15/28 when he dropped 42 points. That's a great game, if you ask me. While he won't need to shoot that much at Rhody, it doesn't change the fact that dropping 42 points is very impressive.

Fatts was 12/24 when he dropped 41 against St Joes. From a shooting % Bassy was better.

Most players are shooting a lot if they're going for 40+.

Again, I clearly wasn't the pom-pom waver for Bassy, but it does feel like people are intentionally trying to be as miserable as possible this offseason and are putting that context on every signing.

Players get better. Older players get better. It's foolish to bring up 2 years ago as the ceiling for Thomas.

Bassy won't be asked to do too much here but be a PG. He'll be at most the 4th scoring option on the floor behind Lawrence, House, and Green.

That’s fair and to have 1 of 4 guys that can get you 20 on any given night is a great thing to have