10/31 l St John’s l Secret Scrimmage

[Dino611]

Placeholder for when details come out later today

[KingstonLane]

URI wins 85-83. Will never get too jacked up over a scrimmage but that’s a great result. St. John’s took twice as many 3s we did and just were ice cold. Live and die by the 3 will likely be the story of our season

Most interesting we’re the takeaways from the minutes play. Looks like the twins dominated. Core 3 guards played well. Berry didn’t even get off the bench.

[ramster]

Both Mitchell’s started
Sheppard, Leggett and El Amin started at guards

Some here had said Cox would never start both Mitchell’s
Glad to see Cox play them together

Makhel a game high 11 rebounds

Walker with a game high 3 blocked shots, Makhi had the other block for URI plus Makhi had a team high 3 steals

Carey with 4 fouls in only 11 minutes, 2 turnovers and a team worst +- of -9

[Jersey77]

All 5 starters for URI scored in double figures.
Bassy played 12 minutes. Maybe they won't redshirt him.
No one on Rhody played over 30 minutes.

[DC_Rams]

Bassy will see more time than Berry. Better PURE PG. need a distributor and floor general, he fits the mold.

[bigappleram]

Both Mitchell’s started
Sheppard, Leggett and El Amin started at guards

Some here had said Cox would never start both Mitchell’s
Glad to see Cox play them together

Makhel a game high 11 rebounds

Walker with a game high 3 blocked shots, Makhi had the other block for URI plus Makhi had a team high 3 steals

Carey with 4 fouls in only 11 minutes, 2 turnovers and a team worst +- of -9

I never said Cox wouldn’t do it I just said I don’t see how that can work. But I guess that means Makhi is playing more of a stretch 4 — he took and made 1 three. If this sticks I would just get used to Makhi taking perimeter shots, for better or worse. Can’t play two guys on the low block.

[ramster]

Joel Soriano from Fordham with 16 points, 9 rebounds in 22 minutes. He was a starter.

[Jersey77]

Joel Soriano from Fordham with 16 points, 9 rebounds in 22 minutes. He was a starter.

He will be a major impact player for St. Johns.
They also have several other good transfers: Wheeler, Smith, Mathis, and Coburn.
Zach Freemantle (F), Xavier's top player and picked 1st team BE is out indefinitely with a foot injury. St. John's could finish 3rd or 4th in the BE.

[KingstonLane]

I’d imagine most importantly this is a big confidence builder for the squad. St John’s is a borderline Top 25 team

[Jersey77]

Curious if this will be our starting 5 to open the season.
Cox did spread out the minutes with Martin and Walker both getting over 20 mins. off the bench.

[adam914]

Interesting lineup/rotation. Definitely unexpected. I wonder if anyone was held out for some minor injury or if this is close to what we'll be seeing in the real games.

[SGreenwell]

All 5 starters for URI scored in double figures.
Bassy played 12 minutes. Maybe they won't redshirt him.
No one on Rhody played over 30 minutes.
Carey had no turnovers.

I think you might be looking at the wrong column - Carey had two turnovers in 11 minutes. It's also interesting that Thomas got slightly more playing time than him (12 minutes). Barring an injury that resulted in Berry being a DNP, Thomas being ahead of him in the rotation certainly isn't a good sign.

[Rhodymob05]

This pleases me. A scrimmage or not, it’s a W.

[theblueram]

Who is Bassy? And why did Carey play?

[steveystuds06]

Awesome!

It looks like we had a solid game from all of our key guys.

What worries me the most from the box score is the minutes Walker had. He should not be 6th on the team in minutes. I guess Cox is set on bringing him off the bench.

I hope Thomas and Carey only received double-digit minutes because it's a scrimmage.

I will take any win! Rhody Rhody Rhody!

[steveystuds06]

Who is Bassy? And why did Carey play?

Bassy is the guard we grabbed from Hendricken. I don't think he will make an impact this year but I hope I'm wrong.

[ace]

A couple of you are not yet in mid-season box score reading form.

Were the redshirt freshmen even there?

[DC_Rams]

All 5 starters for URI scored in double figures.
Bassy played 12 minutes. Maybe they won't redshirt him.
No one on Rhody played over 30 minutes.
Carey had no turnovers.

I think you might be looking at the wrong column - Carey had two turnovers in 11 minutes. It's also interesting that Thomas got slightly more playing time than him (12 minutes). Barring an injury that resulted in Berry being a DNP, Thomas being ahead of him in the rotation certainly isn't a good sign.

It’s not a good sign for Berry, but it’s a good sign that a capable young backup PG, is ready to see time.

[theblueram]

All 5 starters for URI scored in double figures.
Bassy played 12 minutes. Maybe they won't redshirt him.
No one on Rhody played over 30 minutes.
Carey had no turnovers.

I think you might be looking at the wrong column - Carey had two turnovers in 11 minutes. It's also interesting that Thomas got slightly more playing time than him (12 minutes). Barring an injury that resulted in Berry being a DNP, Thomas being ahead of him in the rotation certainly isn't a good sign.

It’s not a good sign for Berry, but it’s a good sign that a capable young backup PG, is ready to see time.

Are you talking about Thomas? Who didn't score a basket and had 3TO's?

[eli#10]

Gotta reduce the turnovers--21 is way too many. I wonder what kind of pressure the Johnnies had on the ball as their coach created the "40 minutes of hell" pressure basketball.

[steveystuds06]

I think you might be looking at the wrong column - Carey had two turnovers in 11 minutes. It's also interesting that Thomas got slightly more playing time than him (12 minutes). Barring an injury that resulted in Berry being a DNP, Thomas being ahead of him in the rotation certainly isn't a good sign.

It's not a good sign for Berry, but it's a good sign that a capable young backup PG, is ready to see time.

Are you talking about Thomas? Who didn't score a basket and had 3TO's?

3 TOs in only 12 minutes and finished with a -6. Watching him play in high school and watching him at practice, I don't think he's an A10 caliber player yet. I hope Im wrong.

[steveystuds06]

Gotta reduce the turnovers--21 is way too many. I wonder what kind of pressure the Johnnies had on the ball as their coach created the "40 minutes of hell" pressure basketball.

And a lot of missed free throws.

[DC_Rams]

He’s a freshman. He’s obviously showing more in practice than he did in his very first look at collegiate play. Wtf are you all expecting?

[eli#10]

Gotta reduce the turnovers--21 is way too many. I wonder what kind of pressure the Johnnies had on the ball as their coach created the "40 minutes of hell" pressure basketball. Actually I think it was Nolan Richardson at Arkansas but Anderson kept it going while at Arkansas.

[theblueram]

He’s a freshman. He’s obviously showing more in practice than he did in his very first look at collegiate play. Wtf are you all expecting?

Obviously a lot more than you.

[section(105)]

This pleases me. A scrimmage or not, it’s a W.

……yes, a W is a W…….I know scrimmages don’t mean much to some, but part of the season culture is just win baby……..feel good getting back on the bus to Kingston, and getting ready for next game up…….hey, gotta start somewhere…….no?

[steveystuds06]

He’s a freshman. He’s obviously showing more in practice than he did in his very first look at collegiate play. Wtf are you all expecting?

I didn't expect him to do anything because I don't think he's ready yet.

[KingstonLane]

He’s a freshman. He’s obviously showing more in practice than he did in his very first look at collegiate play. Wtf are you all expecting?

I didn't expect him to do anything because I don't think he's ready yet.

To be fair I don’t think anyone on this board would try to argue that they thought he’s ready. The reality is we only have 3 guards we want to see on the floor. Reality is you need a 4th for 5-10 minutes a game. Carey has squandered that opportunity career to date. Someone is going to have to earn it.

[DC_Rams]

He’s a freshman. He’s obviously showing more in practice than he did in his very first look at collegiate play. Wtf are you all expecting?

I didn't expect him to do anything because I don't think he's ready yet.

Ah yes, based on your vast credentials. Sorry.

[DC_Rams]

He’s a freshman. He’s obviously showing more in practice than he did in his very first look at collegiate play. Wtf are you all expecting?

Obviously a lot more than you.

Good one.

[ace]

He’s a freshman. He’s obviously showing more in practice than he did in his very first look at collegiate play. Wtf are you all expecting?

I didn't expect him to do anything because I don't think he's ready yet.

Don’t you know you have to have your opinions viewed and cleared by him before you post? What a miserable human.

Enjoy the season, all!

[Billyboy78]

The best stat I see? Only 15 three point attempts. Our strength is inside. Wide open threes for a few select players? Fine. But that's it.....I hope!

[KingstonLane]

The best stat I see? Only 15 three point attempts. Our strength is inside. Wide open threes for a few select players? Fine. But that's it.....I hope!

Not exactly how you win in the modern day game, but I suppose it is what it is if you can’t make 3s

[Jersey77]

All 5 starters for URI scored in double figures.
Bassy played 12 minutes. Maybe they won't redshirt him.
No one on Rhody played over 30 minutes.

I think you might be looking at the wrong column - Carey had two turnovers in 11 minutes. It's also interesting that Thomas got slightly more playing time than him (12 minutes). Barring an injury that resulted in Berry being a DNP, Thomas being ahead of him in the rotation certainly isn't a good sign.

Yes I did on Carey, deleted it, my bad.

Ish had some nice stats, hope we see his continued growth and become one of the premier guards in the A10.

[LIRAM]

Glad we competed. Glad the first 7 looked like they showed up and will all be factors in our success. Glad we won but we play well against teams that play this style (VCU). Will we be able to compete against teams that are more structured? St. Bonnie, Dayton, Davidson, Richmond and to a certain extent St. Louis all are very structured and organized programs. Cox and Staff will have to be prepared and prove that they can Coach up our talent to beat these teams. We have talent! We also have what looks to be a very weak back end of the roster. Again we have what looks like American East/NEC talent filling out the roster. I hope Tres, Samb, Ileri, and Bassy are players but have we heard anything that would excite us about them. We also struck out this early signing period with the exception of Chance. This is a very important year for the program. Another flop and we are back in Baron land.

Every fan should be rooting for Coach Cox and for him to succeed. I really hope he is the guy. This is his team and his guys. If he continues to struggle we need to cut bait. With the practice facility and a few more more charters and upgrades we will be a solid sell for a quality coach. The fact that Dan just had so much success will also help Thorr sell the place.

[Jersey77]

Glad we competed. Glad the first 7 looked like they showed up and will all be factors in our success. Glad we won but we play well against teams that play this style (VCU). Will we be able to compete against teams that are more structured? St. Bonnie, Dayton, Davidson, Richmond and to a certain extent St. Louis all are very structured and organized programs. Cox and Staff will have to be prepared and prove that they can Coach up our talent to beat these teams. We have talent! We also have what looks to be a very weak back end of the roster. Again we have what looks like American East/NEC talent filling out the roster. I hope Tres, Samb, Ileri, and Bassy are players but have we heard anything that would excite us about them. We also struck out this early signing period with the exception of Chance. This is a very important year for the program. Another flop and we are back in Baron land.

Every fan should be rooting for Coach Cox and for him to succeed. I really hope he is the guy. This is his team and his guys. If he continues to struggle we need to cut bait. With the practice facility and a few more more charters and upgrades we will be a solid sell for a quality coach. The fact that Dan just had so much success will also help Thorr sell the place.

To have 7 players that are all capable of starting and making significant contributions is not bad in our conference.
This includes a nice combination of size upfront and guard play.

Yes, there are concerns about our depth after that, but not totally uncommon with the other teams in the A10.
Maybe we get a look at the freshman in our exhibition game.

I still hope Carey can show us some progress and not be a total bust.

[steveystuds06]

He’s a freshman. He’s obviously showing more in practice than he did in his very first look at collegiate play. Wtf are you all expecting?

I didn't expect him to do anything because I don't think he's ready yet.

Ah yes, based on your vast credentials. Sorry.

Hahaha, dude, you call people on here pathetic and miserable, but do you realize you do this every time anyone disagrees with you? If you want to debate why you feel he's ready to make an impact let's do it. My opinion of Thomas is based on the games I watched him play in high school and the practice I saw where he looked like the same player. A LOT of freshmen need some time to develop before they are ready to contribute at this level. D1 basketball is no joke and it can take time to adjust.

What games did you watch him play?

[LIRAM]

I agree Jersey, 7 is great and our top 7 are good but if 7 is all you have you are in trouble. The twins are going to be fighting foul trouble throughout the season and if we hit the injury bug then that 7 is not going to hold up. Would much rather have 9 or 10 capable players and settle on an 8 man rotation come conference time. If Jalen can be that fourth true guard we will be dangerous. Malik last year was bad at the wing offensively and could not play the guard position. He was best at a small 4. If Jalen goes bust we are down to 3 capable ball handlers and guys who can get paint touches and get to the rim.

Coach said Malik has improved his ball handling and his ability to break people down and we will see soon enough. We are counting on two guys that red shirted in the A10 and another guy they plan on red shirting? Not the blue print for success. Our lack of a true wing 6'5"-6'7" small forward who can do multiple things is a glaring hole in our roster. I know Betrand was suppose to be that player but he was bad last year and is hurt this year? Martin and Toppin are elsewhere. Think- Mike Brown, Andre Samuels, Abdul Fox, Will Daniels, Delroy James, Stan and the big guards Hurley used. Really hoping that Walker developed some face up play and can consistently knock down the three this season. His body looks great and he looks thinner and more chiseled. He has plenty of bounce and is a plus athlete. If he can help space the court and we can run things through him at the top of the key (High -lows, pick and pop, dribble hand off screens etc) we can be effective in the half court.

[steveystuds06]

Glad we competed. Glad the first 7 looked like they showed up and will all be factors in our success. Glad we won but we play well against teams that play this style (VCU). Will we be able to compete against teams that are more structured? St. Bonnie, Dayton, Davidson, Richmond and to a certain extent St. Louis all are very structured and organized programs. Cox and Staff will have to be prepared and prove that they can Coach up our talent to beat these teams. We have talent! We also have what looks to be a very weak back end of the roster. Again we have what looks like American East/NEC talent filling out the roster. I hope Tres, Samb, Ileri, and Bassy are players but have we heard anything that would excite us about them. We also struck out this early signing period with the exception of Chance. This is a very important year for the program. Another flop and we are back in Baron land.

Every fan should be rooting for Coach Cox and for him to succeed. I really hope he is the guy. This is his team and his guys. If he continues to struggle we need to cut bait. With the practice facility and a few more more charters and upgrades we will be a solid sell for a quality coach. The fact that Dan just had so much success will also help Thorr sell the place.

To have 7 players that are all capable of starting and making significant contributions is not bad in our conference.
This includes a nice combination of size upfront and guard play.

Yes, there are concerns about our depth after that, but not totally uncommon with the other teams in the A10.
Maybe we get a look at the freshman in our exhibition game.

I still hope Carey can show us some progress and not be a total bust.

Ya, I thought Carey looked solid in a few games early on last year. I still have hope he can be a piece.

[Billyboy78]

Put Carey in positions to succeed. Post him up against other guards. Carey doesn't have a lot of great basketball skills, but he's very athletic. He can jump over people down low. We know he shouldn't be taking outside shots because he is a terrible shooter. Get him out on the wing on fast breaks for easy layups/ slams. We know he shouldn't be dribbling into traffic as he almost always loses the ball when he does. Stop him from things he does poorly and put him into position to things he can do well. It's not that complicated.

[PlayMikeMotenMore]

This pleases me. A scrimmage or not, it’s a W.

It's not a W. Doesn't count.

[PeterRamTime]

We always beat them in the scrimmage.

Happy we won!

21 turnovers is very shades of last year and 10 missed free throws is yuck.

Not exactly sure what this means, but we definitely have some talent and can compete with a lot of teams. We will see if they can be consistent.

[ramster]

We always beat them in the scrimmage.

Happy we won!

21 turnovers is very shades of last year and 10 missed free throws is yuck.

Not exactly sure what this means, but we definitely have some talent and can compete with a lot of teams. We will see if they can be consistent.

The Mitchell’s were a combined 8-17.
The rest of the team was an excellent 13-14

[ramster]

All 5 starters for URI scored in double figures.
Bassy played 12 minutes. Maybe they won't redshirt him.
No one on Rhody played over 30 minutes.
Carey had no turnovers.

I think you might be looking at the wrong column - Carey had two turnovers in 11 minutes. It's also interesting that Thomas got slightly more playing time than him (12 minutes). Barring an injury that resulted in Berry being a DNP, Thomas being ahead of him in the rotation certainly isn't a good sign.

It’s not a good sign for Berry, but it’s a good sign that a capable young backup PG, is ready to see time.

Some comments in Thomas’ recruiting thread just a month ago said he was redshirting.

He was Class of 22 then changed to Class of 21.

I’d heard Thomas has looked good in summer and fall play.

The Fact that Thomas was the only URI Freshman, including redshirted freshman, to play vs St Johns is noteworthy. Could Cox be wanting to see what he can do before deciding to redshirt him as some have indicated? Or has Cox already decided Thomas is part of the rotation?

Will know more once J&W Exhibition Game takes place next week.

Thomas played big in the big games for Hendricken. He is going to make the very best of his opportunity at URI. It was his dream to play for URI. He is a very hard worker.

[ramster]

This pleases me. A scrimmage or not, it’s a W.

It's not a W. Doesn't count.

Of course the intrasquad scrimmage, the secret scrimmage at St Johns and the upcoming Johnson & Wales Exhibition games don’t count but they are important for the coaching Staffs to assess their rosters.

For URI to beat St Johns at Carnesecca Arena is impressive. Certainly better than losing or getting blown out. St Johns is picked 4 by NBE Head Coaches behind Villanova, UCONN and Xavier so a solid preseason NCAA Tournament candidate.

Impressive for URI in that they are playing without All Conference Fatts Russell. Good to see URI play St Johns very respectable in the early going without Fatts.

[Rhody72]

When you play better teams your weaknesses are exposed. When you play weaker competition you develop bad habits that retard your progress. We'll look comparatively good against J&W and take a step backwards.

[DC_Rams]

I didn't expect him to do anything because I don't think he's ready yet.

Ah yes, based on your vast credentials. Sorry.

Hahaha, dude, you call people on here pathetic and miserable, but do you realize you do this every time anyone disagrees with you? If you want to debate why you feel he's ready to make an impact let's do it. My opinion of Thomas is based on the games I watched him play in high school and the practice I saw where he looked like the same player. A LOT of freshmen need some time to develop before they are ready to contribute at this level. D1 basketball is no joke and it can take time to adjust.

What games did you watch him play?

Lighten up, just saying I’ll take the staff’s opinion over anyone on this dumpster fire board.

[ramster]

When you play better teams your weaknesses are exposed. When you play weaker competition you develop bad habits that retard your progress. We'll look comparatively good against J&W and take a step backwards.

You won’t be too happy with our OCC Schedule then either:

URI OOC Schedule using rankings from Ken Pom:

198 Q4 - vs Boston University
204 Q4 - vs Bryant
146 Q3 - vs Boston College
133 Q3 - vs. Tulsa
146 Q3 - vs. Boston College or 93 Q2 - Utah
208 Q3 - at Florida Gulf Coast
103 Q3 - vs. Georgia St
190 Q3 - at Harvard
85 Q2 - at Providence
261 Q4 - vs Sacred Heart
119 Q2 - at Milwaukee
250 Q4 - vs College of Charleston
251 Q4 - vs Brown

0-Q1
2-Q2
6-Q3
5-Q4

[Jersey77]

This pleases me. A scrimmage or not, it’s a W.

It's not a W. Doesn't count.

Of course the intrasquad scrimmage, the secret scrimmage at St Johns and the upcoming Johnson & Wales Exhibition games don’t count but they are important for the coaching Staffs to assess their rosters.

For URI to beat St Johns at Carnesecca Arena is impressive. Certainly better than losing or getting blown out. St Johns is picked 4 by NBE Head Coaches behind Villanova, UCONN and Xavier so a solid preseason NCAA Tournament candidate.

Impressive for URI in that they are playing without All Conference Fatts Russell. Good to see URI play St Johns very respectable in the early going without Fatts.

I agree Ramster
St. John's (a top tier BE team) had their core players and regular rotation in there most of the game.
Even though it was only a scrimmage, for us to play that competitive against them on their floor, showed me something.
Yes, we still have many things we need to work on, but the talent is there.
Our team will have a much different look without Fatts, I am not concerned at all.

[Bos8]

Do we know for sure that Thomas isn't red shirting? I was surprised to see him in the box score getting over 10 minutes, but part of me is wondering if got PT in the scrimmage because it was the only opportunity for him to play in "live action" vs another team without burning through his red shirt year.
With that said, if he has beaten out our other guards and now the plan is to play him, I'm all for it. But I was surprised to see him in the box score.