‘22 France F Jeremy Foumena (URI ---> ??? )

[Rhody74]

I’m very happy he’s coming, but he’ll only be a freshman. He has a lot of learning ahead if he’s going to be a contributor to a NCAAT team.

[LIRAM]

Many of these High School Class of 22's have been overlooked if you are not in the top 150-200. Too many programs are portal happy. I like the staff's approach with landing two really promising 22's and working hard on getting in on 23's. This will reestablish us with the top prep programs in the Country and build the program brick by brick and then adding quality transfers. Today was a very good day! Getting two freshman to commit was huge. Both of these players were offered and being recruited by P6 programs. Adding Femi next would be incredible! Great Job Arch and Staff!

[Rhodymob05]

Does this mean he’s a Canadian 5 star player?

[Jdrums#3]

Like many here, I am very happy with the signing, too. Very compelling prospect with excellent size. Nice too that he’s from Canada…maybe Canada will turn out to be a fertile recruiting field for Rhody.

[PeterRamTime]

Size baby! Welcome aboard!

[Ramulous]

I believe Foumena’s parents had roots in Cameroon and Central African Republic although they lived in France.

Abdou Samb’s family is from Senegal

Maye Toure on the women’s team is from Senegal via France.

We have other women from France who have roots in Africa, including the transfer from Dayton.

It would be nice to be a destination for other men and women in France so that there is a community where they can feel at home. Kingston is the Paris of the west.

[rambone 78]

Davidson has had, and continues to have success with foreign recruits.

It's a largely untapped market that offers a ton of potential, especially for schools like URI who are at a disadvantage against the P6 here.

There's plenty of talent out there besides the US.

[PeterRamTime]

Davidson has had, and continues to have success with foreign recruits.

It's a largely untapped market that offers a ton of potential, especially for schools like URI who are at a disadvantage against the P6 here.

There's plenty of talent out there besides the US.

A whole WORLD of talent out there

[McRam]

Davidson has had, and continues to have success with foreign recruits.

It's a largely untapped market that offers a ton of potential, especially for schools like URI who are at a disadvantage against the P6 here.

There's plenty of talent out there besides the US.

A whole WORLD of talent out there

You are right on target with Davidson and their success with foreign players. Last season they had 7 foreign players and 3 starters from foreign countries. S Korea, New Zealand, Denmark, England, Iceland, Austria and Canada. And we know they can all shoot.!!

[Rhody83]

[steveystuds06]

[4Diffs]

Another great job by Rhody Vault who is weirdly and unfairly criticized on this site by people who really think Twitter and Journalism are one and the same. I give BAR, Reef and others props for continuing to fight that battle as I had given up but I am with you guys 100%. It gets old seeing the same people with the same criticism ad nauseum. Focus on the content and forget about the predictions or speculation and you will enjoy it much more.

As far as Jeremy, another guy that will be easy to root for. Amazing that he is talking about defense and playing lower to the ground and moving his feet better. There are many who could care less about that end of the floor so refreshing to see him talk about that. Loved the way he talked about feeling like family as he was being recruited. I wish Jeremy a great and successful career at URI.

[ElmCityRhody]

RV is a great treasure for us Rhody fans and i will go toe to toe w anyone who bashes him

[TruePoint]

Focus on the content and forget about the predictions or speculation and you will enjoy it much more.

With respect to “criticisms” of RV, this is basically the extent of it. I can’t speak for everyone here, but I have gone out of my way to express my appreciation for the content he is putting out. It has filled a huge void for Rhody fans - this board is a great resource for fans to come together and talk about URI teams, but it isn’t a content factory. My “criticism” of him, if that’s what you’d even call it, has been (granted, unsolicited) advice that he stick to pumping out high quality content and not try to be the Rhody Hoops Shams or Woj. My observation is that stuff hasn’t worked for him or benefitted him in any way. That’s not bashing unless you are the most sensitive person on earth.

[MTK4L]

Everyone loves his content. It’s great for our program. Everyone here I think would agree with that. What TP said is accurate. Remember it was his choice to join the world of social media and start to make bold statements on breaking news and putting his stamp on it first! Turns out our three signings he’s had nothing on… I think he has learned a few lessons so far. Reality is if you can’t take the heat of social media don’t put yourself out there. I’m also sick of the people sticking up for him… he chose to do this.

Let’s move on.

[Rhody83]

RV, made a mistake and he knows it. He has learned from it and moved on. He had a source that told him about Archie before it was announced and about the Twins leaving before that leaked. Then a source fed him the Tre to RI scoop and it was totally wrong. Since then he has focused 100% on his content, interviews of prospects’ connections and the prospects themselves. Great job.

[bigappleram]

Everyone loves his content. It’s great for our program. Everyone here I think would agree with that. What TP said is accurate. Remember it was his choice to join the world of social media and start to make bold statements on breaking news and putting his stamp on it first! Turns out our three signings he’s had nothing on… I think he has learned a few lessons so far. Reality is if you can’t take the heat of social media don’t put yourself out there. I’m also sick of the people sticking up for him… he chose to do this.

Let’s move on.

Turns out 3 signings NO ONE had anything on. And I won’t have to look hard for predictions and statements on here that signings were imminent that never happened. Fwiw

[rambone 78]

Ha, we have 3 or 4 more openings, and I'll guess we won't know about them until they happen either.

[Rhody74]

Ha, we have 3 or 4 more openings, and I'll guess we won't know about them until they happen either.

I’m trying to learn not to expect anything at all!

[reef]

Models his game after Giannis and Embid like this kid already

[Jdrums#3]

Another great job by Rhody Vault who is weirdly and unfairly criticized on this site by people who really think Twitter and Journalism are one and the same. I give BAR, Reef and others props for continuing to fight that battle as I had given up but I am with you guys 100%. It gets old seeing the same people with the same criticism ad nauseum. Focus on the content and forget about the predictions or speculation and you will enjoy it much more.

As far as Jeremy, another guy that will be easy to root for. Amazing that he is talking about defense and playing lower to the ground and moving his feet better. There are many who could care less about that end of the floor so refreshing to see him talk about that. Loved the way he talked about feeling like family as he was being recruited. I wish Jeremy a great and successful career at URI.

I am one of those you describe. I have a habit of focusing more on the offensive skill set first or placing more emphasis on it. But, it is a two way sport and the defensive skill set of a player is equally important or, close to it or, could be even more important when considering a defensive stopper type player or rim protector.

Thanks for the reminder.

[SandorClegane]

How was this kids recruitment cycle? Seems like he didn’t visit many places. Two main questions. Was he a big target of ours? And how did we find him?

[Billyboy78]

How was this kids recruitment cycle? Seems like he didn’t visit many places. Two main questions. Was he a big target of ours? And how did we find him?

All I know is that Duane has a lot of international connections. So, I assume he was the lead on Jeremy.

[steveystuds06]

Foumena is a monster.. Low the hi low game between him and Rory

[Iggy1979]

Love their potential. Not sure how much help they'll be right away.

[Rhody74]

Love their potential. Not sure how much help they'll be right away.

In that case Archie will need a couple of frontcourt transfers. Samb is essentially a first year player too.

[RhowdyRam02]

Love their potential. Not sure how much help they'll be right away.

In that case Archie will need a couple of frontcourt transfers. Samb is essentially a first year player too.

Does he? I think that goes into expectations. If you expect the NCAA tournament or even probably a top half of the conference finish in year 1 then yes you are correct. My expectations for year 1 are building the culture of the program and consistent effort game in and game out. For something like that I would say not only do you not need frontcourt transfers, but they might even hinder what you're trying to build

[steveystuds06]

Love their potential. Not sure how much help they'll be right away.

I think Foumena can make an impact next year. He has a motor that I love to see from a big.. He moves well for a big and looks to have decent hands and touch. He runs a nice pick and roll game. His lift isn't great but the way he battles makes up for it. Similar to Cyril.. I'd be surprised if he didn't have a role next year, but I guess it depends on how we fill out these final 4 spots.

Rory has a better post-game than I expected. In the game, I watched where Foumena was out Rory took over in the paint and he showed decent footwork and touch. He does the little things like box out, sets proper picks, and keeps the ball high. Sounds simple but we didn't see that much in the last few seasons. He's not very quick and will have trouble against athletic bigs but he's a skilled big. Smart passer and a great shooter.

I'd rather see these kids get minutes and develop. I don't expect to win many games next year, but it's exhilarating to have young, high upside players under a great coach again.

[STC]

I think URI does need to add some transfer pieces to the front court at least as stop gap options. This is the youngest front court I can remember so while it is important to establish culture, I think it is fair to acknowledge that Rhody is very thin upfront.

My expectations for next year are low. As it stands now, I see Rhody in the lower half of the A10 due to the inexperience and roster turnover.

Fans that think Archie is just going to come in and wave a magic wand and we're going to be in the tournament year 1 are completely deluded.

[RIFan]

To establish a winning culture usually requires winning.

[Blue Man]

Love their potential. Not sure how much help they'll be right away.

I think Foumena can make an impact next year. He has a motor that I love to see from a big.. He moves well for a big and looks to have decent hands and touch. He runs a nice pick and roll game. His lift isn't great but the way he battles makes up for it. Similar to Cyril.. I'd be surprised if he didn't have a role next year, but I guess it depends on how we fill out these final 4 spots.

Rory has a better post-game than I expected. In the game, I watched where Foumena was out Rory took over in the paint and he showed decent footwork and touch. He does the little things like box out, sets proper picks, and keeps the ball high. Sounds simple but we didn't see that much in the last few seasons. He's not very quick and will have trouble against athletic bigs but he's a skilled big. Smart passer and a great shooter.

I'd rather see these kids get minutes and develop. I don't expect to win many games next year, but it's exhilarating to have young, high upside players under a great coach again.

I fall into this camp...sort of. While I don't expect to win "many" games - I expect us to be better than we were last year - in both record and finish.

Despite what we've "lost" (a bunch of lower conference players with low BBIQ, a pair of malcontents who force you to play anything but a fluid offense, and a coach who was over his head from day one), think of what we still have.

Ish - we've seen flashes of what he can do, and in a transition offense, and a half court that offers spacing, I think he's going to have a major bounce back year.

Martin - versatile leader, capable of doing a lot of things and guarding several positions.

Carey - athletically gifted, can slash and get to the rim, supposedly improved his shooting. Again, in a lineup that has space inside, he'll be able to attack.

We're also getting an all-conference player as a guard to add some stability to the backcourt. Then you're adding in a lot of length with your freshman, 2 of which have the common trait of being great shooters.

As for Foumena - the nice thing about running Archie's system is that while the defense will take time, offense is something that's a bit easier when you're looking to score before the D sets up. Offensively, I think we're going to come together a lot quicker than most are expecting. Defense won't be like Danny's where it's just cover your man and be aggressive. Archie's D is a lot more cerebral. Packline is a lot of work, but lethal when the team figures it out.

We're probably on the 2-3 year track for NCAA expectations, but I wouldn't be shocked if we turn heads and make a run at the bubble.

[RhowdyRam02]

To establish a winning culture usually requires winning.

I don't see that really. Look at Hurley's time here. The culture was built in years 1 and 2 when we had losing seasons and it felt like the culture and young talent kind of meshed at the very end of the 2013-14 season (2nd season), so people were excited for the next year which resulted in the NIT trip.

For me year 1 is building culture, setting expectations, and getting the youth experience so that at the end of this year we feel like we did at the end of the 13-14 season. Year 2 is somewhere around that NIT team/first NCAA team where we should be on the bubble, then year 3 and after it's game fucking on

[rhodylaw]

I think URI does need to add some transfer pieces to the front court at least as stop gap options. This is the youngest front court I can remember so while it is important to establish culture, I think it is fair to acknowledge that Rhody is very thin upfront.

My expectations for next year are low. As it stands now, I see Rhody in the lower half of the A10 due to the inexperience and roster turnover.

Fans that think Archie is just going to come in and wave a magic wand and we're going to be in the tournament year 1 are completely deluded.

Eh…I think we can sort of count on one of the guys here being a serviceable big. If we bring in a grad transfer type I would expect it to be a more role player type, Defense oriented.

We can mix and match the returning pieces to put a decent lineup out there 1-4. Martin can play the 4 if needed. I would be looking to add guards/wings who can shoot well to get in the mix.

[steveystuds06]

To establish a winning culture usually requires winning.

Do you not remember when we lost but we saw flashes of what EC and Hass would become??

[RamStock]

Love their potential. Not sure how much help they'll be right away.

I think Foumena can make an impact next year. He has a motor that I love to see from a big.. He moves well for a big and looks to have decent hands and touch. He runs a nice pick and roll game. His lift isn't great but the way he battles makes up for it. Similar to Cyril.. I'd be surprised if he didn't have a role next year, but I guess it depends on how we fill out these final 4 spots.

Rory has a better post-game than I expected. In the game, I watched where Foumena was out Rory took over in the paint and he showed decent footwork and touch. He does the little things like box out, sets proper picks, and keeps the ball high. Sounds simple but we didn't see that much in the last few seasons. He's not very quick and will have trouble against athletic bigs but he's a skilled big. Smart passer and a great shooter.

I'd rather see these kids get minutes and develop. I don't expect to win many games next year, but it's exhilarating to have young, high upside players under a great coach again.

I agree with you in terms of letting the freshman and sophomores get big minutes even if year one is a transition year. As we stand now finishing in the top 6 or 7 would be a big improvement from where we stood last year and also we would be developing players that would be here when we are ready to make a run. It is hard for me to judge one way or the other on the new players coming in other than Freeman because we have very little knowledge other than some videos which is tough to determine because of the level of competition. Hopefully these guys that Archie brought in have a Gonzaga, Davidson or St.Marys feel to them. I think anyone expecting us to compete for the top couple spots in the A-10 without outside shooting from the shooting guard/small forward spot and also having so many players with limited experience at this level would be unrealistic. I think the last couple of additions should be a shooting guard/small forward with 3 point range and an experienced transfer in the portal that has at least two years of eligibility left.

[Jdrums#3]

To establish a winning culture usually requires winning.

Maybe attitude is a better description? Establishing the right attitude in each player as a first step to building the culture and becoming good. Da process.

[Jdrums#3]

Love their potential. Not sure how much help they'll be right away.

In that case Archie will need a couple of frontcourt transfers. Samb is essentially a first year player too.

Does he? I think that goes into expectations. If you expect the NCAA tournament or even probably a top half of the conference finish in year 1 then yes you are correct. My expectations for year 1 are building the culture of the program and consistent effort game in and game out. For something like that I would say not only do you not need frontcourt transfers, but they might even hinder what you're trying to build

I agree with you, Rhowdy, in that there can be a risk of hindering the progress of the young bigs. Where I differ slightly is that there is a risk of hurting their confidence if they are thrown to the wolves too soon, so to speak.

Finding that balance, I think, is part of being a very good coach. A very good coach understands his players and has a good feel for what they can handle and what they can’t and when they can. Unfortunately for DC, I don’t think he had that understanding but, I do think Archie does have that quality.

It will be fun to watch to see how it plays out. For me personally, I can accept growing pains of young players as long as there is steady improvement.

Excellent discussion.

[Iggy1979]

Love their potential. Not sure how much help they'll be right away.

I think Foumena can make an impact next year. He has a motor that I love to see from a big.. He moves well for a big and looks to have decent hands and touch. He runs a nice pick and roll game. His lift isn't great but the way he battles makes up for it. Similar to Cyril.. I'd be surprised if he didn't have a role next year, but I guess it depends on how we fill out these final 4 spots.

Rory has a better post-game than I expected. In the game, I watched where Foumena was out Rory took over in the paint and he showed decent footwork and touch. He does the little things like box out, sets proper picks, and keeps the ball high. Sounds simple but we didn't see that much in the last few seasons. He's not very quick and will have trouble against athletic bigs but he's a skilled big. Smart passer and a great shooter.

I'd rather see these kids get minutes and develop. I don't expect to win many games next year, but it's exhilarating to have young, high upside players under a great coach again.

I fall into this camp...sort of. While I don't expect to win "many" games - I expect us to be better than we were last year - in both record and finish.

Despite what we've "lost" (a bunch of lower conference players with low BBIQ, a pair of malcontents who force you to play anything but a fluid offense, and a coach who was over his head from day one), think of what we still have.

Ish - we've seen flashes of what he can do, and in a transition offense, and a half court that offers spacing, I think he's going to have a major bounce back year.

Martin - versatile leader, capable of doing a lot of things and guarding several positions.

Carey - athletically gifted, can slash and get to the rim, supposedly improved his shooting. Again, in a lineup that has space inside, he'll be able to attack.

We're also getting an all-conference player as a guard to add some stability to the backcourt. Then you're adding in a lot of length with your freshman, 2 of which have the common trait of being great shooters.

As for Foumena - the nice thing about running Archie's system is that while the defense will take time, offense is something that's a bit easier when you're looking to score before the D sets up. Offensively, I think we're going to come together a lot quicker than most are expecting. Defense won't be like Danny's where it's just cover your man and be aggressive. Archie's D is a lot more cerebral. Packline is a lot of work, but lethal when the team figures it out.

We're probably on the 2-3 year track for NCAA expectations, but I wouldn't be shocked if we turn heads and make a run at the bubble.

I want to believe Ish, Martin and Carey will improve a lot with new coaching . But I have to see it first. None would have started on a good A10 team last year.

[PeterRamTime]

I think Foumena can make an impact next year. He has a motor that I love to see from a big.. He moves well for a big and looks to have decent hands and touch. He runs a nice pick and roll game. His lift isn't great but the way he battles makes up for it. Similar to Cyril.. I'd be surprised if he didn't have a role next year, but I guess it depends on how we fill out these final 4 spots.

Rory has a better post-game than I expected. In the game, I watched where Foumena was out Rory took over in the paint and he showed decent footwork and touch. He does the little things like box out, sets proper picks, and keeps the ball high. Sounds simple but we didn't see that much in the last few seasons. He's not very quick and will have trouble against athletic bigs but he's a skilled big. Smart passer and a great shooter.

I'd rather see these kids get minutes and develop. I don't expect to win many games next year, but it's exhilarating to have young, high upside players under a great coach again.

I fall into this camp...sort of. While I don't expect to win "many" games - I expect us to be better than we were last year - in both record and finish.

Despite what we've "lost" (a bunch of lower conference players with low BBIQ, a pair of malcontents who force you to play anything but a fluid offense, and a coach who was over his head from day one), think of what we still have.

Ish - we've seen flashes of what he can do, and in a transition offense, and a half court that offers spacing, I think he's going to have a major bounce back year.

Martin - versatile leader, capable of doing a lot of things and guarding several positions.

Carey - athletically gifted, can slash and get to the rim, supposedly improved his shooting. Again, in a lineup that has space inside, he'll be able to attack.

We're also getting an all-conference player as a guard to add some stability to the backcourt. Then you're adding in a lot of length with your freshman, 2 of which have the common trait of being great shooters.

As for Foumena - the nice thing about running Archie's system is that while the defense will take time, offense is something that's a bit easier when you're looking to score before the D sets up. Offensively, I think we're going to come together a lot quicker than most are expecting. Defense won't be like Danny's where it's just cover your man and be aggressive. Archie's D is a lot more cerebral. Packline is a lot of work, but lethal when the team figures it out.

We're probably on the 2-3 year track for NCAA expectations, but I wouldn't be shocked if we turn heads and make a run at the bubble.

I want to believe Ish, Martin and Carey will improve a lot with new coaching . But I have to see it first. None would have started on a good A10 team last year.

If we got Femi I think we would have had an outside shot at the NCAA's. Without a real impact transfer, a very young froncourt and a tough A-10 it'll be tough.

[adam914]

I want to believe Ish, Martin and Carey will improve a lot with new coaching . But I have to see it first. None would have started on a good A10 team last year.

I'm with Iggy on this. I'm not ready to just assume everyone that stayed will get definitively better with new coaching. Ish probably has the best chance, he's still relatively young and showed some flashes freshman year.

I may get killed for this, but I am still in wait and see mode for all these players, new and old. Been burned too many times by getting my hopes up on recruits, especially big men. Of course I expect Archie to bring in a higher level of recruits over time to though.

[steveystuds06]

I fall into this camp...sort of. While I don't expect to win "many" games - I expect us to be better than we were last year - in both record and finish.

Despite what we've "lost" (a bunch of lower conference players with low BBIQ, a pair of malcontents who force you to play anything but a fluid offense, and a coach who was over his head from day one), think of what we still have.

Ish - we've seen flashes of what he can do, and in a transition offense, and a half court that offers spacing, I think he's going to have a major bounce back year.

Martin - versatile leader, capable of doing a lot of things and guarding several positions.

Carey - athletically gifted, can slash and get to the rim, supposedly improved his shooting. Again, in a lineup that has space inside, he'll be able to attack.

We're also getting an all-conference player as a guard to add some stability to the backcourt. Then you're adding in a lot of length with your freshman, 2 of which have the common trait of being great shooters.

As for Foumena - the nice thing about running Archie's system is that while the defense will take time, offense is something that's a bit easier when you're looking to score before the D sets up. Offensively, I think we're going to come together a lot quicker than most are expecting. Defense won't be like Danny's where it's just cover your man and be aggressive. Archie's D is a lot more cerebral. Packline is a lot of work, but lethal when the team figures it out.

We're probably on the 2-3 year track for NCAA expectations, but I wouldn't be shocked if we turn heads and make a run at the bubble.

I want to believe Ish, Martin and Carey will improve a lot with new coaching . But I have to see it first. None would have started on a good A10 team last year.

If we got Femi I think we would have had an outside shot at the NCAA's. Without a real impact transfer, a very young froncourt and a tough A-10 it'll be tough.

Bray is without question an impact transfer.

[RamStock]

I want to believe Ish, Martin and Carey will improve a lot with new coaching . But I have to see it first. None would have started on a good A10 team last year.

I'm with Iggy on this. I'm not ready to just assume everyone that stayed will get definitively better with new coaching. Ish probably has the best chance, he's still relatively young and showed some flashes freshman year.

I may get killed for this, but I am still in wait and see mode for all these players, new and old. Been burned too many times by getting my hopes up on recruits, especially big men. Of course I expect Archie to bring in a higher level of recruits over time to though.

I am in the wait and see mode also. Although I have a lot more confidence in Archie than the past coach there was a time, believe it or not, 2-3 years ago where people said the same thing about players that Cox brought in being can’t miss. I actually have more confidence in the players Archie has coming in and the plan he has for the future over the fact that Martin, Carey and Ish are all of a sudden going to be much better than last year. I have a lot of confidence in Archie and the players he brought in, but think there will be some growing pains next year as we sit right now. I think we will eventually be an NCAA team, but probably not until year 2 or3.

[steveystuds06]

I want to believe Ish, Martin and Carey will improve a lot with new coaching . But I have to see it first. None would have started on a good A10 team last year.

I'm with Iggy on this. I'm not ready to just assume everyone that stayed will get definitively better with new coaching. Ish probably has the best chance, he's still relatively young and showed some flashes freshman year.

I may get killed for this, but I am still in wait and see mode for all these players, new and old. Been burned too many times by getting my hopes up on recruits, especially big men. Of course I expect Archie to bring in a higher level of recruits over time to though.

They aren't just getting new coaching. They are getting better coaching. They will get better because they get to spend an offseason training with Archie Miller and his staff. Woodward is one of the better player development coaches around. They will be better because they won't have two gigantic big men clogging the paint, hogging the ball, and taking dumb shots repeatedly. They will be better because Archie Miller plays to his players' strengths, and guys like Ish, Carey, and Malik are all best at slashing to the hoop. Finally, they will be better because they will be in a better system and under a fantastic coach in games.

I expect plenty of growing pains, but our team will improve as the year goes on. I can't wait to watch it.

[adam914]

I want to believe Ish, Martin and Carey will improve a lot with new coaching . But I have to see it first. None would have started on a good A10 team last year.

I'm with Iggy on this. I'm not ready to just assume everyone that stayed will get definitively better with new coaching. Ish probably has the best chance, he's still relatively young and showed some flashes freshman year.

I may get killed for this, but I am still in wait and see mode for all these players, new and old. Been burned too many times by getting my hopes up on recruits, especially big men. Of course I expect Archie to bring in a higher level of recruits over time to though.

They aren't just getting new coaching. They are getting better coaching. They will get better because they get to spend an offseason training with Archie Miller and his staff. Woodward is one of the better player development coaches around. They will be better because they won't have two gigantic big men clogging the paint, hogging the ball, and taking dumb shots repeatedly. They will be better because Archie Miller plays to his players' strengths, and guys like Ish, Carey, and Malik are all best at slashing to the hoop. Finally, they will be better because they will be in a better system and under a fantastic coach in games.

I expect plenty of growing pains, but our team will improve as the year goes on. I can't wait to watch it.

I hope so! And I'm definitely not saying its impossible or anything close to it, just that I am not ready to assume its a definite just yet either. With that said, of course I agree that they will be getting better coaching. I feel like that's pretty obvious.

[Jdrums#3]

I want to believe Ish, Martin and Carey will improve a lot with new coaching . But I have to see it first. None would have started on a good A10 team last year.

I'm with Iggy on this. I'm not ready to just assume everyone that stayed will get definitively better with new coaching. Ish probably has the best chance, he's still relatively young and showed some flashes freshman year.

I may get killed for this, but I am still in wait and see mode for all these players, new and old. Been burned too many times by getting my hopes up on recruits, especially big men. Of course I expect Archie to bring in a higher level of recruits over time to though.

I get where you are coming from,Adam, as to being burned. I go back and forth regarding recruits potential (sometimes I have a positive outlook, sometimes negative and at times, indifferent). My Governor on those swings for me is coaching. With DC, I tended to be subdued, indifferent then negative because he had no track record of success in the HC position and showed no growth, as time went along, in making players better.

Now however, I am more positive in my outlook because Archie has experience as a HC and an example of success while at Dayton. I am not dogmatic in my positive expectations for quick success because I understand shit happens unexpectedly and, like you, I’ve been burned getting my hopes up. This time however, I haven’t been as excited as since we signed Dan as HC.

[steveystuds06]

I was reading a rival's article and this is what they had to say about Foumena..

"Listed at 6-foot-11, Foumena has a high-level skill that translates; rebounding. The big man grabbed 15 rebounds (five on offense) in 15 minutes played. The center from Ontario's Orangeville Prep has a great motor, good mobility, and excellent length to his frame. He also reads the ball well coming off the rim, high-pointing the ball coming off the rim.

Foumena claims offers from Washington State, Georgetown, Seton Hall, and others. While his offense is raw, he stepped into a nice-looking three, and he has the motor, size, and rebounding effort of a high major recruit."

[PeterRamTime]

I want to believe Ish, Martin and Carey will improve a lot with new coaching . But I have to see it first. None would have started on a good A10 team last year.

If we got Femi I think we would have had an outside shot at the NCAA's. Without a real impact transfer, a very young froncourt and a tough A-10 it'll be tough.

Bray is without question an impact transfer.

Yeah I knew someone would say that.

All freshman A-10 is nice. He'll be good.

Not on Femi's level.

[steveystuds06]

If we got Femi I think we would have had an outside shot at the NCAA's. Without a real impact transfer, a very young froncourt and a tough A-10 it'll be tough.

Bray is without question an impact transfer.

Yeah I knew someone would say that.

All freshman A-10 is nice. He'll be good.

Not on Femi's level.

It's nice? Who was the last All A10 freshman we had? Jeff Dowtin? How did he turn out?

Bray had a better freshman season than Femi had at Pitt...He also looked fantastic to end the season so I don't believe for a second that he's not on Femi's level. I think they are both great players.

[Blue Man]

I love that the people who blindly trusted Dave Cox refuse to trust Archie Miller because Cox didn’t work out.

Not like 10 years of experience at our level or above, and winning we could only dream of over 6 years can prove anything to anyone.

[SandorClegane]

I know this is a Foumena topic, but I think one of the benefits to the returning players is not so much coaching but the different game scheme. The reality is that we had a team of slashers, while playing a post/kick out offense. If our shooters were hitting 3s (and we didn’t at a high %) then we weren’t going to win games. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Archie seems like he plays more of a high paced offensive strategy. Hopefully that benefits both the new and old players.