'24 VA PG Ben Hammond (URI LOI ---> ??? )

[sevegny7]

I only was able to watch from the under 4 time out to almost halftime so I didn’t see much !

I did notice Ben was guarding bigger guys down low anyone see that and were they able to take advantage of his lack of size ?

It happened a couple times but not downlow more towards the baseline half way between the 3 point and box. He got up into Freeman from IMG and made him miss the jump shot over him because Hammond was low and up into him making him uncomfortable. Hammond seems to play bigger than he really is.

[Blue Man]

He's so fast, has such a low dribble, quick hands, very alert. Caught a couple of steals when guys were napping in the back court.

Constantly pushing the tempo, going at the defense and forcing them to commit, it's amazing he got 20 because he was looking for his teammates and only took what was given to him.

Knocked down some open shots, finished in traffic...me likey.

This kid is a program changer.

[sevegny7]

Am I the only one checking in on Hammond? This kid is the real fucking deal.

Yeah he does not only run the offense at a fast pace efficiently and is a great play maker for his teammates. It seems like he really has improved his 3 point shot.

His defense is very good too. He had an awesome steal in the open court which led to a wide open layup for him. He also had a beautiful weakside help defensive play coming from the opposite 3 point line where he blocked/ stripped the big going up for a layup and turned it into a fast break.


Also the story of Coach Cal being in the gym at PaulVI recruiting and noticing Ben and calling Archie about Ben hammond is pretty cool. I really hope we hang on to this kid for next year.

Can you elaborate more on that coach Cal story? Sounds interesting and I can't watch

Blueman talked a little bit about it above but they were gushing about the relationship with Archie and Ben hammond. The Paul VI coach was telling this to the announcers. Ben and Archie hit it off because they are the same player going into college.

The Coach Cal story was essentially Cal was recruiting others at Paul VI and noticed Hammond playing. He loved Hammond by the way he plays and fell in love with his game. Cal mentioned he is a baller. Cal asked the coach where Hammond was going for College and the Paul VI coach said Rhode Island. When Cal left Paul VI he called Archie and was Joking and said congratulations Ben Hammond is down to Rhode Island and Kentucky for his decision. Basically putting his stamp of approval on the kid and saying in a weird way you got a good one.

[sevegny7]

He's so fast, has such a low dribble, quick hands, very alert. Caught a couple of steals when guys were napping in the back court.

Constantly pushing the tempo, going at the defense and forcing them to commit, it's amazing he got 20 because he was looking for his teammates and only took what was given to him.

Knocked down some open shots, finished in traffic...me likey.

This kid is a program changer.

And better yet makes his Free Throws!!! He is a winner. He also does not turn the ball over.

[sevegny7]

Ben Hammond will play tomorrow on ESPN2 at 2:30 pm ET

[Billyboy78]

20 points and 13 assists. Yeah that'll work!

And zero turnovers and a bunch of steals. I've said this before, if he was 6'2", he'd be a 5* player and going to Duke with his teammates Harris and Ngongba.

[PeterRamTime]

He's so fast, has such a low dribble, quick hands, very alert. Caught a couple of steals when guys were napping in the back court.

Constantly pushing the tempo, going at the defense and forcing them to commit, it's amazing he got 20 because he was looking for his teammates and only took what was given to him.

Knocked down some open shots, finished in traffic...me likey.

This kid is a program changer.

I pretty much watched the game like this

[Billyboy78]

One question was his outside shot. Looks fine to me. More than fine. Nice form, rotation, etc. 3-3 today from three. You can tell a bad outside shooter when watching a guy like Ways, who has terrible form. I don't question Ben's outside shot at all.

[Billyboy78]

Another chance to watch Ben and Paul VI tomorrow at 2:30 on ESPN2.

[Billyboy78]

By comparison, IMG's PG, Darius Acuff is a 5* player,ranked anywhere from #4 to #10 in the 2025 class. Who looked like the better player today?

[reef]

Nice reports guys ! Sounds like a program changer for us and comes @ the best time !

[steveystuds06]

Hammond looked great yet again. His shot also looks great today. However, I've seen plenty of games where his outside shot wasn't falling. In my opinion, the two things that prevented him from going to a high major are his size and his 3-point shot. I want to make sure we don't expect this kid to come in with no weaknesses. He's definitely the best freshman on paper that Archie has landed here and looks like the type of point guard that thrives at Rhody. But until we know he's 100% coming, and we can keep him for multiple years, I'm not going to get too excited. I hate that I feel this way now, but too many times, I got incredibly excited about a recruit, and most let me down since Archie has been here.

I remember watching Foumena dominate. He looked like a very good offensive big man with the size of a high major player. We saw glimpses of that here. However, he couldn't see the floor on the worst team in the A10.

I thought Bray was a much better get than Diggins.. Boy was I wrong.

Weston's high school tape was ridiculous. I thought he had all-conference potential. Yet, he was a fringe starter on the worst A10 team in the league.

I thought Cam was going to be better too. He had some good moments, but it scares me a little that he couldn't stand out on the worst team in the A10. I expected him and Fuchs to be on the all-rookie team. Neither made it.

At this stage, I need to see it to believe it. When he got here Archie had on the best-looking jacket I've ever seen, and he said all the right things, so I expected him to land EC Matthews and Terrell-type recruits. I'm very scared to get my hopes up again and be miserable like I have been these past few seasons. But seeing Hammond dominate against incredible competition makes me start to feel like I did when Archie got here.

[Billyboy78]

Hammond looked great yet again. His shot also looks great today. However, I've seen plenty of games where his outside shot wasn't falling. In my opinion, the two things that prevented him from going to a high major are his size and his 3-point shot. I want to make sure we don't expect this kid to come in with no weaknesses. He's definitely the best freshman on paper that Archie has landed here and looks like the type of point guard that thrives at Rhody. But until we know he's 100% coming, and we can keep him for multiple years, I'm not going to get too excited. I hate that I feel this way now, but too many times, I got incredibly excited about a recruit, and most let me down since Archie has been here.

I remember watching Foumena dominate. He looked like a very good offensive big man with the size of a high major player. We saw glimpses of that here. However, he couldn't see the floor on the worst team in the A10.

I thought Bray was a much better get than Diggins.. Boy was I wrong.

Weston's high school tape was ridiculous. I thought he had all-conference potential. Yet, he was a fringe starter on the worst A10 team in the league.

I thought Cam was going to be better too. He had some good moments, but it scares me a little that he couldn't stand out on the worst team in the A10. I expected him and Fuchs to be on the all-rookie team. Neither made it.

At this stage, I need to see it to believe it. When he got here Archie had on the best-looking jacket I've ever seen, and he said all the right things, so I expected him to land EC Matthews and Terrell-type recruits. I'm very scared to get my hopes up again and be miserable like I have been these past few seasons. But seeing Hammond dominate against incredible competition makes me start to feel like I did when Archie got here.

Yeah, I don't doubt his ability and leadership one bit. Even his size doesn't worry me. My only worry with him is still that he might never set foot on campus. I'm trying to convince myself that he'll be here, but I just don't know. But, I'll watch him again tomorrow anyway.

[rhodylaw]

Hammond looked great yet again. His shot also looks great today. However, I've seen plenty of games where his outside shot wasn't falling. In my opinion, the two things that prevented him from going to a high major are his size and his 3-point shot. I want to make sure we don't expect this kid to come in with no weaknesses. He's definitely the best freshman on paper that Archie has landed here and looks like the type of point guard that thrives at Rhody. But until we know he's 100% coming, and we can keep him for multiple years, I'm not going to get too excited. I hate that I feel this way now, but too many times, I got incredibly excited about a recruit, and most let me down since Archie has been here.

I remember watching Foumena dominate. He looked like a very good offensive big man with the size of a high major player. We saw glimpses of that here. However, he couldn't see the floor on the worst team in the A10.

I thought Bray was a much better get than Diggins.. Boy was I wrong.

Weston's high school tape was ridiculous. I thought he had all-conference potential. Yet, he was a fringe starter on the worst A10 team in the league.

I thought Cam was going to be better too. He had some good moments, but it scares me a little that he couldn't stand out on the worst team in the A10. I expected him and Fuchs to be on the all-rookie team. Neither made it.

At this stage, I need to see it to believe it. When he got here Archie had on the best-looking jacket I've ever seen, and he said all the right things, so I expected him to land EC Matthews and Terrell-type recruits. I'm very scared to get my hopes up again and be miserable like I have been these past few seasons. But seeing Hammond dominate against incredible competition makes me start to feel like I did when Archie got here.

The lineups on both teams today were ridiculously stacked - every player a P5 recruit it seemed. Ben belonged in that group. Reminds me of tape of Tyrese playing against a Duke commit (Cam Reddish maybe?) - you could tell that Tyrese could hang on the court.

I have ZERO worries that Ben Hammond is a higher level D1 player. That was not a fluke game today, he plays with the best and belongs there. My only worry is 1. Him coming to campus, 2. Him staying on campus.

He is exactly what this team needs and will make everyone better once he adjusts to the college game.

[steveystuds06]

Hammond looked great yet again. His shot also looks great today. However, I've seen plenty of games where his outside shot wasn't falling. In my opinion, the two things that prevented him from going to a high major are his size and his 3-point shot. I want to make sure we don't expect this kid to come in with no weaknesses. He's definitely the best freshman on paper that Archie has landed here and looks like the type of point guard that thrives at Rhody. But until we know he's 100% coming, and we can keep him for multiple years, I'm not going to get too excited. I hate that I feel this way now, but too many times, I got incredibly excited about a recruit, and most let me down since Archie has been here.

I remember watching Foumena dominate. He looked like a very good offensive big man with the size of a high major player. We saw glimpses of that here. However, he couldn't see the floor on the worst team in the A10.

I thought Bray was a much better get than Diggins.. Boy was I wrong.

Weston's high school tape was ridiculous. I thought he had all-conference potential. Yet, he was a fringe starter on the worst A10 team in the league.

I thought Cam was going to be better too. He had some good moments, but it scares me a little that he couldn't stand out on the worst team in the A10. I expected him and Fuchs to be on the all-rookie team. Neither made it.

At this stage, I need to see it to believe it. When he got here Archie had on the best-looking jacket I've ever seen, and he said all the right things, so I expected him to land EC Matthews and Terrell-type recruits. I'm very scared to get my hopes up again and be miserable like I have been these past few seasons. But seeing Hammond dominate against incredible competition makes me start to feel like I did when Archie got here.

The lineups on both teams today were ridiculously stacked - every player a P5 recruit it seemed. Ben belonged in that group. Reminds me of tape of Tyrese playing against a Duke commit (Cam Reddish maybe?) - you could tell that Tyrese could hang on the court.

I have ZERO worries that Ben Hammond is a higher level D1 player. That was not a fluke game today, he plays with the best and belongs there. My only worry is 1. Him coming to campus, 2. Him staying on campus.

He is exactly what this team needs and will make everyone better once he adjusts to the college game.

Ya, I didn't say it was a fluke game. I've witnessed him perform consistently like this throughout the year. Today was just one of many instances where he stood out among high-major talent. I have no doubt about his abilities; he's undeniably a great player.

I'm referring to our entire team when I say I need to see it to believe it. I need to see Archie construct a cohesive roster and achieve success. I bring up other talented players like Bray, Weston, and Fou because, despite their talent, they didn't thrive under Archie's coaching. Although we showed a lot of promise this year when everything clicked, we struggled to gel as a unit and regressed as the year went on. Yes, I think Hammond is better than those three players, and his addition will undoubtedly bolster our team. But, we need more than that. I bring up players like EC and Terrell because it wasn't just about their talent. They were leaders. They were program changers. I'm hoping Archie has finally landed that in Hammond.
Like every freshman, he'll need time to adjust to the D1 level, but I think one of his toughest hurdles will be his transition from playing alongside high-profile recruits going to places like Duke to teammates like Jaden House and Cam.

Let's hope Hammond comes and sticks around for multiple years.

[Billyboy78]

I'm sure there are a lot of eyes on that tournament from coaches around the country. How many texts do you think Ben got after that game?

[PeterRamTime]

If you know any high major coaches/scouts

Distract them from 2:30pm til 4:30pm

[adam914]

This Darren Harris dude is one hell of a shooter! Seems like he just drains everything.

[PeterRamTime]

Stops, pops

3

Boom!

Ben toying with these cats

[PeterRamTime]

This Darren Harris dude is one hell of a shooter! Seems like he just drains everything.

Yeaaaaah he's ridiculous

Looking rather one and done out there

Good for Duke ya know? They sure could use some more talent.....

[adam914]

This Darren Harris dude is one hell of a shooter! Seems like he just drains everything.

Yeaaaaah he's ridiculous

Looking rather one and done out there

Good for Duke ya know? They sure could use some more talent.....

Haha yeah, its about time they catch a break!

[PeterRamTime]

This Darren Harris dude is one hell of a shooter! Seems like he just drains everything.

Yeaaaaah he's ridiculous

Looking rather one and done out there

Good for Duke ya know? They sure could use some more talent.....

Haha yeah, its about time they catch a break!

Yeah I have no idea how Jon Scheyer is gonna win games with THAT roster

[ramster]

Box Score in win vs IMG

[reef]

I missed the game again today , how did Ben do ?

[Billyboy78]

Didn't have the big stats like he did yesterday, but 3 things stood out showing how good he is. 1. The pull up 3 going from full speed, stopping on a dime and going up for his shot. 2. Splitting the trap with his quickness and his handle. Their press was ineffective because he was so quick to get through the double and with the dribble. 3. The gorgeous back door pass to Harris. Although Harris did step out of bounds, it's was such a high level pass.

[reef]

Great , sounds like this kid is going to be an absolute joy to watch !

[sevegny7]

He had a pretty good game running the team today.

The one thing he may struggle with especially early on before he adjusts to the D1 level is finishing at the rim against length/height. He was bothered by length/height several times today and missed the tough layup.

Today he seemed to get his teammates going more than looking for his own offense.
Other than that I liked what I saw.

[adam914]

I think that's what I love most about his game. He doesn't need to score to have a big impact on the court.

[Billyboy78]

Today's box score. Smallest guy on the court. Tied for the game high in rebounds with 9. Championship game tomorrow vs. top ranked Montverde with top player in the country Cooper Flagg....noon, ESPN2.

[reef]

Today's box score. Smallest guy on the court. Tied for the game high in rebounds with 9. Championship game tomorrow vs. top ranked Montverde with top player in the country Cooper Flagg....noon, ESPN2.

Ok thanks I’m definitely watching the championship game for Hammond and I actually like Cooper Flagg though wish he went to Uconn not Duke

[Ramulous]

Sundra and Ngongba combine for 3 points

[RIsVeryOwn]

[NYGFan_Section208]

"Archie Miller connected with Ben Hammond right away, they are the same player, short, smart, hard nosed, tough guard at NC State. Ben Hammond is the exact same way"

Lot of talk about him and about the Archie connection.

He's short - no matter how he does, those P5 schools aren't taking fliers on Hammond. Plus here, he's a priority. And I am sure he is going to get an NIL bag commiserate with what he would get offered at any other school at our level like George Mason.

hopefully, it's a commensurate bag, and not one to commiserate over...

[PeterRamTime]

This does not look like a high school game....good grief they're all so good!

[reef]

Yeah I’m watching , crazy amount of talent on display !

[NYGFan_Section208]

Just tuned in at about 230 left in the third...Flagg....omigosh...

[reef]

Yes , Flagg is amazing and doesn’t even turn 18 until December , what a future

[steveystuds06]

Hammond had issues against the bigger athletic guards in the last two games. He’ll definitely face similar challenges next year. But man he’s so fast and smart with the ball. Overall it was another impressive showing for our point guard. Now let’s get this kid in Kingston and wearing Rhody Blue.

[PeterRamTime]

Hammond had issues against the bigger athletic guards in the last two games. He’ll definitely face similar challenges next year. But man he’s so fast and smart with the ball. Overall it was another impressive showing for our point guard. Now let’s get this kid in Kingston and wearing Rhody Blue.

Yeah he wasn't able to finish a lot of floaters and shots at the rim

Stuff he can get better at!

Either way, he is such a smart player, his IQ alone will make this team better.

Will also drastically cut down our turnovers...

[ramster]

Hammond with a game high 5 steals in 21 minutes against top competition in this All Star Game

[reef]

Hammond with a game high 5 steals in 21 minutes against top competition in this All Star Game

5 steals is beautiful, now Arch let him do his thing for us

[Jdrums#3]

Yeah, Ramster. Hope Archie has him pressure the heck out of the opposing PG to disrupt their O. Hammond is under 6 feet but very quick and has quick hands. Very pesky. Let him loose, I say. Let the ball-hawk hunt!

[Rhody15]

This is why getting all excited about recruits nowadays is pointless.

[Joe95]

So much for that so called great relationship with Archie.

[adam914]

Sucks to lose Hammond obviously, I was really looking forward to watching him play here. I feel better knowing we already added a solid guard today to though.

[SGreenwell]

Sucks to lose Hammond obviously, I was really looking forward to watching him play here. I feel better knowing we already added a solid guard today to though.

The rational part of my brain agrees with you... but fuck, Hammond looked like the real deal.

[adam914]

Sucks to lose Hammond obviously, I was really looking forward to watching him play here. I feel better knowing we already added a solid guard today to though.

The rational part of my brain agrees with you... but fuck, Hammond looked like the real deal.

Oh yeah, no doubt about it. I'm trying to find the silver lining, but it sucks.

[SandorClegane]

This one hurts. Archie has to do better here. No excuse not being able to keep your top recruit.

[Billyboy78]

Fuck off. I'm done. College basketball sucks. See ya.

[Jdrums#3]

What the #%&$ !!!

Damn, this is disappointing news. I was really excited to watch him play for us. Love his game and floor presence.

But, this is the new reality for now: transfers coming and going and recruits committing and de-committing. The age of the revolving door. I will have to get used to it.

No one player is more important than the program. I am moving on.