A lot has changed in Kingston, Rhode Island, since the conclusion of last season, which saw the Rams become the first team in Atlantic 10 history to lose to a 15 seed in the conference tournament.
Now at the dawn of the new season, Archie Miller and the Rams have, once again, almost completely facelifted their roster. Yet, there has been a lack of preseason buzz from Rhode Island beyond the “Summer Series” press releases, occasional social media posts and an open scrimmage. The team has zero exhibition games on its official schedule.
The Rams played Boston University in a closed scrimmage on Sunday. However, the team did not release any official scores or results to the public.
Some may view the silence as something to fear. A team with zero conference tournament wins in the last three seasons should be clawing to attract fans to its near 8,000-person-capacity arena. The silence can also be interpreted as the team focusing more on their on-court product. Perhaps one of the biggest questions about the Rams is: Who is playing where?
With 7-footer redshirt-freshman Moek Icke lacking in experience, Keeyan Itejere will likely be the starter at center. His 6-foot-9, 220-pound frame may startle fans, but Itejere makes up for the size with explosive leaping and rebounding ability.
Mouhamed Sow will find himself at the four spot. The St. Peter’s transfer averaged over six rebounds and a block per game last season. He’ll have the responsibility of being a stout wing defender.
The backcourt is where things will be felt out the most in the earlier parts of the season. It is safe to say that some combination of Myles Corey, Tyler Cochran, RJ Johnson and Jonah Hinton may take up the one, two and three spots in the starting lineup.
If there’s a player on the roster who may find himself truly “positionless,” it may be Alex Crawford, who transferred in from Fresno State and will act as a three-level scorer for the Rams. Denoted as a forward on the depth chart, the redshirt senior shot just under 50% from the field last season and averaged just over 11 points per game.
When the annual A-10 preseason awards came out at the end of September, not a single Ram made any of the all-conference teams or the all-defensive team.
The odds are stacked against Rhode Island in terms of the A-10, but non-conference play at the start of the season gives teams a chance to iron out the kinks.
Rhode Island’s marquee nonconference matchup in the post-Hurley era has been Providence. Gone are the days when Rhode Island would schedule games against SEC or ACC teams. This season, Providence, a team that is only four seasons removed from a Sweet 16 trip, was selected to finish fourth in the Big East Preseason Coaches’ Poll. This season’s matchup will take place in the Amica Mutual Pavilion – a home game for the Friars and a definitive Quad 1 game for the Rams.
The Rams haven’t won at Providence since 2002, the same year that the team played its first game in the Ryan Center. This game may not end up telling the whole story of the season, but the opportunity to shock a rival opponent will always be a valuable one.
Yale finds itself on the Rhode Island schedule for the third straight year. The back-to-back Ivy League champs have proven to be a fine, consistent regional opponent for the Rams. Rhode Island will travel to New Haven for what will likely be a Quad 2 game, based on where the Bulldogs rank heading into the season. Last year’s contest was one of two Quad 2 wins for the Rams, the other coming in-conference against George Mason at home.
Towson and Tulsa will provide competitive neutral-site tests for the Rams. The Tigers are another preseason conference favorite (CAA), and Tulsa marks a personal matchup for Golden Hurricane forward David Green, who spent the last two seasons in Kingston. Green scored over 650 points while wearing Keaney blue.
The key to success this season for Rhode Island will be ensuring the team improves week to week. Under Miller, Rhode Island has a combined record of 6-25 in February and March. A total that doesn’t necessarily reflect the talent on each season’s roster.
Rhode Island will tip off its season against Stetson at 7 p.m. ET Nov. 3 at home in the Ryan Center.
