With a majority of the University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team returning and some key defections in the Atlantic 10, the Rams are poised for their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1999.
Last season they finished with 23-10 record, falling just short of the NCAA tournament and ultimately accepting an invite to the NIT tournament, where they would fall in the second round to Stanford University. They finished third in the Atlantic 10, behind just Davidson College and the University of Dayton, both of whom had notable losses.
This season the pressure is on for the Rams as they return four of their five starters last season, with only forward Gilvydas Biruta missing. Returning are juniors Hassan Martin and E.C. Matthews, as well as sophomores Jarvis Garrett and Jared Terrell.
The spotlight will be shined on Martin and Matthews, both of whom could end up vying for Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. Last season Matthews averaged 16.9 points, the third highest in the Atlantic 10, while Martin ranked eighth in rebounding – 7.7 a game – and led the conference with 3.1 blocks per game.
Although their stats may not jump off the page, Terrell and Garrett both hold key roles going forward for URI. Garrett averaged just 6.4 points and 2.6 assists per game, he led the Rams to a 12-6 record when he was manning the starting point guard spot. Meanwhile, Terrell posted 9.2 points per game, but also displayed strong perimeter defense, most notably holding University of Nebraska’s Terran Petteway, who was chosen to the All-Big Ten Third Team, to just 5-18 shooting.
Joining the projected starting lineup for the Rams this season from the University of Memphis is junior transfer Kuran Iverson, an athletic big man who should add an extra dose of scoring to the Rhody frontcourt.
Also joining Rhode Island is graduate transfer guard Four McGlynn, who most recently played at Towson University. McGlynn started 25 of the 32 games last season for Towson, reaching double figures in points in 16 of those games.
Although the return of key players is a critical part of the equation for the Rams, so is the departure of key figures from other programs. Among the losses are Jordan Sibert of Dayton, who finished ninth in points per game in the Atlantic 10 with 16.1, and Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Tyler Kalinoski of Davidson. The most notable losses, though, came from VCU. It lost its head coach, Shaka Smart, who led the Rams to the Final Four in 2011. Other departures included All-Atlantic 10 second-teamer Treveon Graham and Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year Briante Weber.
These defections, along with the return of some key cogs of last year’s 23-10 team, have Rhode Island poised to do something they haven’t done in 16 years – make the NCAA tournament.