Sophomores Emmi Rinat (left) and Sophie Phillips (right) unveil two of three new uniforms for the 2022-23 season. PHOTO CREDIT: URI Women’s Basketball | Twitter
A new coaching staff, new players, a new court and now new uniforms.
In the midst of several changes outlining a new era in Rhode Island basketball, the men’s and women’s programs have unveiled a new set of uniforms for the 2022-23 season, which will feature unique looks for each team.
The new uniforms conform to the unique preferences of both men’s head coach Archie Miller and women’s head coach Tammi Reiss, who were able to select and make changes to a wide variety of Adidas templates to fit their desired styles, according to Matt Moeller.
“The men’s process was different than the women’s process,” Moeller said. “Previously, the men and women’s uniforms were pretty much the exact same. However, the men and women’s uniforms going into this season will be very different.”
James Morris, head equipment manager for Rhode Island athletics, also played a role in working with both coaches to make sure that their vision came to life.
“They wanted to go with something pretty simplistic, something classic, something eye-catching,” Morris said. “Not too eye-catching where their eyes run all over the place, a signature uniform that brought Rhody back on the map.”
According to both Moeller and Morris, the program was due for a uniform change. On the back of last year’s rebrand, a new court and new coaching staff among other changes, the timing was ideal, in a year that many view as a “fresh start” for the basketball programs.
“A typical basketball uniform change is every 2-3 years, and we were in that cycle,” Morris said. “We had the old uniforms for three years, so it was the perfect opportunity to give the program a face-lift with the hiring of Archie Miller.”
Moeller also mentioned that the uniforms offered the new coaching staff an opportunity to make their mark on the program.
“Archie [Miller] has more of a traditional flavor,” Moeller said. “So certain style elements he likes may be different from previous regimes, I think it’s more of making it their program. It presented an opportunity [for Miller and Reiss], coming in at a time when the new uniforms were available.”
Benny Sander, Chief of Staff for Rhode Island Basketball, had previously worked with Miller at the University of Dayton and Indiana, and said that he was familiar with Miller and his preferences. Coming in as a member of the new staff alongside Archie Miller, the pair immediately pointed at uniforms as one of the things they wanted to change.
“Myself and Coach Miller think that the colorway that we have here at Rhode Island is one of the best in the country,” Sander said. “When you tie in navy and Keaney blue, there’s a lot of cool things you can do with that. As we took a look at some of the uniforms they’ve had in the past, [we think] they’re a little busy, a lot going on. We just wanted to simplify it, and try to make them a little bit cleaner.”
Along with the two uniforms that have already been revealed, the men’s team will feature a third alternate uniform that is yet to be released, set to be unveiled at some point during the non-conference slate, according to Sander.
Fans will have a first chance to see the new uniforms, and the new court surface in action for the first time as the men’s program hosts Quinnipiac at the Ryan Center on November 7 at 7 p.m., in their first non-conference game of the season. The women will debut their new uniforms in their home opener on November 11, as they are set to host Dartmouth at 1 p.m.