After reaching the goal that was set when Rhode Island Head Coach Tammi Reiss accepted the job seven seasons ago, there is still work to be done for the University of Rhode Island women’s basketball team.
For just the second time in program history, the Rams earned their spot in the NCAA Tournament as the No. 11 seed.
Before Reiss, there were two 20-win seasons in program history. With Reiss, the Rams earned four more 20-win seasons, including this year’s program’s best record at 28-5.
“We promised Rhode Island this, and now we achieved it,” Reiss said. “Now, can you sustain it? That’s the question, and that’s the next phase of Rhode Island basketball is you’ve got to sustain it because it’s built.”
With a series of successful seasons, Reiss built up URI’s program to become a school that players want to transfer to and commit to.
Rhody transfer fourth-year guard Brooklyn Gray from Saint Louis University and first-year recruited guard Vanessa Harris from Maryland made huge impacts this season. Gray earned Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team honors, while Harris won Sixth Woman of the Year.
Gray led the way with 16 points in the Rams’ first-ever Atlantic 10 Championship win over George Mason University on March 8. URI’s offense was second in the conference, averaging 67.7 points per game.
With 13 days between games, URI’s offense struggled to gain momentum against the No. 6 seed University of Alabama, falling 68-55 on Saturday.
“It just was not being able to get over the hump, not being able to get a good stop and then put pressure on them and score,” Reiss said. “What you’re hoping for is a game in the fourth quarter. You’re not playing catch-up, it’s a 14-point game, and it’s imperative that you get stops.”
Rhody shot 32.8% from the field, while the Crimson Tide shot 53.2%. Third-year forward Essence Cody knocked down two three-pointers in the opening minutes of the contest, but it was Alabama’s work down low that secured their victory, with 42 points in the paint.
“They do both well,” Reiss said. “The three ball sets, they’re driving up. Their driving inside out sets their three balls up. When you look at their team makeup, it makes them very difficult to play. So if one’s not going, they still have the ability to do the other one.”
The Rams were the defensive leaders in the A-10, holding opponents to an average of 53.8 points per game.
Fourth-year guard Ines Debroise was tasked with guarding Alabama’s leading scorer, fifth-year guard Jessica Timmons. Ultimately, it was Timmons who led the Crimson Tide with 21 points, followed by Cody with 19.
URI will be losing Debroise, Gray and second-year forward Palmire Mbu heading into next season. Debroise spent all four years in Rhode Island, recruited from France. After fouling out in the final two minutes of the game, Debroise and Reiss shared a tearful embrace.
“Coming out even if I didn’t want to foul out and just remembering every moment, every ups, downs we had, it just meant a lot for me and for Coach,” Debroise said. “I think I truly believe that I was put in here for a reason. For me, just staying four years was just like a part of my journey and the process.”
But, as long as third-year guard Sophia Vital remains a Ram, URI will retain one of its biggest culture players. Vital played 37 minutes for the Rams and led the team this season in steals with 62.
“I said it all along, she has to be on the floor for us,” Reiss said.
Newly appointed director of athletics, Pat Lyons, is now tasked with replacing URI’s winningest coach of all time after Reiss accepted the head coaching position at the University of Florida on Monday.
His first major coaching hiring will be one of the biggest deciding factors on whether the program’s momentum can continue to grow.
