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LOCATION: Kingston, RI
CONFERENCE: Atlantic-10 (East Division)
LAST SEASON: 20-13 (.606)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 10-6 (2nd)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 3/2
NICKNAME: Rams
COLORS: Light Blue, Dark Blue & White
HOMECOURT: Keaney Gymnasium (3,385)
COACH: Providence Civic Center (12,641)
record at school Jerry DeGregorio (St. John's 85)
career record First Year
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ASSISTANTS: First Year
ASSISTANTS Jeff Jones (Virginia '82)
Tom Garrick (Rhode Island '89)
TBA
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 7-20-20-25-20
RPI (last 5 years) 190-74-35-19-67
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in NCAA first round.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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We said it to anyone who would listen before the 1999 Atlantic 10 Tournament began. The conference was so unexpectedly ordinary at the top that its postseason title was wide open. Look for the hungriest team, we said. Bet on the team with the very best player. We now know for certain the identity of both. Rhode Island and rookie star Lamar Odom. URI captured an NCAA bid in most dramatic fashion, defeating regular-season champion Temple at the buzzer of the A-10 championship game. Naturally, Odom was the guy who pulled the trigger swishing a 23-footer over a pair of defenders. The problem, of course, is that Odom, the one-year wonder, is now an NBA millionaire. And his college coach, Jim Harrick, made a money grab of his own. The one-time UCLA exile used two high-profile years in Kingston to get back in the real game, taking on a huge challenge and contract at recent SEC underachiever Georgia. So, if you think the Al Skinner-type days are returning to Rhode Island, think again. The Rams may not even be that good. Jerry DeGregorio, the recruiting link to Odom and so much of URI's young talent, takes over as head coach. A little over a year ago, he was no higher than the third assistant on the Rhody bench. His only head coaching experience came at Mattatuck (N.Y.) CC and St. Thomas Aquinas HS in New Britain, Conn.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B BENCH/DEPTH B
FRONTCOURT C+ INTANGIBLES C
The Atlantic 10 East Division will be a wild scramble this season. After Temple, the clear-cut top team in the conference, one could make a case for any of the other division members to finish from second to sixth. As such, it seems almost inconceivable to pick Rhode Island with all its young talent for last place. The Rams may respond by winning 20 games again. The point is that no one really knows. Or, more specifically, that URI has the most unknowns in the division. All of the other second-place contenders Massachusetts, St. Joseph's, St. Bonaventure and Fordham have proven productivity from at least two positions. Rhode Island has only potential. That fact (and a history lesson) are the rationale behind this forecast. The last great URI nucleus, led by Tyson Wheeler and Antonio Reynolds-Dean, went 7-20 in its freshman year before playing in three straight postseason tournaments. There is something to be said for experience, especially when your primary opposition has it. And your coach does not. |
Harrick reportedly asked DeGregorio, "Why should I hire you?" during an interview prior to the 1997-98 season. DeGregorio replied simply, "Because I'll get you players." That he did. In addition to the marquee catch of Odom, DeGregorio signed four more members of his new team guard Tavorris Bell, guard Tip Vinson, guard Zach Marbury and forward Leroy Womack. A fifth, transfer center Ed Brown, apparently will not be eligible this season. Yet when Rhode Island went to the Elite Eight in 1998, it was with Skinner's nucleus. And, among the newcomers, only Odom was major a factor in Harrick's return to the NCAAs last season. It will be DeGregorio's charge to incorporate the next wave of Rams while somehow tempering expectations during what will be, at best, a transition year. In some respects, Odom's obvious decision to enter the NBA draft makes DeGregorio's job easier. With Odom, URI would still be in the headlines with a preseason national Player of the Year candidate. Without him, the Rams can quietly get back to the business of rebuilding. It's not as if Rhode Island hired Jim Harrick, Jr. Instead, URI went out and got what almost amounts to a co-coach for DeGregorio. Jeff Jones, who once took Virginia to the Elite Eight, was added to the staff during a tumultuous summer. His steady hand and experience will go a long way toward to bridging whatever fallout occurs as the Rams enter a new era. Theoretically, DeGregorio would start the rebuilding around 6-9 senior center Luther Clay (9.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg). But Clay's career, both at Purdue (where he helped place the Boilermakers on probation) and Rhode Island, has been of the underachieving variety. If he plays as he did during the '98 NCAA tourney, the Rams will have an anchor for its next generation. If instead Clay continues a pattern of sulking over nagging injuries, it could be a long year. The only other returning starter is Bell, the 6-6 sophomore wing. Bell (9.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, .549 FG) had his moments as a freshman. He started 26 of 32 games and averaged 24.6 minutes. Yet Bell is neither a three-point shooter (.321 on only 28 attempts), which belies his body type and reputation, or a power forward. He is a slasher, a great dunker and a very able defender. The backcourt must be rebuilt entirely. Marbury, brother of Stephon and an academic redshirt last year, takes over one of the spots. The 6-3 Zach, who most recently toiled at Milford (Conn.) Academy, would have been a huge help last season behind hobbled senior Preston Murphy, who often limped through his 35.8 minutes per game. Marbury averaged 25.7 ppg and led New England prep schools in scoring two years ago. "Marbury," said one A-10 recruiting analyst, "is not as good as his older brother, but he's another terrific athlete who can drill the trey, drive and dish. He's had a reputation for selfishness, but observers say he's toned his act down. Zach will most likely play the scoring guard position now that 5-10 point man Tony Cole (Notre Dame Academy/Baton Rouge, La.) has re-confirmed his commitment. There was some talk that Cole would follow Harrick to Georgia, but he came to Kingston and has been very impressive in preseason individual workouts. The point guard job is his to lose. Vinson, a 6-4 sophomore, figures to be no better than the third guard in the backcourt rotation. Vinson (3.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.0 apg) got four starts and 15.8 minutes per game a year ago, but made exactly half of his 24 three-point attempts in limited duty. He could be a three-point specialist for DeGregorio, who must also find backcourt minutes for 6-3 frosh Brian Woodward. Woodward, younger brother of former Boston College player Duane, averaged 18.6 ppg, 9.7 rpg and 2.3 apg last year at Cardozo HS in Bayside, N.Y. Rated the No. 62 prospect in the nation by one service, Woodward posted his senior year numbers while recovering from an ACL injury as a junior. As a senior, Woodward was the New York City public high school Player of the Year. Bell and Marbury are former AAU teammates, a team on which Marbury played point guard. That past experience is good insurance against any eligibility problems which might affect Cole. "All the reports we're receiving say that [Woodward] is back to his pre-injury days," DeGregorio told the Providence Journal. The remaining starting spot is at power forward, where Womack, the 6-9 junior from Louisiana State, is expected to take over for four-year starter Antonio Reynolds-Dean. Womack's numbers at LSU were modest, but he was a Top 50 prospect back in 1996. He'll have to play more inside than he may prefer. Frontcourt depth will have to come from 6-10 junior Joe Casper, a shot-blocker from Johnson County (Kan.) CC, and 6-7 freshman Ivan Bracic, a native of Split, Croatia, who averaged 16.2 ppg and 5.3 rpg for club team A.D. Blaspik a year ago. 6-10 sophomore center Andrew Wafula (seven appearances) also returns, as does 6-5 sophomore swingman David Smith (1.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg). Brown, the 6-8, 275-pound former St. John's transfer, would have been a big help (5.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg) in more ways than one.
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