Can Rhode Island and Massachusetts basketball programs recapture their past glory?
SOUTH KINGSTOWN — Saturday brought the latest collision point between the Rhode Island and Massachusetts men's basketball programs.
This pair of old New England rivals has more in common than either fan base would like to admit as we sit in the middle of the 2023-24 men’s college basketball season. The Rams and Minutemen are both desperately clinging to a notion of possibility that existed when they were simultaneous Atlantic 10 factors more than two decades ago.
More: 'Confident' Rhode Island Rams notch fourth straight win. How it happened vs. UMass.
Is there still space for them to be relevant postseason contenders in this modern age? The NCAA landscape has changed considerably since Tyson Wheeler, Cuttino Mobley, Antonio Reynolds Dean, Marcus Camby and Lou Roe roamed their respective campuses.
The current standings say this March will go on without both schools. Neither URI nor UMass did enough work in their nonconference schedules to be checking the NET rankings or Bracketology each morning to see whether or not they might be included in the next March Madness field. That’s the long-term hope, and we can gauge their progress against one another after Saturday's 89-77 cruise by the Rams at the Ryan Center.
“Today was one of those games — maybe my first game — where we performed well and we had a vibe in there,” URI coach Archie Miller said. “I guess I would just say it like that.
“The quest is obviously for that nightly. The quest is to have every seat in this place filled.”
It’s a noble goal. Former Rams coach Dan Hurley couldn’t achieve it on a nightly basis even in the season after he captured URI’s second conference tournament championship —– a national ranking, 16-game winning streak and 13-0 start in league play weren’t enough to generate capacity crowds. All he’s done since then is go on to win a national title at Connecticut and secure the school’s first No. 1 ranking in the AP poll since 2009.
Do the Rams deserve nice things? Of course. We all do. And now might be time to start paying for them with Miller seemingly poised to turn the corner. Saturday’s crowd of 5,496 fans was a season-best, and that came with the Rhody Ruckus still home for winter break. URI isn’t close to what could be its peak, and that can only be reached by investing in both a coach and program that looks to be gathering steam.
“We need it every home game,” URI forward David Green said. “We need them to show up and show out for us because it’s the A-10.
“It’s a dog league — it's a bunch of dogs in this league. We need them to show up. We see it and we love it.”
Miller’s contract a year after being fired at Indiana — five years, $8.5 million — was a landmark moment for the Rams. It was spending on a level closer to power conferences than the program has ever reached previously. URI president Marc Parlange and athletic director Thorr Bjorn saw a need to make a statement and bring in an accomplished successor to David Cox.
Immediately dismiss those who grouse about the value of that deal, especially folks who worry about how it might affect their taxes. The state funds only about 7% of the university budget, and private donors have always covered the majority of the tab when it comes to Rams athletics. Any discussion to the contrary is a cheap attempt to create headlines or score political points.
The same grain of salt should be applied to anyone complaining about the new name, image and likeness opportunities available for athletes. The Huskies this week reported $225 million in state economic impact generated over the last athletic year — that's a heck of a lot more than the value of any scholarships being distributed in Storrs. URI’s next qualifier for March Madness will be worth millions to the school in fresh applications, donor interest, marketing contracts and more.
Which brings us to the current roster that blitzed the Minutemen in a hail of 3-pointers. Cam Estevez and David Fuchs have been revelations as first-year players. The Rams are also poised to welcome a pair of recruits they targeted and secured in the offseason. Ben Hammond is starring at a high school power, Paul VI, while Tyonne Farrell is sharpening his game in the rugged Baltimore Catholic League.
Want someone like Estevez to stay long term and become the next great guard here? Think you’ll be in position to add transfer portal talent that could bring you to the 2024-25 postseason? That’s going to cost in both future on-court promises and off-court finances. URI’s recognized collective, Rhode to Excellence, will need to be flush.
This week will tell us something more about the current group of Rams. Trips to St. Bonaventure and Dayton will be tall tasks for a team that carries one of the current 3-0 records in league play. URI’s next win would eclipse its total of nine from last season, and two more in the league will match the 2022-23 total in conference play.
For now, based on this one result, we could argue the Rams are further along in their rebuild. We could say URI has the right person in charge based on Miller’s previous track record and this sudden improvement in his second year. The Rams could be in the process of surpassing the Minutemen on the road back to relevance and contention.
But, as has generally been the recent case between the two rivals, your measure for success should probably stretch beyond historical grievance.
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Both Rhode Island and Massachusetts basketball programs are rebuilding
