Two URI Basketball Players Leave the Team

Two URI Basketball Players Leave the Team

University of Rhode Island freshman forward Tyonne Farrell will step away from the basketball program, head coach Archie Miller announced Monday. Farrell had been in the starting lineup for much of the season. There is no timetable for his return.

In addition, Moek Icke, URI’s 7’1” center from Purmerend, Netherlands, returned to his home country for medical reasons. Icke was redshirting, intending to spend the season practicing and developing with the team.

 

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Miller on Farrell’s Departure

“Tyonne is going to take time away from the program to reset himself,” Miller said. “We will work with him over the remainder of the season to determine his best steps moving forward. Right now, this is the best thing for him and for the team.”

Farrell played limited minutes in the last two games.

The 6’6” 208-pound freshman forward started 15 of URI’s first 16 games. Farrell was injured before the Loyola Chicago game on January 15 and missed five consecutive A-10 Conference games. He returned for the last two games but did not start. He was on the court for just eight minutes in the loss to Fordham and for only two minutes in the loss to George Mason.

 

URI Is Down to Nine Active Scholarship Players

Farrell’s departure leaves URI with only nine active scholarship players. As reported previously in GoLocal, URI Coach Archie Miller is using a roster management strategy that limits active scholarship players in favor of redshirting players. Intentionally limiting the 13 available active scholarship players to 10 runs the risk of being shorthanded in the event of injury or other circumstances. 

Farrell was a two-time A-10 Rookie of the Week (11/11/2024 and 11/18/2024). In his college debut against Fairfield University, he scored 14 points with 7 rebounds and 1 assist. Farrell was the first Rhode Island player to win Rookie of the Week honors in consecutive weeks since E.C. Matthews did so in four straight weeks during the 2013-14 season. Other notable URI players who have won Rookie of the Week honors were Hassan Martin and Lamar Odem.

Farrell averaged 19 minutes a game this season, 4.9 PPG, 3 RPG, and .7 assists per game. His athleticism and length made him a good defensive player.

 

Reasons for Farrell’s Departure?

It is surprising that a player would leave with only seven regular season games left. Miller would not reveal the reasons for Ferrell’s departure. When asked for clarification if Farrell was dismissed or left on his own, the spokesperson for the URI athletic department would only refer to the statement saying Farrell was “stepping away.”

 

7-foot Redshirt Moek Icke Left the Team

Moek Icke returned to the Netherlands over a month ago for medical reasons. There was no announcement or statement at the time.

Players have said Icke has potential. He gave URI two seven-footers at practice. With 7-foot Javonte Brown, these “Twin Towers” made for dynamic practices that served the team well. Icke would participate in the “Scout Team” with the other red shirts and the walk-ons to replicate opponents’ play and prepare the team for upcoming games.

Before committing to URI, Icke was a member of the Netherlands national team program. He averaged 5.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocked shots per game for the Netherlands at the FIBA U18 European Championships in 2023.

In announcing Icke’s signing this past October, coach Archie Miller said, “Moek has great length, and he runs the floor really well. He has an excellent feel for the game. We can see he is a very hard worker who will be an impact player for us when the time comes.”

This story was first published 2/10/25 4:43 PM