URI Basketball Has Another Disappointing Season; Future Is Uncertain
James Malachowski, Sports Columnist
URI Basketball Has Another Disappointing Season; Future Is Uncertain
After losing nine players from last year’s team, URI coach Archie Miller went into the portal to put together a roster for a rebuild. The prior year’s team was one of the worst defensive teams in the country. At one point, Miller said, “Playing defense was not in their DNA.” They finished 12-20 for the year and 6-12 in A-10 play.
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Rebuild Emphasized Defense
Miller emphasized defense and needed talent that was proficient at both ends of the court. After assembling the players, he spoke optimistically about the team’s prospects. Miller said, “We have a better gel, we have better chemistry, we have a higher quality of team, in terms of chemistry, purpose, and I do think that putting it all together has been fun. It has been a good group to coach.”
The Rams played exhibition games in early August in the Bahamas. Miller talked about the positives of getting this team together early to establish the culture and player unity.
Off to a Great Start
With only one starter returning, fans did not know what to expect. Then something special happened. With a weak non-conference schedule, the Rams got off to a tremendous start. They went 10-1 in non-conference play and beat in-state rival Providence College. The team, led by hometown hero Sebastian Thomas, was playing well. The Rams averaged 86 points a game, one of the country’s best scoring totals. They were ranked in the top 100 in college basketball and were poised, confident, and ready for A-10 play. It seemed Miller was doing everything right, and fans now had high expectations.
Slow Starts and Lack of Intensity
In the Conference opener, the favored Rams lost to Duquesne, scoring a season-low 55 points. URI came out flat without any intensity in a game they should have been fired up for. They fell behind 30-17 and never recovered.
A lack of intensity and slow starts would continue to plague the Rams throughout Conference play. The team would repeatedly sleep-walk through a portion of the first half, fall behind by double digits, and then finally get in gear and attempt a comeback.
Miller was asked why this team did not pay with intensity until they had a double-digit deficit. In frustration, he said, “I wish I had the answer.” Later in the season, Miller was asked this question again, and he attributed it to poor shooting and the resulting offensive ineptness dictating the team’s attitude and impacting the defense as opponents got runouts after missed baskets.
Disappointing Conference Play
The Rams finished 7-11 in regular season conference play, winning only one game on the road. Due to their poor rankings, URI had to play in the opening round of the A-10 Tournament for the third year in a row. Since coming to URI, Miller has not won a game in the A-10 Tournament.
When the team was riding high winning games, Miller said, “Some teams learn how to win, and some teams learn how to lose.” The Rams learned their lessons well on how to win for the first half of the year. Then they forgot everything and learned how to lose. They lost for different reasons from game to game. They lost a game because they repeatedly could not inbound the ball after an opponent’s basket or because they committed 27 turnovers in a game, or could not figure out a zone defense, or an opponent dominated on the offensive boards, or they shot terribly from the foul line, and they lost a game when they shot 2-19 on three-pointers. But most of all, they lost because they repeatedly came out flat and could not play with intensity for a full 40-minute game.
Defense Collapses
Toward the end of A-10 play, the Rams lost four games in a row before winning their final regular season game. During the four-game losing streak, opponents scored in the 80s and 90s, and the team let up an average of 87 points in those games. In the A-10 Tournament, Fordham scored 49 points in the first half and 88 overall.
Their defense, which had played reasonably well during the year, completely collapsed down the stretch. During A-10 play, Miller’s hand-picked team’s defense ranked next to last in the conference, giving up 76.7 points per game.
Miller’s Performance
Miller has a self-admitted stubbornness about him. After the Saint Bonaventure game he said, “We need to make some changes in what we are doing. I have been stubborn, and I think we need to open the floor up even more.”
Miller is steadfast in his macho stance that he will only play man-to-man defense. He will not use a zone defense or press full or half-court. Other coaches use these tactics effectively against him.
Coming off their regular season loss to Rhode Island, the Fordham coach made adjustments for the rematch in the Tournament. He emphasized exploiting the quickness and superior physicality of his guards. These two guards continually beat their defenders, often getting into the paint, and scored a combined 55 points. Sebastian Thomas committed four fouls by the 12-minute mark trying to cover them and had to go to the bench for the remaining parts of the game. Miller never tried a zone defense to slow their guards down or to protect Thomas when he was in foul trouble.
During the loss to VCU, the Rams were inept inbounding the ball after an opponent’s basket, committing several turnovers. After the loss, Miller said, “When inbounding after a basket, you can run along the baseline.” During the game, his inbounders never did this, so it is unclear if they ever got this instruction.
The great UCLA coach, John Wooden, addressed every detail. It is said he started his first practice by showing his players how to put on their socks.
In this new world of college sports, one way to evaluate coaches’ performances would be to list their Conference won/loss record alongside the combined NIL money they paid their players. URI finished 10th in the A-10. Where did they rank in NIL dollars? If their total NIL was 12th or 13th in the league, Miller did a good job with what he was given. If URI ranked 9th or 8th in NIL dollars, Miller did a poor job. Unfortunately, NIL information is not public.
On February 10th, it was announced that 6’6” freshman Tyonne Farrell left the team. There are rumors he was dismissed. Farrell was a starter, a versatile player, and a good defender, often guarding the opponent’s best scorer. His departure coincides with the collapse of the defense.
Farrell’s departure came almost two years to the day of Miller’s 2023 release of Brayon Freeman. At the time of his dismissal, Freeman was URI’s starting point guard and second-leading scorer. In 2023-24, URI went 1-5 in their remaining games after Freeman’s dismissal.
Miller’s Contract and Hurley Comparison
In each of his three years at URI, Miller’s teams have collapsed down the stretch and there are rumblings about Miller. He has two years left on his five-year contract. Miller makes 2.1 million dollars per year plus additional perks. The contract is guaranteed. The school cannot afford to let him go as they would have to pay him out and also pay the salary of a new coach.
Miller’s won/loss record in his third year is 18-13 and 7-12 in Conference play. In his third year, Dan Hurley went 23-10 and 13-5. This is not an entirely fair comparison as Hurley’s URI teams played in a different era. Would Hurley’s best players, E.C. Mathews and Hassan Martin, have stayed at URI after their outstanding freshman years if there were unrestricted transfers with well-healed schools willing to enrich them with NIL payments? Would Hurley have been successful recruiting Jared Terrell, who made it to the NBA, with the NIL money other teams would have thrown at him? Without these players, Hurley’s record would have been substantially different.
There is a comparison with Hurley which is valid. In my view URI should no longer go after a high profile, and therefore high-priced basketball coach. They need to optimize the “total resources” of the athletic department. Total resources include the athletic department revenues, and the NIL dollars combined.
Hurley came to URI after just two years of head coaching experience at Wagner, which played in the low-level Northeast Conference. His initial contract was for $630,000. He was a young coach that URI took a chance on.
By “saving” money on a coach’s salary, the program can optimize its resources by diverting this money to paying players thus bringing in better talent. We will see which direction the basketball program goes in two years.