URI Coach Archie Miller’s New Strategy and the Cost of Business

URI Coach Archie Miller’s New Strategy and the Cost of Business

The NCAA allows college basketball teams to have 13 scholarships. Traditionally, with the exception of a redshirted player, now and then, teams have used all their scholarships on active players to stock their rosters with as much talent and depth as possible.

 

Not enough playing time to keep 13 players happy

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URI coach Archie Miller has said that with all the new rules and changes in college basketball, he does not believe in having 13 active scholarship players who all think they will get playing time every game. There is not enough playing time to keep that number of players happy.

In the recent past, if a player did not get the playing time he wanted, he was somewhat stuck. The previous transfer rule mandated players sit out a year if they changed schools. This rule was an impediment to transferring. For the most part, players hunkered down, continued to practice hard, and hoped a breakthrough would come.

 

New transfer rules empowering players and impacting team chemistry

The rule changes that allow unrestricted and untethered transfers have changed all this. Players now know they can transfer without constraint. If players are not getting the playing time they think they deserve, they may conclude they are at the wrong school. They know they can readily transfer without repercussion at the end of the year. Once this mindset develops, these players may begin to dog it at practice rather than giving full effort. They may lose their enthusiasm and commitment to the team. Disgruntled players have a negative impact on team chemistry.

 

Miller takes roster management in a different direction

Coach Miller recognizes this and is using a new approach in his roster management strategy to avoid these issues.

Three of URI’s 13 scholarship players are redshirted. This was no accident. Miller declared, “Redshirting players coming out of high school is going to be the secret sauce…..you have the ability to develop some players and keep them. Part of the way you don’t retain young players is by not playing them. Part of the way you can retain young, talented players is to redshirt them. You can work with them. Develop them. Get the size, the speed, the age, a year later. So next year, they will be so much more ready to contribute and help and get off to a good start. And they have the ability to make some money. The ability to make money in year one compared to year five is absurd.”

 

URI redshirts

The three players redshirting are:

- 19-year-old, 7-foot center Moek Icke from Purmerend, Netherlands

- Damone King, a freshman from Louisville, Kentucky. He is a 6’2” combo guard who is forgoing prep school to come to URI.

 

- Always Wright who was a dual sport star, playing basketball and quarterback in high school. He did not focus on basketball until he spent a year in junior college before enrolling at URI. Wright is a 6’3” guard whose development has been hindered due to a shoulder injury.  He has two years of eligibility left at URI.

 

Recruiting and NIL money

Adopting the strategy of redshirting young players is only half of the equation. Getting players to commit to the year of redshirt probation from the bright lights of games that count is an integral part of the strategy.

On recruiting and convincing players to accept redshirting, Miller said, “What we are selling for some guys is the opportunity to develop, step in the following year to be more ready to contribute, and then in years three, four, and five when you are an older player you are much more attainable to earn more money by having a better NIL opportunity.”

Miller concluded, “When you are a 24-year-old 7-footer versus an 18-year-old 7-footer, it’s 100’s of thousands of dollars. I mean that.”

 

Rish inherent in Miller’s strategy

It all sounds good on paper, and Miller has three players who agreed to redshirt. But there is a risk.

URI will have only ten scholarship players available for games. Miller’s strategy runs the risk of his roster being thin at some positions. The Rams have five guards, so they have plenty of depth out front. There are four forwards but only one center, the seven-foot Javonte Brown. Foul trouble or injuries could cause a problem. A major injury to the lone center would be a major blow.

The forwards are David Fuchs at 6’9”, Drissa Traore at 6’8”, David Green at 6’7”, and Tyonne Farrell at 6’6”.

The backup center is Fuchs, who is strong with broad shoulders, and he put on additional muscle in the off-season. He is a physical player who is a great rebounder, but he is not a shot blocker or rim defender. Center is not his natural position or where he is most effective, but he is the best option for the backup center role.

Last season, URI was exploited inside in numerous games. In ten games, their opponent scored over 40 points in the paint, and the Rams lost seven of those games.

 

URI thin in the front court

When asked if there were risks with fewer available players on the roster, Miller said, “Absolutely, foul trouble, sickness, injury, you name it. You are going to deal with it all over the next six months. But you have to feel your entire approach to how you run the program can cover you when you are down numbers.”

When explicitly asked about the center position and the impact a significant injury could have, Miller said, “Yeah, I think if you look at our team, we are probably a little bit thin in the mass number in terms of the depth we can throw at you inside. I am not sure that plays as big a role nowadays with the amount of small teams that are out there. Whether it’s the five (position) out or small ball teams you play against, I don’t necessarily know if you are dealing with anchors on the blocks all of the time. So being able to play a group of four guards with one guy, we prepared for that. We probably need to continue to develop that as the season goes on. It could become more 60/40 small or maybe 70/30 at times when we have to play small. But I do think that we prepared for that on the front end.”

 

Time will tell

Fresh thinking about a knotty problem is commendable. We will see if Miller’s roster management strategy is successful as the season unfolds. It will also be interesting to see if other coaches replicate this strategy in the coming years. For now, URI fans should keep their fingers crossed, hoping for luck in fending off any major injury to their frontcourt players.