URI Handily Beats an Undermanned Fairfield - Now 2-0

URI Handily Beats an Undermanned Fairfield - Now 2-0

The Fairfield University basketball team picked the wrong night to come into the Ryan Center to do battle with URI. You only go into a fight with all your troops and weapons. Four of Fairfield’s players, two of whom are starters, were out with injuries.   Also, the Stags’ head coach abruptly left the program two weeks before the season started. Assistant Coach Chris Casey has replaced him. The Rams took full advantage of the thin enemy lines and prevailed 93 to 80.

URI came out hungry, got off to a good start, and was ahead 15 to 5 five minutes into the game. Jaden House put on an offensive attack worthy of a General Patton tank assault. He scored 18 of URI’s first 22 points. No doubt Fairfield watched game film on House and knew he scored most of his 25 points in his previous game against Central Connecticut by driving to the basket. They prepared for this.

House changed things up for this clash by shooting from the outside, hitting 4 of 5 three-point shots, including his first four in a row during the game’s opening run. House finished with 22 points on 9 of 11 shooting overall. URI had a 25-point lead at the half, ahead 49 to 24.

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During the second half, Fairfield sometimes deployed a 1-2-2 three-quarter court press, which resulted in a couple of URI turnovers. At the 10-minute mark, Fairfield resorted to firing up three-point shots, but they were ineffective. They shot 36 three-pointers during the game, hitting only 13, which is 20%. This poor shooting led, in part, to URI collecting 50 rebounds for the game. The last eight minutes of the game were a hot mess again. With 9:35 left in the game, URI was up by 34 points and won by only 13.

Fairfield outscored URI in the second half 56 to 44.

 

"Needs to be Addressed"

This is the second game in a row where the URI players mentally checked out of the game before it was over. When asked about this in the post-game media availability, Coach Archie Miller said these consecutive collapses show, “It is not a very mature team” and, “this needs to be addressed.”

Fairfield was predicted to come in sixth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) preseason poll. Caleb Fields, one of the injured starters, was selected to the preseason all-MAAC second team.   Alexis Yetna, a 6’ 8”, 230 lbs. forward, was the other starter out due to injury. Fairfield has made effective use of the portal, bringing in players from Providence College (Brycen Goodine), Seaton Hall (Yetna), Saint Joseph’s (Louis Bleechmore), Bowling Green (Fields), and the University of New Mexico (Birima Seck).

Fairfield played hard throughout despite being bludgeoned and down by 20 to over 30 points at times. They were led by Bleechmore and Goodine, who scored 24 and 22, respectively.

In addition to House’s stellar effort for URI, David Fuchs had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. In scoring 93 points, URI had five players in double figures who, in addition to House and Fuchs, were Jeremy Foumena (14), Zek Montgomery (11), and Cam Estevez (10).

When asked about the game, Fuchs said, “It feels great to win. It’s important we won our second game. We need to stay consistent for the entire game.  We were up 30 and won by 13. During the second half, we have got to be more disciplined than that.”

 

In Search of a Point Guard

A college basketball team can go a long way with two good players at the guard positions, provided one is an adept playmaker, and the other guard is a scorer. The point guard must distribute the ball and generate offense. The shooting guard’s job is to score when he gets the ball.

Rhode Island has had some great guards over the years, but no tandem was better than Tyson Wheeler as the point guard and Cuttino Mobley as the shooting guard. In 1998, they helped URI get selected into the NCAA Tournament, win three games, and make it to the Elite Eight. The Rams had the lead over Stanford by six points with two minutes left and were poised to go to the Final Four. The collapse during those final two minutes was painful to watch, as I did in the stands at the Kiel Center in Saint Louis that day.

This season, Rhode Island is searching for its starting point guard. When asked about the position, Miller said, “The storyline for our season is the point guard position.” To start the season, Louis Kortright, the transfer from Quinnipiac, has the point and is determined to keep it. He plays at a deliberate pace, is cautious, and is focused on limiting turnovers. Kortright is not a natural point guard. He is more of a scorer. Miller has been testing him at point guard, working him hard. Miller was a point guard during his playing days at North Carolina State University and is among school leaders in several offensive categories. He knows what it takes to play the point. When asked about Kortright, Miller said, “Luis provides leadership. He plays under control. He is cerebral and methodical. We are working to get him to loosen up.” Against Central Connecticut, Kortright could have had a stronger game finishing with zero points, four assists, two turnovers, and two steals. Miller felt he was trying too hard to be a facilitator. Against Fairfield, he played well, scoring 9 points with 3 assists and only 1 turnover.

The other prime candidate for the point guard position is Always Wright. Wright plays fast. He attacks with an up-tempo, and when coming off the bench, this change of pace catches opponents off guard. Miller prefers up-tempo and has repeatedly said the pace of play is essential, “We love the change of speed Wright brings.” The issue is Wright’s inexperience. He played one year in junior college, but Miller describes his development as that of a freshman at this stage in his career. Miller believes Wright “Needs to develop and get a feel for this level of competition.” Against Central Connecticut, he played well, recording 9 assists in 27 minutes. During the Fairfield game, he looked like a freshman, committing 5 turnovers in only 14 minutes. 

The other point guard waiting in the wings for a shot at the position is freshman Estevez. He was highly recruited, and against Fairfield in 14 minutes, he had 10 points with 0 assists and one turnover. 

Protecting the ball and reducing turnovers are significant goals for the team, and Kortright is better in these areas and better in the half-court offense. There is also the concern about young players getting worn down and needing to adapt to the physicality of major college basketball. Kortright, a junior, has been through this. Wright has not. So, Kortright will be the starting point guard, with Wright coming off the bench to provide a different look. It will be interesting to see how things develop. Will Wright mature quickly, learn to protect the ball while flying up the court, and gain Miller’s confidence, thus getting more playing time? If he does, Kortright can get some time at his more natural shooting guard position.

 

NEXT:  Tuesday, November 14, against Wagner College at 7:00 PM at the Ryan Center