Capsule Preview: Brown at URI

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1:00 AM EST on Tuesday, November 16, 2010

MEN: BROWN AT URI
BROWN Ht. PPG RPG URI Ht. PPG RPG
Sean McGonagill 6-1 9.0 5.0 Marquis Jones 6-1 8.0 6.0
Peter Sullivan 6-5 17.0 5.0 Akeem Richmond 6-1 16.0 0.0
Tucker Halpern 6-8 10.0 2.0 Will Martell 7-0 8.0 6.0
Andrew McCarthy 6-8 11.0 4.0 Delroy James 6-7 20.0 5.0
Garrett Leffelman 6-4 8.0 7.0 Ryan Brooks 6-8 6.0 3.0
Key reserves: Key reserves:
Matt Sullivan 6-6 2.0 3.0 Daniel West 6-2 4.0 1.0
Adrian Williams 6-1 8.0 2.0 Ben Eaves 6-6 0.0 5.0
Tyler Ponticelli 6-8 4.0 3.0 Nikola Malesevic 6-6 13.0 1.0



THE SCOUTING REPORT

BROWN (1-0): Bears go for their second straight road victory over a team of Rams from the Atlantic 10. They began with a win at Fordham Friday night. . . Bears were within 31-30 at halftime last season before Rams pulled away in the second half to win by 21. . . Peter Sullivan is up to 20th on the schools all-time scoring list with 1,053. He needs 26 to pass Ira James, class of 1982 into 19th place? Ponticelli missed all of last season because of injury? McGonagill, a freshman, got his career off to a great start in the win at Fordham. He has six assists and no turnovers. . . Rebounding is a concern. The team plays without a natural center. It was outrebounded by 13 at Fordham.

URI (0-1): Rams play their home opener. The team has beaten Brown in each of the last eight meetings between the teams. . . . URI has won its last 27 non-conference games at the Ryan Center. The team won a record 15 games at the Ryan Center last season. It has won at least 11 times each of the last three seasons? URI made 14 3-pointers, in 31 attempts, in opener at Pitt. It was 3-for-23 on treys in last year?s game against Brown. . . Martell had 10 rebounds in the victory over the Bears last season. . . URI has lost freshman forward Levan Shengelia for the season with a torn ACL? Hakeem Harris, another freshman point guard who was expected to contribute immediately, is out indefinitely because of injury.

 

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Brown-URI matchup shaping up to be a good one




SOUTH KINGSTOWN ? There are some years when the only appealing aspect of a Brown-URI basketball game is that it is an intra-state rivalry. Then again, there are other times, like Tuesday night at the Ryan Center, when the contest looks like an interesting one for both sides.

The Rams will be favored to win, as usual. URI has taken each of the last eight games between the teams and 21 of the last 23.

This time, though, Rhode Island is at less than peak condition. The Rams have been battling personnel issues since the start of practice and still are adjusting to having different players on the court from practice to practice. Unlike recent years when the Rams have come out flying, the team is not nearly where it hopes to be when it has all its players.

Brown, on the other hand, has gotten off to a strong start, including a victory at Fordham Friday night. Bears? coach Jesse Agel is telling anyone who asks that he likes his young squad and is curious himself how good it can be.

?We were real happy with our first game,? Agel said. ?Any time we can go on the road and beat an Atlantic 10 team is great for us. We know it takes a yeoman?s effort to get it done. We know it takes the whole village for us, not just one person, to be successful. Everybody has distinct roles with us and we need everyone we carry out their role.?

Agel feels he has players who will help bring good times to the program. The coach speaks about facing Rhody will be easily the biggest test yet for his team. He knows his young squad will have to deal with pressure and athleticism from the URI side. The best way to do that, of course, is to have good ball handling. Agel feels his club is much improved in that area.

The Bears brought in two point guards who are expected to help, Hakeem Harris and Sean McGonagill.

Harris is injured and like will miss a number of games. Mcgonagill, a 6-foot-1, 180-pounder from Brookville, Ill., has picked up the load. He played 33 minutes against Fordham and had nine points, six assists and five rebounds. Perhaps most importantly of all, he did not have a single turnover.

?I have high expectations for him,? Agel said. ?Sean?s pretty quick. He can shoot it and he can pass. He?s kind of an all-around player. He does what you need. He just plays the game. He?s not a shooting point or a passing point. He?s multi-faceted, an all-around type of player.?

URI coach Jim Baron has also been impressed with what he?s seen of McGonagill.

?He passes, but he can score, too,? Baron said. ?They?ve got a lot of guys who can do that. They?re good.?

?The pressure he?s going to see from Jimmy?s team will be like nothing he?s ever faced before. I?m anxious to see how he copes with it,? Agel said.

For one of the rare times in the series, Brown goes into the game with as much depth, perhaps even more than URI. Rhode Island is still mixing and matching depending on who is available.

Even with fewer bodies, the Rams are still running and pressing at every opportunity. They also are getting help from new sources. Sophomore Nikola Malesevic and transfer point guard Daniel West both played well in a close loss at Pittsburgh last week. The Rams will need them to do that often if they are to have another successful season.

While URI has a veteran team, Baron has opted to go with two sophomores, Akeem Richmond and Ryan Brooks, in the starting lineup.

?They?ve got to grow up quickly,? Baron said. ?We?ve got a lot of tough games ahead of us.?

That begins with Brown, the Rhody coach said.

?He?s done a nice job,? Baron said of Agel. ?They have good players and good chemistry. They pass the ball well and play smart.?