URI at La Salle

[IE]

[h=4]THE SCOUTING REPORT[/h]RHODE ISLAND (9-8 overall, 0-2 A-10): The Rams are out to grab their first conference win of the season at dangerous La Salle. Rhody has already faced two of the best teams in the Atlantic 10 in Saint Louis and George Washington, and La Salle was picked to finish third in the league?s pre-season poll?Rams are hoping for a stronger start after slow first halves hurt the team in the SLU and GW defeats?Munford was bottled up against GW and limited to eight points on 4-of-14 shooting. That snapped a 14-game double-digit scoring streak end. He has scored in double figures in all but two games this season and in 87 percent of his games at URI?Buchanan was a bright spot off the bench the last two games and could start at point guard in place of the slumping Minnis?Biruta is set to make his 50th straight start ? and 81st of his career ? at La Salle.

La SALLE (9-6, 2-0): The Explorers began the season with high hopes, struggled in the non-conference portion of their schedule against stiff competition, but are off to a strong start in Atlantic 10 play. Still have a non-league game scheduled against Temple this weekend, but have a 7-6 record out of conference. All of the losses have come against quality opponents, including Villanova, Miami and Providence?Best non-league win could be over Quinnipiac?Opened A-10 play with impressive 76-72 home win over George Washington and then won at Duquesne. Balanced attack is key. Mills, Duren and Garland all scored in double figures vs. GW?Three returning starters from last year?s surprising NCAA team that reached the Sweet Sixteen after wins over Boise State, Kansas State and Mississippi before losing to Wichita State?Explorers are 8-1 when scoring at least 73 points.

 

[IE]

[h=1]Hurley looking for some progress from his URI squad[/h]

A season that has become an extended evaluation of young talent continues Wednesday night in Philadelphia when the University of Rhode Island basketball team visits La Salle's Tom Gola Arena.
The Rams, who are 9-8, would have to come together in dramatic fashion to have much of a chance to play in a postseason tournament this season.


Instead, Dan Hurley?s second season as the head coach in Kingston is as much about assessing and squeezing progress out of his players as making a run at the top of the Atlantic 10. With more than half the season complete, watching how six freshmen and sophomores progress will be an interesting focus as conference play picks up steam.
?With our depth situation, guys are going to play and get experience, but we need to see progress, too,? said Hurley. ?Some of our guys are better than they?ve shown. As coaches, we need to do a better job getting that talent out of them.?
The Rams still want to win, of course, and Hurley said as players grow and progress, his team will become very dangerous. It clearly can compete with anyone in the A-10, as evidenced by last week?s thrilling 59-58 home loss to a Saint Louis team that will challenge for the conference title.


But just a few days later the Rams got off to a horrible start and were throttled at George Washington, 69-56.
That inconsistency is a sign of a young team and with only two rotation players returning from last season (guards Xavier Munford and T.J. Buchanan), the Rams are playing with transfers and freshmen who are all new to the A-10 wars.
Thus far the reviews on the newcomers can best be termed as mixed. The positives are clearly freshmen starters E.C. Matthews and Hassan Martin. Hurley raved about the potential of both since they signed with Rhody as high-schoolers, and thus far both have been better than advertised.


Matthews has started for the bulk of the season. The wing scorer from Romulus, Mich., is averaging 12.1 points a game and has shown the ability to score both with his jump shot and lefty moves to the basket.
Yet like any young player, Matthews has juggled good and bad games. After scoring 21 points in wins at Brown and LSU, he had as many turnovers as field goals (two) in a seven-point outing at G.W.


?We can?t be any more thrilled with E.C. He gets better with each passing week of the season,? Hurley said after the loss to the Colonials. ?We?re putting a lot on his shoulders and he?s doing a great job for us.?
Martin?s progress has come a bit slower than his classmate?s, but is just as impressive. The 6-foot-7 forward from Staten Island, N.Y. only turned 18 years old in November, but two months later he just may be his team?s top inside player.
As his minutes have grown in the last five games, his numbers have blossomed. He?s averaged 6.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.6 blocks in his time as a starter, including season-highs of six blocks against Brown and 16 points and 10 rebounds against George Washington.


?He hasn?t had a bad workout or a bad practice,? Hurley said of Martin. ?He?s been a major force defensively and on offense he?s starting to see how we can play a little more to his skill set. I imagine you?re looking at one of the better freshmen in the conference.?


A third frosh, Matthew Butler, has begun to see minutes in nearly every game after slowly working into the rotation. Butler may be the best pure shooter in the program but is still learning how hard Hurley expects his defense to work.
While the progress of the frosh is encouraging, the key newcomers to this seasons? success was always thought to be of four transfers. Junior Gilvydas Biruta started slowly and while he?s enjoyed some big games (like 19 points, 14 rebounds at LSU), Hurley is demanding more consistency from the former Rutgers forward.


Center Ifeanyi Onyekaba is really a freshman. He was not cleared by the NCAA to play last season, so he sat out at URI and practiced with the team. He began the year as the starter at center, as much for his size (6-8, 240 pounds) as his raw skills. He?s since lost that starting position but has shown a willingness to use his size and strength off the bench as his skill set grows.
The larger concerns lie with two other transfers. With the transfer of Mike Powell, Biggie Minnis is the only pure point guard in the program. He?s struggled at times with his ball control (51 assists, 36 turnovers) and leadership ability and hopefully bottomed out at George Washington (0-4 FG, one assist in 14 minutes) when Hurley clearly grew frustrated with Minnis? uneven play.


Jarelle Reischel, a 6-6 forward from Rice, began the season in the starting lineup and scored 18 points in an opening night win over Maine.


However, that?s turned out to be his season high effort. He is no longer starting, has battled a hand injury and hasn?t scored in double figures in the last nine games where the Rams, not coincidentally, have posted a 3-6 record.


?We need more from both Biggie and Jarelle, no question,? Hurley said. ?I know they are better players than they?ve shown. They?ll keep working and will get better. We need to do a better job getting their talent to show on the floor.?