No Hassan Martin. No Kuran Iverson. No problem? Rising sophomore Cyril Langevine will hope to prove that the case, and as a young gun, he’s certainly got the game. As a freshman, Langevine played in the shadows behind those previously mentioned, but he saw some court time and showed Dan Hurley that the Rams’ frontcourt is in good hands. There’s a lot of talk about Rhode Island’s backcourt for next season, but don’t forget about the anchor.
What He’s Done
Cyril Langevine played limited minutes his freshman season, seeing just 13.2 per contest. But that didn’t stop him from putting up some impressive numbers, especially on the glass. The 4.5 rebounds per game stand out to me, especially given his limited playing time. That translates to 13.6 rebounds per 40 minutes, and with more time on the floor next season, it’s possible that Langevine averages a double-double.
Langevine really started playing more minutes towards the end of last season. He saw 24 in the A-10 Championship game, a contest where Langevine had 10 boards and 2 blocks. He also scored 9 points and pulled in 9 boards in an enormous NCAA Tournament game against the Oregon Ducks. The best news for Rhode Island? Cyril Langevine started to emerge when it mattered the most. As a role player, he’d come into the game and make a positive impact on both ends of the floor. Particularly, his ability to clean up the glass was a huge help to a Rhode Island team that was a few minutes away from reaching the Sweet 16.
What He’ll Do
Cyril Langevine is likely going to be Rhode Island’s starting center next season; believe me, he’s been earning that spot. Without Hassan Martin or Kuran Iverson, he’s going to be the go-to-guy in the paint. With all of the Rams’ backcourt talent, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Rhody play a four guard set and roll with Langevine as the only big man. He’ll likely improve his numbers drastically, seeing a decent amount of paint touches and having the opportunity to cash in on second chance points. You’re going to see Langevine cleaning up missed jumpshots and increasing his scoring average in the paint next year.
There are certainly areas of Cyril Langevine’s game that could use improvement, but the raw talent is there. Langevine is likely to see the free throw line more often in 2017-18, and he’ll have to improve on a 49.1% mark his freshman year. Obviously, the sophomore has a long way to go if he wants to be the player Hassan Martin turned out to be. Hassan was the Atlantic 10’s best defender, and he had post moves as well as a jumper. Langevine is still getting there, but he has the chance to fill those shoes Martin left behind.
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