What he did
Rhode Island’s season got off to a rocky start under new head coach David Cox, and having lost a core rotation of seniors in the backcourt, it was time for Jeff Dowtin to step up as the leader. He and Fatts Russell struggled with their shooting throughout a good portion of the season, and thus, the Rams lost some frustrating non-conference games and dropped one to Fordham as well. However, URI closed the regular season with 4 straight wins in which Dowtin was crucial. The junior guard scored 23 in an overtime win over Saint Joseph’s and was a big reason URI was able to down VCU in the A-10 Tournament. Having to take on more of a predominant scoring role this year, Dowtin saw some of his numbers regress, especially distributing. That being said, Dowtin remained an aggressive on-ball defender and arguably improved his ability to finish at the rim during his junior campaign.
What he’ll do
Dowtin has been an impressive piece to Rhode Island’s puzzle throughout his 3 years in Kingston and will have a chance to get the Rams back to the NCAA Tournament in 2020. Rhode Island has a tough non-conference schedule, and getting some marquee wins in November will be key to making the Big Dance. Dowtin and Langevine will be dominant seniors who are looking to build on the momentum this team was riding this past March. Rhode Island was certainly one of the A-10’s hottest teams at the end of this past season, so I’m really looking forward to seeing Dowtin and URI in November.
