Head Coach: Archie Miller (21-42); 3rd season
Theme song: Somebody Save Me by Eminem (feat. Jelly Roll)
Last Season: Rhode Island basketball has experienced quite a bit under Archie Miller’s leadership in the previous few years. His tenure got off to a very rocky start, even with a solid haul of transfers before his first season. That year was stained by an early dismissal of Brayon Freeman, an unlucky injury to Josephat Bilau, and a severe lack of chemistry that completely derailed any potential momentum the Rams could’ve generated.
His second season required grave roster turnover if he would get anything going. For the most part, once again, besides Bilau, everyone remained healthy while being able to produce at an A10 level. Even when David Green was cleared to play, the numbers did not translate to wins for Rhode Island—offensively, they took a significant step upward but were Swiss cheese on defense, resulting in a 12-20 overall record.
The numbers did not translate to wins this season, even with tremendous individual efforts. As you surf the depths of the internet, folks were serving up their take on why Archie Miller’s tenure has been so wildly underwhelming: do the players not fit? Are they simply not good enough to impact winning at this level? Is Archie himself causing a divide?
Residents in Kingston are not used to such mishaps on the floor. Rhode Island is usually a strong team in most seasons. They haven’t seen single-digit winning years since Dan Hurley’s first year—over a decade ago. Even David Cox, who had his struggles, never amassed single-digit winning seasons.
Since his time in Indiana ended sourly, Miller has had issues in Rhode Island. By record, Miller has posted his two worst seasons ever as a head coach. He’s never won less than 12 games before his first year in Kingston, nor has he ever lost 20 games until last season. If the third season doesn’t go according to plan, it’s safe to say year three of Archie will result in his dismissal from the university.
Arrivals: Sebastian Thomas (Albany), Quentin Diboundje (East Carolina), Drissa Traore (St. John’s), Javonte Brown (Western Michigan), Jamarques Lawrence (Nebraska), Tyronne Ferral (F)
Departures: Zek Montgomery (T), Luis Kortright (T), Connor Dubsky (T), Rory Stewart (T), Jeremy Foumena (T), Tyson Brown (T), Brandon Weston (T)
Returnees: Cam Estevez, Always Wright, Jaden House, David Green, David Fuchs
Potential Strengths: Archie Miller’s teams have historically excelled at fast-breaking to high volumes; the last two seasons in Kingston have resulted in the Rams finishing 175th in adjusted tempo (‘22-’23) and 106th (‘23-’24). Emphasis on the fast break means more open looks, which generally translates to high shooting numbers—Miller’s Dayton teams ran some of the most efficient offenses during the 2010s. The Rams want to run as often as possible.
Returning guards such as Cam Estevez, Jaden House, and Sebastian Thomas—after spending a season with Albany—certainly fit the style that Rhode Island will use to generate points. Three guards who can push the tempo, create, and score at high volumes are everything you want from an offensive-minded guard. Although something is to be said about Thomas’ three-point jumper, having a near 20-point scorer, a near-all-conference player, and an emerging underclassman is an unquestioned positive.
At 6’5 “and 206 pounds, Quentin Diboundje can benefit from the fast break Miller encourages his team to utilize. Last season at East Carolina, he shot 61.5% at the rim for an ECU that played a ton of half-court offense. In an accelerated style, Diboundje could be one of the best finishers in the league.
Nebraska transfer Jamarques Lawrence is another guard who can significantly benefit from this new system. Lawrence is a career 36% shooter from three during his two seasons in the Big 10, and he posted 2.5 assists in the previous season for an NCAA tournament team. That experience should translate well to a team that needs a winning pedigree and his ability to play off the ball.
Rhode Island will likely build a wall around the paint for defense, daring opponents to beat them from three. Javonte Brown and Drissa Traore will likely play significant roles in upping the Rams’ paint defense. They bring experience from the power conferences, previously at UConn, St John’s, and Texas A&M, respectively, to a Rhode Island team that needs all the physicality it can get.
Miller may prefer rising sophomore David Fuchs. He is a tad more perimeter-oriented but still offers excellent size and versatility. 7.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists is quite the line for freshmen today. Fuchs may not have the same defensive chops as the other big players, but he can be an effective offensive player while improving his -0.2 DBPM to become a net positive.
Rhode Island welcomes one freshman, Tyonne Farrell, a native of Baltimore. On the team’s summer tour in the Caribbean, most reports have stated he is exceptional on the glass while being a ferocious defender. At 6’6” with that sort of versatility that’s being reported, Farrell will undoubtedly win minutes early and often—he could be one of the best defenders in the league almost immediately.
Potential Weaknesses: No words can articulate how poor this team was defensively last season. Going from 165th to 261st in Kenpom’s adjusted defensive metric is mighty concerning when you put it into perspective: Rhode Island went from, as the kids say, “mid” to trash in one year. The only two net-positive defenders, by advanced metrics, are no longer with the team.
Lawrence or Traore’s additions could bring the defense up to an average A10 defense or slightly below. The Rams need guys to step on that side of the floor, specifically sophomores Estevez and Fuchs, who aren’t far off from being net neutrals on defense.
While I anticipate them both growing more offensively, I can see their defensive effort catching up to their offensive output as the season progresses. This four-man combination of defense is enough to hide mistakes and stay afloat.
It will take a complete team effort on defense from this group this season. While they have five guys who can impact that side, I don’t know about the rest of this offensive-minded group picking up the slack.
The best chance Miller has at squeezing out every out of defense is player placement on that end: put the weakest defenders in spots they have the fewest chances of screwing up. To effectively input this strategy, Miller likely has to run some sort of zone to hide the flaws of his weaker defenders.
Free throws were appalling for this group last season. Rhode Island was one of the nation’s worst free throw shooting teams, as a team shooting 64.7%, ranking 349th out of 362 division one programs (Kenpom). Outside of his first two seasons in Dayton and his year in Kingston, Miller-led teams typically are weak with their free throws. If the Rams are to turn 50-50 games into wins, the free throw shooting must improve.
X-factor: David Green is the player who can swing the pendulum of power here. He entered the rotation late due to his transfer situation but had a ridiculous impact when he returned to action. I would go as far as to argue that he was the best offensive player on the team when he did play—averaging 14.3 points per game and shooting 43% from three; coming back midseason, no less, makes one wonder that this guy has something extra to him. An entire season of Green for Rhode Island not only slingshots them into the thick of things but also the potential for an all-conference player. He’s the perfect compliment on the wing that a guard-heavy team needs.
Outlook: Rhode Island has lots to figure out about itself this season, particularly on the defensive side of the floor. Miller’s offensive style fits perfectly with the personnel he has available. I see this team putting up many points from all levels on the floor, giving opposing defenses headaches on how they should guard Rhode Island on the perimeter. If the defense can hold up, Rhode Island can make some progress, perhaps enough to give Miller more leash in Rhode Island. These two factors are massive “ifs”, so I implore everyone to tamper their expectations with this group.
