Entering the 2024-25 season the Rhode Island Rams were 21-42 under head coach Archie Miller, a win percentage of just 33%.
This season, the Rams are 11-1 with wins over Providence College, Temple, College of Charleston and Yale.
So where did this sudden breakout come from after years of roster turnover? In short, culture and the right pieces.
In Miller’s final press conference of the 2023-24 season, after a First Round loss to Saint Louis in the Atlantic 10 Championship, he talked about what needed to happen for a turnaround.
“We have to get a group to believe in what we do,” Miller said. “And we have to work really hard to establish that group, whoever’s coming back, teaches that, preaches that, and that’s what it’s got to be. And I think maybe this is the first step in that.”
Miller and his staff returned the teams two highest scorers in both total points with Senior guard Jaden House and points per contest in Senior forward David Green.
The staff then attacked the transfer portal, adding Junior guard Jamarques Lawrence, Redshirt Senior center Javonte Brown, Senior guard Quentin Diboundje, Redshirt Junior Forward Drissa Traore and most importantly, Senior guard Sebastian Thomas.
Thomas played two seasons with Rhody prior to his initial exit to the University at Albany. With the Great Danes Thomas discovered a newfound confidence, averaging almost 20 points per game and becoming the America East scoring champion.
Brown brings the height to the center position the Rams had been lacking, standing at seven feet tall. Lawrence has been an instant impact, starting every game in the non-conference and knocking down over 40% of his attempts from behind the arc. Traore has seen action in every game and has become a leader in the locker room as a team captain.
When Rhode Island took the court for the first time in the 2024-25 season it was clear something was different, they played hard and fast. URI averaged 75.4 possessions per 40 minutes during the non-conf, good for 27th in the country up to this point. They averaged 78.5 through the final three contests, which would put them in fourth place between New Mexico and Western Kentucky.
Thomas was the key to unlocking Miller’s offensive pace with a clip of seven assists per contest, eighth in the nation as of the morning of December 23rd. Thomas has also come through in the clutch moments, knocking down dagger triples in the final minute against both Providence and Temple.
Green, Lawrence, House and Brown have rounded out the scoring, each in double digits in the per game category. Green has been lethal from deep in his Rhody tenure, making 44.7% a season ago, which put him seventh in single-season program history. Lawrence has been the secondary ball handler for URI, taking over Thomas’ role in the two games he missed with injuries. House has been a spark plug off the bench for the Rams, a different role for the Virginia native. House started every game for Archie Miller in 23-24 and was selected to the A-10 Preseason Third Team. This season he has started just once, due to one of Thomas’ absences, but has shot 47.2% from the field as the sixth man. Brown has anchored the middle, grabbing 6.4 rebounds per game along with his double digit scoring. Brown capped off his non-league play by matching his career high in points (21), as the games highest scorer, along with 10 rebounds against Temple.
Rhode Island’s star pieces have powered them to this start, and with key returners David Fuchs and Cam Estevez, along with freshman Tyonne Farrell, URI have the depth to make a run at the title for the first time since head coach Dan Hurley’s departure. The Rams look to start their A-10 title run against Duquesne in Pittsburgh on New Year’s Eve at 2 p.m.
