This preview is part of the Atlantic 10's 2020-21 Men's Basketball Tipoff, which also includes A-10 media day, the preseason poll and awards and the 2020-21 schedule. The previews, written by Patrick Stevens, began on Nov. 10 and will continue through the week. Once released, each preview can be found here.
RHODE ISLAND ESSENTIALS
Roster | Statistics | Headlines
It’s been a tough year for just about everyone. In addition to the pandemic problems everyone has dealt with, Rhode Island coach David Cox also had to rebuild a roster on the fly.
He knew the likes of Jeff Dowtin and Cyril Langevine would depart after impressive careers with the Rams. There were also five players who transferred, an unenviable situation under any conditions.
But as five players transferred out, five more signed with Rhode Island, including guard Jalen Carey (Syracuse), wing Malik Martin (Charlotte) and forwards Makhi and Makhel Mitchell (Maryland).
“We were able to weather the storm,” Cox said.
Still, the Rams are a bit more of a wild card than in recent seasons. Rhode Island has finished .500 or better in the Atlantic 10 in six consecutive years. The Rams won at least 13 league games four times in that span, and advanced to the NCAA tournament in both 2017 and 2018.
While they have an all-league type of guard in Fatts Russell, they’re a bit of an unknown. It helps explain why Rhode Island was pegged sixth in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, even if such an explanation isn’t to the liking of the men in the Rams’ locker room.
“Every day we come into practice, and we see the No. 6 [conference] ranking,” Russell said. “That’s just been on our mind every day in practice. We’re pushing each other and reminding each other that nobody thinks we’re one of the best teams in the conference.”
One person who might not mind that placement is Cox, who had his team in NCAA tournament contention last season. If the Rams’ pieces fit together well --- and quickly --- they could be right back in the same position this winter.
“We are now going to be hunters as opposed to perhaps the hunted like we have the previous couple of years, and we embrace that role,” Cox said.
A LOOK AT THE RAMS:
Coach: David Cox, third season at Rhode Island, 39-24 with the Rams and overall
Last year: The Rams are coming off a 21-9 season that included a 10-game winning streak early in conference play. Rhode Island eventually finished 13-5 in the Atlantic 10, good for solo control of third place in the league.
They’ll miss: Rhode Island will miss three starters from a season ago. Jeff Dowtin (13.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg) was a four-year backcourt mainstay for the Rams, and Cyril Langevine (10.1 ppg, 10.3 rpg) was both one of the A-10’s most productive big men and ace rim protectors (team-high 56 blocks). Also gone is forward Tyrese Martin (12.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg), who transferred to Connecticut after his sophomore year.
Impact returners: You can look around college basketball in any season and find players who it feels like have been in school for six or seven years.
Guard Fatts Russell --- he of the 1,255 points and 308 assists for his Rhode Island career --- fits that description for the Rams.
“We’ve been together and we’re going into our fourth year,” said Cox, who was an assistant during Russell’s freshman season. “We feel like a married couple. It feels like longer than that. I’m really excited for him. He’s a senior now. He’s endured a lot. He’s had a lot of pressure here as a player, and he’s responded well to that pressure. He’s matured as a player and he’s now on the cusp of doing something special here.”
Newbies of note: Rhode Island not only added a bunch of transfers, but it also has a string of successes getting those players eligible in the offseason.
Guard Jalen Carey played parts of two seasons at Syracuse, while both Makhi and Makhel Mitchell were part of the rotation during their brief time at Maryland. Malik Martin, a 6-6 wing who arrived from Charlotte, was part of Conference USA’s all-defensive team last season. Rhode Island fans will fondly remember his brother Hassan, who scored 1,300 points and started 107 games for the Rams from 2013 to 2017.
Reasons to be optimistic: Granted, none of those newcomers have played with Russell and other holdovers like junior forward Jermaine Harris (5.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg).
But they have played somewhere in Division I.
“They all bring college experience,” Cox said. “Even if you’re talking about limited minutes at the Big Ten level or limited minutes at the Big East level or major minutes in Conference USA, they bring tremendous experience, which will bode well for us.”
Even with a new-look roster, Cox knows the program has used a winning formula to entrench itself as a consistent A-10 contender. Don’t expect the Rams’ ethos to change much.
“We still have the same focus, the same goals and we’re still going to play the same style of basketball, which is pace and space on offense and really in-your-face and physical on the defensive end and attack mode,” Cox said.
X factor: Three years ago, Jeremy Sheppard was of the conference all-rookie team at East Carolina. One junior college season and one sit-out season later, Sheppard could step in as a potent scorer to help fill the void created by Dowtin’s graduation.
“He kind of plays how I play --- fast, quick, can really shoot it,” Russell said. “He complements this team and me very well. People are going to be excited for what they see from him.”
Circle the dates: Talk about an ambitious start to the season. Rhode Island is scheduled to play six times in 10 days, starting with a Nov. 25 opener against Arizona State. They’ll also play Villanova or Boston College (Nov. 26), South Florida (Nov. 28), San Francisco (Nov. 29), Seton Hall (Dec. 2) and another date with Boston College (Dec. 4) in a frantic stretch right out of the chute.
Bottom line: Rhode Island has a clear-cut identity and a high-end centerpiece in Russell who’s as good as anyone in the league. The Rams’ ceiling will be dictated by how well so many newcomers mesh with their established star and a handful of other contributors who return from last season’s 21-win team.
Patrick Stevens is a veteran freelance college basketball writer. A former sports reporter for the Washington Times, he has been a contributor to Atlantic10.com for the past seven years. Follow him on Twitter at @D1scourse.