Good Times at Rhode Island Over
Hard to believe that less than 12 months ago, Rhode Island was rollicking. In the Year of Odom (Lamar, that is), the Rams played to big crowds and media attention, won the Atlantic 10 tournament on an Odom buzzer-beater, and made their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
Now Odom is gone, along with Preston Murphy (completed his eligibility), Ed Brown (academic ineligibility) and coach Jim Harrick (now at Georgia). Gone, too, is the luster. After Tuesday night’s loss at St. Joseph’s, Rhode Island has lost 16 of its past 18 for an overall record of 5-18.
“I was kind of anticipating it wouldn’t be a really good season,” said sophomore Tavorris Bell. “I didn’t expect our record to be this bad, but I knew we were going to struggle.”
Inexperience and intermittent intensity are part of the problem. Zach Marbury is playing out of position at point guard, freshman Brian Woodward was declared ineligible by the NCAA clearinghouse, and the Rams have yet to play back-to-back home games. Their last six losses have been by an average of 29.1 points, including last Saturday’s debacle when Rhode Island trailed Temple at halftime, 36-9.
“It’s getting increasingly difficult not to get frustrated,” said first-year Coach Jerry DeGregorio, a former assistant championed by Odom before he bolted to the NBA. “At some point, you need results. . . . It’s hard to try to encourage and motivate players when the same results have been occurring.”
Despite upset boosters and speculation that DeGregorio’s job is on the line, Athletic Director Ron Petro is standing behind his coach. There have been some bright spots. The team’s GPA rose from 1.7 last spring under Harrick to 2.7 in the fall semester. The 6-6 Bell has played well, going into Tuesday night averaging 14.4 points and 6.6 rebounds, shooting 53 percent from the field, 37 percent on threes, and embellishing his reputation as a defensive stopper.
“They don’t make too many Tavorris Bells,” DeGregorio said. “He’s non-stop, the energizer. He’s the one person who brings energy to the floor every game and we need his energy.”
And his enthusiasm. “We don’t get pub this year, but it’s not a big deal,” Bell said. “Next year, we’re going to open up a lot of eyes. . . . We’re looking to get our respect back next season.”
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Erick Barkley of St. John’s, suspended three games for swapping cars with a friend and summer-league coach. Michigan’s Jamal Crawford, suspended six games after a living arrangement in high school was deemed an improper benefit. UCLA’s JaRon Rush, suspended for what amounts to a year and a half for accepting $200 from an agent while at UCLA and money, apparel and transportation from a summer-league coach while in high school. JaRon’s brother Kareem, a Missouri freshman, suspended nine games for receiving improper benefits from the same coach. Oklahoma State’s Andre Williams, suspended five games for improper dealings with a summer-league denizen.
The summer scene is an NCAA nightmare. The organization’s intentions might be laudable. But it seems ludicrous to punish players for not understanding in their high school years what constitutes an “improper benefit” while ignoring the adults who should know better. That many players are poor further muddles the waters.
Traveling-team coaches are bankrolled by sneaker companies such as Nike and adidas. (Myron Piggie, the Rush brothers’ coach, reportedly received $50,000 as a Nike ‘consultant.’) The coaches give cash and goods to players, which starts a string of entitlements and expectations that leads to players being steered to certain high schools, colleges and certain agents.
Targeting these companies is dicey, since summer tournaments and showcase camps are funded by the same footwear folks. Many coaches are loathe to eliminate summer recruiting, an oft-proposed remedy, because it is easier and more cost-efficient to see 300 players in one place and one time.
The rules on amateurism need to be re-examined. But penalizing JaRon Rush and others, no matter how severely, will change little.
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When it comes to unpredictability, the master is Bob Knight. He lambasted former player/current Iowa coach Steve Alford in a postgame tirade three weeks ago, then began a news conference following Indiana’s dismantling of Michigan by shaking hands with reporters and photographers and saying, among other things, “Nice to see you.” When asked if he would wash his hands, Knight responded, “I think you people are among the finest, cleanest people in the world. Why would I need to wash my hands? Anybody got a question?”
Knight went one better Saturday, defusing a potentially ugly situation at Northwestern. Last season, students so enraged Knight by chanting “Who’s your Daddy?” at the Hoosiers that Knight had a confrontation with Northwestern Coach Kevin O’Neill. This time, Knight walked on court with a bag of peppermint candies that he tossed into the crowd, turning the boos into laughs.
“I just had a lot of candy. I wanted to share it,” Knight deadpanned.
Nor did he mind students wearing bright orange or camouflage vests, a reference to that offseason hunting trip when he accidentally shot a friend. Safe to say, Knight always will be a target.
