This season was Rhode Island’s for the taking. With its most talented roster in more than 15 years, the Rams looked primed to break it’s 16-year NCAA tournament drought.
Then star guard, and preseason All Atlantic-10, EC Matthews went down with a knee injury less than 10 minutes into the season. His year was over. In Rhody’s last game on Tuesday star forward Hassan Martin, one of the country’s best defenders, went down indefinitely with an ankle injury.
Matthews has had to sit on the sidelines while a crop of younger players have stepped up to keep the Rams competitive on the court.
“A lot of young players had to step up and play a role they probably weren’t ready for so it takes them a couple of games to get used it,” Matthews said before URI beat Iona on Dec. 19. “It’s good for our growth in the future. When I come back it’ll make our team that much better.”
Matthews has been the engine for the Rams since he stepped on campus three years ago. An all-rookie team selection as a freshman, Matthews blossomed into second team all-Atlantic 10 last year. Last year he led the Rams with 16.9 points a game and was the only Rhode Island player to log more than 30 minutes a game.
In Matthews’ absence younger players have had to play more established roles and, while the results have been inconsistent, they have stepped up to the roles with zeal.
Jarvis Garrett has shown the most growth for the Rams. Last year as a freshman Garrett averaged 6.4 points and 2.8 assists a game. So far, through 12 games this season, Garrett is averaging 11.2 points a game and 4.1 assists.
“He needs to make a lot of plays for us,” Rhode Island coach Dan Hurley said of Garrett after the Iona game. “I think he’s found his three-point stroke. He’s got to live in that 10-14 point range. He’s go to live in the lane and have a little bit better awareness of where his shooters are, where his finishers are. I think at times he tries to finish like a 6-5 guard in there instead of a 5-10 guard. But I’ll go to war with that kid all day long. He’s got high character.”
Garrett has grown in big ways, but the production from the other guards has been hit and miss. Four McGlynn, a graduate transfer from Towson, was brought in as a three-point specialist but is forced into longer minutes with Matthews out. His 10.8 points a game are solid and he is the best free throw shooter on the team at 80 percent.
Along with McGlynn are Jared Terrell and Christion Thompson. Terrell, a top-80 recruit when he came out of high school, has been strong on both ends of the floor, but Hurley said that Terrell needs to hit the offensive harder and more frequently if the Rams are going to win heading into conference play.
“Jared’s got to get to the offensive glass,” Hurley said. “Jared is not an electrifying creator off the dribble. He’s not a post-up player. He’s not an automatic shooter, and he’s got to get us 14 or 15 a game. The way, if you’re Jared Terrell, that you can get us the 14 or 15 points that we need to turn the Providence games into wins, the Nebraska games into wins is by getting on the offensive glass.”
Thompson has been a spark plug off the bench for the Rams. Just a freshman, Thompson has stepped up with 10 or more points twice this season while being a solid hand as a ball handler as well.
The biggest addition to the Rams was Kuran Iverson. The Memphis transfer has been a revelation as a dynamic forward that can stretch defenses across the floor. His tenacity on the defensive end of the floor will endear him to the defensive-minded Hurley. Iverson is second on the team in scoring with 11.7 points a game and leads the team with 6.4 rebounds a game.
As a veteran, Martin said that the new infusion of talent, and growth of younger returning players, can only help the team going forward.
“I definitely see how hard they play,” Martin said after Iona. “Their shots may not go in sometimes, but their effort is always great especially on the defensive end. I talk to them a lot during the games telling them to play confident. I think they’ll be pretty good down the stretch.”
The roster has been plagued by injuries, but the goals remain the same. Only McGlynn is gone after this year. With a year of experience, plus a returning Matthews, the future is still bright in Kingston.
“It hurts but I’m trying to learn a lo,” Matthews said. “I see a different side, a coaching side. I’m up there in [the coaches’ offices] trying to soak in as much as I need so when I come [back] it makes the game slow motion for me. It’s going to be scary for our opponents. I’m going to be a happy kid out there. I’m going to play like when I was little. I’m just going to let everything take care of itself.”
