Revived Rams Taking One Game at a Time
By LoudaGuru
The University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team has regained some much deserved national recognition under head coach Jim Baron. The school has made a commitment to the program by signing Baron to a contract that extends through the 2012-13 season. When he came to the Kingston, Rhode Island campus in 2001, Baron inherited a team coming off a 12-48 stretch in the two seasons prior to his arrival.
NCAA violations were committed during the tenure of coach Jim Harrick and Jerry DiGregorio between 1997-2000. Lawsuits, payoffs to athletes, improper course work for players, along with unauthorized use of telephones and computers made the university lose one scholarship per year for three years. The NCAA also reduced the number of days coaches could evaluate recruits off campus. Facing these challenges Coach Baron said, “We’ll work around the loss of scholarships, take it one step step at a time and go into a new season with a clean slate.”
Baron was familiar with the Atlantic 10 Conference, having previously coached at St. Bonaventure before assuming the reins at Rhode Island. The Rhody program has been helped by the opening of the Thomas M. Ryan Center in 2002 which cost $54 million and seats 7,657 rabid Rhode Island Ram fans. The atmosphere at home games makes the Ryan Center a daunting arena for visiting teams. The University has created a building fund for the Student-Athlete Development Center. Recognizing the future of Rhody athletes is based on the ability to compete with peer instutions. The center will house state-of-the art strength and conditioning rooms, a sports medicine facility, an academic center and offices for coaches.
Establishing a successful program required Coach Baron to focus on the academic profiles of his players. The stability needed at Rhode Island is covered in a policy booklet that outlines rules, goals, and expectations players must adhere to off the court. Appearance, conduct, conditioning and academics are woven into a daily discipline which impacts the student athlete. “We want our players to do it in the classroom, not just on the court.” The school now has a good team whose players graduate and stay out of the police blotter.
Jim Baron has always been in the underdog position. “I’ve always been so focused at taking one game at a time because I’ve never had a reason not to.” Returning from the loss in the A-10 Championship game last year the Ram upperclassmen are more focused and comitted to one another. Setting lofty goals, the team has met their own expectations.
Baron’s big turnaround in the program was sparked by a change in styles that he started last 2006-07 season. Rhode Island was involved in low scoring games known for physical toughness and a slow down approach to offense. Now they deploy a faster-paced running style. Normally a head coach running his third program does not switch gears in his 20th season. The team averages 83.6 points- 14th in the nation.
One current Ram who has witnessed the transformation at the program from the beginning is 6′2 Jimmy Baron, the coach’s son. An excellent three-point shooter, he was ranked 4th nationally at 47.8 percent. He has benefitted from the up-tempo offense, which features penetrating and dishing. Named A-10 Rookie of the Week in his freshman season, Jimmy has been in the lineup from day one. A veteran of AAU wars across the nation, the younger Baron has been a clutch sharpshooter, making the big shots all his life. Now on a national stage, the guard combines high basketball IQ with his perimeter game. Will Daniels said “His range is ridiculous. You should see him in practice.” Projected as a decent A-10 player, Jimmy Baron now finds himself at the forefront of the revived Rams. “We can’t get caught up in the buzz or else it is going to hurt us,” he said. “We just got to look at it one game at a time, one practice at a time.”
Tags: A-10, A10, Atlantic 10, Jim Baron, Rhode Island basketball, Rhode Island Rams