A10 Basketball blog

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.”  

By LoudaGuru

The Atlantic 10 Conference has three teams ranked in the weekly AP Poll for the first time since 2003. Featured on the opening day of league play is a contest with 17th ranked Dayton Flyers and the 22nd ranked Rhode Island Rams. Xavier, the only team to make the NCAA Tournament last year, entered the ranking this week at No. 25.

The Rams visit University of Dayton Arena riding a nine game winning streak. Coach Jim Baron has rebuilt the program in his seven-year tenure. Led by senior Will Daniels, Rhode Island has achieved its first national ranking since November 1998. Daniels was named to the Naismith Preseason Watch list based on his performance last season and expectations for the current 2007-2008 season. A 6′8 forward who rebounds, shoots the threeball, and plays hard defense, Daniels has drawn the attention of NBA scouts. Speaking as the leader of the team Daniels said, “Obviously, we’re going to let our game speak for itself - us versus them.”

Junior guard Jimmy Baron, yes the coach’s son, is a long-range bomber who was 6 of 8 from beyond the arc in the recent tuneup against Fairleigh Dickinson. Understanding the hype surrounding the matchup against Dayton Baron offered, “We’ve just got to look at it one game at a time, one practice at a time.”

Dayton has experienced some national attention since knocking off then No . 6 Pittsburgh on December 29. The game, televised by ESPN, was a rout,  80-55, and pushed the Flyers who have 11 straight into the Top 25. Coach Brian Gregory, who downplays the buildup about this game, says  “In terms of where we are at right now, we have a long way to go with a lot of things to do.” The Flyers could run the table at home and shake off the mid-major label.

Senior Brian Roberts, averaging 19.1 ppg, is the glue for the Flyers. The team is trying to extend their all-time series lead of 12-6. Noted ESPN College Basketball Analyst Andy Katz named Roberts  in his “Weekly Watch” column. Roberts has e been named National Player of the Week. In fact, he is the only individual to be named twice so far this season. 

Roberts, a native of Toledo, Ohio, is recognized as one of the top shooters in the country. He shoots 49.3 percent on threes - remarkable for any guard. Roberts has helped catapult Dayton to national prominence after the 25 point victory over Pittsburgh in a tough home environment at the UD Areana. Big-time non-conference opponents may fear coming to the UD Arena in the future.   However, the Flyers’ performance on ESPN allows the Dayton staff to recruit outside of the Midwest.

The Flyers get the job done by committee, utilizing the talents of Chris Wright, Marcus Johnson - considered the team’s defensive stopper, Charles Little, Jimmy Binnie  and Kurt Huelsman.  All of them are avergaing 20 plus minutes a game. Three other players average double-digit minutes. Dayton is able to play a high-scoring game - an 83-81 double overtime victory versus Akron- or a slower-paced game at Holy Cross with a 55-53 win. The Flyers will often employ three guards a the lineup with 6′4 senior Andres Sandoval in the game with Roberts and Johnson.  Tonight’s  game should go to the team which gets better performances from its supporting cast.