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Rhode Island Basketball: Rhody Rams ready to return to Big Dance

By Carmine Carcieri

Nov 27, 2014; Kissimmee, FL, USA; Rhode Island Rams head coach Dan Hurley talks with guard E.C. Matthews (0) against the Kansas Jayhawks during the first half at HP Field house at Wide World of Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 27, 2014; Kissimmee, FL, USA; Rhode Island Rams head coach Dan Hurley talks with guard E.C. Matthews (0) against the Kansas Jayhawks during the first half at HP Field house at Wide World of Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 16, 2016; Richmond, VA, USA; Virginia Commonwealth Rams guard Jonathan Williams (10) battles for the ball with Rhode Island Rams guard Jarvis Garrett (1) and Rhode Island Rams forward Hassan Martin (12) during the first half at Stuart Siegel Center. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 16, 2016; Richmond, VA, USA; Virginia Commonwealth Rams guard Jonathan Williams (10) battles for the ball with Rhode Island Rams guard Jarvis Garrett (1) and Rhode Island Rams forward Hassan Martin (12) during the first half at Stuart Siegel Center. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports /

Rhode Island basketball fought through a tough 2015-16 campaign. Now, they are ready to break through nationally.

Rhode Island was supposed to break their NCAA drought last season. Instead, the Rams dealt with an injury riddled campaign, which started with guard E.C. Matthews suffering a torn ACL in the teams first game of the season and ended with Hassan Martin sitting out shelved for the remainder of the season in February.

Kuron Iverson (concussion) and Jarvis Garrett (broken jaw) also missed time with injuries, and the Rhode Island rotation was in flux for most of the year.

Regardless of all the injuries, Dan Hurley had his team fight until the very end. And it surprisingly resulted in a 17-15 overall record and .500 conference record (pretty good for a team that dealt with major injuries).

With nearly everyone of significance returning and Hurley bringing in a solid recruiting class, the Rams look deep, experienced and talented. They look like a team that will not only make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999, but a squad that could win the Atlantic 10 over the likes of Dayton and VCU.

Hassan Martin and E.C. Matthews are expected to be ready for the season. Jared Terrell, Jarvis Garrett, Kuran Iverson and Christon Thompson, who all return, may have benefited from the injuries as they jumped into bigger roles than expected and succeeded. Nikola Akele and Andre Berry also return as deep bench players.

Even though the Rams lost Four McGlynn (their fourth leading scorer) and Earl Watson (their third leading rebounder), the team adds Indiana transfer Stanford Robinson, and three three-star recruits, center Mike Layssard Jr., point guard Jeff Dowtin, big guy Michael Tertsea and power forward Cyril Langevine.

Most importantly, the Rams signed Hurley to an extension, keeping him away from Rutgers and off the market in general for the time being.

As long as they stay healthy, look for the Rams to take a major jump in 2016-17.

Next: How do they handle the expectations?

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