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Rhode Island Basketball: 2023-24 season preview for the Rams

By Adam Bernstein

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 17: The Rhode Island Rams mascot and cheerleaders perform against the Duke Blue Devils during the first half in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 17, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 17: The Rhode Island Rams mascot and cheerleaders perform against the Duke Blue Devils during the first half in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 17, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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Tyson Brown fields questions at media day.
Tyson Brown fields questions at media day. /

Potential Starting Five

The Rhode Island Rams starting five is subject to change; however, we will assume they will be rolling out a lineup consisting of two guards, two forwards, and a center. This lineup was also used on Wednesday night in an exhibition game with Assumption at the Ryan Center, where URI was victorious 96-54, and all five starters finished in double-figures.

Luis Kortright – Point Guard

The Rams prioritized recruiting guards this offseason to replace six guards they lost to the NCAA transfer portal and graduation this past spring and to fit Coach Miller’s guard-heavy style, which he has implemented since arriving in Kingston.

One of the many talented guards that Rhody’s coaching staff recruited was Quinnipiac transfer Luis Kortright, who is a senior from Manhattan, New York, and has spent his last three years with the Bobcats.

Last season, the 6-foot-3 guard averaged 10.3 points and shot 38.9 percent, appearing in ten starts and 31 games, including Quinnipiac’s season-opener at the Ryan Center against the Rams, where Kortright had 15 points, five rebounds, three assists, and five steals.

Luis will be a fan favorite very quickly in Kingston when Rhody fans learn his game. He is a dynamic guard who can spread the floor and plays well on both sides of the ball and in transition. It will be very exciting to watch the Rams’ new floor general throughout this season throughout conference play.

Jaden House – Shooting Guard

The Rams’ first offseason addition was High Point guard Jaden House, who averaged 17.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and shot 43.2 percent from the field and 30.1 percent from range last season. House provides a significant boost to Rhode Island’s backcourt after losing star guard Leggett, who transferred to Pitt after three seasons in Kingston. We can expect House to play a similar role to Ish in Rhody’s rotation because of their similar play styles.

House should make an immediate impact with URI this season and has already given Rhody fans a taste of what he is capable of in the program’s recent exhibition victory over Assumption. The 6-foot-4 guard led all scorers with 19 points on seven of eight shooting from the field and racked in four defensive rebounds.

House will fill a void that the program has sought for a while in a true scorer who can unload from anywhere on the court. One of his best traits is his desire to win at the Atlantic 10 level, and he will do whatever it takes to help the Rams get back to the NCAA tournament.

“A competitor, I will do whatever it takes to win, I can score – I am just trying to win,” House said on what he hopes to bring to Rhode Island.

Zek Montgomery- Small Forward

The third transfer the Rams brought in this past offseason was Bradley guard Zek Montgomery, who averaged 8.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and shot 43.4 percent from the field last year. Despite suffering an injury earlier in the season, he finished with ten games in double figures. The junior spent the previous two seasons with the Braves of the Missouri Valley Conference. The 6-foot-6 wing’s points per game jumped from 3.4 to 8.1 last year, and his minutes more than doubled from 10.0 to 22.9 per game. I wouldn’t be surprised if those numbers continue to trend upward as he gets more opportunities with Rhode Island over time.

During URI’s recent exhibition with Assumption, Montgomery had 14 points, five rebounds, and two blocks on 54.5 percent shooting from the field in 25 minutes of play. He plays a similar role to recent graduate Martin, and we can expect him to impact the game on both sides as the former Rhody guard did during his time in Kingston. Montgomery’s prior experience will also allow him to become a leader for this team on and off the court.

David Fuchs – Power Forward

A late addition to the Rams this offseason was David Fuchs, who is a 6-foot-8 forward from Austria. He spent the last two seasons with Ratiopharm Ulm and their developmental team, Orange Academy. Spurs power forward Jeremy Sochan is one of many alumni of that program. Last season, he averaged 16.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists while appearing in 17 games.

Despite being a freshman, Fuchs received starting minutes in Rhode Island’s exhibition game against Assumption. He posted 10 points, 11 rebounds (eight defensive), and shot 50 percent from the field. With Josaphat Bilau expected to miss time due to an injury suffered last December, we can expect David to get opportunities and even make a similar impact at Rhody.

Tyson Brown – Center

The Rams upgraded their frontcourt when they landed a commitment from JuCo product Tyson Brown out of Florida Southwestern State College. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 11.6 points and 9.5 rebounds while posting 10 double-doubles and was ranked the 24th-best JuCo in this year’s class, per JucoRecruiting.com.

With the Rams losing Abdou Samb and Alex Tchikou to the NCAA transfer portal this offseason, this presents an excellent opportunity for Brown to fill a missing void. There is a chance that Bilau will at least miss the first few weeks of the season, so we can expect the junior big man to be relied on early by Coach Miller and his staff.

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