URI hoops coaches Miller, Reiss excited about new rosters, coming season
NORTH KINGSTOWN — As college basketball coaches go, Archie Miller and Tammi Reiss seemed rested and relaxed Wednesday afternoon.
A charity event brought the University of Rhode Island leaders together at a venue outside the Ryan Center. Recruiting phone calls were put off for an hour or so, and it was just as well. Miller's men are technically in an NCAA-mandated dead period until the weekend and Reiss is searching for a new house.
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The majority of their work building men’s and women’s rosters for the 2022-23 season has been completed over the past two months. Miller and Reiss have each secured six commitments under rather different circumstances — one was brought in to start from scratch, the other looking to step forward again after competing for an Atlantic 10 championship.
“We’re going to go until the beginning of the school year,” Miller said. “If something pops up this summer that makes sense — whether it’s now or whether it’s for the future — we'll take advantage of it. I do feel like, as we head into the second part of June, we’re going to have a good group.”
“We have some really talented kids coming in — I want them on the court for four years,” Reiss said. “I went the grad transfer route so I could graduate them. And now I have these two young classes on the court — heavy minutes right away. They’re not sitting.”
Miller and Reiss shared top billing at an appearance for the annual Dunkin’ Iced Coffee Day. Locations throughout Rhode Island and at certain storefronts in Massachusetts donated $1 for each iced coffee sold to benefit Hasbro Children’s Hospital. The effort has raised more than $2 million since its 2010 launch.
Both coaches pulled on a headset and took a few minutes welcoming customers at the drive-through window. Several players and spirit squad members stood curbside along Ten Rod Road looking to build a crowd. A full parking lot greeted patrons just after the 2 p.m. start.
Instagram profiles would have been helpful to identify several of Miller’s men on hand. Only two of the eight Rams who entered the transfer portal after David Cox’s firing were retained — Malik Martin and Ishmael Leggett were both in attendance. URI has pledges from three transfers and three freshmen — Brayon Freeman (George Washington), Brandon Weston (Seton Hall), Josaphat Bilau (New Mexico Junior College), Jeremy Foumena, Louis Hutchinson and Rory Stewart.
“The first thing is to dig in on who the kid is in terms of the background and the fabric,” Miller said. “Is it going to work? Are you going to sign up for the reality and the expectations we’re setting forward right now for our program? Do they fit that mold of student? Do they fit they fit that mold of kid? Are they about winning?
“You try to do that deep dive. From a basketball perspective, obviously, experience and talent and upside — that can be developed.”
Reiss graduated the majority of rotation members from a roster that led the Rams to a first WNIT berth in the spring. She’s bridging the gap to an influx of young talent with three graduate transfers — Madison Hattix-Covington (VCU), Emma Squires (Richmond) and Sayawni Lassiter (Rutgers). Tenin Magassa (Dayton) and two freshmen — Chantelle Blagrove and Anete Adler — will be ready for key roles both now and in the seasons that follow.
“That’s what championships are built on — teams that stay together and grow together,” Reiss said. “I want a strong foundation of kids I recruited. I do not want to be in the transfer portal every year. I don’t believe in that.”
Miller still has two open scholarships and retains some flexibility. He has the option of acting immediately or keeping an opening for a possible midyear transfer in 2022-23. Reiss leaned on her 10-year contract extension for leverage to entice early commitments from three Class of 2023 prospects — Massachusetts guard Sophia Vital, New York guard Eva DeChent and New Jersey wing Katie Ledden.
“Slowly but surely, we’re piecing it together,” Miller said. “We really tried very, very hard to bring in guys who could work with us for multiple years.”
“We went to the transfer portal to bridge the youth we recruited this year,” Reiss said. “We have some great pieces coming in.”
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: URI hoops coaches Miller, Reiss excited about coming season
