A Close Look in at Jeff Dowtin - El Jefe, The New Man on Campus
One of my best friends knows him as Cucumber (don't ask me why), numerous URI basketball fans, particularly the student body, know Rhode Island's starting point guard as "El Jefe" or "Jefe", the new man on campus. When Jeffrey Dowtin was recruited from St. John's High School to come play for Dan Hurley's Rhody Rams, many people thought nothing of it, besides the Rams acquiring an average 3-star guard who had solid fundamentals but would play sparingly in the 2016-2017 season. Fortunately, I was part of the camp that believed in the Upper Marlboro, Maryland native from the very beginning.
At 6-3, "Young Jeff" as I like to refer to him as, simply has a height advantage over many point guards in college basketball, especially in the Atlantic 10. Combine Dowtin's height with his understanding of his duties and responsibilities while running point guard, as well as his leadership over his team, and you have a point guard who has and will continue to attain success in college basketball. There is a distinct reason why well-respected CBS Sports college basketball expert, Jon Rothstein, recognized URI's #11 when he came down to Kingston, RI to watch the Rams practice.
When URI's heart and soul of the team, starting point guard, Jarvis Garrett went down with injury, there was a gaping hole that needed to be filled. Much to the surprise of many, Coach Hurley made a bold decision by sticking Jeffrey Dowtin in that role, as opposed to having Christion Thompson or Stanford Robinson running the point. To be fair, even I was taken aback a little by the decision because the Rams showed that one of their most optimal lineups consisted of Stanford Robinson, Jared Terrell, E.C. Matthews, Hassan Martin, and Kuran Iverson.
Much like his teammate Cyril Langevine, Jeff Dowtin shook off any fear playing on the grandest stage of college basketball by continuing to get better while playing in games. Not only has the man from the DMV made tremendous improvements and accomplishments in his first season with the Rhode Island Rams but he has built himself quite the resume and reputation. How many Atlantic 10 guards can tell you all about how they single-handedly shut down Davidson's Jack Gibbs? Do I even need to mention that Jack Gibbs has drawn multiple comparisons to Stephen Curry? If that was not enough, Jeff Dowtin took him the honor of Atlantic 10 rookie of the week for his efforts at Belk Arena, where URI defeated Davidson earlier this season on February 3, 2017. To add to his collection of opposition that he put on lockdown during this season, he held the Atlantic 10's finest, Scoochie Smith to 7 points on 3-10 shooting from the field when Dayton traveled to Kingston, RI on February 10, 2017.
To all those people who doubted Dowtin from the very beginning, I laugh at you. He keeps a good head above his shoulders when he is in locked into game mode. When Jeff Dowtin drives from one end of the court to the other, he often stops his dribble right past the timeline to collect himself and figure out how to break down the opposition's defensive scheme. In addition to what Coach Hurley has taught the young man, URI's current starting point guard has shown the Rhody faithful a few tricks of his own. If you can hear over the yelling from Hurley, you will often hear the shouts from Dowtin, as he directs his teammates where to go on offense and who to defend on the other end. "Jefe" is a natural born in-game leader, quite the trait to have for not only a point guard, but a freshman point guard at that.
Do not let his unconventional jump shot fool you. If you leave #11 open, he can land all the blows necessary to key a Rhode Island victory. Just ask the Davidson Wildcats. Before E.C. Matthews closed the game out late for URI, Dowtin single-handedly kept his team in the game in the first half by hitting his shots every time he found open space. Besides a pretty accurate jumpshot, Dowtin gets pretty crafty when driving into the lane. There is no need to expect a thunderous dunk from "Jefe" because he has a wide array of ways to lay the ball in once he starts his drive. If you want to play tentative defense against Jeff Dowtin and do not rotate, he has a little thing called a floater to put 2 points on the board for Rhody.
I know that in Coach Dan Hurley's original questioning about the recruitment of Jeff Dowtin, he said that he's particularly tough on guards since he used to play the same position. Dan Hurley definitely did not expect to play Jeff Dowtin this much in his first year, even if it was caused by necessity. However, every Rhode Island basketball fan certainly appreciates the decision to play him and everything he has done for the 2016-2017 Rhode Island Rams basketball team. When the lights shine the brightest, I expect Dowtin to play well enough on both ends to secure the win. There is a reason why many college basketball experts both in the Atlantic 10 and nationwide are expecting Dowtin to be an Atlantic 10 1st team player in his following three seasons. Do not be surprised if "Jefe" one day contends for the Atlantic 10 player of the year award.
Well since Hurley clearly loves what Dowtin can do now, the question is who DOESN'T like "Jefe"?
