The History of URI Basketball
URI basketball was once a well renowned program that saw 3 All-Americans in their time in Kingston, RI; Stan Modzelewski (1941 and 1942), Chet Jaworski (1939), and Sly Williams (1979). The Rhode Island basketball teams centered out of Kingston also made 8 NCAA tournament appearances, going as far as the Elite Eight in 1998. The Rhode Island team that made the Elite Eight in '98 is the pinnacle of the Ram's achievements to date. A team has yet to come close to superseding the 1998 URI squad that consisted of the likes of Cuttino Mobley, Tyson Wheeler, Preston Murphy, Luther Clay, and current URI assistant coach, Antonio Reynolds-Dean. The 1997-1998 URI Rams accrued a 25-9 overall record and a 12-4 conference record, good for second in the A10 East. Next, in the 1998-1999 season, led by coach Jim Harrick and future NBA star, Lamar Odom, URI saw another good amount of success following their 20-13 overall record and 10-6 conference record, good for the 2nd spot in the A10 East. One has to wonder, where did all the magic go?
