A Closer Look in at Daron Russell and URI's Recruitment Process: "Fatts" Will Certainl
From a personal viewpoint, I find Daron "Fatts" Russell from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to be pretty relatable to many people like me and I am not talking specifically about athletic ability. At 5'10, 160 lbs., "Fatts" is obviously smaller than most point guards who play for top-notch Division 1 college basketball programs. Given this fact, critics and spectators in general are quick to count the young man out and look him as an "underdog" of sorts. My opinion on this judgment is that countless "underdogs" have made outstanding achievements in this world. Besides, has everyone seen what Nate Robinson, Earl Boykins, and very recently, Isaiah Thomas have accomplished in the NBA? They were all "underdogs" and "too small" to play at their position, according to scouts at every level. Do not close the book on this Philly basketball player before you get to watch him play.
In terms of the college level, Russell needs to look no further than his future teammate and current URI starting PG, Jarvis Garrett, for someone who has defied expectations. As much as Dan Hurley talked up Garrett, almost no one in the Rhode Island faithful believed he could lead the Rams to anything worth talking about. Boy, they were wrong. In his first season, he quickly flew up the ranks when he took the starting role at PG halfway through the season and helped URI to a 2nd place finish in the A10 (13-5 conf record) and was a couple of wins from realistically being in the NCAA tournament in his first year with Dan Hurley and the Rhody Rams. In his sophomore year, URI's current starting PG only improved further and put on a show when being directly guarded by NBA lottery pick Kris Dunn last season. For this reasoning, I am looking at Garrett to teach the incoming freshman everything he needs to be successful in Hurley's system, as well as in the Atlantic 10 and in the rigorous non-conference schedule. By and large, Daron Russell can exceed what Garrett has accomplished but most importantly, he can build off the foundation that Garrett has left for future point guards who come to Kingston.
As I mentioned previously in "Little Rhody's Little Scholarship Situation?", I urge people not to first analyze "Fatts" skills on the court just yet. It's not his explosiveness to the basket or his smooth jumper that made me happy that Hurley and his staff were able to receive his commitment. We can all go watch plenty of his clips and videos later and be impressed. I want to discuss what I call his "Philly toughness". In just one highlight video of watching the point guard out of Imhotep Institute Charter High School, I saw the grit and determination of a winner. Just 2 seasons back (2014-2015), URI had a similar player with the same fight that Russell has exemplified while in high school. The man I am speaking of is T.J. Buchanan, one of the most beloved URI basketball players in recent time and another key factor in the most successful URI basketball season under the lead of Dan Hurley. When "Fatts" drives to the basket, you do not only see no fear in his face but you see confidence. If you want to play under Coach Hurley, you better be able to get after it every day, in practice and in games. In Hurley's defensive-minded system, there is no room for timidness on a full court press, a half-court trap, or a run to the rim. Luckily, Mr. Russell does not need to have any of those problems on his list of concerns for his summer workouts at URI.
Everyone knows good and well that any athlete's talents are most well-known and taken care of by their close family and friends. Therefore, in my first official interview on this blog, I interviewed Daron Russell's mother, Terri Sutton, to get further insight for myself and all curious Rhody basketball fans on URI's lone recruit in the 2017 class. It is definitely not every day that the general college basketball audience gets an in-depth perspective of what goes on in the recruiting process. In my discussion with Russell's mother, I was already taken aback by her initial statement that "...URI has the best recruiting in the country. This is my second time going through the recruiting process, so I knew what to look for and what to watch out for." For those of you who do not know, Daron's brother, DeWayne Russell, has been a lethal scorer for the Grand Canyon Antelopes. For a mother going through the recruiting process again, you know that she was leading Daron Russell in the right direction, from an academic and athletic standpoint. For me and all other Rhode Island basketball fans, we are all lucky she led him down to Kingston, RI. Too bad we were not able to have both Daron and DeWayne play for little Rhody but we can only be so fortunate. Like any other college basketball player, you want to know that your coaches will always have your back and have your best interest in mind. For Daron Russell, the relationship he shared with head coach, Dan Hurley and associate head coach, David Cox (in particular) was this exact type of relationship.
Next, I wanted to know from the Pennsylvania native's mother what the general opinion on Daron's progression as a player is. You can have all the talent in the world but unfortunately, sometimes the big moment can eat you up if you are not well-prepared. Russell's progression on and off the court has impressed his own mother and that's saying something. In Sutton's own words, "I've seen him grow so much as a young man and a basketball player through the past 4 years. And he continues to grow as a leader." I am sure we will be seeing a lot of Mrs. Sutton in the Ryan Center audience since she declares herself to be his #1 fan. If he lives up to the potential that I see in him, me and many other fans like me may be in a race to be his #1 fan going forward.
Much to my surprise, Daron Russell was on hand with his mother in Uncasville, CT for Rhode Island's two matchups in the HOF Tip-Off Tournament in late November of 2016. As I have previously written before in multiple articles on the HOF Tip-Off Tournament in the beautiful Mohegan Sun Arena, my time at those exact two games all but changed my life and reinvigorated my love for college basketball; I can only imagine what it did for the future URI PG who is expected to be on the court in the same situation next year. Keep in mind, URI will be playing in the 2017 NIT Tip-Off Tournament in the Barclays Center next season during Thanksgiving. With matchups not yet announced, expect the Rhode Island Rams to be battling against the likes of current #9 Virginia, a likely NCAA tournament team in Seton Hall, and an up-and-coming Vanderbilt team. Do not be surprised to see Daron Russell at the Barclays Center helping his Rhody Rams secure huge non-conference victories. Tip-off tournaments like these are huge for schools like Rhode Island who do not have as many big resume-changing opportunities as they would necessarily like in the Atlantic 10. Finally, Mrs. Sutton would like to tell all of the loyal Rhode Island fans out there, "Go Rhody!" and she wants to thank the Rhody Faithful, "Thank you all for accepting us as a part of the family!". I know I speak on behalf of the Rhode Island basketball fan base when I say, "Thank you bringing your son to URI!".
By and large, I for one am pleasantly surprised to hear about the magnificence that Hurley and his staff are able to create in recruiting. I often used to wonder how Dan Hurley possibly managed to recruit highly-touted players destined for "bigger", "sexier" schools like E.C. Matthews, Hassan Martin, and Michael Layssard Jr; I now know. For the record, Hurley and his staff secured the services of Mr. "Fatts" over the likes of La Salle, Seton Hall, and SMU.
Mark my words now, Daron "Fatts" Russell possesses everything he needs to be an Atlantic 10 first-team kind of player for multiple years in his time in Kingston, RI. In the very near future, URI fans will be smiling with Russell when they realize the steal that Coach Hurley and his staff acquired along the recruiting trail.
