A Close Look in at Nicola Akele - Mr. Fundamentals
I will not deny that when I watched Nicola Akele early on in his freshman season, I was not impressed. As time has gone on, for the most part, I appreciate Akele's game and contributions to the Rhode Island Rams more than a lot of other fans do. The name I deem to the Treviso, Italy native is "Mr. Fundamentals". Fundamentally, Akele has a level of expertise that is unparalleled among his teammates. Every play that he makes in his time on the court has the correct intention. I sometimes hear student fans groan when Akele picks up a shooting foul in the Ryan Center and I can do nothing but sigh at their misunderstanding. The foundation of his game is shooting the three and playing swift defense but he does everything in between just as well, if not better. If you need a player to come in and hustle down a steal or rebound or make the smartest pass, look at Rhode Island's #45. There is no coincidence that Coach Hurley loves to run the full-court press whenever Akele is on the floor.
As I have written in the past, Dan Hurley's original comparison between Nicola Akele and TJ Buchanan came from a place of good faith but it is not fully accurate. While TJ had the greatest amount of toughness and hustle on his teams, Akele has the advantage in what he can contribute on the offensive side. He stretches the floor like only he and Kuran Iverson can do from the current URI players who are in the front court. Against elite opposition, Akele sometimes disappears from making significant contributions to the game, only because of his improving frame and grittiness. With that said, against mediocre and especially weak opposition, he EATS DEFENSES ALIVE from beyond the arc. If you do not believe me, just ask La Salle last year when Akele made it rain at Gola Arena or ask UMASS this year when he was the clear player of the game, scoring 12 points on 5-7 FG, to go with his 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Clearly, Nicola Akele can fill up the box score on any given night. In addition, if you are a mediocre college basketball team either double-team Akele when he's behind the arc or do not even bother defending him.
There is not necessarily an ample amount of information to focus on from a player who dominates the fundamental parts of basketball. Nevertheless, if Akele keeps building on his muscle and his physicality while in games, he is on the right track to make the tremendous contributions that Kuran Iverson has been making lately. Furthermore, college basketball has developed to the point where "3's and D" players can dominate the sport. Therefore, Nicola Akele could be the Rhode Island Rams next star in the frontcourt, as he has already shown random flashes of it in his 2 seasons in Kingston, RI.
Nowadays, the Rhody Rams have so much star talent that they need their current role players to excel at their areas of expertise and one of those very important players is Nicola Akele. He fills in the gaps and holes that can sometimes be found in URI's offensive and defensive game. For this current season, Akele is the exact definition of a role player and he has done a great job with his current position. If no one has come to realize this yet, Akele is a large part of the reason why his teammates look as good as they do in the game and why his teammates get so much love on and off the court. Remember, if there is no one to hustle down rebounds and take charges in the lane, how are you possibly going to create extra possessions in a game? For the 2016-2017 Rhode Island Rams, Nicola Akele is the answer to that exact question.
Not that no one on the Rhode Island basketball team goes to class but I always see Nicola Akele on his way to class or study hall (usually with Christion Thompson). He clearly works hard on and off the court and invests his time towards the right priorities as a college athlete. Look, Rhode Island's one international player even has singing talents:
