SOUTH KINGSTOWN — It was an expansive response to a straightforward question.
How does the University of Rhode Island reincorporate E.C. Matthews into its lineup?
Matthews made his return Saturday from the fractured left wrist he suffered Nov. 13 in an 88-81 loss at Nevada, checking in to a warm ovation from the Ryan Center crowd at the 13:36 mark of the first half. The fifth-year senior guard crashed to the floor inside the final minutes while driving to the rim against the Wolf Pack, putting his left hand down to brace his fall.
The Rams went 4-2 in six games without the preseason first-team, all-Atlantic 10 selection, including wins over Seton Hall and Providence that should give a long-term boost to URI’s RPI ranking. The program’s other five guards have all distinguished themselves in various ways, with Jared Terrell netting a career-high 32 points in the win over the Pirates and Jarvis Garrett reaching double figures four times. Jeff Dowtin played at least 30 minutes in all six games, freshman Fatts Russell played at least 19 and Stanford Robinson is averaging 5.0 rebounds and 3.1 steals while operating as a de facto small forward.
That success — albeit in a small sample size — has some segments of the Rams’ fan base questioning whether or not Matthews is surplus to requirements. URI coach Dan Hurley sees it differently, citing the way Matthews closed down the stretch in both regular-season victories over Davidson last season and earned Most Outstanding Player honors while helping the Rams win just their second conference tournament title in program history.
“I think his presence is going to take a lot of pressure off the other guys,” Hurley said. “He’s going to attract the top perimeter defender on the other team now. He’s going to open up the court for our forwards. They’re going to have more room to play. Our other guards are going to get better looks. Just having a guy that’s going to show up the way he shows up on other team’s scouting reports is going to create opportunities.
“Will everyone’s minutes be affected? Yeah, instead of playing 37 minutes, you might play 32. There’s probably going to be a little bit more urgency with these guys when they’re on the court. They’ve got to kind of empty the tank now. We want to keep all of our guards between 25 and 32 minutes now. They should be fresher and able to close games and be fresher later in the year with all the depth.”
Reynolds Dean learns on job
Earl Grant is in his fourth season as Charleston’s head coach, and he took the reins from a URI Hall of Famer.
Antonio Reynolds Dean was hired by the Cougars as an assistant coach prior to the 2014-15 season, leaving Northeastern. The former Rams’ standout wound up as the interim head coach in short order when Doug Wojcik was fired, with an internal investigation by the school determining he had been verbally abusive to his players.
Reynolds Dean spent that one season with Charleston before returning to his college home, hired to replace Luke Murray prior to 2015-16.
“I went through a lot of turmoil,” Reynolds Dean said at the time. “When I was named interim head coach, I took on some responsibility that helped me grow as a coach and as a person.”
Reynolds Dean has since returned to the region as an assistant coach at Clemson. Murray is in his third year on the bench at Xavier.
A drive for veterans
Saturday marked both the beginning of a five-game URI homestand and a wellness drive for veterans in need that will run in cooperation with Alex and Ani.
Team Red, White & Blue, a national organization, will be collecting items inside the Ryan Center concourses at each game, with hats, gloves, coats, T-shirts, socks, shoes and other items requested. A final presentation will be made during the home game Jan. 13 against St. Bonaventure.
Visit gorhody.com for more information.
— bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @BillKoch25