Projo College Hoops

Following is the full transcript of URI head coach Jim Baron's Nov. 12 hoops chat on projo.com. Remember that tomorrow -- Thursday, Nov. 13, at noon, Kevin McNamara will be live to answer your questions about the coming hoops season. You can send in your questions to Kevin now: Go to projo.com/chat, click "launch chat," pick a display name (you do not need a password) and enter the college hoops chat room.

Coach Baron: Hello, it's Coach Baron - thanks for coming by for today's chat. I look forward to everyone's questions.

BFC: Do you feel the change in assistant coaching staff has set the team back as far as recruiting? Do you expect to have any players sign during the early signing period?

Coach Baron: I'm not allowed to comment specifically on recruits until they have signed, but we do plan on getting an early commitment during the Fall signing period. As for the coaching, we have hit the recruiting trail as hard this past Summer as ever before - domestically and internationally. Kevin Clark and Pat Clarke have been with us for a few years and we added a good young coach in Momir Gajic. I think our staff is a plus for our program.

RhodeWarrior: Coach, thanks for making yourself available to us.... a few tough questions for you and I hope for your candor. Over your years at URI you have referred numerous times to "the process" yet have not given a lot of details beyond putting a structure in place. Where exactly are we in this ongoing process in terms of your own expectations? Will the process lead us to the NCAA tournament and when the process is at a certain maturity level can it help keep us performing at a high level?

Coach Baron: We just got our full allotment of scholarships back, after the NCAA violations. We've got our APR - which the NCAA is holding all programs to a hard level on - at a high level. If you don't make the APR number, you lose a scholarship - no matter which school you are. We've got our program on the path toward winning on the court, with 40 wins over the last two years and we've got a team of solid student-athletes which I'm proud of and all Rhody fans should be too. The process is always on-going and while I do say that a lot, I can tell you that there is progress as well. URI is really moving forward with the Student-Athlete Development Center, which is a giant part of the equation in terms of infrastructure. The process has included a few trips to the postseason, but our goal is to make that an annual achievement and that includes the NCAA Tournament. If you're doing things the right way - which I feel we are - the process takes time and it will get there.

Sudden Sam: Stevie Mejia seems like an amazing kid with all of his community service and he can obviously play. What kind of adjustment has he had to the speed of the college game?

Coach Baron: I think Stevie is really understanding that he needs to get stronger and more durable for a player of his size. It is a major adjustment going from high school to the NCAA Division I and the Atlantic 10 level. It's something that we will continue to work on. Stevie is also a tremendous leader in his community and that speaks back to my previous answer - these are the types of student-athlete we need at URI. The University talks about Thinking Big and by having people like Stevie and our other players who are active off the court and in the community and classroom, it's very important.

dc: Just a question for you Jim. I'm a big URI fan down in Jersey, and just wondering: What is your favorite basketball book? I'm looking to buy a few for some big Ram fans this holiday season! Keep up the great work, and see you at the FDU game!

Coach Baron: I read "Seven Seconds or Less" by Jack McCallum, which gave me a really good idea of what the Phoenix Suns camp was like. And after spending a few days out there with Mike D'Antoni and seeing his uptempo style of play in person, it was tremendous.

BFC: What is your opinion on red-shirting players that might not be used much their first season?

Coach Baron: Now that we have 13 full scholarships, that would become more of a possibility for our program. Overall, every coach looks for the best way to develop their players, while having the right blend of upperclassmen and freshmen. With our style, we need numbers. It's tough to forecast.

Cmar: Coach. I like the tempo this team will set on the offensive side of the ball. The defense is what makes me nervous. What do you plan on doing different with this group of guys to be formidable on defense?

Coach Baron: The defense scares me too...but on a serious note, our goal is to make sure we are pressing and trying to turn our opponents over. We need to use our athleticism for our benefit and this style really blends well with that. Pressing leaves you vulnerable in some ways, but we're working hard to try to limit that.

HullRamFan: Coach - Best of luck this season. Wondering if you can talk about the emotion of it being Jimmy's final season and what you two have talked about in the off-season as it pertains to reaching your goals this year?

Coach Baron: Number one, I can't believe he's a senior. Four years have gone by so quickly and I'm really excited what Jimmy has accomplished on the court and in the classroom. He's an All-A10 pick both basketball-wise and academically. I know how hard he's worked to prepare for the season and it shows. He has developed into a leader and a role model, along with his classmates. Kahiem and Jason also make their presence known in the locker room and I think that is very important as we move forward this season.

Carver Kid: Coach, how hard is it to get to the NCAA Tournament? Rhody fans are dying to be back and have a lot of respect for you from where you began when you took over the program and the hill you had to climb. With respect for that when does your process get us to the NCAA? Is it within 2 years, 5 years, 10 years or is it just not realistic?

Coach Baron: My expectations are very high as well. My first head coaching job, it took 4 years. At Bonaventure, it was the 8th year. My goal each and every year is to win the conference and get to the NCAA. But also, as you mentioned, there have been some hills to climb. The Atlantic 10 from last year and going forward has really improved and has put itself in a position to have a number of teams make it every year. Each program has gotten better and we're one of those.

Ralph: Coach - Thanks for joining us for a chat today. The team's non-conference schedule is very tough this year - going to Duke and Oklahoma State - along with the annual game at Providence. Why can't we get marquee opponents at the Ryan Center? If you look around the league, other teams are doing it. Thanks for your time.

Coach Baron: We're always trying to get big games for our fans here at the Ryan Center, whether it's been Boston College, USC, Pitt or DePaul. We've been very successful in our building, which might make other teams think twice. We have to be creative and I think this season, with teams like VCU and Hartford who are picked near the top of their league, and an Akron team that played UMass tough in the NIT last year, we do have some very challenging home games. The Atlantic 10 schedule is always tough and we have some of the top teams coming to Kingston this year as well.

Angee: Before URI, you were known to be defensive-minded and halfcourt offensively. Over the last three years, you and lots of other teams have gone to a running and pressing style. Can you talk about why you did that and why that seems to be a national trend?

Coach Baron: In my early days, we had some pretty good athletes and scorers and really tried to push the tempo. With the addition of some of our more athletic players - like Keith, Lamonte, Delroy, etc. - and with seeing what other teams are doing to score points, it's a great style to play and a great style to sell. Our kids have gravitated to understanding what it takes and what is expected. It helps when you have newcomers who can use their athleticism early on. I want to take advantage of our athletic ability and over the years, I've seen programs like Arkansas, UAB, Missouri and they've done it on both ends. I've evaluated this running style and we want to continue to add to the equation of what we've he last two years - a trip to the A-10 championship and the postseason.

jfrech21: If you look at last season as a whole, without following closely, you might think of it as a successful season. For anyone who followed closely it was not, because of the second half collapse. What can you do as a coach to make sure that does not happen again?

Coach Baron: We want to continue to be aggressive at both ends of the floor. Last year, we got too conservative. Our defense struggled down the stretch and that really hurt us. We have learned from that. Our kids have a daily reminder of that, with the newspaper from Omaha hanging in the locker room. It's a full page spread with the words "Rhode Kill" and the Creighton players in a pigpile after they hit the three. We have to turn the page and prepare for a new season, but we will remember the end of last year.

HullRamFan: Coach, one more question: Can you assess the A-10 this year? Seems like every season people say its down, then every year two or three teams make the Tournament and make noise - maybe you can also share whether those perceptions of the league bother you.

Coach Baron: The A-10 is a league that's been very solid over the years. You've got excellent coaches that develop their players - often for four years. It's been proven the high rate of success the league has had in non-conference play. We went to Syracuse and won last year, so did UMass. We try to play a tough schedule - Boston College, Kansas, and Duke this year - and the rest of the league is playing similar caliber programs. Each game in the A-10 is a battle and this year is no different.

maze: Coach can you explain the basics x's and o's of your standard full court press? Where should I expect to see our players on the floor? Guarding an area or passing lanes?

Coach Baron: Without giving a scouting report, we want to speed the game up and utilize our players in their best possible way. We feel that pressing is a good way to generate offense.

RhodyBlue: Coach - The game with RIC Friday night had a great crowd and a great buzz to it. I know the final margin was big, but it looked like RIC was willing to go after you guys more than other exhibition opponents and had you guys on your heels at the beginning of the game. Did you feel like that game was good preparation for you guys for the season? Do you think that game will continue in the future? Best of luck this year. Thanks, Coach.

Coach Baron: It was a great crowd for an exhibition and it was great to have Congressman Langevin to visit with our team after the game. Our students came out in great numbers and the athletic department has worked very hard in getting the word out to them. We've ben giving out flyers at the dining halls and we're going to do the same thing this Friday in preparation for Brown. Student support has been extremely important to our success the last few years. As for RIC, I think Bob Walsh has done a great job over the last three years and he and Don Tencher are two guys who I have a great deal of respect for. I wish them the best of luck the rest of the way.

NYCRAMFAN: Kahiem Seawright was one of the best rebounders in the league last year and he didn't get any love on the preseason poll. What's up with that? How does that get voted on?

Coach Baron: You're right, I was very disappointed that for the second year in a row, he was not been mentioned and recognized by the league. He's the leading returning rebounder in the Atlantic 10. I've talked with him about that and we've set our goals for this season to not just be one of the best rebounders in the league, but in the country.

RhodeWarrior: What do you think the single largest thing is on your wish list for what would help you to make our program better? What can you ask of the alum to help get for the program?

Coach Baron: No question, the number one project out there is the Student-Athlete Development Center. It's the number one project on the minds of everyone and I know that through the generous support of our alums and friends, as well as the hard work of the administration, we'll make it a reality.

Coach Baron: Thanks everyone for stopping in - there were a lot of tough questions and I apologize if I didn't get to yours. This was a lot of fun and I look forward to doing it again as the season unfolds. Thanks to you and to Mike McDermott at Projo.com for setting this up. Make sure you get out to the Ryan Center this season - we open up on Friday with a doubleheader. Tom Garrick and the women's team plays Boston University at 5 p.m., followed by a 7 p.m. matchup with a very good Brown team. Thanks again and Go Rhody!

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