2008 Woodie Awards
Sports Mailbox: All Part of the Process
Evan Crawley
Issue date: 3/26/08 Section: Sports
03/26/08 - The men's basketball beat reporter for the Cigar responds to a slew of letters to the editor about coach Baron's "process" and Rhody's upsetting losses in the postseason.
Memo to all University of Rhode Island students: don't listen to Brian Kurt, don't boycott men's basketball (student tickets are free, so technically URI would not lose any money) and continue to support sports at URI.
Jim Baron did not trick anybody. I can guarantee that the process is not slang for a diabolical plan to get fans' hopes up, only to lose close game after close game down the stretch.
Yes, Baron has been head coach at the university for seven years, however, it is tough to consider the first three really "his teams," they were more Jerry D's.
I would start it four years ago, with the team that went 6-22. Since that point, he has increased the team's win total every season with quality individuals.
If there is one thing that has been a staple of the Jim Baron era, it's that he recruits quality players whom he teaches lessons to both on and off the basketball court.
Delroy James missed a semester with academic problems, Keith Cothran sat out a few games at the beginning of the season, and both Joe Mbang and Jason Francis missed one game each during the middle of Atlantic 10 play.
Bottom line, if you do not get it done in the classroom, you do not play on the court. This is something that was missing with the previous two head coaches, the stress on what happens off the court.
This is "part of the process," as Baron so often says.
This is how you build a program. You start with quality players like a Will Daniels or Parfait Bitee, who in two weeks will be in Portsmouth, Va., competing in front of scouts for every NBA team in an attempt to get a shot at the big dream.
Each player was, by no means, NBA caliber as a freshman, but through four years of work, they have each put themselves in position to make a living playing basketball.
Memo to all University of Rhode Island students: don't listen to Brian Kurt, don't boycott men's basketball (student tickets are free, so technically URI would not lose any money) and continue to support sports at URI.
Jim Baron did not trick anybody. I can guarantee that the process is not slang for a diabolical plan to get fans' hopes up, only to lose close game after close game down the stretch.
Yes, Baron has been head coach at the university for seven years, however, it is tough to consider the first three really "his teams," they were more Jerry D's.
I would start it four years ago, with the team that went 6-22. Since that point, he has increased the team's win total every season with quality individuals.
If there is one thing that has been a staple of the Jim Baron era, it's that he recruits quality players whom he teaches lessons to both on and off the basketball court.
Delroy James missed a semester with academic problems, Keith Cothran sat out a few games at the beginning of the season, and both Joe Mbang and Jason Francis missed one game each during the middle of Atlantic 10 play.
Bottom line, if you do not get it done in the classroom, you do not play on the court. This is something that was missing with the previous two head coaches, the stress on what happens off the court.
This is "part of the process," as Baron so often says.
This is how you build a program. You start with quality players like a Will Daniels or Parfait Bitee, who in two weeks will be in Portsmouth, Va., competing in front of scouts for every NBA team in an attempt to get a shot at the big dream.
Each player was, by no means, NBA caliber as a freshman, but through four years of work, they have each put themselves in position to make a living playing basketball.