What’s been a steady trickle of commitments over the last two months was made formal through a Tuesday morning press release.
The University of Rhode Island announced its eight-player men’s basketball transfer class, including five graduates. The Rams also brought in a pair of underclassmen from Atlantic 10 rivals while attempting to improve on last year’s 18-13 finish.
South Alabama guard Myles Corey (20) drives to the basket past Mississippi guard Sean Pedulla during a game in November, 2024. Corey will be playing for URI this season.
Four backcourt players, one wing and three frontcourt contributors will join URI for the 2025-26 campaign. Myles Corey (South Alabama), Tyler Cochran (Minnesota) and RJ Johnson (Charleston Southern) are three of the headliners — a veteran of 135 career games, a former MAC Defensive Player of the Year and a 1,000-point scorer who will pass 400 career assists this upcoming season, respectively.
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“With all the recent changes to the transfer portal, the learning curve is much faster in today’s game,” URI coach Archie Miller said in a statement. “We have adjusted our approach accordingly. We targeted players who have proven they can play at a high level and contribute right away.”
Fresno State forward Alex Crawford shoots a free throw during a game against Air Force in February. He is among a group of eight players joining URI for the coming season.
Alex Crawford (Fresno State), Mouhamed Sow (Saint Peter’s) and Keeyan Itejere (Northern Kentucky) will help bolster the paint. Crawford averaged double digits in scoring for the Bulldogs last season while Sow played for a pair of MAAC regular-season champions with the Peacocks. Itejere played under coach Shaka Smart at Texas and Marquette before starting in 60 of his 63 appearances with the Norse.
URI guard Jamarques Lawrence protects the ball from St. Bonaventure’s Jonah Hinton in a game in February. Lawrence has left the Rams while Hinton will be joining them this coming season.
Jonah Hinton (St. Bonaventure) netted a team-high 18 points in a 68-64 loss at the Ryan Center last season, one of his 15 games in double figures with the Bonnies. Jahmere Tripp (Fordham) came off the bench twice against the Rams before starting the conference tournament opener against them at Capital One Arena. URI suffered an 88-71 thumping and was eliminated in its first game for the fourth time in its last five appearances.
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The Rams started 11-1 last season with home wins over Charleston, Ivy League champion Yale and state rival Providence before staggering through conference play at 7-11. They will attempt to replace their top nine scorers. Sebastian Thomas was their lone postseason all-league selection after making a celebrated return to his home state for 2024-25. David Green (Tulsa), Jamarques Lawrence (Nebraska), David Fuchs (San Francisco), Tyonne Farrell (Morehead State) and Cam Estevez (Fairfield) are all playing elsewhere this season.
Drissa Traore, URI basketball
Drissa Traore is the most experienced returning player, appearing in all 31 games off the bench last season and making two starts. URI could debut three true freshmen and a pair of redshirt freshmen when the season opens in November. Jalen Harper, Barrett Loer and Javon Perry all arrive in Kingston while Moek Icke and Damone King joined the program in 2024-25.
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: URI announces its men’s basketball transfer class
