URI and UConn to meet in October 14th exhibition

Just a short time ago, Jon Rothstein broke the news that URI and Archie Miller will meet the defending national champion UConn Huskies - and of course former Rhody coach Dan Hurley - in a charity exhibition at Mohegan Sun on October 14th.

An understatement to say the least, it’s a terrific opportunity for Rhode Island on many levels.

First and foremost, to reconnect with the hard-charging Hurley, who went 113-82 in six seasons in Kingston, leading Rhode Island to two NCAA Tournament second round appearances, an Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Championship and the school’s first outright regular season A-10 championship in 2017-18. Hurley remains fond of, and loyal to, the program and his time in Kingston, often dropping references to Rhody whenever his Huskies happen to play a certain school 35 miles to URI’s north.

The Rams & Huskies will raise awareness for Coaches vs. Cancer while playing in the cozy 10,000 seat Mohegan Sun Arena, the nucleus of its casino environment. We connected with Archie Miller who had this to say about the opportunity.

“It’s an honor to be able to team up with UConn for the Naismith Hall of Fame Enshrinement Game as well as using the platform for Coaches vs. Cancer awareness. Mohegan is a great venue and the environment is exactly what we all want in the beginning. Danny means a lot to URI, his dedication while he was here was second to none. It’s means a ton that we can team up for this great cause.”

On the court, there is no better litmus test for Rhode Island - scrimmage or not - than the defending national champions. The Rams hope to turn the corner this season, Miller’s third, and have a navigable non-conference schedule with a sprinkling of tests, an appearance in the Jacksonville Classic, and several games where they’ll be favored.

Parlaying a chemistry-catalyzing trip to the Bahamas earlier this month into a meetup with the Huskies for their next live-action test will pay dividends for a team that retains a core of Atlantic 10 producers in David Green (14.3ppg, 4.2rpg), David Fuchs (7.9ppg, 6.4rpg), Jaden House (14.1ppg, 3.2rpg), and Cam Estevez (7.1ppg), returnee point guard Always Wright (coming off injury), and some talented newcomers. It’s an opportunity Miller appreciates.

“You want to test yourself in every way possible at the beginning of the year. There is no better way to learn and improve yourself than playing the best. UConn is the best. They’ll be on a quest to do special things again. This type of adversity can really help you long into the year.”

More to come on this developing story…