2019–20 Rhode Island Rams men's basketball team

The 2019–20 Rhode Island Rams basketball team represented the University of Rhode Island during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rams, led by second-year head coach David Cox, played their home games at the Ryan Center in Kingston, Rhode Island as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 21–9, 13–5 in A-10 play to finish in third place. Their season ended with the A-10 tournament and all other postseason tournaments were canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

2019–20 Rhode Island Rams men's basketball
Conference	Atlantic 10 Conference
Record	21–9 (13–5 A-10)
Head coach	David Cox (2nd season)
Assistant coaches	T. J. Buchanan Austin Carroll Kevin Sutton
Home arena	Ryan Center
Seasons ← 2018–19 2020–21 →

2019–20 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 3 Dayton	18	–	0		1.000			29	–	2		.935
Richmond	14	–	4		.778			24	–	7		.774
Rhode Island	13	–	5		.722			21	–	9		.700
Saint Louis	12	–	6		.667			23	–	8		.742
St. Bonaventure	11	–	7		.611			19	–	12		.613
Duquesne	11	–	7		.611			21	–	9		.700
Davidson	10	–	8		.556			16	–	14		.533
Massachusetts	8	–	10		.444			14	–	17		.452
VCU	8	–	10		.444			18	–	13		.581
La Salle	6	–	12		.333			15	–	15		.500
George Washington	6	–	12		.333			12	–	20		.375
George Mason	5	–	13		.278			17	–	15		.531
Saint Joseph's	2	–	16		.111			6	–	26		.188
Fordham	2	–	16		.111			9	–	22		.290
Note: The 2020 A-10 tournament was canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Rams finished the 2018–19 season 18–15, 9–9 in A-10 play to finish in ninth place. They defeated La Salle and VCU to advance to the semifinals of the A-10 tournament where they lost to St. Bonaventure.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Will Leviton	2	G	5'8"	150	Senior	Providence, RI	Walk-on; graduated
Ryan Preston	5	G	6'6"	195	Senior	Brooklyn, NY	Graduated
Omar Silverio	15	G	6'4"	190	Freshman	Bronx, NY	Transferred to Hofstra
Mike Layssard Jr.	21	F	6'9"	255	Junior	Lena, LA	Left the team for personal reasons
Christion Thompson	25	G	6'4"	190	RS Junior	Baton Rouge, LA	Graduate transferred to Tulane
Nicola Akele	45	F	6'7"	215	Senior	Treviso, Italy	Graduated
Michael Tertsea	55	C	6'10"	230	RS Sophomore	Makurdi, Nigeria	Transferred to Gannon
Dana Tate	12	F	6'7"	230	Sophomore	Boston, MA	Transferred to Siena[1]
Gregory Hammond	22	G	6'5"	200	Freshman	New Orleans, LA	Transferred to UMass-Lowell[2]

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Jeremy Sheppard	2	G	6'1"	160	Junior	Richmond, VA	Junior college transferred from College of Central Florida. Sheppard is not eligible for the 2019–20 season[3]
Antwan Walker	5	F	6'9"	230	Sophomore	Washington, D.C.	Transferred from Georgetown. Under NCAA transfer rules, Walker will have to sit out for the 2019–20 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.
DeVale Johnson	23	F	6'7"	185	Sophomore	Brooklyn, NY	Junior college transferred from Williston State College.

2019 recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Mekhi Long SF	Woodstock, VA	Massanutten Military Academy	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jun 29, 2018
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (80)
Gregory Hammond SG	New Orleans, LA	Sophie B. Wright Charter School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Oct 5, 2018
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (79)
Marial Mading SF	Springfield, MA	Commonwealth Academy	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Oct 2, 2018
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.

2020 recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Ishmael Leggett SG	Washington, DC	St. John's College High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Sep 19, 2019
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (NR)
Elijah Wood CG	Bethesda, MD	Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	May 27, 2019
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.

Scholarship Tree

2019-2020	2020-2021	2021-2022	2022-2023	2023-2024	Key
Jeff Dowtin	Fatts Russell	Jermaine Harris	Jacob Toppin	Ishmael Leggett		=Senior
Cyril Langevine	DJ Johnson	Tyrese Martin	Mekhi Long	Elijah Wood		=Junior
Fatts Russell	Jeremy Sheppard	Antwan Walker	Ishmael Leggett	Open		=Sophomore
DJ Johnson	Antwan Walker	Mekhi Long	Elijah Wood	Open		=Freshman
Jeremy Sheppard	Jermaine Harris	Jacob Toppin	Open	Open
Antwan Walker	Tyrese Martin	Ishmael Leggett	Open	Open
Jermaine Harris	Mekhi Long	Elijah Wood	Open	Open
Tyrese Martin	Jacob Toppin	Open	Open	Open
Mehki Long	Ishmael Leggett	Open	Open	Open
Jacob Toppin	Elijah Wood	Open	Open	Open
Open	Open	Open	Open	Open
Open	Open	Open	Open	Open
Open	Open	Open	Open	Open

Roster

2019–20 Rhode Island Rams men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown F 0 Jermaine Harris 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Rock Creek Christian Upper Marlboro, MD G 1 Fatts Russell 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jr Imhotep Institute Philadelphia, PA G 2 Jeremy Sheppard 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) RS Jr John Marshall Williston State College Richmond, VA G 4 Tyrese Martin 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Massanutten Military Academy Allentown, PA F 5 Antwan Walker 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr Massanutten Military Academy Georgetown Washington, D.C. F 10 Cyril Langevine 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr The Patrick School East Orange, NJ G 11 Jeff Dowtin 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr St. John's Washington, D.C. G 13 Eric Dadika (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Spotswood Milltown, NJ F 15 Mekhi Long 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Bishop McNamara Bryans Road, MD G 20 Jordan Green (W) 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Sr Millbrook School Bronx, NY F 21 Jacob Toppin 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Woodstock Academy Brooklyn, NY F 23 D. J. Johnson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Brooklyn Collegiate Prep Williston State Brooklyn, NY	Head coach David Cox (William & Mary) Assistant coach(es) T. J. Buchanan (Rhode Island) Austin Carroll (American) Kevin Sutton (James Madison) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 26, 2019* 7:00 pm		Rhode Island College	W 93–55		Ryan Center  Kingston, RI
Non-conference regular season
November 5, 2019* 7:00 pm, Cox/YurView		LIU	W 76–65	1–0	Ryan Center (4,258) Kingston, RI
November 9, 2019* 9:00 pm, FS1		at No. 7 Maryland	L 55–73	1–1	Xfinity Center (14,263) College Park, MD
November 15, 2019* 7:30 pm, NBCSN		Alabama	W 93–79	2–1	Ryan Center (7,021) Kingston, RI
November 19, 2018* 7:00 pm, Cox/YurView		Nicholls Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic campus game	W 70–65	3–1	Ryan Center (4,520) Kingston, RI
November 22, 2019* 4:30 pm, CBSSN		vs. North Texas Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic	W 60–47	4–1	Montego Bay Convention Centre  Montego Bay, Jamaica
November 24, 2019* 2:30 pm, CBSSN		vs. LSU Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic	L 83–96	4–2	Montego Bay Convention Centre  Montego Bay, Jamaica
November 27, 2019* 4:00 pm, ESPN+		Manhattan	W 73–64	5–2	Ryan Center (4,434) Kingston, RI
December 1, 2019* 2:00 pm		at West Virginia	L 81–86	5–3	WVU Coliseum (10,973) Morgantown, WV
December 6, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN2		Providence Ocean State Cup	W 75–61	6–3	Ryan Center (8,052) Kingston, RI
December 21, 2019* 2:00 pm, Cox/YurView		Western Kentucky	W 86–82 OT	7–3	Ryan Center (5,325) Kingston, RI
December 29, 2019* 4:00 pm, ESPN+		at Middle Tennessee	W 89–62	8–3	Murphy Center (2,806) Murfreesboro, TN
January 2, 2020* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Brown Ocean State Cup	L 75–85	8–4	Pizzitola Sports Center (2,738) Providence, RI
Atlantic 10 regular season
January 5, 2020 12:00 pm, Cox/YurView/ESPN+		Richmond	L 61–69	8–5 (0–1)	Ryan Center (5,325) Kingston, RI
January 8, 2020 7:00 pm, CBSSN		Davidson	W 69–58	9–5 (1–1)	Ryan Center (5,095) Kingston, RI
January 11, 2020 7:00 pm, CBSSN		at VCU	W 65–56	10–5 (2–1)	Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA
January 15, 2020 7:30 pm, Cox/YurView/ESPN+		at Saint Joseph's	W 71–61	11–5 (3–1)	Hagan Arena (1,964) Philadelphia, PA
January 18, 2020 12:30 pm, NBCSN		La Salle	W 66–63	12–5 (4–1)	Ryan Center (6,323) Kingston, RI
January 22, 2020 7:00 pm, Cox/YurView/ESPN+		Duquesne	W 77–55	13–5 (5–1)	Ryan Center (6,007) Kingston, RI
January 25, 2020 3:00 pm, Stadium		at St. Bonaventure	W 81–75	14–5 (6–1)	Reilly Center (5,480) St. Bonaventure, NY
January 28, 2020 7:00 pm, Stadium		at George Mason	W 78–64	15–5 (7–1)	EagleBank Arena (3,140) Fairfax, VA
January 31, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN2		VCU	W 87–75	16–5 (8–1)	Ryan Center (7,896) Kingston, RI
February 4, 2020 7:00 pm, CBSSN		Massachusetts	W 73–67	17–5 (9–1)	Ryan Center (6,328) Kingston, RI
February 8, 2020 12:00 pm, CBSSN		at George Washington	W 82–51	18–5 (10–1)	Charles E. Smith Center (3,018) Washington, D.C.
February 11, 2020 7:30 pm, CBSSN		at No. 6 Dayton	L 67–81	18–6 (10–2)	UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH
February 15, 2020 12:00 pm, CBSSN		Saint Joseph's	W 73–55	19–6 (11–2)	Ryan Center (6,673) Kingston, RI
February 22, 2020 5:30 pm, CBSSN		at Davidson	L 75-77 OT	19–7 (11–3)	John M. Belk Arena (4,597) Davidson, NC
February 26, 2020 7:00 pm, Cox/YurView/ESPN+		at Fordham	W 76–75	20–7 (12–3)	Rose Hill Gymnasium (1,588) Bronx, NY
March 1, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPNU		Saint Louis	L 62–72	20–8 (12–4)	Ryan Center (7,004) Kingston, RI
March 4, 2020 9:00 pm, CBSSN		No. 3 Dayton	L 57–84	20–9 (12–5)	Ryan Center (7,895) Kingston, RI
March 7, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Massachusetts	W 64–63	21–9 (13–5)	Mullins Center (4,053) Amherst, MA
Atlantic 10 tournament
Mar 13, 2020 8:30 p.m., NBCSN	(3)	vs. TBD Quarterfinals	A10 Tournament Canceled[4]		Barclays Center  Brooklyn, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

Source^[5]