Throughout June and heading into the all-important July recruiting period, Jeff Goodman and Jeff Borzello will take a look at the summer checklists for the top 50 programs in college basketball, as revealed in Goodman's preseason ballot published in late May. Goodman and Borzello will show you each roster the way the program's coaches are looking at it, projecting graduation/NBA casualties and areas of need ahead of 2016-17. Below is the summer guide for the Rhode Island Rams.
An index and schedule for the Summer Recruiting Bible series is located HERE.
Scholarship chart
Seniors (3): SG Four McGlynn, PF Ifeanyi Onyekaba, PF Earl Watson
Juniors (4): SG Stanford Robinson (redshirt), G E.C. Matthews, PF Hassan Martin, SF Kuran Iverson
Sophomores (3): PG Jarvis Garrett, SG Jared Terrell, PF Andre Berry
Freshmen (3): SG Christion Thompson, PF Nikola Akele, PF Leroy Butts
Possible early-entry losses after next season: G E.C. Matthews
Available scholarships for 2016: Three (possibly four)
Committed prospects for 2016 and beyond: None
Biggest needs for 2016-17: Frontcourt help (two bigs), guard who can shoot
Must-haves: None
Targets: PF Kevin Marfo (BABC), PF Cameron Lard (No. 94 in ESPN 100, New Orleans Elite), PF JJ Matthews (River City Reign), PF Anfernee McLemore (Atlanta Celtics), PF Alassane Kah (juco), C Thik Bol (juco), C Valentine Sangoyomi (Northern Oklahoma Tonkama juco), SG Greg Williams (Team Felton), SG Christian Vital (PSA Cardinals)
Summer scenario
Coach Danny Hurley has clearly upgraded the talent level at Rhode Island since taking over in 2012, and it's not just E.C. Matthews -- although his success and development have certainly helped the Rams recruit on the wings. They also bring back Hassan Martin, Jared Terrell and Jarvis Garrett, while adding talented transfer Kuran Iverson. With Hurley signing an extension in the offseason -- and answering a few potential questions while doing it -- the goal for the Rams is to build on the current talent.
For 2016, URI is prioritizing big men and wing shooting. Up front, the biggest target is Marfo, one of the top players in Massachusetts. Marfo averaged nearly a double-double with BABC on the AAU circuit, and the Rams have zeroed in on him. On the perimeter, Hurley is preparing for the definite loss of Four McGlynn and the potential loss of Matthews. As a result, Williams and Vital are prime targets in the backcourt.