2017 -- H 6043

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

CONGRATULATING THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND MEN’S BASKETBALL

TEAM ON WINNING THE 2017 ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

CHAMPIONSHIP

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Fogarty, Tanzi, McEntee, Craven, and Mattiello

     Date Introduced: March 30, 2017

     Referred To: House read and passed

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     WHEREAS, The University of Rhode Island Men's Basketball Team picked the right

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time of the season to play their best basketball, as they swept aside the competition at the 2017

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Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament to win their first Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament

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Championship in eighteen years, and advance to the second round of the NCAA Basketball

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Tournament; and

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     WHEREAS, The URI Men's Basketball Team has compiled an outstanding 25 and 10

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record in the 2016-2017 season thanks to the outstanding play provided all season by Hassan

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Martin, the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year and All-Conference Second Team selection,

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E.C. Matthews, Atlantic 10 All-Conference Third Team selection, Jeff Dowtin, an Atlantic 10

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All-Rookie Team selection, and the innumerable contributions provided by Jared Terrell, Kuran

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Iverson, Jarvis Garrett, Stanford Robinson, Nicola Akele, Cyril Langevine, Christion Thompson,

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Andre Berry, Eric Dadika, Will Leviton and Mike Layssard. Additionally, the Rams were blessed

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to be led by the innovative coaching and exemplary leadership provided by Head Coach Dan

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Hurley, Associate Head Coach David Cox, and Assistant Coaches Jim Carr, and Antonio

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Reynolds Dean; and

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     WHEREAS, The Rams Men's basketball team entered the Atlantic 10 Conference

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Tournament in Pittsburgh desperate for wins with all the national prognosticators declaring that

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URI had to make a deep run in order to secure an NCAA bid. Many teams wilt under this kind of

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pressure but the Rams seemed to welcome it as they stormed through the opposition and

 

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dominated the tournament. They began their run by beating St. Bonaventure 74 to 63, putting

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away the Bonnies in the second half with an 11 to 2 run. E.C. Matthews and Hassan Martin

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combined for thirty-nine points in the Rams victory. In the Semi-Finals, URI thrashed Davidson

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84 to 60, trailing for only twenty-four seconds in the game, and advancing to the title game

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against Virginia Commonwealth University; and

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     WHEREAS, With the NCAA Tournament bid on the line, the Rams men's basketball

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team started the game on fire, storming to a big first half lead and withstanding a second half run

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by VCU to win the Atlantic 10 Championship by the score of 70 to 63. The Rams were able to

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cut the nets down in Pittsburgh thanks to the outstanding play provided by E.C. Matthews who

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scored nineteen points, grabbed nine rebounds, and was named the Most Outstanding Player of

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the Atlantic 10 Championship and a member of the All-Championship Team. Joining him on the

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All-Championship team was teammate Hassan Martin, who contributed eleven points, five

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rebounds and three blocked shots in the title game. Also making vital contributions were Jared

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Terrell, who scored twenty-four points, and freshman Cyril Langevine who grabbed ten rebounds

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and blocked two shots off the bench; and

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     WHEREAS, The Rams were underdogs in their first round game against Creighton but

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established their dominance over the Bluejays at the start of the game as they jumped out to a 6 to

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1 lead and held Creighton without a field goal thanks to their tenacious defense. The Rams

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continued the defensive pressure throughout the game, holding Creighton to 30 percent shooting

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as they pulled ahead to a 7-point lead at the half thanks to the ability of Jeff Dowtin and Kuran

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Iverson to get to the basket and connect on high percentage shots. In the second half, URI pushed

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its lead to eleven points and maintained a double-digit lead for most of the second half as they put

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away Creighton and cruised to 84 to 72 victory. The Rams were superb at the free throw line,

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connecting on 28 of 31 free throws, and they overwhelmed Creighton with their balanced attack,

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with five players scoring in double figures to send the Rams to the NCAA round of 32; and

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     WHEREAS, In the following game, URI took an explosive Oregon Ducks basketball

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team and gave them everything they could handle, with the Rams pushing Oregon to the limit and

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the very last possession before falling in a heartbreaking 75 to 72 loss to a very talented team;

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now, therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

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Providence Plantations hereby congratulates the University of Rhode Island Men's Basketball

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Team on winning the 2017 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Conference Tournament; and be it

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further

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     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

 

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transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Mr. Dan Hurley, Head Coach, University of

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Rhode Island Men's Basketball Team.

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