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

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

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

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

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

Tournament; and

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reynolds Dean; and

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

against Virginia Commonwealth University; and

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

and blocked two shots off the bench; and

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

now, therefore be it

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

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

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

further

     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

Rhode Island Men's Basketball Team.

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