Frank the moderator: Hey everyone. College basketball is back on the radar. Join Kevin McNamara TODAY @ NOON for a college hoops chat.
Drop a question or comment about PC, URI, or college basketball in general, for Kevin now and come back at lunch time.

Kevin McNamara: Hi everyone. This is Kevin McNamara of the Providence Journal. I'd like to welcome you to the first of what will be many chats this basketball season. We'd like to keep them on Mondays at around Noon time.

Kevin McNamara: Also, ProJo.com will be establishing a College Hoop Blog as soon as this week. I'm hoping this will act as a constant information source both for breaking news with PC, URI and other local hoop squads. It also will serve as a place to see news from around the college BKB world. Please feel free to check the Blog daily.

Kevin McNamara: I have attended several Providence College practices since workouts began Oct.15. I have not been to URI but have spoken with our beat writer, Paul Kenyon, about the Rams. Feel free to ask questions about both programs, or the Big East and Atlantic 10 in general.

Frank the moderator: Kevin. How about a quick overview of what we can except this season from the PC and URI teams. Has the identity of these teams changed since last year? Do they Have an identity?
Kevin McNamara: The identity of both teams has changed a lot. At PC, there is no more Ryan Gomes, needless to say. He dominated what Tim Welsh did offensively and was a major factor off the glass. Replacing him is impossible. However, the Friars have a group of young players who will become good players. How long that takes will be the story of the season.
The URI Rams are simply hoping to stay healthy. That wasn't the case last year and the players who did take the court were awful offensively. If healthy this time around, the Rams will prove to be very interesting to watch. They have a mix of veterans and youth that could surprise in the A-10.

uri75: OK, Kevin, there's only one question that needs to be answered today -- who will win the annual PC-URI game this year?
Kevin McNamara: That's a typical question from a URI fan. And a good one. If Dawan Robinson is healthy, the Rams have the best player in the state. Add in new talent like Jimmy Baron - who will be VERY good right away- and JUCO transfer Harris and the Rams can be good. PC's young talent - especially Geoff McDermott and Sharaud Curry - are good but will take time to mature. Add it all up and I'll go with the home court adge (Ryan Center) and say the Rams by 5....At least for now.

Kevin McNamara: I realize the PC game is very big, URI fans should be concerned about A-10 rivals like Temple and UMass. If the Rams can knock off those teams, then they can think about the post-season once again.

Frank the moderator: Kevin -- How strong are the Big East and Atlantic 10 conferences this year?
Kevin McNamara: The Big East and the ACC will be the 2 strongest leagues this year. The Big East is receiving alot of buzz because of expansion and the 16 teams involved. The Big East will certainly be the deepest conference in the country but I'm not sure the very top of the league is as good as hoped. A recent injury at Villanova (Curtis Sumpter) really hurts. In the A-10, things are much improved. I like GWashington, Xavier, Temple and Charlotte to all be good. NCAA Tourney good.

westerlypcfa: Other than the obvious absence of Ryan Gomes, and the relative youth of the team, how will this team differ from last year's in terms of strategy, defense, rebounding, offense. Will Tim make some changes in that regard?
Kevin McNamara: Excellent question. This PC team may offer foes very different looks, especially on offense. With a very versatile front court and balanced guard play, Welsh will certainly spread the ball around more. They could be tougher to defend. Fans will love the physical nature that McDermott and Jon Kale bring. Randall Hanke is much improved offensively, as is Herb Hill. Donnie McGrath shooting from the wing more is also a major change. Defensively, the Friars should play much more man-2-man. They're deeper and quicker than they were last year.

westerlypcfa: Has Ryan Gomes performance to date with the Celts surprised you or is he pretty much doing what you thought he might do?
Kevin McNamara: Ryan's efforts haven't surprised me at all. He was robbed not going in the 1st round of the draft. The scouts who attended virtually every PC game the last two years should be embarrassed. He is a PLAYER, who gets things done. Period. No flash, just substance. He'll be in the NBA for awhile.

Kevin McNamara: The Big East will hold its annual Media Day on Wednesday in New York. It'll be interesting to see where the league's coaches peg the Friars.

DC uri fan: How do you think Jon Clark will be at Center this season? I saw a couple of games last year and I think he's got potential if he's got the right guys around him.
Kevin McNamara: Jon Clark has enjoyed 3 years of trying to work up to speed but struggled doing so. He'll again use his size and strength to see time this year but I see Coach Baron going with other looks. If J.R. Moore improves his hands, I like him inside. And Darrell Harris comes highly acclaimed. He's a 6-10 kid who can shoot the ball. Jon Clark's time may suffer because of that.

Frank the moderator: Speaking of the NBA, will the college teams enforce a dress code, or do they already?
Kevin McNamara: Most college teams dress well for road games. Home games are another matter. I think college kids should dress well after games. That's when the media sees them, not to mention fans who hang around after the games. I think it's classy and shows the program has some class.

westerlypcfa: Have you heard anything about Montez Downey, brother of Wake's Taron Downey, joining the Friars for the second semester? He's supposed to be a zone buster, perhaps something the Friars need badly this year.
Kevin McNamara: I have seen the Montez Downey buzz on Scout. com, a fine site by the way. I know the Friars remain interested in Montez but academic questions remain. The thought the he is definely going to be at PC for 2nd semester is simply NOT True. Could he be? It remains possible. I know the coaches see him as a strong, athletic scoring guard. Kind of like recent visit Brian McKenie. My guess is if PC gets McKenzie and Ben Eaves in the next week, Downey won't be here.

Kevin McNamara: Back to recruiting, the Friars and Rams are involved with good players right now. McKenzie is thought to be one of the top outside shooters in NYork City. He'd be a nice get. So would Eaves, who visited UConn over the weekend. No word on Eaves committing to the Huskies just yet...

Kevin McNamara: URI has done a great job getting involved with better talent. It seems assts. Kevin Clark and Pat Skerry have been out a lot. I hear good things on Damian Hollis, Brian McKenzie, Jamal Barney and other potential recruits for the Rams.

westerlypcfa: Is this finally the year that Herb Hill does something? We've been hearing about his upside for a long time and that he just needed time to develop. Seems like he's been here forever.
Kevin McNamara: I think Hill can be a factor this year. While his downside remains the same (lack of aggressive defense and rebound work) his offense is greatly improved. He's also much stronger and wider. Getting knocked around at practice by the likes of Hanke, Kale and McDermott will help him. Herb is in his 4th year at PC but is a junior. He has one more year of eligibility.

Frank the moderator: What about the other RI college teams. Brown, Bryant?
Kevin McNamara: Brown is very young and losing Jason Forte has to hurt. While a major scorer, Forte was often a disruption at practice and off the court. But he was the program's best talent. Glen Miller likes his recruits but, like PC, it's tough to win right away with young guys.
At Bryant, Max Good lost an awful lot from his Div. 2 national runners-up. I believe he has 6 new players. However, with PG John Williams still around, the Bulldogs will be good. I am a big Good fan. An excellent coach.

Frank the moderator: Kevin -- How will the expansion plans for the Dunk affect PC's basketball season?
Kevin McNamara: The Dunk's expansion plans won't have any effect on the team this season but could really help down the line. Nothing will happen at the building this year but by next season fans will see some major changes. The problem is these changes could effect the next 3 PC seasons, a long time in college BKB. The coaches will sell the new building to recruits, although they won't be able to play in the completed building for awhile. Still, this is major league good news for PC and the City of Providence. Expect news on a closing of the deal within a week.

Frank the moderator: And what the atmosphere like in the Ryan Center. Is the building becoming a good place to see college basketball?
Kevin McNamara: The Ryan Center has been a great place for college BKB since it opened. Especially when there are 4,000 or more people in the seats. That wasn't the case very often last year and the team wasn't helped very often by the crowd. Hopefully that changes this season. With a home schedule featuring PC and Boston College (new Year's Eve), the Rams should have at least two sellouts before A-10 play. Getting more than 4,000 people in that building for more than half the games sounds like a great goal to me. And it is very possible.

DC uri fan: How do you think the additions to the Big East and A-10 will pan out? Seems like it could make it more difficullt for teams like West Virginia, Georgetown, and St. Joes. who all had good to decent seasons last year, be able to sustain that success.
Kevin McNamara : Excellent question. In the A-10, I don't think people realize how good Charlotte is and has been for 10 years. They could dominate the conference for years to come, making it harder for every team to keep up. If the A-10 wants to get back to the days when it gets 3-4 teams into the NCAAs, everyone better work harder. That includes URI, Saint Joe's, GW, everybody.

Kevin McNamara: In the Big East, pencil Louisville into the NCAA every year. That takes a spot away from WVirg, GTown, PC, St. John's, everyone. The league hopes to get 7-9 teams into the NCAAs. That is indeed possible but will be highly competitive.

Kevin McNamara: Besides competition, expect to hear all sorts of griping about the size of the Big East and how tough it is not to have every Big East team go to BE Tournament in New York. For the next two years, that's the deal. So accept it and win games. The league is also staying together for at least 5 years. Any potential split would hurt both BKB and football schools. If any team wants to leave, it'll cost about $5 million to leave before that.

ARamfanInSK: Kevin, who will be the top newcomer for URI this season?
Kevin McNamara: Jimmy Baron will be. He is an excellent outside shooter on a team that struggled mightily to shoot with range a year ago. If he plays with a good guard like Dawan Robinson, Baron will see plenty of open looks. And he will make them. His Dad might not want to hear it, but if this kid was available on the open market last year, he'd be in the Big East, Big 10, ACC, etc.

ktpc2005: What is your prediction for the ending records of the Rhode Island area teams to be?
Kevin McNamara: Good question but next to impossible to put a number on. That might be a cop out but I'm not ready to put a number on the teams just yet. I'll make a deal. We'll be having these chats nearly every week between now and the start of the season. I'll guess a win number during the final pre-season Chat.

DC uri fan: Wow, that would be 10-15 percent of the tournament field to one conference. That would make the Big East a monster.
Kevin McNamara: If the NCAA chooses 34 at-large teams, I can see the Big East getting 7-8 of those bids.

shujav: Kevin, I'm a Pirate alumn back in RI...do you think PC and the Hall battle it out for the bottom on Feb. 1? I would think we are safe from being last with South Florida joining up?
Kevin McNamara: South Florida will finish last in the Big East. That much is certain. PC, Seton Hall, Pittsburgh, St. John's, DePaul, Marquette, Rutgers are the other contenders to finish in the bottom 4 and miss the Big East Tourney....As you know, Louis Orr is feeling some heat down in New Jersey. I hope he survives. You won't find a nicer man.

Frank the moderator: Kevin -- thanks for coming by today for the first of many College Hoops chats.
Kevin McNamara: My pleasure Frank..For the fans who posted questions, tell your friends and return next Monday at Noon. And watch out for the Blog sometime this week....