Video games are clearly in brief provide when July rolls round, however the enterprise of faculty basketball stays alive and properly all year long.
NBA Summer season League invites, offseason crew journeys, teaching modifications and transfers are nonetheless ongoing. It’s been three months for the reason that Closing 4 and it’s nonetheless 4 months till opening night time in November however that issues little.
Listed below are a couple of notes throughout what was a busy week main into the fireworks, cookouts and different celebrations that marked Independence Day. Hope it was a contented and wholesome time for all.
NBA Summer season League — Ed Croswell, Jeff Dowtin Jr., Justin Minaya, Charles Pleasure
4 further former faculty standouts within the state had been assigned to NBA Summer season League rosters final week.
Croswell will return from his season in Turkey to play with the Orlando Magic. He appeared in 33 video games with Fenerbahce final 12 months, averaging 19.1 factors and 9.3 rebounds. Croswell was a key member of two NCAA Match groups at Windfall earlier than starting his skilled profession abroad.
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Dowtin will play with the Philadelphia 76ers. The previous star level guard on the College of Rhode Island performed in 12 video games with the 76ers final season, averaging 4.3 factors and a couple of.3 assists. Dowtin beforehand performed for Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse with the Toronto Raptors, giving him a pure connection to his fifth cease within the league.
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Minaya signed a two-way contract with the Portland Path Blazers and can play with them this month. He appeared in 34 video games with Portland final season, averaging 1.8 factors and 1.6 rebounds. Minaya is about to enter his third season with the Path Blazers after a lone season as a Windfall ahead in 2021-22, and his switch from South Carolina helped the Friars attain the Candy 16.
Pleasure has agreed to a summer time cope with the Charlotte Hornets as a rookie. He spent a ultimate season at St. Bonaventure in 2023-24 after starring at Bryant for 4 years. Pleasure helped the Bulldogs attain a primary NCAA Match in program historical past, leaving the college with greater than 1,500 profession factors, 750 rebounds and 250 assists.
Rhode Island males — Bahamas
The Rams will play three video games throughout a week-long tour of the Bahamas in August.
URI will go to Baha Mar for matchups with the College of Calgary, the College of Alberta and a neighborhood crew to be decided. The journey comes on the finish of the college’s second summer time session. Gamers have been on campus and working towards for the reason that shut of the 2023-24 season.
“The chance to carry our program to a vacation spot web site just like the Baha Mar Hoops Summer season League is thrilling,” URI coach Archie Miller mentioned in an announcement. “Any likelihood to provide your crew stay recreation motion towards any opponent helps construct crew chemistry, particularly the place we’re mixing a returning nucleus with a number of newcomers.”
Ticket packages can be found at bahamarhoops.com.
Bryant ladies — Megan Bodziony
Bodziony will spend a COVID fifth 12 months with the Le Moyne Dolphins in 2024-25. It will likely be the left-handed guard’s third faculty cease after Fordham and 85 video games with the Bulldogs over the past three seasons.
Bodziony made 15 of her 25 begins in 2022-23 and averaged 3.3 factors throughout her time in Smithfield. She was a star at South Kingstown and the state Gatorade Participant of the 12 months at St. Andrew’s earlier than shifting to the Atlantic 10.
Bodziony is one among 4 incoming transfers for Le Moyne coach Nick DiPillo, who’s coming into his debut season.
Windfall males — Matt Palumbo, Anton Bonke, Corey Floyd Jr.
Palumbo has been promoted to assistant coach coming into the 2024-25 season. He spent final 12 months as a particular assistant to go coach Kim English.
“He is without doubt one of the most devoted and pushed people I’ve labored with throughout my profession,” English mentioned in an announcement. “We’re lucky to have him working with our crew.”
Palumbo was a graduate assistant at George Mason for 2 seasons and adopted English when he was employed away from the Patriots. He was an undergraduate supervisor for 4 seasons at Virginia, serving to the Cavaliers win a nationwide title in 2019. Palumbo has largely targeted on participant growth and recruiting coordination beneath English.
Bonke and Floyd just lately accomplished a nine-day journey to Greece with the USA East Coast Males’s Basketball Choose Workforce. They performed 4 video games in Athens from June 24 to July 2.
Floyd was one of many crew’s main scorers. He hit for 13 factors within the second recreation, 17 within the third and 18 within the fourth. Floyd averaged 4.8 factors and three.0 rebounds as a redshirt sophomore guard with the Friars in 2023-24.
Bonke loved productive showings within the second and fourth video games. The middle collected 10 factors and 7 rebounds within the second earlier than including 12 factors and 4 rebounds within the fourth. Bonke enrolled at Windfall out of an Arizona junior faculty on the midseason final 12 months and practiced with the crew by the rest of an NIT marketing campaign.
Elsewhere — Darius Lopes
Lopes introduced his dedication to Maine on Sunday. He took an official go to with the Black Bears in Might and in addition claimed presents from Albany, Fordham, Siena and UMBC.
Lopes is a 2025 guard and West Warwick native. He was an undergraduate at Bishop Hendricken earlier than becoming a member of his present prep house at Vermont Academy. Lopes performs on the Puma grassroots circuit with Rhode Island Elite.
“There isn’t part of the journey I remorse,” Lopes mentioned in his announcement on social media.
On X: @BillKoch25