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Rhode Island basketball lands major roster piece. Who is it?

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Rhode Island basketball lands major roster piece. Who is it?

The University of Rhode Island men might have added their final major roster piece for the 2024-25 season.Javonte Brown-Ferguson committed to the Rams on Thursday, plugging a significant hole in their projected frontcourt rotation. The 7-footer has spent previous time at Connecticut, Texas A&M and Western Michigan — his lone season with the Broncos was his best to date.

Brown-Ferguson visited Kingston in May and becomes the fifth outside pledge for URI through the transfer portal. Assistant coach Duane Woodward served as his lead recruiter and added Brown-Ferguson to an incoming list that includes Quentin Diboundje (East Carolina), Jamarques Lawrence (Nebraska), Sebastian Thomas (Albany) and Drissa Traore (St. John’s).

More: Bryant men’s and women’s basketball programs see new commits coming to Smithfield.

More: Providence basketball’s Garwey Dual is leaving for a Big East rival. Where’s he going?

Brown-Ferguson hit double figures 11 times in 23 games off the bench last year as a redshirt sophomore, averaging 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds on 57.6% shooting. He debuted with 15 points against Illinois-Chicago and collected a career-high 21 next time out against Cleveland State. Brown-Ferguson was held out of action by Western Michigan until December while awaiting NCAA and judicial clearance as a two-time transfer.

Brown-Ferguson had played in just 39 games over his first three years — he should retain at least two seasons of eligibility. He was behind Josh Carlton and Adama Sanogo in the Huskies’ frontcourt, logging a total of five minutes in 2020-21. Brown-Ferguson was a starter in his first nine games with the Aggies before coming off the bench in all but two of his last 29 appearances.

Brown-Ferguson had a host of power schools chasing him when he committed to UConn out of the Toronto area. He also claimed offers from the likes of Providence, Arizona, Marquette, Indiana, Stanford, Kansas, Georgetown, Oklahoma, Seton Hall and Maryland. Brown-Ferguson was a four-star prospect, according to internet services Rivals and 247Sports.

Brown-Ferguson and Traore add to a Rams forward and center group that includes David Green and David Fuchs. Tyson Brown (Georgia Southern), Jeremy Foumena (Mississippi State), Zek Montgomery (Bradley) and Rory Stewart (Florida Gulf Coast) were the wings and frontcourt players who found new homes through the previous three months. Green and Fuchs were the most productive among them, combining for 22.2 points and 10.6 rebounds while making 41 total starts.

URI has two open scholarships remaining but could be done pursuing immediate help for next season. It’s been three months since the transfer portal opened and the vast majority of impact talent the Rams could successfully draw has been picked clean. URI has also been intentional with its additions — its staff appears to have stressed defined roles and building chemistry ahead of simply attracting talent.

The Rams enter a critical third season under coach Archie Miller after a 12-20 finish last year. URI was 9-7 overall after a 3-0 start in the Atlantic 10 but faded beginning in mid-January. Saint Louis battled to a 74-71 victory in the opening round of the conference tournament, eliminating the Rams from the field at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

URI is in the midst of summer practices and should remain on campus through the second session of classes, which run until late July. Coaches will have five separate recruiting evaluation periods between now and July 25, including a pair prior to the end of this month.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

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