SOUTH KINGSTON, R.I – On the surface, you wouldn’t think much would happen. There wasn’t much energy in the arena, especially at the outset, and the game was one of a few in a tournament dwarfed in prestige by the NCAA Tournament, which had two of its First Four games being played on the evening. But Delroy James made it memorable for those who came out, recording the first triple-double in program history to lead the Rams to a convincing 76-59 win over Miami (Ohio).
Did he know about it?
“I didn’t know how close I was until Coach (Preston) Murphy, with about seven or eight minutes left, told me I was two rebounds and two assists away,” said the senior forward. “So then I was like, ‘Why did you tell me?'”
James took care of the rest from there, finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, with only two turnovers.
James’ accomplishment wasn’t the only unexpected event of the night. One of his big helpers was Orion Outerbridge, a player who has experienced some of the adversity the Rams have had to go through this season. The junior forward missed the first semester due to academics, and entered Wednesday night’s game having never attempted a three-pointer in his college career. He then proceeded to knock down four shots from long range, the only ones he took from there, en route to tying a career high with 18 points on 7-8 shooting.
But even Outerbridge admitted that James’ accomplishment was more impressive. Certainly, a triple-double is more rare than a 4-4 outing from long range by a player who never took a shot from there in most of his first three seasons. James said Outerbridge often hits those shots in practice, but the opportunity simply had not presented itself in games. In the end it doesn’t matter since both are on the same team and, more importantly, got the win.
There’s always a question of motivation for teams playing in a postseason tournament other than the NCAA. Some teams don’t get over the initial disappointment of not being in the NCAA Tournament, and they get eliminated quickly. Although the Ryan Center didn’t have a lot of energy, especially at the beginning, the players created their own energy for the crowd of just over 1,100.
“When you go out there and the ball is thrown up, it’s the same routine,” said James. “What tournament you’re in goes out the window. You’re playing against a team that wants to beat you.”
It’s been a long road to this point for the Rams. They lost a couple of players who were more than just keys to last season’s success, and then other personnel issues set in. Jamal Wilson didn’t play any non-conference games due to injury, and in the season opener, they lost Levan Shengelia for the season. In January, guard Daniel West was declared academically ineligible for the second semester, which was a big hit to the backcourt since they were already thin there.
Not only are the Rams in a postseason tournament, but they reached the 20-win mark with Wednesday’s win for the fourth straight year. That was one more point of satisfaction and another item aided by playing, as was the senior class becoming the winningest in school history as they picked up their 90th win.
“This was an unbelievable year that I’ve gone through with the adversity,” said head coach Jim Baron. “With losing guys with health issues, academic issues, not only have we won 20 games, but these guys are graduating on time. That, to me, is a great combination.”
The Rams have to go on the road for their next game. They are hopeful of coming home again, but most of all, they are happy to still be playing.
“We don’t have to play in this tournament, but why wouldn’t we want the chance to continue playing basketball at the end of the season?” said Outerbridge. “It feels good to continue to play, regardless of whether it’s the CBI, NIT, NCAA.”
