It’s a great time to be a URI basketball fan, thanks to two visionary coaches—Dan Hurley and Daynia La-Force—who have each planned, designed, molded, and sculpted their programs into major winning forces on the hardwood. Their results from the 2014-15 season will be reflected in the history books, and the effects will be seen for years to come.

The season continues for the URI men’s team, as the Rams posted a strong 88-75 win over Iona at the Ryan Center in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament March 17. Five Rams scored in double figures as Rhode Island turned in one of its strongest offensive performances of the season against Iona. The 23-9 Rams will now take on Stanford in the second round of the NIT.

On the women’s side of the ledger, Rhode Island made it to the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament, bowing out to Duquesne. The 17-13 Rams posted a victory against LaSalle in the first round, the first time in six years that they earned a victory in the conference tournament.

Coach Hurley—now in his third season—has served as the architect of the Rams’ resurgence on the local and national scene. Playing to near-capacity crowds, the men’s basketball team has performed at never-before seen heights. In Atlantic 10 conference play, the team set a new program standard with an 11-3 start and sat atop the A-10 standings entering the month of March.

Led by a core of young players—sophomore standouts E.C. Matthews and Hassan Martin and freshmen phenoms Jared Terrell and Jarvis Garrett—the team has played among the elite in the league while boasting one of its youngest rosters. Rhody has its eyes set on the postseason, beginning in Brooklyn for the Atlantic 10 Championship and beyond. With the young core of highly gifted players and the influx of talented newcomers, Coach Hurley has sparked a new basketball movement at the University of Rhode Island.

With the young core of highly gifted players and the influx of talented newcomers, Coach Hurley has sparked a new basketball movement at the University of Rhode Island.

Since arriving in Kingston last May, Coach La-Force launched a campaign called “Winning Minds” aimed at changing a culture that had losing engrained for so long. Her positive influence began with her roster and has expanded throughout the community. After winning minds, the women’s basketball team has begun to win games.

The first African-American head coach of a women’s sport at the University of Rhode Island, Coach La-Force started her inaugural season by winning eight of her first 11 games. The team had a seven-game win streak, including wins over the three other Division I programs in Rhode Island in Brown, Bryant, and Providence.

Coach La-Force’s forces finished the regular season with a 16-12 record—the biggest single-season turnaround in school history with a nine-win improvement from the previous season. The team’s overall record and 8-8 mark in A-10 play were their best in 11 seasons. Paced by freshman guard Charise Wilson—the 2014-15 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year—they also have their sights set on playing in the postseason.

Two culture changes. Two visionary leaders. Two history-making success stories. Two more reasons for Rhody pride. The basketball renaissance is alive in Kingston now and for years to come.