Women's basketball looks to fill scoring gap with mix of newcomers, transfers

Photo courtesy of gorhody.com

235 days ago, red confetti fell from the rafters of the Henrico Sports and Events Center as the Richmond Spiders knocked the Rhode Island Rams women’s basketball team out of the Atlantic 10 tournament.

2024 marked the first time the Rams reached the championship game of the conference tournament, and the falter on the big stage sent them back to the drawing board to scheme up a plan to collect that final win to send them to the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history.

Since that last loss, the program has said goodbye to several faces, both veteran players, younger additions and a member of their coaching staff. However one constant from last season is Tammi Reiss, the woman who has collected over 20 wins in the past three seasons straight, and it is up to her to figure out how to get back to the championship game in 2025.

For Reiss, it can almost be said for certain that she would rather the confetti falling be colored Keaney Blue this coming March.

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The Departures

Mayé Touré:

Touré had become a fan favorite in Kingston due to her explosive breakout season in 2022-23, when she was named to the All-A-10 First Team for her 11.8 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game, including a total of 12 double-doubles including a stretch of six straight at one point.

Touré averaged a career best 12.5 ppg in 2023-24, and to the disappointment of many fans she decided to transfer to the University of Utah in the offseason to pursue her education in graduate school.

Dee Dee Davis:

A Ram of just one season, Davis quickly struck onto the scene in Kingston with a story of perseverance and determination to get back to the school that she was once originally slated to attend out of high school before an injury to her ACL.

Davis averaged 12.4 ppg for the Rams last season, and scored in double digits for the last 12 games of the year. Davis has since graduated, leaving a hole in the Rams’ backcourt.

Megan Shoniker:

A former Ram from 2007-11, Shoniker was brought back to serve as an assistant coach under Reiss in 2019-20. Shoniker was promoted to associate head coach and served on that post last season, but after receiving an offer to become a head coach, she departed her alma mater.

Shoniker now leads the University of New Hampshire women’s basketball program, and former Ram Eva DeChent, who played her freshman year with Rhody last season, also joined the coach that recruited her up in Durham.

The Key Facets

Sophie Phillips:

A player who at the end of this season could be classified as the greatest three-point shooter in program history, Phillips has been an offensive juggernaut for the past three seasons. The senior is 30 threes away from claiming the all-time program record, and for a player who has made over 75 in the past two seasons, including a record-setting mark of 89 in 2023-24, confidence is high that she will claim the throne in 2024-25.

Annaelle Dutat:

A member of the preseason all-defensive A-10 team for the past two seasons, Dutat’s rebounding and defense in the post has been a strength for the Rams since she arrived on campus as a freshman. 

Ranking in the top-10 in RPG last season across the A-10, Dutat grabbed double-digit rebounds seven times last season, collecting two double-doubles in the process. The Rams will hope she can replicate that performance and some this season to help fill the hole in the front-court left by Touré.

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Season Outlook

Reiss’ squad has inched closer to their A-10 championship year-by-year, falling in the championship in ‘24, the semi-finals in ‘23 and the quarterfinals in ‘22. By that pattern, the Rams will leave this season on top of the mountain.

However, it seems premature to make that claim, with the highest roster turnover in that three-year span. Reiss has taken this program from the ground up though, collecting historical seasons, and developing players into professional talent.

So although the roster is new and the players are unfamiliar, as the kids these days say, “Let Tammi cook.”