With Rhode Island's 2016-17 college basketball season completed GoLocalProv has selected the best players in the state, by position, to make up the 6th Annual GoLocalProv All-Rhode Island Division I Basketball teams. GoLocal's All-Rhode Island Awards includefirst team, second team, coach of the year, and rookie of the year.
The Friars drew a first four matchup against the University of Southern California Trojans.
Providence built a 17 point second half lead before the Trojans stormed back to win the game, but PC head coach Ed Cooley was quick to remind everyone “remember we were picked to finish 9th in the Big East.”
Looking Ahead
Next season, Providence returns everyone from this year’s team minus Ryan Fazes who announced he was leaving earlier this week. PC will also welcome four star recruits Dejour Dickens and Nate Watson.
The Rams will need to overcome the losses of seniors Hassan Martin and Kuran Iverson.
They will however, return E.C. Matthews, Jared Terrell, Stanford Robinson, Jarvis Garrett and Jeff Dowtin all at the guard position.
Both PC and URI being back in the tournament in 2018 is not out of the question.
For an in depth look at the teams, as well as Player of the Year, Coach of the Year and Rookie of the Year, See the Slideshow Below.
Related Slideshow: GoLocal’s All-Rhode Island 2016-17 Division I Hoop Teams
Cartwright averaged 11.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in the regular season helping the Friars to a third place finish in the conference. PC was picked to finish 9th at the beginning of the season.
He finished the season ranked third in the country and first in the Big East with 6.8 assists per game.
"He is that straw. He stirs us up a lot, he is able to drive, he is able to kick, he is really talented. I want Kyron to still think he is better than he is. By nature he is a quiet kid, he is a docile young man, hopefully, he continues to know he is a pretty good basketball player. When he thinks he is good, he plays well," said PC head coach Ed Cooley following the Friars final home game.
Zouzoua was named all-conference first team in the NEC after averaging 20 points per game to lead the Bulldogs.
Zouzoua scored at least 20 points in 15 games and scored at least 25 points on seven different occasions. He reached the 30 point mark on two different occasions.
Spieth was named First Team All-Ivy following the conclusion of his senior season at Brown. He is the 19th player in Brown history to receive the honor and the first to do it since Sean McGonagil in 2014.
"Steven had a great season. He really elevated his game from his junior year and I think that is a credit to the work that he put in this offseason. He was a big part of every win that we had this year," said Brown head coach Mike Martin.
In 2016-17 Spieth led Brown and the Ivy league with an average of 19 points per game in conference play. He ranked third in the Ivy League in overall scoring with an average of 17 points per game.
Spieth finished his career as Brown's fifth all-time leading scorer with 1,367 points. His 117 career starts are the most ever at Brown and second in the Ivy League. His 118 games played are first at Brown and rank 11th in Ivy League history.
"He has been as reliable as they come, he has played the most games in Brown history, he's played all five positions at one point, he's had a great career," Martin said.
Martin finishes his career with 321 blocked shots, just seven shy of the URI all-time record held by Kenny Green.
He also ranked 17th in scoring (14 points per game) in the conference and eighth in rebounding (7 per game).
Martin helped lead URI to an A-10 championship and the program's first NCAA Tournament birth since 1999.
"I'm going to remember Hassan Martin who has been a rock of this program. You don't get a chance to coach a better person than him. You don't get a chance to play with a better person than him," said URI head coach Dan Hurley following the Rams NCAA Tournament loss to Oregon.
Dan Hurley led the URI Rams to their first A-10 Championship win since 1999 and then their first NCAA Tournament win since 1998.
Despite some ups and downs throughout the year, Hurley led the Rams to a 25-10 overall record and 13-5 in the A-10 this season, good enough for a third-place finish in the conference.
Dowtin took over the starting point guard role in the February 7 game against Massachusetts and he never gave it back.
Dowtin started the next 19 games for URI and averaged 6 points in 22 minutes of action per game.
Dowtin saved his best performance for the first round of the NCAA Tournament when he poured in 23 points to lead the Rams past Creighton.
"This is a guy that came from a great family, played at a great high school program at St. John's College in D.C., maybe the best high school league in the country, DeMatha, pulled a 6, high-level league, comes from a great family, high-level student.
This guy has all the attributes, all the qualities of someone that's going to be very, very successful. Because he's such a well-rounded person he has tremendous confidence," said URI head coach Dan Hurley after the Creighton game.
Kyron Cartwright is the player of the year in Rhode Island.
Cartwright was third in the country in assists and averaged 11.3 points per game, taking a PC team that was picked to finish 9 in the conference to a fourth straight NCAA Tournament.
