What if there was a Rhode Island native dream team in college hoops? Funny you should ask
Tyler Kolek’s impending return to his home state Tuesday night prompts the most common of hypotheticals.
What if?
How he ended up at Marquette has been well documented. Kolek’s rise to Big East Player of the Year and All-American will always be a sore spot for some men’s basketball fans in the state who now desperately wish he was wearing their uniform. His ascension with the Golden Eagles is the result of a perfect marriage between the player, his ability, his work ethic and the free-flowing system employed by Marquette coach Shaka Smart.
What if Kolek was playing point guard with some fellow native Rhode Islanders? They’re spread throughout the current landscape, and you could fill out a lineup that would win games in just about any conference. This group would be right at home in power leagues and has the potential to dominate lesser ones — it really is a wonderful time to pay attention to what they’ve been up to after leaving the state to pursue the future elsewhere.
Who starts? Who comes off the bench? Who has the honor of coaching this group? Let’s open the discussion.
Starters
Tyler Kolek
Marquette, Point Guard
Kolek starred at Cumberland before prepping at St. George’s. He held offers from the likes of St. Bonaventure, Richmond, Vermont, Towson, Brown and Bryant before committing to George Mason. Kolek broke out as the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and entered the transfer portal after Patriots coach Dave Paulsen was fired.
Smart called Kolek personally on his 20th birthday and prioritized him throughout the recruiting process. Providence had its attention focused on Indiana transfer Al Durham, Florida transfer Noah Locke and high school prospect Jayden Pierre. The University of Rhode Island never made contact with Kolek before he pledged to the Golden Eagles.
Should the Friars have pushed in a different direction? Durham and the returning Jared Bynum helped lead them to a Sweet 16 in 2021-22. Locke aided another NCAA Tournament run in 2022-23 after a lone season at Louisville. Pierre could be key to the next March Madness appearance under Kim English. That said, Kolek will always feel like one who got away for Providence, the Rams and everyone else.
Enoch Cheeks
Dayton, Shooting Guard
Cheeks starred at Mount Pleasant and prepped at Springfield Commonwealth before breaking out on the Nike circuit with Expressions Elite. He picked up an early offer from Arizona State and added further interest from URI, Bryant, St. Bonaventure, George Washington and Massachusetts.
Cheeks might have been more of a backup plan for some of those programs — Robert Morris was the most persistent and earned his commitment. He was an all-Horizon League selection with the Colonials in 2022-23 before entering the transfer portal and committing to Dayton. The Flyers host the Rams on Jan. 20, and Cheeks is almost certain to be a factor after starting his first nine games in his new home.
Tedrick Wilcox
Hampton, Small Forward
Wilcox was a bit of a late bloomer. He started at Tolman, continued at Rocky Hill and began his college career in the Division II ranks with Dominican (N.Y.). Then it was off to St. Francis Brooklyn, which discontinued its Division I athletics program beginning in 2023-24.
Wilcox landed on his feet at Hampton as a graduate transfer, and he currently profiles as someone who has a chance to be an overseas professional for years. Shooting is his calling card — 39.3% from 3-point range through 10 starts with the Pirates. Wilcox averages 15.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and would be a steady member of this mythical starting five.
Isaiah Miranda
Oklahoma State, Power Forward
This pick is based on potential, and Miranda carries plenty of it. He started at Tolman, graduated from Southern California Academy and enrolled midway through the 2022-23 season at North Carolina State. Miranda entered the transfer portal after never appearing for the Wolfpack and just debuted with the Cowboys after battling hip and ankle injuries.
Miranda doesn’t have much of an on-court track record, but there simply aren’t many 7-foot-1-inch athletes with his grace and touch. He became a consensus four-star prospect thanks to grassroots work with Rhode Island Elite and held offers from the likes of Providence, URI, Syracuse, Maryland, Memphis, Oregon, Louisville, USC, UCLA, Georgetown and Connecticut. The Friars and Rams both had him on campus but ultimately couldn’t secure a commitment.
Keegan Records
Colgate, Center
Like Wilcox, Records enjoyed a later breakout. He dominated undersized Interscholastic League frontcourts with South Kingstown before prepping against better competition at St. Andrew’s. Records held Division II offers from Mars Hill and Post and another in Division I from Binghamton before committing to the Raiders.
What’s followed has been a perfect example of player development. Records came off the bench 33 times in 2019-20 before starting all but one of his next 95 games. He’s a career 63.5% shooter who has averaged at least 9.1 points and at least 6.0 rebounds in his last three seasons. Records entered the transfer portal as a graduate and received significant attention — Clemson was among the headliners pursuing him — before opting for a return to Colgate and a bid for a fourth straight Patriot League championship.
Reserves
Dyondre Dominguez
Arkansas State, Forward
Dominguez is a former Tolman standout who began his college career at Massachusetts. His move in the transfer portal to the Red Wolves led to a double-digit victory at Louisville on Wednesday night — not too many from the state, regardless of the Cardinals' current helplessness, can claim such a highlight. Dominguez is powerful and athletic at 6 feet 9 inches, averaging 12.1 points and 8.7 rebounds early on for his new program.
Sebastian Thomas
Albany, Point Guard
Thomas starred at Bishop Hendricken, spent two seasons at URI and is putting up numbers while occupying more of a central role with the Great Danes. He averaged 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists through his first 11 games with Albany. His homecoming is set for March 5 and could be a classic — the Great Danes visit Bryant in their America East finale, and postseason seeding could be up for grabs.
TJ Weeks
Rider, Guard
Weeks offers a veteran presence, floor spacing and perimeter shooting. He played with Pilgrim and Bishop Hendricken, spent four years at Massachusetts and elected to move on from Amherst as a graduate transfer. The left-hander's career-high 30 points in a February 2022 win at URI featured the best of his skill set, a barrage of wing jumpers that left the Rams broken.
Tyriek Weeks
Rider, Forward
Weeks came onto the Division I radar at Pilgrim and started in junior college at Miami Dade before joining the Broncs for 2023-24. His game is a bit of a hybrid — partly the touch of his older brother, partly the brawn of his father, Tyrone, the former Massachusetts standout. His first five appearances with Rider came off the bench, and he averaged 2.2 points and 2.8 rebounds.
Raymond Espinal-Guzman
Sacred Heart, Forward
Espinal-Guzman played in Saturday’s loss at Providence, his 43rd career appearance off the bench after a redshirt in 2021-22. He’s averaging 4.7 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 50% early in this second season on the floor with the Pioneers. Espinal-Guzman is a Cranston native who prepped at Woodstock Academy — there could still be significant upside here.
Aaron Gray
Indiana State, Forward
Gray made his name in high school at La Salle and opened his college career in Division II at Southern New Hampshire. He elevated to Niagara after dominating with the Penmen and is now off to a 10-1 start at Larry Bird’s alma mater. Gray should become more of a factor as time passes with the Sycamores — he's big enough to overpower smaller wings and athletic enough to slither between larger paint players.
Erickson Bans
Florida Southern, Guard
There certainly should be a place on this team for the Interscholastic League’s all-time leading boys scorer. And in this case, Bans has already proven himself at a higher level. He was a sparkplug guard off the bench for Bryant after a glittering career at Shea and hasn’t wasted any time establishing himself after a transfer down to the Mocs at the Division II level.
Preston Santos
Southern New Hampshire, Forward
Santos was a star at Bishop Hendricken and initially spent time at Massachusetts after prepping at Woodstock Academy. He’s a scoring wing with the Penmen, capable of knocking down 3-pointers and getting to the rim. Santos took some time off with the Minutemen while addressing some personal mental health challenges — it's wonderful to see him back on the floor and ready to contribute in Division II.
Coaches
Ed Cooley
Georgetown, Head coach
His departure from Providence was an acrimonious one, but don’t lose sight of the big picture. Cooley was the Naismith National Coach of the Year in 2021-22, led the Friars to their first Sweet 16 in 25 years and is the only man who owns both Big East regular season and tournament titles in program history. He’s an easy choice to lead this team and would be expected to match what he did seven times in his home city at Providence — qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
TJ Sorrentine
Brown, Associate head coach
Sorrentine brings valuable experience to any staff. The former star at St. Raphael and Vermont is in his 16th season on the bench with the Bears — his 12th under Mike Martin. Sean McGonagill, Brandon Anderson, Tavon Blackmon and Kino Lilly Jr. are just a few of the perimeter players who have flourished partly thanks to Sorrentine’s work ethic and acumen.
Antone Gray
Indiana State, Assistant coach
Gray enjoyed strong playing careers at St. Raphael and Rhode Island College before building his coaching resumé from the ground up. He won a division championship at Juanita Sanchez, was hired away to the Maine staff under Bob Walsh and has since enjoyed stints at Brown, Niagara and with the Sycamores. They’re off to a blistering start in 2023-24 partly thanks to Gray and his cousin, Aaron, who followed him from the Purple Eagles to Terre Haute.
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Here's your Rhode Island native college basketball dream team
