Rhode Island men’s basketball fills opening on coaching staff; Who’s coming to Kingston?

Archie Miller reached into his past to fill the assistant coach vacancy on the University of Rhode Island men’s basketball staff.

James Whitford will join the Rams for the 2024-25 season. His addition was formally announced in a Tuesday statement. He replaces Kenny Johnson, who was hired away by Georgetown to serve in the same capacity.

“James is an excellent coach who understands what it takes to build a winning culture,” Miller said in a statement. “He has been in the game a long time, and he has experienced success every step along the way.

“His loyalty and drive are second to none, and our players will benefit immensely from his commitment to them individually.”

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Whitford most recently spent nine seasons as the head coach at Ball State, totaling 131 wins before his dismissal in 2021-22. He notched 20 victories in 2015-16 and 2016-17, the first time the Cardinals had reached that number in consecutive seasons in more than two decades. Whitford reached the CIT in both seasons and advanced to the quarterfinals during the first trip.

Whitford joins a URI staff that includes assistant coaches Duane Woodward, Austin Carroll, Christen Cunningham and Ben Sander. Woodward was hired away from Seton Hall, Carroll was a holdover from David Cox’s four seasons and Cunningham was initially brought in as director of player development. Sander operates as the program’s chief of staff.

Whitford was an assistant at Miami (Ohio) before being hired onto Sean Miller’s staff at Xavier in 2005. He followed Miller from the Musketeers to Arizona in 2009 and was an assistant with Archie Miller for two seasons. Whitford stayed with the Wildcats after Miller left for Dayton and eventually received his own head coaching chance two years later.

Whitford’s career over three decades includes nine NCAA Tournament berths, five Sweet 16 appearances and a pair of Elite Eights. He’s coached 10 players who have reached the NBA, including former Redhawks star Wally Szcerbiak and former Arizona standout Derrick Williams.

Whitford was a student manager at Wisconsin before graduating in 1994. His senior year coincided with a first NCAA Tournament trip for the Badgers since 1947. Whitford was on a staff headed by current Big East executive associate commissioner for men’s basketball Stu Jackson, and Wisconsin was led by future NBA all-star Michael Finley.

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The Rams are entering Miller’s third season in search of a major step forward. They went12-20 in 2023-24 and were eliminated in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. URI has received transfer commitments from Albany guard Sebastian Thomas, Nebraska guard Jamarques Lawrence and St. John’s forward Drissa Traore.

bkoch@providencejournal.com 

On X: @BillKoch25 

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: James Whitford named an assistant coach for Rhode Island men’s basketball