Rhode Island
Here are the latest comings and goings on the local college basketball scene
No additional entries are allowed, but there is still plenty of college basketball business left to resolve in the transfer portal.
Brown’s men, the University of Rhode Island’s men and Bryant’s men all saw noteworthy player movement over the last week. The Rams women made a coaching staff addition while bidding to contend again in the Atlantic 10 in 2024-25.
The Bears mined the Division II ranks for fresh talent while URI’s men saw four players who could have suited up in 2024-25 find homes elsewhere. The Bulldogs retained a standout and lost another to a team they upset on the road in December 2020. The Rams women brought in a replacement for Megan Shoniker, who was hired away by New Hampshire to begin her first stint as a head coach.
Here’s a more in-depth look at each development over the last week:
Brown men: Malachi Ndur, Jacob Dar
Ndur will join the William & Mary Tribe as a graduate transfer. He exhausted his eligibility with the Bears after helping them reach the Ivy Madness title game in March. Ndur closed with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists in that tight defeat against Yale.
Dar will join Brown from Emory & Henry (Va.) with two seasons of eligibility remaining. He’s a 6-foot-7-inch wing who averaged 15.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 28 games with the Wasps in 2023-24. Dar is a Nebraska native who will compete for a role replacing Kalu Anya, a two-year lineup staple who transferred to Saint Louis.
Rhode Island men: Ben Hammond, Connor Dubsky, Rory Stewart, Luis Kortright
Hammond committed to Virginia Tech after asking the Rams for a release from his letter of intent and reopening his recruitment. He selected the Hokies ahead of Tennessee and a host of other high-profile suitors.
More: With college basketball’s transfer portal now closed, here’s the latest RI update.
Dubsky (UNC Asheville), Stewart (Florida Gulf Coast) and Kortright (Washington) have all announced commitments after entering the portal at the close of the 2023-24 season. Kortright was the only member of that trio to play meaningful minutes for URI, averaging 10 points and collecting a team-high 117 assists.
Tyson Brown (Georgia Southern), Jeremy Foumena (High Point), Zek Montgomery (Bradley) and Brandon Weston (Tennessee State) previously announced departures from the Rams after a 12-20 season. URI has added commitments from Albany guard and Rhode Island native Sebastian Thomas, Nebraska guard Jamarques Lawrence and St. John’s forward Drissa Traore.
Bryant men: Rafael Pinzon, Daniel Rivera
Pinzon will return to what should be a primary role for the Bulldogs. He played in all 33 games last year and averaged 13 points despite making just four starts. Pinzon netted at least 19 points in each of his last four games and hit double figures in five of his last eight.
Rivera announced a commitment to Massachusetts and will resume what was initially a path toward the Atlantic 10. He missed all of the 2022-23 season with Saint Louis after undergoing foot surgery and will join a rival after averaging 13.3 points and 8.1 rebounds in a lone year with Bryant.
Rhode Island women: Ali Jaques
The Rams hired Jaques away from league rival George Washington, where she served as associate head coach in 2023-24. Jaques is a previous head coach at Siena and counts other stops at Seton Hall, Northwestern, Dayton, Furman, Sacred Heart and Rider.
“I’ve known Ali a long time and she is extremely competitive, a tireless worker and a relentless recruiter,” URI coach Tammi Reiss said in a statement. “She has had success as both an assistant coach and as a head coach, and her experience will be invaluable to our program.”
Jaques coached in a Sweet 16 with the Wildcats and the title game of the WBI with the Saints in 2014-15. She was a standout basketball and soccer player at New York University in the late 1990s, including a Division III national championship with the Violets on the hardwood in 1996-97.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On X: @BillKoch25
Rhode Island
Rhode Island GOP chairman Joe Powers to step down Jan. 15
What will RI look like in 2050? RI GOP leader fears rising spending
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Rhode Island Republican Party chairman Joe Powers will resign effective Jan. 15, the party announced on Saturday, Jan. 3.
“Chairman Powers is stepping down due to the increased demands of his professional workload and an extensive travel schedule that no longer allow him to give the Chairmanship the full attention the position requires,” the party said in a news release. “The role of Chairman demands constant focus, and daily engagement especially moving into an election year, neither of which Chairman Powers can provide at this time.”
Powers a, real estate agent and unsuccessful 2022 candidate for a Cranston Senate seat, was elected to lead the state’s Republican Party in March 2023. He was reelected to a second two-year term in March.
During his tenure, Powers “oversaw meaningful organizational progress, including the successful update of the Party’s ByLaws and the full staffing of Party committees for the first time in over 20 years, establishing a strong and durable foundation heading into the next election cycle,” the GOP news release said.
Powers will remain on the GOP’s state Central Committee as chairman emeritus and will “continue to support Rhode Island Republicans in a smaller capacity,” the release said, thanking him “for his leadership and service.”
Rhode Island
RI Lottery Lucky For Life, Numbers Midday winning numbers for Dec. 28, 2025
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 28, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 28 drawing
12-17-25-34-42, Lucky Ball: 09
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Numbers numbers from Dec. 28 drawing
Midday: 5-2-7-6
Evening: 9-5-9-8
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Wild Money numbers from Dec. 28 drawing
01-13-20-24-34, Extra: 16
Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
- Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
- Winners of the Lucky for Life top prize of $1,000 a day for life and second prize of $25,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.
When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
- Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
- Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
- Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Rhode Island
Will RI’s housing stock improve by 2050? Claudia Wack is optimistic.
Claudia Wack talks about what housing will look like in 25 years
Neighbors Welcome! RI President Claudia Wack predicts what the housing landscape will look like in 25 years in Rhode Island.
Predicting the future isn’t easy. Back in 2000, who would have thought that by 2025 the Pawtucket Red Sox would no longer exist, or Rhode Island’s first female governor would be telling people to “knock it off” as a pandemic shut down the state?
Now, as we embark on the second quarter of the 21st century, what could Rhode Island look like in 2050? The staff at The Providence Journal asked leaders in their field for their thoughts on what Rhode Island will look like in 2050. Here’s what they had to say.
Name: Claudia Wack
Hometown: Providence
Title: President, Neighbors Welcome! RI, a housing advocacy group
What will Rhode Island look like in 2050?
“My optimistic vision is I think Rhode Island will actually do a good job, eventually over the next 25 years, of getting back to our roots and really allowing more housing and more vibrant walkable neighborhoods in village centers and city centers,” she said.
“I think we will actually infill some of the city and village centers that maybe people don’t realize the extent to which some of these areas have actually been depopulated compared to what they used to be. You know, the city of Providence has a smaller population now than it did historically.”
“There’s neighborhoods that, when you think about zoning, you couldn’t replicate today under modern zoning,” she continued. “And so to some extent, I think the 2050 vision that is possible is actually a return to our roots in some ways of allowing that infill in central areas.”
On a slightly more “pessimistic note,” Wack said that she anticipates the state having to grapple with a “managed retreat” in coastal areas that will be affected by sea level rise, erosion and increased hurricane risks.
“I think we will see less housing being built in certain coastal areas, if only because it’s going to be harder and harder to insure housing in those areas,” she said. “I think in certain communities we will see shifts in where housing is being built and seeing housing production sort of migrate away from at-risk areas and toward areas where it’s going to be more sustainable.”
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