Rhode Island

Rhode Island basketball’s Sebastian Thomas plays the hero against George Mason. Here’s how

Published

1 year ago

January 4, 2025

Rhode Island basketball’s Sebastian Thomas plays the hero against George Mason. Here’s how

SOUTH KINGSTOWN — Saturday afternoon saw Sebastian Thomas add another chapter to what is becoming a remarkable personal story in this 2024-25 men’s college basketball season.

The former star at Bishop Hendricken and Providence native has been Mr. Clutch for the University of Rhode Island, and so it was again with George Mason in town for the home Atlantic 10 opener.

Thomas dribbled, faded and nailed an off-balance jumper along the right baseline with 0.9 seconds left to electrify the Ryan Center yet again. The Rams slipped past the Patriots, 62-59, in a game where they trailed for nearly 30 minutes.

URI opted not to use a timeout after inbounding with 11.7 seconds left, and Thomas took a backcourt handoff from Jamarques Lawrence up the right sideline. He waved off any potential screening action and attacked Brayden O’Connor 1-on-1, creating some daylight just before falling out of bounds.

Thomas floated a shot that caught nothing but net and drew a foul, a conventional three-point play that snapped a 59-59 tie.

“I knew we were going to get the last shot,” Thomas said. “I definitely wanted the ball. I think my teammates trust me with the ball.”

Thomas helped drop Providence and Temple in previous games with 3-point daggers inside the final minute. This bucket and the ensuing missed full-court heave by O’Conner allowed the Rams to bounce back from a wretched road loss at Duquesne on New Year’s Eve. URI faced a 12-point hole early after a third straight ineffective half of offense, but Thomas and a revamped lineup took command just in time to win a fifth straight league home opener.

“He’s the ultimate gamer right now,” URI coach Archie Miller said. “Confident. Bailed us out there.”

Thomas floated home a soft jumper in the lane with 2:58 left to make it a 56-54 game, the first lead for the Rams since the 12:31 mark of the opening half. URI generated a couple key defensive stops and received another bucket at a critical time from an unlikely source. Quentin Diboundje beat the shot clock with a jumper from the left elbow with 23.5 seconds to play, and the Rams opened a 59-56 advantage.

“That was all the coach, right?” Miller quipped. “I give him credit. He’s been on the back burner. It’s been a 50-50 tossup for a long time about how we incorporate him.”

O’Conner slashed off the left wing for a conventional three-point play to answer, but URI opted against calling a timeout after the made free throw. Miller already had Thomas on the ball and didn’t want George Mason to switch defenses in its huddle. It was a decision that ultimately helped the Rams match the 9-0 start in Kingston they enjoyed during a special 2017-18 campaign.

“Find a way to score so we can win the game,” Thomas said. “I’ve been in that position a few times this year, and it’s worked for me.”

URI (12-2, 1-1 Atlantic 10) grinded its way back even thanks to some defensive energy. David Green’s steal in the lane led to a Diboundje layup in transition down the left side with 4:30 to play. Javonte Brown’s blocked shot – one of his career-high six – sent Thomas down the left side for a layup that made it 54-54 with 3:53 left, and the Patriots (10-5, 1-1) were forced to use a timeout.

“The message at halftime wasn’t basketball as much as it was our togetherness – to shake us up,” Miller said. “We had to give each other more energy. We had to have a little bit of spirit.”

URI celebrates its comeback victory over George Mason at the Ryan Center

Sebastian Thomas makes a final-seconds shot and hits the free-throw to seal the Rams comeback over Atlantic 10 rival George Mason on Saturday afternoon

It was the first appearance for Diboundje since some late minutes in a Nov. 24 blowout of Charleston, as the Rams juggled their rotation after a 67-55 stinker against the Dukes. Miller went a step further in the second half, putting Tyonne Farrell on the bench for the final 15:46 and Cam Estevez alongside him for the last 10:13. Thomas, Lawrence, Diboundje, Green, Brown, Jaden House and David Fuchs were the primary seven who limited George Mason to 1-for-8 from 3-point range, cobbled together a 9-2 scoring advantage off nine turnovers and pressured the paint to the tune of a plus-11 margin in made free throws.

“We just had to get back to our basics – Rhode Island basketball,” Brown said. “Playing physical and moving side to side.”

URI was fortunate to trail by just nine at the break, suffering through a field goal drought of 10:23 and finding itself on the wrong end of a 15-0 run. Brown’s putback with 5:27 left earned a sarcastic cheer from a crowd of 5,803 fans, a gathering whose mood had turned 180 degrees by the stretch run. The Patriots finished just 9-for-18 from the stripe, including a 1-for-7 start to the second half.

“We really didn’t have any business winning that game for a long period in the first half,” Miller said. “It could have gotten away from us.”

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

Source link

Click to comment

Rhode Island

New docuseries exploring Rhode Island’s coastal ecosystem premieres Friday – What’s Up Newp

Published

5 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

New docuseries exploring Rhode Island’s coastal ecosystem premieres Friday – What’s Up Newp

A new documentary series celebrating Rhode Island’s coastal wildlife and conservation efforts premieres Friday on Ocean State Media.

“Ocean State: Rhode Island’s Wild Coast” debuts with its first episode, “Secrets of the Seagrass,” at 8 p.m. Jan. 9 on WSBE. The episode will be followed by a re-run of “Chasing Fins,” a short documentary about the Atlantic Shark Institute’s shark research in Rhode Island.

The premiere episode explores eelgrass meadows, often called the “nurseries of the sea,” which support diverse marine life while playing a critical role in coastal resilience, water quality and climate mitigation.

Filmed across Rhode Island and New England, the episode features species including American lobster, American eel and bay scallops that depend on healthy eelgrass ecosystems. It also highlights scientists and conservationists from Save the Bay and The Nature Conservancy working on habitat restoration.

“Eelgrass meadows are foundational to the health of our coastal waters, yet many people have never seen them or understood their importance,” director Tomas Koeck said. “This episode brings viewers beneath the surface to reveal how interconnected these systems are—and what’s at stake if we lose them.”

The series is produced by Silent Flight Studios in partnership with Ocean State Media.

“Given our strong, shared connection with the bay and our coastline, we’re excited to share this fascinating new series,” Ocean State Media President and CEO Pam Johnston said.

Future episodes will explore landscapes, wildlife and people shaping the region’s natural heritage.

**Ocean State Media Premieres New Docuseries on Rhode Island’s Dynamic Coastal Ecosystem (Ocean State Media)**

Source link

Rhode Island

RI Lottery Mega Millions, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Jan. 6, 2026

Published

17 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 6, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Jan. 6 drawing

09-39-47-58-68, Mega Ball: 24

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 6 drawing

10-13-24-27-31, Lucky Ball: 08

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Numbers numbers from Jan. 6 drawing

Midday: 4-0-3-7

Evening: 0-5-5-7

Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Wild Money numbers from Jan. 6 drawing

04-09-22-26-33, Extra: 36

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.

Source link

Rhode Island

Rhode Island weighs new tax on highest earners as Trump policy pressures mount

Published

1 day ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Rhode Island weighs new tax on highest earners as Trump policy pressures mount

The proposed new income levy would build on the state’s “Taylor Swift tax,” adding to a growing web of state-level measures impacting affluent households.

Rhode Island is moving closer to a new tax on high earners, adding to a growing patchwork of state measures aimed at the wealthy that advisors will have to keep tabs on for affluent clients with multistate ties.

Governor Dan McKee, who previously resisted calls for higher income taxes, is now signaling openness to a surtax on top earners as federal cuts squeeze the state’s finances.

As reported by Bloomberg, Lawmakers are revisiting a proposal for a 3% surtax on income above $640,000, roughly the top 1% of earners in the state, to help plug a projected deficit of at least $101 million for the fiscal year starting in July. McKee’s office has also floated an income threshold of $1 million for any wealth tax.

“We are in a spot where we’re going to have to address some of those headwinds that are coming our way from DC,” McKee said, pointing to reductions in Medicaid, food assistance and other programs by the federal government under President Donald Trump.

The debate in Providence mirrors a broader shift among Democratic policymakers who are turning to high-income households and owners of luxury property to shore up budgets and address what they see as a K-shaped economy. Neighboring Massachusetts has become a key reference point with its 4% surtax on income above $1 million, approved in 2022, which has reportedly generated billions in additional revenue.

On the West Coast, a billionaire tax proposal in California that would place a one-time 5% levy on all the worldwide assets of billionaires who resided in the state as of January 1 has sparked swift reactions from critics warning of a resultant wealth exodus.

For advisors, Rhode Island is already a test case in using real estate taxes to target the wealthy. A new surcharge on second homes valued at more than $1 million, dubbed the “Taylor Swift tax,” takes effect this summer. For non-primary residences, or properties not occupied more than half the year, the state will charge $2.50 for every $500 in assessed value above the first $1 million, on top of existing property taxes.

Read more: “Fearless” singer Taylor Swift joins billionaires’ club on prestigious women’s rich list

Luxury brokers have warned the levy hits the very people supporting much of the local economy in seasonal communities like Newport and Watch Hill. “These are people who just come here for the summer, spend their money and pay their fair share of taxes,” Donna Krueger-Simmons, a sales agent in Watch Hill, told CNBC when that property tax was unveiled. “They’re getting penalized just because they also live somewhere else.”

Critics say some second-home owners are weighing sales and prospective buyers are pausing purchases or looking to coastal alternatives in nearby Connecticut. That kind of cross-border arbitrage will be familiar territory for advisors whose clients can choose among multiple high-end destinations.

Advocates counter that higher taxes on second homes and top incomes are necessary to keep tourist towns livable for year-round workers who keep service economies running. One commentary by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy argues that wealthy vacation-home owners and high earners can absorb surtaxes that fund housing, infrastructure and local services, and that states should design broad, progressive real estate and income tax systems rather than leaning on middle-income residents.

The proposed income surtax failed to make it into last year’s budget but is expected to be a central flashpoint in the current session. Rhode Island Senate President Valarie Lawson has supported earlier versions, while House Speaker Joe Shekarchi has said he is open to the idea but uncertain where the income line should be drawn.

“You can say tax the rich, but what is the rich?” he said.

Source link