URI Basketball Will Redshirt Three Players - Jim Malachowski
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URI Basketball Will Redshirt Three Players - Jim Malachowski
Three URI basketball players may redshirt this year. The players are 6 ’9” forward Mouhamed Sow, 7’ 1” center Moek Icke, and 6’ 8” forward Javon Perry.
While the redshirt status may be conferred by a coach during the year, it is not confirmed until the end of the season. This allows a coach to reverse the initial decision in the event of a major roster change. To be eligible for the redshirt designation, the player cannot have played at all during the year.
There is also a medical redshirt, which is a hardship waiver that may be granted to athletes who sustain a major injury while appearing in fewer than 30% of their team’s games and have not participated after the midpoint of the season.
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Mouhamed Sow is from Dakar, Senegal, and is in his first year at URI. He is a grad student who previously played for three years at Saint Peter’s University.
Sow played in the first five games of the season and suffered a lower leg injury. On December 9, 2025, the URI athletic department issued a statement as follows: “Rhode Island forward Mouhamed Sow underwent a surgical procedure on his leg on Tuesday. The procedure was a success, and the hope is Sow will return this season.”
The team remained hopeful about his return as the Rams are thin underneath and have no real backup for starting center Keeyan Itejere. When asked about Sow during the January 13th media availability, Coach Archie Miller said, “He is getting better. His intent is to continue to work back and find a way to get back to the floor. He's played five games, and he wasn't even healthy in games 4 and 5. He hasn't played since. He's yet to practice.”
Miller continued, “The intent is to add him to the equation at some point. Is that late January or early February? I don't know. He’s been gone so long, and we have played so many games, a lot of people don't understand the value that he brought through his toughness, swagger, defensive ability, and his experience level. He's 6’9”, and his length gives us another guy down low. We don’t win the Yale game if he's not playing. He’s a great dude. He could have shut it down a long time ago, like a lot of guys are doing in college basketball around this time. He's working himself to try like heck to help us, and I'm grateful for that.”
Sow done for the season
Unfortunately, things have not progressed as hoped. Sow was not dressed for the February games and has been listed on the injury reports as “out”. After the Richmond game, Miller was asked about Sow and responded, “Mo Sow, yeah, he's done. Mo won’t play again for the rest of the season. We are past the point of the threshold where he will impact our team. Not a lot of people know how big it is for us to lose him. He was a very, very important piece to what we are doing. But his inability to get back from the procedure, to be able to practice comfortably, has not been there, and I don’t see where he will join us again this season.”
URI is thin underneath with only one active player over 6’8” tall, and that is by only one inch. All year, the 6’9” Keeyan Itejere has been playing against opponents who are taller and stronger than he is, but due to his athleticism and leaping ability, he has been holding his own. However, when he goes to the bench for a break or with foul trouble, the Rams struggle inside. With the long-awaited return of Sow not happening, opposing coaches are poised to take advantage.
Notably, in the new world of college basketball, URI will still pay Sow his NIL and direct payments despite his playing only 5 games.
With each passing game, it also appears the 7’1” Moek Icke, the only designated center on the URI roster, will not play this year. A month ago, Icke disclosed he would be redshirting, but there has been no official designation from the athletic office.
Second year as a redshirt
This will be Icke’s second consecutive year as a redshirt, as he also sat out the 2024-25 season. Icke is from Purmerend, Netherlands. He left the team early in 2025 to return home to address a serious health issue, undergoing procedures on his heart.
Icke returned to URI in July of 2025 and was undergoing closely monitored physical rehabilitation. Recently, he was cleared to begin basketball-related activities. URI has not set a timeline for his recovery or an expectation for when he would be available to play.
Icke retains 4 years of eligibility
Icke is 20 years old and will have 4 years of eligibility remaining. Recovering from a serious health issue and not having played in an NCAA college basketball game, it is unclear what Icke will eventually bring to the court.
Before committing to URI, Icke was a member of the Netherlands national team program. He averaged 5.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocked shots per game for the Netherlands at the FIBA U18 European Championships in 2023.
Coach Miller comments
In announcing Icke’s signing in September 2024, coach Archie Miller said, “Moek has great length, and he runs the floor really well. He has an excellent feel for the game. We can see he is a very hard worker who will be an impact player for us when the time comes.”
It is unclear now when that time will be.
Javon Perry, a 6’ 8” freshman forward, is the third player who will likely redshirt this year. Perry is from Springfield, MA. He has yet to appear in a game this season. For the past few weeks, he has been listed as “out” on the Rams' player availability report.
Perry’s length and athleticism make him a versatile player. He is a hard worker with a knack for shot blocking. He has not been considered an instant-impact player, as he needs further development, particularly on offense, but his aggressiveness and raw talent made him a sought-after recruit. He has been spending the season working on adding weight, muscle, and improving his basketball skills.
With no restrictions on transferring, there is no indication whether these three players will return to URI next season.