The University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team’s second-year guard Damone King was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, and after redshirting last year, King is looking to make an impact on a URI team filled with newcomers this season.

“I first started playing basketball when I was four or five years old,” King said. “I used to play in a little church league in Louisville, Kentucky, where I grew up.”

King found a love for basketball almost immediately, but also played football and baseball. It wasn’t until seventh grade that he found his stride with basketball.

“I just felt like basketball was more for me,” King said. “I just started taking it seriously when I cut off football and baseball.”

King was a standout all throughout high school, working up to being a three-star recruit. However, beyond what he was able to do on the court, King cherished the relationships he was able to build with the team around him.

“I loved bonding with my teammates,” King said. “Cherishing every moment… winning games, and having fun with them off the court.”

King caught the attention of URI Head Coach Archie Miller when he was in high school. He also gained a lot of traction from URI Assistant Coach James Whitford.

“I just thought he was a really solid player,” Whitford said. “He can score at all three levels, can get to the rim, he’s got a really good mid-range, he can shoot threes and the thing that we really like about him is his work ethic.”

Last season, King spent his first year in Rhode Island as a redshirt, practicing with the team every day but never suiting up for game action as he continued to develop.

“It taught me that basketball, the game, will forever stay the same,” King said. “As far as the skill level, talent and stuff like that. It’s really just about how hard you work and how smart you are as far as paying attention to close details.”

King said that he was able to gain valuable experience last season, learning behind veteran guards such as Sebastian Thomas ’25, Jamarques Lawrence, who transferred to the University of Nebraska this season, and Jaden House ’25.

“I learned a lot of things last year,” King said. “Watching and seeing from experience the change of speed in the game, athleticism, knowing where you are supposed to be at on the floor and communication.”

King made sure a priority in the offseason was to get in the weight room to help make an impact on this year’s team.

“I lifted a lot of weight,” King said. “I would say that was my main focus; I gained about 10-15 pounds of muscle.”

King and the Rams have one very simple goal in mind for this season: the Atlantic 10 Conference title.

“I want to win an A-10 championship for sure,” King said. “That’s our biggest goal as a team. Another goal I have is I want to win the A-10 Rookie of the Year.”

This year’s Rhode Island team looks a lot different than a year ago, with 11 new faces this upcoming season.

“It was pretty easy adjusting with them,” King said. “Everybody’s good guys; everybody has good character. I feel like we really clicked well with each other as soon as we stepped foot on the court.”

King scored five points in his debut during the 93-62 win against Stetson University on Monday, shooting 2-3 from the field as well as securing one rebound in 10 minutes of action.

King and the Rams will look to ride this momentum from the season opener when they travel to Annapolis, Maryland, to take on Tulsa University at 6 p.m. on Friday. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network, and a radio stream will be available on The Varsity Network.

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