By Shane Donaldson
Associate Athletic Director, Communication and New Media

KINGSTON, R.I. - A lot has changed in the basketball world for Sophia Vital over the last few months.

Since winning the Atlantic 10 Championship and leading Rhode Island to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 30 years, Vital saw Tammi Reiss, the woman who brought her to URI, take the head coaching job at Florida.

She is one of two players from last year's squad to remain in Kingston. Fellow guard Amori Jarrett also stuck with the Rams after sitting out a redshirt season last year. This year's squad has 12 players new to Rhode Island, as well as an entirely new coaching staff.

Despite the uncertainty that comes with extensive change, Vital learned quickly in her talks with first-year head coach Colleen Mullen that program expectations were no different now than they have been all along.

"When she took the time to talk with me, it made it really easy to buy in and believe in the championship culture that she was bringing in," Vital said of Mullen. "She wants to come in and win another championship, and that's the path I want to be on."

It's a path that is synonymous with Vital's time at URI. In her three seasons, the Rams are a combined 66-35. Individually, Vital was an All-Atlantic 10 selection last season, earning third-team honors after recording 7.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 assists per game. She ranked 14th nationally with a 2.33 assist-to-turnover ratio, which led the A-10.

Vital already ranks ninth in program history with 294 assists and is on pace to join Dayna Smith (1992-96) as the only Rhode Island women to reach 400 career assists.

This year's team has been together for just a couple weeks, but the point guard in Vital loves what she sees.

"As a point guard, I am really excited to play with this group. Queen Ikhiuwu, Amaya Stewart, and Delanie Hill especially, they are a point guard's dream," Vital said. "When you know you can pass the ball off to someone and they are going to knock down the shot, it feels really good.

"I'm excited to get to play with Amori Jarrett, because she didn't get to play last year. We are a smaller team this year, but we make up for that in so many different ways. We have a lot of strong pieces, and I am excited about it."

The team didn't fully come to campus until the second summer session. In fact, two players - Ioana Savu (Romania) and Naiara Quintana (Spain) - have yet to join the team since they are playing for their respective national teams. Still, the weight of the decision of whether to stay at Rhode Island or enter the transfer portal has dissipated for Vital. 

"It was definitely a tough decision for me because I've been with Tammi Reiss for the past three years," Vital said. "But it feels really good being back here. This is home to me. Even though it's a new team, I am excited to be here and be a part of it. I want to win championships, and I am excited for the chance to do that again this year."

While basketball was certainly the key factor for Vital, academics did play a role in the decision. The Cambridge, Mass. native is an Engineering major.

"It is definitely hard to transfer when you are working toward an engineering degree," Vital said. "The coaches talked with me about it, and I talked with my family about it. To graduate with an engineering degree is huge. I wanted to see it through."

In terms of her own game, Vital has been working extensively on her 3-point shooting. Perimeter shooting hasn't necessarily been a focal point thus far in her career, but Vital understands she can be more dangerous offensively if opponents have to step out to defend her. With her lightning quick speed, she long ago established her ability to drive past the defense and get to the basket.

"The coaches have talked with me about being more aggressive scoring wise," Vital said. "As a point guard, I've been working on growing as a leader for the last three years. That's an important role that I need to step into this year.

"There is no going backwards. A new coach is coming in, and they want to win championships. There are new players coming in, and they want to win championships. I am coming back after we won a championship last year, and that's not enough for me. I want another one.

"We are here to compete. We are here to win, and we are here to have fun. We are going to put on a show."