Ruane puts PC among elite
• There are a lot of bells and whistles in the name of creating a topnotch basketball practice facility that’s the apple of Providence College’s eye, yet what’s the most important feature to the on-campus Ruane Friar Development Center that was christened last weekend?
Not the best feature, mind you. The most important, as in the one that relates to head coach Ed Cooley conducting daily basketball business with Alpha Diallo and the rest of the Friars.
Easily, it has to be the two full length courts that run parallel to one another. That means the guards and bigs each have their own work space to run drills and receive instruction. It’s certainly a far cry from past practices when Alumni Hall was divided in two and teaching was hindered somewhat due to working within tight quarters.
“The space we now have allows us to do more. Will it translate into wins? We hope, but I like what I’m feeling and seeing,” Cooley said.
Added Diallo, a junior guard, “There’s a lot more space which is very beneficial. Now you can have different groups at different baskets.”
Speaking after last Saturday’s dedication ceremony, Cooley dubbed his program’s gleaming new facility a “need” as opposed to a “want.”
“To stay competitive in this day and age … in 2011 when I came here, I didn’t see this day coming,” Cooley said. “I thought it was big when we renovated Alumni Hall, but to have a practice facility is a game-changer. This gives us something to talk about with prospective student-athletes, but Providence College has bought in. They’re totally all in to be as competitive as we need to be to compete for national championships.”
The designers of the Friar Development Center sunk a game-winning 3-pointer when it came to capturing the spirit of the Cooley-led Friars. Greeting visitors upon walking through the glass doors are statues of legendary PC head coaches Joe Mullaney and Dave Gavitt. Providence president Rev. Brian J. Shanley told the crowd on Saturday there’s room for another statue and that honor could someday belong to Cooley.
“This is just the beginning. I still think we have a long way to go. At the same time, we’ve come a long way,” Cooley said.
• The Mount St. Charles Hockey Academy brain trust of Matt Plante, Devin Rask, and Scott Gainey spent last weekend in Pittsburgh, watching a showcase event called the USHL Fall Classic. It was a gathering of the best youth hockey talent in the country – obviously a prime chance for the Mountie coaches to sell a vision of competing on a national level. Getting players is the name of the game, particularly when you’re referencing a start-up venture similar to the one at Mount.
• Catching 12 of the 13 innings that was needed before the Colorado Rockies squeaked past the Chicago Cubs during Tuesday’s National League Wild-Card game was St. Raphael Academy alum Chris Iannetta, who this year eclipsed double-digit home runs for the seventh time in 13 MLB seasons. Iannetta went deep 11 times for a Colorado team that advanced to face Milwaukee in the Division Series.
• Providence College hockey head coach Nate Leaman had this to say about Hockey East Conference officials settling on a playoff format where 8-of-11 teams qualify and firstround byes are no longer the case: “There’s much more emphasis on the regular season and it also shortens our playoffs, which used to be three weeks. Now it’s two. I did like the bye; there’s such a battle in our league coming down the stretch that if you earned it, your guys got a break.”
One of the proposals that was mentioned was have to the teams seeded 6-11 compete in a play-in game before introducing the best-of-three series.
“I thought having a single elimination would be exciting for the fans,” Leaman said, “but as a head coach, you’re in the position of, ‘Just tell me when we’re going to play.’”
• In her freshman season with the Southern New Hampshire women’s cross country team, former Cumberland High standout Grace Henson has already been selected as the Northeast-10 Rookie of the Week on two occasions. At the 46th annual UMass-Dartmouth Cross Country Invitational, held on Sept. 15, Henson was Southern New Hampshire’s top finisher and placed 19th out 308 runners with a time of 19:08.57.
• When the Bryant University football team travels to Pittsburgh this Saturday to face NEC rival Duquesne, Shea High alum Leandro DeBrito will be lurking in the secondary for the Dukes. A junior who’s in his first season as a cornerback with Duquesne, DeBrito through five games has recorded 17 tackles (13 solo) with seven of those stops coming against Dayton on Sept. 15.
• Wedding bells recently rang for former Woonsocket basketball standout/current PawSox merchandise manager Brooke Coderre and her now-husband Ellis Cooper. The wedding bells will sound this weekend when Burrillville cross-country and girls’ basketball head coach Samantha Stanton walks down the aisle to marry her soon-to-be husband Matt White.
• Right now, all is quiet regarding the search for the next Pawtucket Red Sox manager and figures to remain that way until the completion of the MLB playoffs.