Persevere
setting mattered very little to him. Years of injuries had taken their toll, yet the program’s new head coach (Ryan Klosterman) was able to convince the former Lion to give it one last shot.
It gets better. Palmieri was able to carve out a prominent role as a starting pitcher on the Bulldogs’ staff. On March 10, days before the coronavirus wreaked havoc on everything that walked and breathed, Palmieri earned his first college win in what proved to be his final start in a Bryant uniform.
How’s that for a capper?
2). ERICKSON BANS
He opened 2020 by announcing that he was heading to nearby Bryant University. He remained in the headlines over the next few months as the Shea High product became the R.I. Interscholastic League’s all-time leading scorer in boys’ basketball and was a slamdunk choice to be named the sport’s choice for R.I. Gatorade Player of the Year.
It was through the Gatorade honor where you saw a different side of Bans – one that had nothing to do with how many points he scored. In May, it was learned Bans would donate the $1,000 grant that Gatorade awards to each POY winner to the Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket – his unofficial home away from home since he was eight years old.
“You’ve got to give back to where you started,” said Bans about a gesture that placed him in the spotlight for something besides his on-court prowess.
3 & 4). BRUCE & JO-ANN GUINDON
There are plenty of COVID-related stories that did not have a happy ending. Thankfully, this one that involved a Pawtucket couple who has been married for 51 years did. The official scorer for the PawSox and a longtime RIIL hockey and football official, Bruce contracted the virus in March, a time when the world was still trying to get a firm handle on the cause-and-effect aspect that had slowed life as we knew it to a crawl. He beat it, though Jo-Ann’s bout took a turn for the worse. She was going downhill fast and needed to get to a hospital ASAP.
“Seeing the way she was, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I wasn’t going to see her again,” said Bruce, reflecting on a harrowing experience.
Less than a week later, Jo-Ann returned to the home that she and Bruce have called their own since 1977.
“I couldn’t wait to get her in the door and give her a hug and welcome her back. I didn’t think she would be back,” said Bruce.
All’s well that ends well.
5 & 6). BROOKE & ELLIS COOPER
Known around these parts as Brooke Coderre, the former Woonsocket High basketball star and current PawSox vice president for marketing & merchandising, she and her husband Ellis – a boys basketball assistant coach at Blackstone Valley Prep – were expecting the couple’s first child to arrive in April.
What should have been a blissful time become somewhat stressful, the result of the pandemic and the precautions that were taken to ensure a smooth labor and delivery.
“It’s the best thing to make sure the health care workers and our little guy are safe,” said Brooke.
Braxton Cooper entered this world on April 3. The next day, the story of how Brooke and Ellis safely navigated the final steps of her pregnancy ran on the front page of this paper. The accompanying headline: “Great Expectations.”
How’s that for timing?
7). RANDALL HIEN
He had his sights on playing Division I college baseball and planned to use his senior season at Lincoln High to further state his case as to why a program should take a flyer on him. Turns out that Hien had the perfect solution once it became clear that in-person evaluation wasn’t going to happen.
Hien suggested to the Siena College baseball staff that he would be open to redshirt in
2021 and use the time to his advantage, i.e. get bigger and stronger. Siena was onboard and Hien had his school. Give him credit for thinking outside of the box at a time when the business of recruiting talent had to shift gears.
“I was more focused on having (Siena head coach Tony Ross) understand that I was going to be dedicated and be ready,” said Hien, who in the summer learned that he would have a roster spot on the 2021 Saints.
8, 9 & 10). MICHELE, CHRIS, &
BRENDAN WRIGHT
A physical therapist, Cumberland’s Michele Wright has been able to practice her craft to the benefit of her two baseball-playing sons. The eldest, Chris, is a lefthanded pitcher in the San Francisco Giants’ minor-league system. The youngest, Brendan, is currently a freshman pitcher at Army West Point.
“She wants you on the field so she can watch you,” said Chris a few days before Mother’s Day while standing near the mound at Tucker Field.
“Guilty pleasure,” was what Michele chimed in with while smiling.
It was a chance for the boys to say thank you to their mom for all the wisdom and guidance that’s been offered through her line of work. It was also a chance for Michele to share some insight whenever the patient happens to be Chris or Brendan.
“It’s about keeping them playing. The important part was to help them learn the difference between being hurt and being injured. We work together to get through the hurt. When there’s an injury, we figure it out and we get better and we continue to play. They know that I’m going to help them,” said Michele. “We work well together. They know I’ll never push them to hurt them.”
Spoken like a mom who truly wants what’s best for her boys.
11 & 12). RON & SARA GENDRON
Our Father’s Day story looked at a father, who coaches college tennis, and his daughter, a college swimmer. Both have Bryant University ties running through them, hence the natural reaction is that Ron must bump into Sara quite a bit.
With the college swimming season running parallel with a tennis season at Bryant that begins in September and could potentially last until May, Ron’s busy schedule doesn’t always break in a fashion that allows him to see Sara compete in-person. That’s why the two make sure to set aside time each Monday during the school year for a father-daughter dinner that’s off campus and
allows them to catch up.
“Putting that time aside is awesome. It’s nice to have that 1-on-1 time with my dad,” says Sara, a North Smithfield High graduate. “We’re able to talk about anything. He’s always been a coach outside of the waters for me whenever I’ve needed help.”
Dear Ole Dad, indeed.
13). C.J. DANDENEAU
The North Smithfield native was awaiting word to head back to Florida and rejoin his fellow Pittsburgh Pirate farmhands after the coronavirus had forced MLB teams to close up their spring-training operations. I had reached out to Dandeneau to talk about the 2020 MLB Draft featuring just five rounds – down significantly from 2019’s three-day, 40-round extravaganza of which Dandaneau was a part of as a 37th round selection.
The story was set to go when Dandaneau reached out to inform me that he had been one of the minor leaguers let go by the Pirates. He didn’t have to take said course of action that he was the bearer of some tough news, but Dandaneau did.
He definitely has my respect. Here’s hoping a bunch of youngsters take advantage of the sports nutrition/supplement business that Dandeneau launched right before Thanksgiving.
14). MICHAEL COPPOLINO
The Cumberland native wasn’t prepared to leave well enough alone – not after word came down that Brown University had plans to cut the men’s cross country and track program. A thrower for the Bears, Coppolino could have followed the path of least resistance since he was a 2020 graduate of the Ivy League school. He could have accepted the hand that had been dealt and left it at that.
Instead, he sparked a crusade that started with a website (savebrowntrack.org) that had reached 8,000 page views a few days after it went live. By early June, Brown reversed its decision and reinstated the programs that Coppolino sought to save.
“I don’t want to take any credit. I was just a part of it. Obviously, I preferred something like this never happened in the first place. It was stressful for a lot of people,” said Coppolino. ““Obviously the circumstances were unfortunate, but it showed just how many people cared about the program and how many were affected.”
A call for change that proved to hit its mark.
15). DARIUS KIPYEGO
I was never surprised by Kipyego’s success in cross country. What was surprising is that he competed in the sport in the first place. We’re talking about someone who spent last summer racing against some of the top middle-distance runners in the entire country. That was going to be the avenue that was going to lead to the pot of gold that came when Iowa State offered this St. Raphael senior a full athletic scholarship to only run track.
To Kipyego, cross-country helped fill a void that he spoke about after placing fourth at the state meet in November and helping a shorthanded SRA squad place sixth in the team standings.
“It’s about having fun with the team,” he said. “I always look to do what I can for the team.”
That’s what you call running for pure joy.
16). LOGAN COLES
“Apple of Their Eyes” was the headline that accompanied a story about Coles picking up three track & field scholarship offers from three SEC schools. Mind you, the Woonsocket High senior heard from Kentucky, South Carolina, and Alabama all in the same week.
“It was crazy and definitely a blessing,” said Coles, who ultimately chose to take his throwing talents to Kentucky.
A recruiting tale where a local lad received the seal of approval from a big-time conference.
17). DEVIN WARD
In July, Ward attended a one-day, invite-only football showcase event in hopes of landing on the radar of college coaches heading into his junior season at Tolman High. We’re talking about a man-child of a lineman – 6-foot-5, 315 pounds – who only started playing football upon reaching high school.
“Football-wise, he’s very impressive to look at. That makes him easy to promote,” said Tolman football head coach Jason DeLawrence.
Did we mention that Ward owns a 3.5 GPA and has been playing the piano since he was seven? Clearly, we’re talking about someone where the sky is clearly the limit.
18). RYAN SLANEY
One of the true feel-good stories from the cross-country season, this senior from Mount St. Charles fought off two season’s worth of shin splints and stress fractures to become the Mounties’ top runner. He wound up earning Third Team All-State honors, a fitting reward for someone who never gave up in his quest to comb long distances.
“I knew I had taken off enough time. I was ready to get back to it,” said Slaney, echoing words that were coated in determination.
19). MARIAMA JAITEH
With championship aspirations ringing in her ears, this Shea High senior came forward with a solution. Why not try me in goal? Originally from Gambia, Jaiteh filled a void that enabled the Raiders to capture the school’s first championship in girls soccer.
“She volunteered for it. No one else wanted to do it. Nobody wants to be a goalkeeper,” said Shea head coach Yianiss Noel.
“It was so important to me that we win. I didn’t want us to come up short because of goalie issues,” said Jaiteh.
A selfless act in the name of finishing on top.
20). ED COOLEY
If just one person heeds the message of the Providence College men’s basketball head coach, someone who through regular exercise and watching what he’s eating has dropped nearly 50 pounds since the start of the pandemic, the story that appeared just last week in this paper will have fulfilled its mission.
“I want to help all those who have struggled to lose weight and have had problems their whole lives. I’m definitely one,” said Cooley, living proof that it’s never too late to take charge of an area that’s challenging for many out there.
Space dictates we wrap things up on a look back at some of the people I crossed paths with and the memories I take with me from 2020 into the new year.