Slaney will stay close to home
Mount St. Charles senior running to Bryant
• The goal of running at the NCAA Division I level was a goal that Ryan Slaney recalls taking shape when he was either nine or 10 years old.
Through trials and tribulations that were brought about by numerous injuries, the Mount St. Charles senior remained undeterred. Through pain and perseverance, Slaney was going to see his grand vision come to fruition.
Earlier this month, Slaney accepted an offer to compete in cross country and track at nearby Bryant University starting next fall. The goal that was several years in the making had been achieved.
“It’s definitely a great feeling and something I’ve put a lot of effort into,” said Slaney. “I was trying to find a school that would be good for my future and somewhere I could run as well.”
The road to landing a scholarship with the Bulldogs holds extra meaning after Slaney dealt with shin splints and stress fractures that sidelined him for his sophomore and junior cross-country seasons at Mount. First and foremost, he needed to demonstrate that he was healthy. Second, he needed to post impressive times that would allow for multiple exchanges with Mitchell Switzer, Director of Cross Country/Track & Field at Bryant.
In the fall of 2020, Slaney went from being known as a powder keg of unlimited potential to the leading Mountie. He took home firstplace honors in three of the four dual meets and enjoyed a strong postseason that began with a third-place finish at the Class C meet (16:30) and culminated with Second-Team All-State honors after placing 13th overall (16:22) at states.
Without that sterling compilation of times – additionally, Slaney was named First Team All-Northern Division and landed a spot on the Call/Times All-Area Boys’ Cross-Country team – the odds are that Bryant probably doesn’t enter the picture.
“I really needed that for sure. I hadn’t run in two years and had to keep coming back,” said Slaney.
The importance of a training staff that can get ahead of the problem rather than react to injuries figures to benefit Slaney upon enrolling at Bryant.
“They definitely have the people in place who can help me rehab if I have injuries or hopefully not even get them,” said Slaney.
A combination of pain and a short indoor track season led to Slaney taking a longer-term view regarding the rest of his time as a Mountie. He recently resumed training and plans to be ready when the outdoor season begins in early May.
Slaney joins fellow senior Owen Noecker as the second member of Mount’s Class of 2021 to announce that running at the D-I level is also in his future. Noecker is heading to St. Bonaventure. At Bryant, Slaney will be joined by current Cumberland senior/fellow runner Owen Molis.
• Tolman High product Tedrick Wilcox was one of the reasons why Dominican College qualified for the NCAA Division II East Regional Men’s Basketball Tournament. Now, the forward is putting out feelers after placing his name in the transfer portal.
“The goal is to land at a Division I school,” said Wilcox.
As a sophomore this past season, Wilcox earned a spot on the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) All-Conference team. Among CACC participants, Wilcox ranked third in three-point field-goal percentage (47.2), fourth in scoring (15.4 ppg), fifth in field-goal percentage (52.8), and ninth in total field goals (47).
Listed at 6-foot-6, 185 pounds, Wilcox averaged 6.9 rebounds per game for a Dominican program whose 2021 campaign was limited to just eight games.
• The baseball gear along with his personal belongings will soon be packed as Chris Wright prepares to head to Arizona for spring training alongside his fellow minor leaguers in the San Francisco Giants’ system. The Cumberland High/Bryant standout says the report day for pitchers and catchers is Monday, March 29 – three days before the Giants open the 2021 season.
“I’m excited to get out there,” said Wright, a 22-year-old left-handed pitcher who’s seeking to add to a career innings total (13.1) that hasn’t budged since August 2019 – long before COVID-19 wiped out the 2020 minor league season.
• Kudos to St. Raphael senior softball player/ cheerleader Sophia Bianchi for organizing a schoolwide drive where personal hygiene and household items were collected and donated to benefit Crossroads Rhode Island.
• The local boys basketball community was well-represented in awards announced recently by the Rhode Island Basketball Coaches Association.
Lincoln High senior Octavio Brito was a Second-Team All-State choice. His cousin, Blackstone Valley Prep senior Xavier Mendez, was honored as Third-Team All-State. Burrillville head coach Kevin Randall shared Division II Coach of the Year honors with the Wheeler staff. Woonsocket was the co-recipient of the Division I North/East Sportsmanship Award.
Mount St. Charles senior Gary Kalmer made the RIBCA’s Academic All-State team while Woonsocket senior Jared Downing was one of two winners to receive the Harold Metts & Jerry Morgan Scholarship.
• Living proof that all good things come to those who wait was recently experienced by Burrillville native Giana Savastano. In the next-to-last game of her senior season with the Providence College women’s hockey team, Savastano netted the first goal in game No. 107 of her Friar career. For the defenseman, the occasion was the Hockey East finals against Northeastern on March 6.
Per the NCAA’s decision to grant all winter athletes an extra year of eligibility, Savastano holds the option of returning to PC or playing elsewhere next season. If her playing days are through, she leaves with 108 games in a Friar uniform and a career plus-6 rating.
• Condolences to PawSox official scorer and RIIL football & hockey official Bruce Guindon on the recent passing of his son Mark at age 49.
Also, keep in your prayers the family of John Jeannotte, who died earlier this month at age 72. Jeannotte was a standout baseball player at Pawtucket West (now Shea High) and became an All-Yankee Conference ballplayer at URI. Jeannotte taught physical education for many years in Pawtucket.
• Opinion: having Nate Watson in the fold next season should help the Friars make inroads in the transfer market. Talent attracts talent.
• For Cumberland’s Tyler Kolek, it’s about figuring out if he can carve out the same type of role that he enjoyed as a freshman at George Mason at another school. Remember, we’re talking about someone who averaged 30.7 minutes per game.
• Are the Red Sox truly out of touch? LeBron James plays for the Lakers, aka the sworn NBA enemy of the Celtics. Save for 2008 and 2010, James has been a thorn in Boston’s basketball side. Now, he has a seat waiting for him inside Fenway Park’s hallowed halls.
Extending an ownership stake to King James would be like Robert Kraft asking Eli Manning to invest in the Patriots. Ditto the Bruins making room on the masthead for someone with ties to the Montreal Canadiens. Bet Yankees fans would have been an understanding bunch if Derek Jeter was part of a group that purchased the Red Sox instead of the Marlins.
You don’t pull the trigger on something that doesn’t compute. Regarding LeBron, the Red Sox missed that memo.
• Real estate agents whose territory includes Foxboro and the surrounding area figure to have a field day with all the comings and goings involving the Patriots this week.
• It appears Bill Belichick received permission to avoid the clearance aisle. Here’s the AMEX card, now go on a massive shopping spree. Don’t stop until you have enough players to make last year’s non-playoff squad a distant memory.
Time will tell if Belichick’s eye for talent is still sharp. At the same time, you can’t say the Patriots sat on their salary cap space. It burned a hole in the front office’s pocket – try $200-plus million in guaranteed money.
• This column would have been longer, but it’s time to fill out a bracket. I hear there’s a big college basketball tournament on the docket. The games – the Field of 64, that is – tip off Friday at noon. Better get to it.