Patriots set for battle in Division II

By ALEX SPONSELLER
Posted 12/7/18

The Pilgrim boys basketball had a solid campaign in 2017-18, which ended early in the Division I playoffs.

The Patriots are now back in Division II, return their core, and hungry to compete for a …

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Patriots set for battle in Division II

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The Pilgrim boys basketball had a solid campaign in 2017-18, which ended early in the Division I playoffs.

The Patriots are now back in Division II, return their core, and hungry to compete for a state championship.

“I’m excited, I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. I’ve loved the energy in practice, it’s something that you hope for as a coach and they have brought it every day. It’s a new system that we’re trying to apply here but they are picking it up quickly, we have games coming quickly so we have to get going fast,” said new Pilgrim coach Matt Fontaine, who is a former Cranston West and Coventry assistant. “I knew about Division II, I knew about Pilgrim since I live in the area, I know we have athletes. In this day in age, give me athletes that want to work hard and buy into what we are trying to do, just give me five of them. That’s what we’re looking for.”

Pilgrim boasts a large senior class, starting with its leaders David D’Andrea, Evan Asadorian and Will Pariseau. Fellow seniors Nicholas Jaggi and Jeremiah Mullane will also be in the mix and look to make an impact, while Tyler Robbio and Wilfredo Burgos will also play a key role in the back court.

Justin Dunning and Dana Baptiste are two juniors who are among Pilgrim’s most dynamic players, while Jaron Thomas is a junior big man that is also carving out a role for himself. Sophomores Jared Reminder, Kenny Rix and Raul Duran will also compete for minutes as well.

Although the Pats have the talent and depth to compete for a title, Fontaine and his staff are stressing the little things, and taking it one step at a time.

“Our goal is to make the playoffs; our goal is to get seven wins because that is enough to make the Division II playoffs. From there, it’s nine or 10 wins and competing for a state playoff spot. We’ll start with the smaller goals and work our way from there,” said Fontaine. “(The ages are) spread out pretty evenly, everyone is pushing each other for minutes. If you’re going to go out there and give us the best shot to win at the varsity level then you’re going to play. That’s the way I teach these guys and that’s the way we are coaching it. You can see the guys that have played together but we are spread out, there are a lot of juniors and sophomores. We are working on our rotations and our consistency, effort and doing the little things every day.”

The Pats will kick off their season with a non-league matchup on the road versus Johnston on Friday evening.

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